Born Ismail Yurtseven on July 5, 1978, in Hamm, West Germany, the Turkish
Arabesque / pop / folk singer-songwriter is better known by the stage name
Ismail YK. Originally a member of sibling band Yurtseven Kardeşler (nicknamed
YK), the group performed in Germany, where they still lived. Yurtseven Kardeşler
began performing and recording in 1985 but didn’t achieve much success until a
breakthrough performance on a German TV show in 1988. Ismail YK joined the band
by the time of their 1996 album Bir Tek Sen / Barış Olsun. After several more
albums with the group, Ismail YK began a ...