Sibel Tüzün: The Voice Within

From Eurovision stardom to soulful stillness, the artist’s most powerful performance is the one where she finally hears herself.

Interview by Elif Köse for Confidence Magazine

Elif Köse: I still remember singing your songs at the top of my lungs with my girlfriends dancing on my bed, feeling every lyric like it was a personal anthem. You were our icon. A symbol of power, femininity, and voice. And now, sitting here having this conversation with you… it’s more than an honour. It feels like coming full circle.

Sibel Tüzün: Oh, Elif… that means the world to me. Truly. I love knowing that music can connect us across time like that. It’s exactly why I’ve always sung to create moments that make us feel alive, seen, and strong.

Elif: And that’s exactly what your story does. Let’s begin at the heart of it all…

Elif: You’ve had an extraordinary career Eurovision, chart-topping hits, sold-out concerts. From the outside, you’ve always looked confident. Were you always that way on the inside?

Sibel: Confidence is something I was born with but like most women, I lost it along the way. Especially through my voice. On stage, you learn to project certainty. But there were seasons when I didn’t feel it in my body. And it took me years to realise the difference between performance and presence.

Elif: What was your first memory of losing that sense of safety or inner confidence?

Sibel: I was five. I had this game where I’d run a few metres ahead of my parents on busy shopping streets, knowing they’d always be right behind. It gave me a sense of freedom. But one day, they hid to teach me a lesson. I turned back… and they were gone. Just for a few seconds. But something shifted. That feeling of safety vanished. I suddenly questioned: Can I trust? Am I alone?

Elif: That moment sounds like the perfect example of what Gabor Maté says: trauma isn’t what happens to us, it’s what happened inside of you as a result of what happened to you.. The wound it leaves. How did that experience shape your relationships later on?

Sibel: I think I started depending too much on others to feel confident. I always needed people around me, to feel held. And when I didn’t have that, I felt unanchored. It took years of inner work to realise I could find that sense of trust inside myself. And a big part of that healing came through my breath. My voice. My body.

Elif: That’s so powerful. When did you reconnect with your voice not as a performer, but as your truth?

Sibel: It wasn’t one moment more like a return over time. But the turning point came when I began teaching. I started helping other people who had never sung, or who were told to be quiet. Through guiding them, I met myself again. I remembered the pure joy of sound, without judgment. Just being.

Elif: One of the most touching things you said was that when we’re children, we breathe and sing freely. But then we grow up… and we judge. We control. We tighten. How do you help people unlearn that?

Sibel: By helping them feel safe again. Safe in their bodies. Safe to make sound. I use breathwork, gentle vocal exploration and we strip away expectations. I remind them: your voice doesn’t have to impress anyone. It just needs to return to you.

Elif: You’ve also stepped into some deeply meaningful work especially with your Ageless Voices programme for adults over 40, and now with trans and non-binary people. Why was that important to you?

Sibel: Because the voice is part of our identity and it evolves. As we age, as we transition, as we heal. I’ve always felt that everyone deserves a safe space to express themselves, to reconnect with their sound, especially when life tells them to shrink. These communities remind me daily that confidence isn’t fixed, it’s cyclical. And voice work is a beautiful way to honour that.

Elif: What’s the connection for you between motherhood and voice?

Sibel: Oh… that’s everything. Being a mother is raw. Beautiful. Exhausting. It brings you back to your own childhood to wounds you didn’t even realise were still there. I’ve had to find my voice again and again while raising my children. Sometimes whispering. Sometimes roaring. But I’m always learning. Always showing up. Even when I’m not sure I’m getting it right.

Elif: You also speak openly about your transition into menopause and how it affected your sense of femininity and confidence. That’s still such a taboo topic in many cultures. What helped you navigate it?

Sibel: It’s true, menopause was unexpected for me emotionally. I’ve never been someone who relied on makeup or fashion trends, but there was a soft sensuality I always felt within me. And during menopause, it felt… distant. But it also became an invitation. To redefine what femininity means. To connect with the deeper, wiser, ageless part of being a woman. It’s still unfolding.

Elif: If a woman reading this feels like she’s lost her confidence, or her voice… What would you tell her?

Sibel: I’d say this: you don’t need to be a singer to use your voice. You just need a little space. A little breath. A little presence. Start there. Start soft. And let the rest come.

Elif: And now, with your Summer Voice & Wellness Residency in Turkey what do you hope women will experience?

Sibel: I want them to exhale. To drop the mask. To find stillness by the sea. To hear themselves again. Because when your voice meets your soul, confidence flows.

Elif: Thank you, Sibel. For being real. For reminding us that confidence isn’t about volume it’s about resonance.

Sibel: Thank you, Elif. For this space. For hearing me. For singing with me all those years ago.