Yaşar Kurt, born Arşak Yaşar Kurt on August 16, 1968 in Istanbul, Turkey, is a Turkish-Armenian singer and songwriter. He studied at Anadolu University but did not graduate. In 1994, he released his debut album Sokak Şarkıları (Street Songs) on the Ada Müzik label, which became popular in Turkey. Kurt moved to Berlin where his daughter Rosa was born, returning to Turkey in 1996. He continued his musical career with the release of Göndermeler (Referrals) in 1997 and Refleks in 2001. In 2003, he released a collection album entitled Anne. Upon discovering his Armenian roots, Kurt accepted the name Arşak and formed the duo Yash-ar with Armenian-Turkish artist Arto Tunçboyacıyan. In 2011, he released Güneş Kokusu (Smell of Sun), which included the hit song "Ver Bana Düşlerimi" ("Give Me My Dreams").
