Hande Yener (born January 12, 1973 in Istanbul, Turkey) is a Turkish pop singer. Over the past decade, she has introduced different styles to the ever expanding, Turkish pop music scenery. Each one of her albums has managed to generate a lot of interest as well as anticipation due to the different styles, genres and rhythms that she incorporates into her music. Besides the different experiments Hande tackles with music, her looks and image are also going through a constant change which arguably, blends in well with the sort of music she releases at the time. Hande was nominated for Best Turkish Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2008, only to be beaten by Emre Aydın.Sezen Aksu's invitation:
In 1992, Hande Yener met Hülya Avşar, who was shopping at the department store she worked at. Hülya Avşar would arrange for a meeting with her to meet Sezen Aksu, who would eventually invite her to audition in order to work with her on her upcoming album. Hande went on to be hired and quickly become Sezen Aksu's assistant and back vocalist for her album, "Deli Kızın Türküsü" (Folk Songs of a Crazy Girl). This gave her the first stepping stone into the music industry, as working with Aksu allowed her not only to gain some experience as an artist, but also play contributions to producing some of Sezen's famous albums during the 1990s.
Career beginnings: Senden İbaret and Extra:Hande would go on to work with Sezen as a back vocalist for two years. Afterwards Hande managed to establish herself not only some experience, but also a recognizable name as those that work as vocalist for Sezen tend to attract some attention for being chosen as worthy artists. It took some time for Hande to finally release her first album in 1999 which called, "Senden İbaret" (All About You).
The first single released off from the album was called, "Yalanın Batsın" (Damn Your Lies). It was a dance track that spelled instant success. This was considering that it managed to skyrocket right to the top of most Turkish charts, allowing it to become an instant club hit. The second single that followed from this album was, "Yoksa Mani" (If There Isn't An Obstacle). It too managed to attract a lot attention, as it was a pop track that accompanied some eastern-sounding elements to it.
The success behind "Senden İbaret" was so successful, that it prompted a single release called, "Extra" in 2001. This CD single featured different remixes to songs that appeared on her first album, along with a couple of new tracks as well. It managed to do surprisingly well for a single, as Hande's popularity had just begun to pick up steam.
Prominent success with Sen Yoluna... Ben Yoluma...Later in 2001, Hande's second album came out and just when she may have thought that she's seen it all, her success managed to further skyrocket with "Sen Yoluna... Ben Yoluma..." (Go Your Way...I Will Go Mine...). The album incorporated a lot of ethnic and traditional music with those of modern pop. With singles like, "Sen Yoluna... Ben Yoluma..." and "Küs"; Hande's popularity seemed to show no end. Her success can be witnessed as she performed at sold-out concerts not only in Turkey but also abroad. That, plus she has been recognized as being one of most likely artist to continue on a successful musical career for years to come. Indeed, this would prove to be the case in the release of the albums to follow.
3rd album: Aşk Kadın Ruhundan Anlamıyor
Later on, Hande would return back into the music industry with the release of, "Aşk Kadın Ruhundan Anlamıyor" (Love Doesn't Understand a Women's Soul) in 2004. Her third album, which had six hits all over Turkey included, "Acele Etme" (Don't Rush), "Kırmızı" (Red), "Acı Veriyor" (The Pain it Gives), "Armağan" (Gift), "Hoşgeldiniz" (Welcome) and "Bu Yüzden" (Because of That). Other tracks that became radio hits across Turkey included, "Savaş Sonrası" (After the War) and "Aşk Kadın Ruhundan Anlamıyor". "Aşk Kadın Ruhundan Anlamıyor" brought success to Hande in some countries outside of Turkey as well. Hande's 3rd album is arguable one of her best as it featured ranging genres stretching from "Acı Veriyor"'s rock ballad to "Acele Etme"'s Oriental dance beats. Nonetheless, this album's popularity presisted for over 2 years.
Musical change: Apayrı and Hande MaxiAlthough her previous album was a huge success, Hande decided to improve and refine her music style once more. She would then go on to incorporate a more dance-friendly Euro Pop sound, along with changing her appearance as well. She cut and dyed her black from blonde. The result was "Apayrı" (Totally Different), which came out in early 2006. Some of the hit singles that came out from "Apayrı"" included, "Kelepçe" (Handcuffs), "Aşkın Ateşi" (The Fire of Love) and "Kim Bilebilir Aşkı" (Who Can Guess What Love Is). Each of these singles featured different genres that simply wowed Turkey. "Kelepçe" had a groovy disco sound to it. "Aşkın Ateşi" was a sweet pop track and "Kim Bilebilir Aşkı" featured a Far-Eastern sound that had hints of techno felt throughout the song. It was claimed that this album sold 150,000 copies within 5 days. Other sources state that Apayrı sold 165.000 altogether in 2006.
Later on, as the popularity of "Apayrı" spread all around Turkey, Hande decided to release a maxi-single containing songs composed with her new musical style (which would be also her first maxi-single released). The result was "Hande Maxi", which also gained popularity. "Hande Maxi" contained three new songs as well three remixes. The three new songs had a more trance sound in them, hinting another change in her musical style. One of the new songs, "Biraz Özgürlük" (A Little Freedom), has gained popularity.
