Bülent Ersoy | Beddua (1980)

Listen to a track from this album on last week's Bodega Pop à la Turk

Grab the whole thing here

Born Bülent Erkoç in 1952 in Istanbul, Bülent Ersoy launched her career in the 1970s, releasing five albums until, just after the release of today's offering--her last recording as a male--she flew off to London for a sex-change operation. When she returned, she found herself banned by the shortsightedly oppressive government. After appealing her case unsuccessfully, she attempted suicide, failed (fortunately!), and left to live in Germany until the Turkish government repealed their earlier discriminatory laws. In the years and decades that followed, she became wildly more popular than she had been in the 1970s while living as a male.

I picked this ridiculously soulful album up at Uludag Video in Brooklyn in 2005 or 2006, but never gave a it good listen until putting together this show last week. I realized then that I'd never shared it with you and, wanting to rectify that, am here today, begging your kind forgiveness.