Muharrem Aslan

Muharrem Aslan is a Sydney-based singer, composer, songwriter, baglama virtuoso, multi-instrumentalist, arranger, and producer. Born in Ozcanli in the late 70s, a village in the Elbistan district of Kahramanmaras, Turkiye. Muharrem grew up in an Alevi spiritual music culture, where feelings, ideas, and beliefs are expressed through songs with the accompaniment of the baglama. At the age of twelve, he started singing traditional folk songs and began playing the baglama. In 2001, he migrated to Sydney, Australia where he composed his first composition, ‘Gule Nisan’ (2004). This song became the title of his first album. He then returned to Turkiye and continued his musical journey by attending concerts, TV and radio shows, and preparing more albums. The song “Gelmez Oldun”, which he prepared during this time, has reached broad audiences and subsequently entered the charts on various platforms. Yet it became known as “Ben Gonlumu Sana Verdim”; therefore, in 2021, the name of the song was changed on all platforms. In 2015, after an illustrious career overseas, he moved back to Sydney to study music at the University of New South Wales, graduating with Honours in 2021 and furthering his study with a Master of Creative Music Therapy from the University of Western Sydney. During his studies, Muharrem was still prolific in composition, collaboration, and releasing new music, even developing a baglama playing technique which he called “fourtemolo”. Releasing fourteen albums and collaborating with jazz orchestras, classical guitar ensembles, and many other groups/musicians, Muharrem’s music paints a landscape that is passionate, innovative, and forward-thinking, making him a standout in the modern music world.