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How Does Esin's Journey as a Spotify Artist Teach Others About Following Their Own Passion?

Current 11th grade student Esin Seyhan was born in Istanbul, Turkey in late 2005 and moved to Bangkok in 2018, at the beginning of 6th grade, due to her father’s job relocation. She began her musical journey as soon as she began to talk, humming and singing to the music she heard. At the age of five, she begged her parents to take her to piano lessons, but her grandpa did not approve because she was too young. Due to her perseverance and yearning to commit, her grandpa succumbed and allowed her to attend piano lessons. Esin became a great pianist who does not need notes to play; she is able to play any song the moment the melody sweeps past her ears. Perhaps it was genetics? Her entire family revolves around music. Her grandpa was a music teacher, and her aunt and uncle were in an orchestra. In Esin’s case, “nature” and “nurture” were heading in the same direction.

This 17 year old Turkish girl might appear to be soft spoken and modest, but she is potent on the inside and projects it through her talents. Her music and message all shine through such that her peers and audience enjoy a heartfelt experience. Her effort and passion have resulted in her being the first and only ISB student (as far as we know) verified as a Spotify artist. Esin wrote a Turkish song called “Inanmiyorum,” which translated to “I don’t believe you anymore” in English. The song chronicles a story of a girl and her female best friend involved in a love triangle that results in a deep heartbreak. The song was published on Spotify and Seyhan received a tick as a verified artist.

The process to publish music on Spotify isn’t simple. Seyhan began the journey by taking advice from a Thai record label, but what she got out of it was only just a positive word of affirmation “ You got this, you can do it”. That moment is when she realized that she had to work at this even more ambitiously. She had no clue where to start, but one day she met a Turkish producer whom she worked with before and began to ask for some advice. What she received back was more than what she expected. The record label promised to help her throughout the process, from beginning to end. Luckily, the producer is experienced; he also has a verification on Spotify.

Once that success was achieved, maintaining it proved quite challenging. At one point, Esin stopped practicing piano for a while because she was busy with other things. She thought that taking a break with something she is naturally good at wouldn’t be too worrisome. Eventually, she figured out that her skills had decreased. “Especially if you’re a musician, practice is very important.” Esin “resumed singing lessons, and piano lessons in my free time so that I could maintain and advance my skills.” Now she simultaneously runs a page of song covers on instagram (@eseyhancovers) while singing in ISB’s choir and serving as an IASAS choir delegate.

"Music is not what I do, it's who I am." - Esin Seyhan

Now Esin finds she can, in fact, balance her passion with getting good grades and sports like basketball. Sometimes we humans can overlook the beauty within us and conform to what the mass society values, resulting in talents going into waste. Esin proves that compromise isn’t necessary.

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