Singer, songwriter, musician, and producer Cem Filiz – born November 30, 1980 in Edirne, Turkey – is better known by his stage name Cem Adrian. He plays a mixture of alternative rock, electronic, and jazz-influenced music and lyrically addresses many different social issues. His music career began in 2003 with the group Mystica, where he was a dancer and soloist. His first solo album, Ben Bu Şarkıyı Sana Yazdım, was recorded between 1997 and 2003 but not released until 2005. The following year, his sophomore album, Aşk Bu Gece Şehri Terk Etti, was released in 2006 and featured newly recorded material. The album featured guest appearances from Umay Umay, Denizhan, and Suicide. He continued to release a series of albums including Emir (2008), Kayıp Çocuk Masalları (2010), Siyah Bir Veda Öpücügü (2012), Cam Havli (2014/with Umay Umay), Tuz Buz (2017), and Solmayan Şarkılar (2020). An outspoken artist, Adrian has supported freedom of speech, human rights and, more controversially (in Turkey), LGBTQ rights. Some of his most well-known tracks include “Herkes Gider mi” (2010/featuring Aylin Aslim), “İlk ve Son Kez” (2015), “Kum Gibi” (2019/ featuring Hande Mehan), and “Yolun Sonunda”.
