🎙Women’s Blues and International Recognition

In 2015, Göksenin began focusing on honoring the often-overlooked legacy of great female blues artists like Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, and etc. Her ongoing project “Women’s Blues with Göksenin” includes storytelling and performance, where she shares not just the songs but also the historical contexts behind them.

As a culmination of this project, she released the album "Women’s Blues" in December 2020, which received glowing reviews in the UK and the US. It reached #9 on the Global Blues Charts and won multiple international awards. The music video for the song “The Dream” won 2nd Prize in the International Women’s Freedom Song Contest (Music Video Category).

Steven Ovadia (Blues Blast Magazine) praised her unique blend of Turkish influences and blues structure:

"Turkish blues might not be its own subgenre, but it’s one we should consider adding."
"Göksenin creates a personal sound that internalizes the blues, instead of interpreting it from a geographic or emotional distance."

Graham Munn (Blues in Britain Magazine) wrote: "...Not only is Göksenin revisiting the female suffering embedded in blues history, but also draws attention to today, who still struggle to find their identity, throughout the world." "...a fascinating artist, who flies the Blues flag in her Turkish homeland."

 

🆕 New Album: “Gına” (May 2025)

Following the international success of Women’s Blues, Göksenin returns with her third studio album, “Gına”, released on May 30, 2025. This ten-track record dives deep into the themes of societal pressure, emotional fatigue, injustice, and the need for solidarity — all conveyed through a compelling fusion of blues, country-rock, soul, acoustic rock, and Anatolian sounds.

The album features:

• 7 original songs (3 composed solely by Göksenin, 4 co-composed with guitarist Gürkan Özbek),

• 3 reinterpretations of blues classics, including works by Bessie Smith, Alberta Hunter, and Yavuz Çetin (a renowned Turkish blues-rock musician).

Highlighted tracks include:

• 🎧 “Cart Curt İstemem” — A raw and rhythmic Turkish blues opener, combining spoken word, groove, and a call for unity: “We’ve got to be together — I don’t want no bullshit!”

• 🌍 “I Hear Ya” — A powerful fusion of Anatolian rhythms and blues, protesting Western hypocrisy toward war and human suffering.

• 💔 “Bul Beni” — A haunting acoustic rock track expressing the desperate longing to be found amid emotional chaos.

• 🧨 “Gına” — The title track Gına (Fed Up!) channels the heaviness of burnout and resilience through country-rock textures and poetic lyrics​

 

🏆 Recent Honors

In 2024, Göksenin and the Blues Association-Turkey, of which she is the founder and president, were awarded the “Keeping the Blues Alive” Award by the Blues Foundation (USA) — one of the most prestigious recognitions in the global blues scene.

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🎶 Band Line-Up on “Gına”:

• Vocals&Guitar&Keyboards: Göksenin

• Lead Guitar: Gürkan Özbek

• Bass Guitar: Ozan Yeşildal

• Drums: Soner Doğanca

• Recording: Göksenin

• Mix&Mastering: Kıvılcım Konca​

 

This biography reflects Göksenin’s journey as a woman, artist, and cultural bridge between East and West. Her work is not only a celebration of blues tradition but also a bold reimagination of it — infused with her own stories, struggles, and sound.

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