30.06.2026 00:20
Singer Gökhan Güney, who performed at the Yörük Türkmen Festival in Bursa, sparked outrage by saying to the mother of SMA patient Eflin Sönmez, "Let me sing a bit, sorry." After the growing backlash, Güney issued a written statement, arguing that the situation was misunderstood, apologized to the family, and promised to organize a free concert for the benefit of Eflin, who has SMA.
The dialogue between artist Gökhan Güney and Elif Sönmez, mother of SMA Type 1 patient Eflin Sönmez, on stage at the Yörük Turkmen Festival held in Bozağaç Plateau in Bursa's Kemalpaşa district became a topic of discussion on social media.
"LET ME SING A BIT, SORRY"
During the speech of mother Elif Sönmez, who came on stage to speak about the aid campaign at the festival, Gökhan Güney's use of the words, "There are 19 village headmen here, you should tell them; they can organize this. Let me sing a bit, sorry" quickly spread on social media. The footage, shared with the claim that the artist silenced the mother, was criticized by many users.
HE MADE A STATEMENT AFTER THE REACTIONS
Following the reactions, Gökhan Güney made a written statement, stating that he was not aware of the aid campaign during the concert and that what happened was misunderstood. Güney stated that his wife spoke with the family, that they would provide all kinds of support, and that he promised to organize a free concert for the family's benefit.
In his statement, Güney noted that evaluations were made based on a few seconds of footage, and he wanted to explain that the support of the local village headmen present at the scene could make a significant contribution to the campaign, and that his words were interpreted differently.
Güney's statement is as follows;