Hadiqa Kiani’s tribute to ‘Dirilis: Ertugrul’

KARACHI Singer Hadiqa Kiani’s touching tribute to Turkish historic drama series Dirilis: Ertugrul has won the hearts of her fans on the internet. Hadiqa Kiani turned to social media to share that she has remastered the Turkish song ‘Sen A?lama’ by living legend Sezen Aksu, she sang at the iconic Atatürk Cultural Center and Opera House in 2005, as a tribute to Ertugrul series, Sezen and to the people of Turkey.

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The love between Turkey and Pakistan is unlike the love of any other country. My maternal ancestors are from ?zmir, Turkey and I have had an affinity for the country since my childhood. As a child, I would represented Pakistan in the International Children's Festival in Turkey and in 2005 I returned to the great country to once again represent Pakistan at the iconic Atatürk Cultural Center and Opera House. The highlight of that trip was to sing the hauntingly beautiful “Sen A?lama" (a Turkish song by living legend Sezen Aksu) to a standing ovation, the love I felt from the country of Turkey was unmatched. I remember telling the audience that as Turkey stood beside Pakistan in good and bad times, I wanted to convey the love of Pakistani people for the Turks. Now in 2020, a new milestone in the relationship between Pakistan and Turkey was cemented by the mammoth success of Ertu?rul in Pakistan and we thought of no better time to pay a public tribute to the people of Turkey by officially releasing my original performance of “Sen A?lama.” The friendship between the two countries will continue to shine through culture, art and love. We hope you enjoy this touching tribute. Concept and editing by @abdullahharisfilms Clips from @trtertugrulptv @dirilisdizisi Tribute to #SezenAksu

A post shared by Hadiqa Kiani (@hadiqakianiofficial) on Jun 19, 2020 at 10:14am PDT

Sharing the video on Instagram, Hadiqa wrote, “Sen A?lama – A Tribute to Ertu?rul, Sezen Aksu and Turkey by Hadiqa Kiani.”

In a lengthy note, the Boohe Baariyan singer said: “The love between Turkey and Pakistan is unlike the love of any other country. My maternal ancestors are from ?zmir, Turkey and I have had an affinity for the country since my childhood.

“As a child, I would [represent] Pakistan in the International Children’s Festival in Turkey and in 2005 I returned to the great country to once again represent Pakistan at the iconic Atatürk Cultural Center and Opera House. The highlight of that trip was to sing the hauntingly beautiful “Sen A?lama” (a Turkish song by living legend Sezen Aksu) to a standing ovation, the love I felt from the country of Turkey was unmatched,” she further said.

The singer added, “I remember telling the audience that as Turkey stood beside Pakistan in good and bad times, I wanted to convey the love of Pakistani people for the Turks.

“Now in 2020, a new milestone in the relationship between Pakistan and Turkey was cemented by the mammoth success of Ertu?rul in Pakistan and we thought of no better time to pay a public tribute to the people of Turkey by officially releasing my original performance of “Sen A?lama.” The friendship between the two countries will continue to shine through culture, art and love,”.

Hadiqa Kiani’s tribute to ‘Dirilis: Ertugrul’, She also turned to Twitter to share the video and wrote, “In 2005, I had the honor of singing the Turkish song #SenA?lama at the AKM Opera House. Today, I have remastered that song as a tribute to Ertugrul series, #SezenAksu and to the people of Turkey. May our love and bond be forever strong.”