Gülseren Yıldırım, better known as Gülseren is a Turkish-French singer whose genres range from pop to techno to traditional Turkish sounds.
Born in Istanbul, she moved with her family to Paris at the age of seven. Despite this, she found ways to connect with her Turkish roots, such as teaching children the Turkish language.
Between 1997 and 1999, she forged her experience as a singer by giving nightly performances at the Parisian cabaret venue "Les Trois Mailletz", which showcases jazz and world music. She also performed in venues across Europe, in particular returning to Turkey on many occasions. Simultaneously, she also tried her hand in acting, specifically playing herself in a Dutch movie.
Gülseren was internally selected for the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 in Kyiv with the song Rimi Rimi Ley, which stayed true to traditional Turkish music--something which was criticisized by 2003 victor Sertab Erener for not making a broader international appeal. Automatically qualifying to the Grand Final due to Athena's fourth place finish in 2004, it placed 13th with 92 points.
