Demir Demirkan was born on August 12, 1972, in Adana. He completed his primary education at Çankaya Elementary School and TED Ankara College, and later graduated from İzmir Özel Çamlaraltı High School. After studying English Language and Literature at Bilkent University, he pursued his music education at the Musicians Institute in Hollywood, Los Angeles. While still in university in 1990, Demirkan joined the band Pentagram as a guitarist.
After completing the "Trail Blazer" album with Pentagram, he moved to Los Angeles and continued his education at the Musicians Institute in 1992, working with musicians such as Paul Hanson, Scott Henderson, and Frank Gambale. After graduation, he stayed in Los Angeles, where he played guitar and wrote songs in various genres including pop, jazz, Afro, Latin, and rock.
In 1996, he returned to Istanbul, where he recorded the "Anatolia" album with Pentagram and produced Şebnem Ferah's "Kadın" album. In the same year, he produced Sertab Erener’s album "Sertab Gibi" (1997). Due to his growing interest in production, he left Pentagram. In 1999, he worked on Şebnem Ferah’s "Artık Kısa Cümleler Kuruyorum" and Sertab Erener's self-titled album. He also participated in the recording of "Private Emotions," a duet between Ricky Martin and Sertab Erener, produced by Desmond Child, which was released in the Middle East.
In 1999, he signed with Sony Music Turkey, and in May 2000, he released his first solo album, "Demir Demirkan." He also acted in supporting roles in two television films. At the end of 2000, he returned to the studio for Sertab Erener’s "Turuncu" album. In March 2002, he released his second solo album, "Dünya Benim."
Starting in October 2002, Demirkan starred in the TV series "5'i Bir Yerde" on Show TV, where he wrote the theme song and soundtrack. He also released a music video for the song "Hayat Sensiz Olmuyor," featuring scenes from the series.
In 2003, he co-wrote and composed "Everyway That I Can" with Sertab Erener, the song that won Turkey first place in the Eurovision Song Contest.
In 2004, he released his third solo album, "İstanbul 2004." His fourth album, "Ateş Yağmurunda Çırılçıplak," was released in 2007. He released his fifth solo album, "Yolun Yarısı," in 2008, followed by "Öfkem ve Ben" in 2010. In 2012, he released a compilation album titled "2000-2012" and later that year, he released the album "Hatırla." In 2014, he released his sixth solo album "Tam Ölmek de Değil," followed by the single "Günahı Boynuma" in 2015.
Since 2016, Demirkan has been living mostly in the United States, occasionally returning to Turkey for concerts. In 2017, he rejoined Pentagram for their 30th anniversary acoustic album. He released the first part of his rock/metal trilogy, "WAR 3 - Awakening," in February 2018. In 2019, he released his second English-language album, "Elysium in Ashes."
