Bravo magazine 3

"I've spent the worst days of my life", Tarkan says. For days, the Turkish pop singer had been worrying about the life of his family, after the disastrous earthquake in Turkey. Tarkan, who's not allowed to enter his homeland because he refused to fulfill his military service, feared the worst. Then finally came the relieving message from Istanbul: no-one of his family was hurt during the catastrophe. "My mother Neşe was with my sister Handan in their summer house in Antalya at the time - the city is 800 km away from the earthquake zone" Tarkan reports.
"Only my stepfather Seyhan was in their home in Istanbul. The apartment they're living in wasn't damaged - nothing happened."
Now Tarkan hopes to be finally able to take his family into his arms again. The chances are

good, as Tarkan will soon be able to go back to Turkey again. "Three weeks ago, I received the news that the Turkish military is willing to compromise" he tells. "I will join the army for two months to do my basic military training. Furthermore, I need to pay about a 10.000 DM penalty because I refused to do my military service so far."
Tarkan, who's new single "Bu Gece" (English: tonight) has just been released, will probably be a part of the troops for the clearing away of the ruins in the catastrophe zone. "I owe it to the victims", Tarkan says, and he adds: "I only can't take the sight of blood. When I was in school in Karamürsel, I visited a slaughter house once. The sight of the many slaughtered sheep just made me sick."