Zarema

Zarema (Halilova) is a Crimean singer, songwriter and actress of Crimean Tatar descent. She was born while the ethnic Crimean Tatars were in deportation in Uzbekistan, having been expelled from their native lands on the Crimean Peninsula in the Black Sea as part of the USSR's ethnic cleansing (later recognized by the Ukrainian government in November, 2015 as genocide). It was not until 1989, after the fall of the USSR that the Crimean Tatars were allowed to return to their homeland of Crimea.

After graduating with a bachelor's degree in acting for dramatic theatre and film from the National University of Theatre, Film and Television in Kyiv, Ukraine, Zarema learned to speak Turkish and wrote several songs in Turkish. In 2007, she signed a recording contract with Sony BMG Music Entertainment Turkey and relocated to Istanbul for one year. There she released her self-titled debut Turkish language album which went on to achieve critical acclaim throughout Europe. Her music video "Atak" reached number one music video status on many television channels in Turkey, including Kral TV, Genç TV, MTV, Number One TV, and Viva! TV and was the first ever video in Turkey to exceed 400,000 views on YouTube.com.