
Kerem Kabadayı started playing drums at the age of 13, forming his first band with classmates from the German High School in Istanbul, Turkey. In 1994 -three years after its formation- the band would change its name to "mor ve ötesi" and eventually become one of the most influential acts in modern Turkish rock scene.
Despite his teenage efforts to mimic the bone-breaking beats of metal greats like Entombed and Kreator, Kerem's musical style is ultimately influenced by early '90s alternative music hailing from Seattle and Manchester, as well as the iconic sounds of Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and King Crimson.
Kerem's recorded body of work with mor ve ötesi includes 7 studio albums, 2 live symphonic albums, numerous singles and an award-winning motion picture soundtrack ("Mustafa Hakkında Herşey", 2005). He's also designed covers for a number of the band's releases.
Throughout his musical career spanning almost three decades, Kerem has played hundreds of live shows both in Turkey and abroad. After mor ve ötesi's appearance at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2008, the band played its first major European tour in 2009, followed by three USA tours between 2013 and 2018.
As an 'unadulterated' rock drummer with a sensibility for groove and pulse with no formal training in music, Kerem holds an MA degree in History and is particularly interested in the history of art & architecture; he also serves as the managing partner of Rakun Music - an independent record label founded in 2005 by the members of mor ve ötesi.