In our interview with artist Burhan Berken, he says that one of the biggest influences on his musical adventure was that his father was dengbêj, and he says, “I was late to music, I should have started earlier.”
We had a pleasant conversation with the artist Burhan Berken before his concert held at the Üvercinka Cultural Center in Van. Burhan Berken, whose father is dengbêj, says that he found it late to start music. “The fact that my father was a debgbêj and I grew up in such an environment is one of the most important factors that prompted me to play music,” he adds: “I was even late, I should have started earlier.” Berken, smiling when asked what kind of person he likes and dislikes, said, “I think this is something very special. If it hasn’t been found yet, don’t find it yet. Keep it private,” he says.
‘It is a misunderstanding that I learned Kurdish later’
Berken says that the knowledge that he learned Kurdish later was a misunderstanding. Adding that his family immigrated to Bursa when he was about 4-5 years old, Berken states that he started school there and forgot many things about Kurdish as he went to school. Berken said, “When I was little, I had a Kurdish background. Because Kurdish was spoken at home all the time,” he adds. Stating that he refreshed the Kurdish language with the music, Berken said, “I can say that it was like a refresher. In fact, I brought those hidden things in the subconscious back to the fore again, it came to light. He stood out more with this music. Because the music ignited a little, the music started a little backward journey,” he says.
‘Geography has a dark potential and a bright potential’
Saying that he has been in Turkey for about a month, Berken states that he has been away from the agenda and cannot follow what has happened recently. Berken said, “Many things have been banned lately, but it is a situation that stems from Turkey’s political climate. Yes, there was always such a thing against the Kurds, but we all know that this government is related to hostility towards art. But more than that, it started with the Kurds and goes from there to the other side,” he says.
Stating that he did not think that this situation was permanent, he said, “We saw it in his period. I am 53 years old. What I have seen in this country, we have seen in very comfortable times, in very tight times. It really depends on the political power. It depends on the political climate. Everything can change in an instant, everything can blow in a completely different dark atmosphere. But this geography has potential on both sides. It has dark potential and it has light potential. I think it will go like this,” he says.
‘Music is a very broad concept’
Berken emphasizes that the interest in Kurdish music is related to what is expected. He also states that music is a very broad concept. Berken said, “Which style? When I say Kurdish music, it is not an absolute situation, but one that we can show as one. Because music is a very branched thing. Therefore, there is also a style that attracts attention. Kurdish music also has a style that does not attract attention. For example, there is something that catches the day, it attracts a lot of attention. Maybe there are people who make very high quality music in Kurdish, but they also have a certain audience. It’s not really worth getting a lot of attention. He emphasizes from where he looks at interest, from where he evaluates it.
‘There are pauses in all art fields from time to time’
Saying that there are pauses in all fields of art from time to time, Berken also states that there are departures in the same direction. He says that there was something else from the 90s to the 2000s, something completely different after the 2000s, and this is related to the change in the world. Berken said, “There is a changing situation in the world, it is not consumed quickly. Everything is consumed very quickly. I think it’s a crossing point. I think it’s a depression when I jump from place to place. Maybe good things are being done, I don’t know. There are so many things being done,” he says.
When we asked about the new album, he said that he was not thinking of making an album anymore and said, “I don’t think of it as an album. I will try single. There are new studies; I recorded, wrote. But I haven’t been posting for a while. I released a single last year called ‘Gerok’. I’ll be posting one over the next two months. But as I said, I’m not going to make a new classical solo album, but it will be singles.”
Serhat News
Translator :Akif Coşkun
