SİNEM, singer, songwriter, 2006 Grand Prize winner of World Music cat.- Intl John Lennon Songwriting Contest
Sinem, pronounced “C”-nem, is an ancient Turkish word meaning “deep from within my heart.” As her name implies, Sinem writes and delivers her music in this very manner. Sinem’s love of music comes from an eclectic selection that include the likes of Bebel Gilberto, Astrud Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Stan Getz, and others that fuel the bossa nova fire and sensual latin rhythms into Sinem’s own music. As a German-born American with Turkish family roots, Sinem is already set apart from her colleagues. Her music is a fusion of several of these influences, from the music she loves, Bossa Nova, to the music she was born into, Turkish, with the music she was raised in, American Pop and Jazz. The end result is music with beautiful, captivating subject matter; awe-inspiring lyrics embraced with sophisticated, infectious melodies; pure, enchanting vocals over sexy, latin and middle-eastern rhythms that leaves any listener completely spell-bound. It’s no wonder her listeners keep coming back for more.
Sinem has played to packed audiences in legendary NYC venues such as The Bitter End, CBGB’s Gallery, and Kavehaz. She’s performed at the UN and to thousands of screaming fans while on a float going down 5th Avenue at the annual Turkish-American Day Parade in May of 2005, and more recently, on the MAIN STAGE opening for The Fire of Anatolia dance group at the 2006 Turkish-American Festival in New York City.
Sinem began writing music at the age of 5, while she was growing up in New York City. She tried several instruments including trumpet, piano, and drumset by the time she was in highschool. It wasn’t until she was 16 that she picked up a guitar for the first time, which she continues to play at her concerts to this day. At Skidmore University, Sinem majored in Music with a concentration in vocal Opera, minoring in Recording Engineering, and Biology. She graduated with Honors in Music in 2001.
In 2002, she arranged a song (-for the 4th BEST VOCAL GROUP in the NATION)- that was performed in Avery-Fischer Hall at LINCOLN CENTER in New York City. The event was featured in the Arts section of the NEW YORK TIMES.
Most recently, Sinem won the 2006 *GRAND PRIZE* in the World Music category of the prestigious International John Lennon Songwriting Contest. The contest received nearly 20,000 songs from both amateur and professional songwriters! Sinem received the covetted award along with $5500 worth of music equipment as her prize. In April 2007, she will go up against the 2007 Grand Prize Winner in World Music and will need your internet votes to win the 2007 Lennon Award! (Go to www.sinem.net for more information)
Sinem was also featured on television, including CNN Turk and was a host for “The Turkish Hour” TV program which not only aired two specials on her but due to her charismatic stage-presence, asked her to be the new host of the show! For over a year, Sinem was watched every week by nearly 5 million television viewersin the Tri-State area. After her debut album is completed and released next year, -already a revolutionary mix of Bossa Nova and Pop, Jazz and Middle-Eastern influences, -it’s only a matter of time until the rest of the world tunes in.
Website: www.sinem.net
Photo by Julie Mardin, ©2005
