Karsu Dönmez
There’s always a story to tell or a message to convey.
Most singers sing about love.
My songs touch on the big questions of life.”
Karsu Dönmez is a multi-talent; she is not merely a singer, but also a gifted pianist, composer, arranger and lyricist. This 20-year-old Dutch daughter of Turkish parents has performed on many local and international stages, including the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, North Sea Jazz Festival and twice at the legendary Carnegie Hall in New York. She is currently working on her debut album, but already released her first CD, a Live registration of her sold-out concert at the Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ.
It is clear from a very early age that Karsu has music running through her veins. As a child, she is fascinated by piano music. “I saw these pianists on TV with long, flowing hair, professor Einstein-like types – I thought they were really cool and I loved the melodies they played,” explains Karsu her love for this particular musical instrument. When she gets her own piano at seven, she immediately starts taking lessons. It doesn’t take long for her to be able to play classical pieces of Chopin, Mozart, Bach and Beethoven in addition to traditional Turkish songs and modern jazz songs. For three years, she receives vocal coaching from famous Turkish singer Esra Dalfidan. Karsu’s voice turns out to be very distinguishing for such a young girl: she sounds mature, inspired and powerful.
At fourteen, Karsu starts performing professionally, first at her parents’ restaurant, later on both small and large stages. More and more people begin to notice her unusual talent. She gets a scholarship from The American embassy to study at the University of Rhode Island. The embassy also tips off the Netherlands American Community Trust. In 2007, the Trust invites Karsu to perform at Carnegie Hall. She is invited to perform there again two years later during the celebration of 400 year Amsterdam – New York. The Dutch media picks up on this and Karsu becomes a welcome guest in a number of prime time
TV-shows.
Karsu is currently working on her debut album. She is writing and composing her own songs, which are a mix of jazz, blues, funk and ethnic influences. Although jazz is the main ingredient in her repertoire, Karsu loves all kinds of music. “I grew up listening to different kinds of music, ranging from reggae to opera.” This love of music translates to her live performances, during which she – seemingly casually – mixes Chopin with Turkish Black Sea music and turns a traditional Spanish song into up-tempo salsa.
Because of her stunning looks, beautiful voice and extraordinary piano playing, Karsu Dönmez is generally considered to be a musical super talent. This young talent knows how to enchant everyone. As one of her fans stated after yet another fabulous performance: “she doesn’t just play music, she breathes music.”
