Thanks a lot to Sabrina (France) for sharing this interview with us. It was published on french magazine Tele Club Plus in 1999.
We all fell in love with "Simarik", the song from Tarkan, which became a hit even before we knew how does the young man looked like! And we discovered a couple of grey-green eyes and a wonderful smile. So we felt like knowing more
about the nice Tarkan and especially about his love life...100% love!
-When you were young, in Germany, were you successful with girls?
-When I was 7 or 8, I was already obsessed by music. And I used it to seduce. I remember I sang turkish traditionnal songs to the girls who pleased me. They listened to me and they applauded me.
-What sort of girl did you like?
-It was a question of attitude, of feelings. I was always sensitive to the girls. But I have never been a Casanova, I'm a real romantic.
-How old were you when you had your first love?
-Very young! I might have been 4 or 5. Hulia was really beautiful. She was
the daughter of my parent's friends. I never kissed her. I was too young. I was just happy when I saw her. Some years later I went to Germany for a tour, I saw her in the airport. She worked in a duty free shop. But this time I didn't fall in love again 'cause I was already with someone.
-Who was the first girl you gave your first kiss to?
-It was a school friend, in Turkey. I might have been 14. I didn't understand nothing. It just happened. I wanted to kiss her but I was so shy that I couldn't. She was the one who kissed me and I just ran away. After that, I matured and I discovered sexuality.
-Is sexuality important for you?
-Of course! As for everybody, it's for sure the most important thing to discover. From this moment on, the feelings, the attractions. You start feeling that sex has nothing to do with feelings. I discovered the women's body and I only thought of that.
-You're speaking of your collector time?
-[laughs] Yes! it lasted some years. Then, when I was about 20 years old, I came back to romanticism. I admit I had a nice collection of conquests. Girls a little bit older than me, who were more like a woman, more sensual. And yet, I was really shy at this time. I seduced using my smile and my eyes.A frank look, the eyes in the eyes.
-At this time, what did love represent for you?
-It was as water, a sun shine. I was slave of love. I needed love in order to live, to write. And even at this time, I kept a kind of romanticism inside me. I needed to love in order to seduce.
-Were you allowed to bring your girlfriends home?
-Yes, we were free enough. My brothers and my sisters, and even my parents, told me their critics when the girl didn't please them. At first, I didn't listen to them, even if at the end my mother was always right.
-Was it hard for the girl to fit into your family?
-In the beginning, if it wasn't serious, I didn't show her to my family. Then things changed. After my father's death, I only lived with my mother and my little sister. They always met my girlfriends. But I didn't listened to them cause they only saw the outward appearance of our relation. They didn't have any idea of our privacy, of our love.
-Do you believe in true love?
-I spend my time to believe in it. For each of my relationships, I was sure it was the true love. Until I realized that I made a mistake, that I lost my time.
-Usually, are you the one who breaks up?
-I hate doing harm. Usually, I make the other feel there's a problem. But even that, it's hard. Yet today I would rather speak directly, before it becomes worse.
-What was your longest love story?
-It was with a turkish journalist who worked in Cosmopolitan. She came to interview me and we fell in love. She was four years older than me. We sayed together three years. She came with me to New York. She left everything for me. But as she is a really active woman, she quickly felt useless. So she went back to Turkey to start working again.
-Was it your most important love story?
-No, my most important story was my first one. Tülin was the
first who I burnt of love for. We were 16. We were separated because
my family moved again. I cried for months. Removals are my destiny.
-Do you want an advice? Stop moving!
-[he laughs]
-Do you believe in marriage?
-I'm afraid of marriage. I don't want to be dependent of someone just because I have a ring and I signed a contract. I don't like the idea to sign a contract with the girl I love.
-How could you prove the girl your love? By making her pregnant? By sharing your fortune with her?
-[laughs] Just by opening my heart. Having children? Not yet, I'm still a child. But I adore babies.
-If one day you have children, what would you tell them to make them happy?
-I believe I would be like a friend for them. I would like to be a really opened-minded parent for them. I don't want to impose taboos on my children. I hate that.
-In Turkey, girls seem to be very liberate...
-It's true, the new generation is open-minded. During my concerts, sometimes, I can't believe it. They're so free!
-A love story with a fan?
-I had a story with a fan in Germany. We got separated when I went
back to Turkey, and I know it was hard for her to get over this. She
idealised me. In spite of the private character of our relationship, she didn't love me for what I am as a person, but for my image. So I decided to keep my distance from this time on.
-What are you waiting from french girls?
-French kisses!
