Sertab Erener was born in Istanbul in 1964. After finishing at Işık High School, she studied voice training and graduated from the Istanbul State Conservatory. She was originally educated professionally as an opera singer and has a well-tuned soprano voice. However, she proceeded to establish herself in popular music. She began working as a vocalist beside Sezen Aksu and participated in several groups. Initially working with Sezen Aksu, she released her first album “Sakin Ol!” in 1992, followed by “Lal” (1994), “Sertab Gibi” (1996) and “Sertab” (1999). In 2000, Erener sang “Zor Kadın” in acapella with the Voice Male group. In the same year, she released the single “Bu Yaz” including the song “Private Emotion” (with Ricky Martin) and “Aşk / Fos” (with Mando). In 2001, she released the album “Turuncu” which includes “Kumsalda”, which was composed by Fikret Kızılok. She received “Kral TV Video Music Award” and “Best Female Pop Singer Award” in the Altın Kelebek Awards.
In 2003, Erener won the Eurovision Song Contest with her song “Everyway That I Can” in Riga, Latvia. In 2004, she released her first English album “No Boundaries” and a few English singles, which increased the number of her international fans. “Lal” was included in the “Soundtrack For A Century” collection by Sony music. Her two songs “One More Cup of Coffee” (a Bob Dylan cover) and “Here I Am” were used in international movie soundtracks. In 2005, Erener released the album “Aşk Ölmez”. In 2007, she was nominated for the Best Turkish Singer in the MTV Europe Music Awards. Erener released the album “Painted on Water” with the Painted on Water group, which was founded by Demir Demirkan in 2009, and the album “Rengarenk” in 2010. Erener has given numerous concerts in Turkey and abroad.