Biography

Basak Yavuz is a Berlin-Istanbul based vocalist, composer, arranger and educator. She started her career as an architect, but after winning the Nardis Jazz Vocal Competition in 2008 she decided to move to New York to study music. After a year of studying undergraduate level at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, she went to the prestigious Manhattan School of Music where she earned a Master of Music degree in 2012. She has performed her own music in Turkey, the United States, Canada and Europe. Her debut album "things" is released from Kalan Records which features jazz legends such as Dave Liebman and Peter Eldridge, along with other respected musicians. Basak teaches jazz voice, ensemble, songwriting and chromatic approach at Bahcesehir University and songwriting at Bilgi University in Istanbul. She also hosts two radio shows at Acik Radio, "Dunyanin Cazi (World's Jazz)" and "Bi' sarkim var! (I have a song!)". Basak released her second album "a little red bug" from her new record label: things and records. She is the founder of the only singer songwriter's collective in Turkey: "Bi' Şarkım Var!( I have a song)and also the producer of the collective's album. She took part at Banu Kanibelli's album "Yer Gok" as an arranger, vocal coach and performer, Selen Gulun's album "Kadinlar Matinesi" as a songwriter and performer and Sevket Akinci's album "Escher Chronicles" as a performer. Basak is one of the members of Istanbul Composers Orchestra.