We know a lot about Eurovision and we want to share this knowledge with you! Therefore we’d like to bring you a blast from the past. Today, we go back to 1983, when Çetin Alp & Short Wave represented Turkey with their song “Opera”.
Turkey in the Eurovision Song Contest
Turkey debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1975 and competed until 2012. The country won once, in 2003, when Sertab Erener’s “Everyway That I Can” brought the trophy to Türkiye for the first time. Istanbul hosted the 2004 contest. Through the 2000s, Turkey mixed pop, rock and ethnic sounds, with entries by artists such as Kenan Doğulu, Mor ve Ötesi, Hadise and maNga earning regular top ten finishes. Turkey withdrew after 2012, citing rules on juries, televoting and the “Big Five”. Discussions about a return surface periodically, but no comeback has followed. The broadcaster has not announced future participation.
7. Eurovision Şarkı Yarışması Türkiye Finali
The Turkish entry was chosen out of 8 songs in what was called 7. Eurovision Şarkı Yarışması Türkiye Finali (7th Eurovision Song Contest Türkiye Final). The results were decided by an expert jury. Only the top-3 was announced.
- Müzisyen, sung by Vedat Sakman
- Boğaziçi, sung by Hakan Sıvacı
- Heyecan, sung by Ayşegül Aldinç (3rd place)
- Yaşayamam, sung by Mehmet Şengenç
- Dön bana, sung by Coşkun Demir
- Opera, sung by Çetin Alp & Short Wave (1st place)
- Heyamola, sung by Mavi Yolcular
- Atlantis, sung by Beş Yıl Önce, On Yıl Sonra (2nd place)
Ayşegül Aldinç already represented Turkey in 1981, for Beş Yıl Önce, On Yıl Sonra the time had not come yet. They had to wait a year for their turn.
Çetin Alp & Short Wave
Çetin Küçükarslan, known as Çetin Alp (21 June 1947, Malatya – 18 May 2004, Istanbul), was a Turkish pop singer. His career unfolded across the 1970s and 1980s. He came to notice after winning the Altın Ses competition and began releasing 45s. Early singles included “Günah Bize / Meçhul Karanlık” (1970), “Ayrılık Yok Artık / Bir Gün Biter Demiştin” (1972) and “Bir Kadeh Atınca Birşeyin Kalmaz / Hatıralar” (1973). In the late 1970s he recorded “Çek Çek / Sana Ne Olmuş” and continued to appear with orchestras led by Yurdaer Doğulu and Zekai Apaydın.
During the early 1980s Alp performed with Kısa Dalga Vokal Grubu, known internationally as The Short Wave, a three‑voice pop ensemble active in 1976–1980 that reunited periodically. Their collaboration culminated in 1983, when the group supported him on stage in Eurovision and in television appearances. The Short Wave’s members released several disco‑pop albums of their own.
Away from the stage, Alp’s legal name was Çetin Küçükarslan. He was married and divorced more than once; in the 1980s he lived and worked for several years with actress‑singer Suna Yıldızoğlu, with whom he also recorded the duet “Sonsuz Aşk” (1981).
In later years he continued to perform in Turkey. Alp had long‑standing heart problems and died in Istanbul in May 2004, aged fifty‑six. His recordings—especially the run of 1970s 45s—and his brief partnership with The Short Wave preserve his place in Turkish popular music today.
Opera
“Opera” is the 1983 Turkish Eurovision entry performed by Çetin Alp with the vocal group The Short Wave. Written by Aysel Gürel and composed by Buğra Uğur, the song is an uptempo tribute to opera, with lyrics that reference well‑known works and a chorus built on fanfare‑style hooks. On stage in Munich, Alp performed with the group’s close harmonies and straightforward choreography. On the night, however, the juries awarded the song no points. It therefore tied for last place at the Eurovision Song Contest final that year. “Opera” remains a snapshot of Turkey’s early‑1980s pop experimentation on an international stage.
