Tarkan in Abu Dhabi: the Şımarık star's UAE capital debut at Etihad Arena
More than 15 million albums sold and a first for a Turkish singer at London's O2: what to know before Tarkan plays Yas Island on 27 November.
Tarkan plays Etihad Arena on Friday 27 November, and Gulf News reports it will be his first concert in Abu Dhabi. Live Nation Middle East says the set mixes his classics with songs from his latest album.
He was born on 17 October 1972 in Alzey, in what was then West Germany, and released his debut album Yine Sensiz in 1992. Aacayipsin (1994) sold around 2.5 million copies, and Ölürüm Sana (1997) around 3.5 million, according to Wikipedia.
Ölürüm Sana gave him Şımarık, the song many outside Turkey know as Kiss Kiss. It reached number one in Belgium and the top three in France, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland. His total album sales are put at over 15 million.
Later albums include Karma (2001), the English-language Come Closer (2006), Metamorfoz (2007), the classical Turkish record Ahde Vefa (2016) and 10 (2017). In May 2025 he became the first Turkish singer to perform at London's O2 Arena, and his early 2026 shows at Istanbul's Volkswagen Arena sold out. The Abu Dhabi show lands on a big Yas Island weekend: Ramy Sabry plays the same arena the following night.
TarkanFri 27 Nov · Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi See ticketsSource: Gulf News, Live Nation Middle East, Wikipedia: Tarkan
