Umut Zen Introduces Rock Arrangement of Sufi Hymn on New Album
"I have always dreamed of giving a place to hymns on my album. I was finally able to do it. This is enough for me. I am not a hymn singer," he notes.
A video is circulating on TV and video sharing Web sites with the rock singer, adorned in earrings and piercings, singing a classic Sufi hymn, "Allahu Allah," in a rock arrangement. Zen spoke to Sunday's Zaman about the criticism he received on his album, his worldview and his future plans.
Zen was born in 1976 and started his career as a singer when he participated in a song contest when he was 8 years old. Learning to play various instruments on his own, he attended the Turkish Music Conservatory of Haliç University and received a degree in music with a focus in vocal performance. "1999 was the year I decided to take up this project [his first album]," says Zen. He continued his career singing at night clubs while attending university. Then he decided to end his night club performances because they didn't fit his ideals, but continued to work on his album project.
"This album is actually my life story. When you listen to the album from start to finish, you see the points of change in my life. There is the viewpoint of a person after a separation from his love, questioning of the world and our religious beliefs, which are above everything in this world, etc., in this album," says Zen. He refers the album as representing a person's social life. "I strongly oppose the belief that a religious person cannot be social. I wanted to show that a religious person can be social as well."
His work on the album took close to 10 years. Although he did not work continuously on it for the 10 years, this album was always on his mind, he notes.
Explaining why he included an Islamic hymn, "Allahu Allah" in particular, on his album, Zen says: "'Allahu Allah' has a distinct meaning for me. I used to sing this hymn at my concerts during my amateur music life. While I was returning home from a concert in 2000, I said I wished I could sing this hymn on my album one day and now that has been realized."
The way Zen interpreted this famous Sufi hymn drew criticism for changing the spirit of the hymn for the purpose of self-promotion just after the launch of the video of the hymn, which came before the official release of the album. Noting that he had prepared himself for criticism, Zen strongly emphasizes that he did not made a hymn album.
"I would not have been able to make a complete hymn album. I know my limits. If just one person sings along with me and loves it, this means I have been successful," he adds. One recent event Zen witnessed seems to demonstrate that he has already received what he was aiming for. Zen says a young woman visited the music company Zen works with, namely Şahin Özer Production. "I do not like defining people as such but this is how people define such individuals. She was a society woman. She said upon listening to the hymn that her hair had stood on end and she had cried for several minutes. This is beyond the success I wanted. There is a spiritual energy behind this," he states, adding: "As long as I am alive I will make a place for divine love, which is the source of earthly love, in my albums. This is my worldview."
Receiving such positive reactions, Zen says those with negative things to say direct criticisms without knowing him or listening to all the tracks on his album. "Some people ask how someone like me with his earring and piercing can sing a hymn and that I am just after self-promotion. I prefer remaining silent when I here these kinds of things. They are prejudiced since they do not know me. They can criticize the tone of my voice or my art. However, accusing me of seeking self-promotion with these hymns is so far from my true intentions. I believe in poetic justice; silence is golden, as the proverb says," Zen notes.
According to the young rocker, the traditional spirit of Turkish classical music is like a precious stone and it should always be preserved. "For example, Ahmet Özhan, who is a famous Turkish Sufi music singer, is invaluable for this art. I admire him. Our ideals are different, however. I try to accomplish a more up-to-date sound." He emphasizes that, however, interpreting the hymn with a rock sound does not mean changing the lyrics or the music and that the genre and the spirit should be preserved. Zen criticizes the current expanding religious music sector, on the other hand, stating that it should not be so easy for everyone to make a hymn album. "With the arrival of Ramadan, now you will see dozens of hymn albums. Practically anyone can define himself as a hymn singer. A religion which is above everything in terms of art and literature should not be represented by those types of people."
'World is opening up to Sufism'
The Sufi hymn "Allahu Allah," which is one of two hymns Zen sings on the album -- the other being "Hüzünlü Gurbet," written by Fethullah Gülen, a scholar of Islam, and composed by Ertuğrul Erkişi -- also has English and Arabic versions on the album. Zen immediately clarifies that he knows neither English nor Arabic. "While singing in English, I did sing with a Turkish accent. I cannot pull off an American accent and did not seek to. The most important issue for us was to find proper translations of the lyrics in English Sufi literature," he says. To achieve this Zen worked with his cousin, who works as a translator in the US, mainly focusing on Sufi literature. Although English and Arabic versions on the album suggest that Zen wants to open his music to the world, he says he finds referring to this as "opening to the world" rather comical. "The world is opening to Sufism, we are not opening to the world," he says.
When asked about his target audience, Zen says defining a certain audience is totally against his worldview. He notes that he does not believe in artificially created masses, but only in what is human. "The audience in my mind is thousands from every section of society filling the stadiums. There is not something like 'these' or 'those' people. Music, Sufi music in particular, is a matter of energy inviting people. It does not matter who is coming," Zen says.
Practically a tradition in the Turkish music sector, associating a new singer with an older one has been done with Zen, as well. He is referred to as the Turkish Sami Yusuf, who is a British singer of Azerbaijani descent who sings songs with religious content. Before talking about this comparison, Zen states that he finds him quiet successful; however, he says, he cannot understand such a comparison since they are on completely different courses. "If I had made an album of completely religious hymns like him, it would be meaningful. However, we have completely different dynamics. Every singer is unique," he notes.
Özer: 'Zen was cut out for such a project'
Stating that he has always refrained from using the personal pronoun "I," Zen expresses his appreciation for the team behind this project. He particularly extends his thanks to his producer, Şahin Özer, who took on such a project for the first time. One of the leading producers of the Turkish music sector, bringing numerous famous singers to the sector, Özer also spoke to Sunday's Zaman and said this is a project that was carried out without skipping any details.
"Music albums with religious content are only sold on streets in front of the mosques and in certain bookstores. I thought, 'Why can't we view things more globally and let everyone sing what is in our souls'," says Özer. He notes that, being a Sufi and a young man who is grounded, Zen was cut out for such a project. "I believe this young man will successfully represent our culture in the world. I have made agreements with many European and Arabic music companies which will distribute the album," Özer adds.
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