Gülşen's debut album, Be Adam, was released in 1996, which made her known in the music industry, but she preferred to take a break from her professional career and instead focused on her marital life.

She spent her childhood and youth in Çapa and together with her family visited Ordu Province several times a year, where they owned nut gardens.

A fan of Far East martial arts, Gülşen began to learn karate in high school and later received her black belt.

She was forced to use the martial art at the age 17 while she and her friend were harassed in the street and has said that similar occasions have happened several times in her daily life.

Simultaneously, she began performing at night clubs and bars in Istanbul but as she couldn't handle both her studies and her job, she left the university after the first year.

Meanwhile, at the request of the production company, she played in a music video for Tulga's single "Ay Bu Kız Beni Öldürecek".

The album earned Gülşen a nomination in the Best Newcomer Female Artist category at the 3rd Kral TV Video Music Awards.

"[8] Her third studio album Şimdi (Now), which was also released by Prestij Müzik in November 2001, featured the leading single "İhanet" (Betrayal) written by Gülşen.

[10] The album's production company was affected during the 2001 Turkish economic crisis, and as a result, they produced one music video only for the song "İhanet".

The music video for "Sarışınım" was considered erotic by the Radio and Television Supreme Council, who said it "is contrary to social values and leads to sexual abuse".

Inspired by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's motto of "Yurtta sulh, cihanda sulh" (Peace at Home, Peace in the World), Gülşen titled her fifth studio album Yurtta Aşk Cihanda Aşk (Love at Home, Love in the World), which was released by Erol Köse Production in February 2006.

[25][26] In the early months of 2007, Gülşen signed a contract with Ercan Saatçi's production company, Rec by Saatchi, to produce three new albums, and Erol Köse's negotiations to make a new deal with her failed.

[27][28] In May 2007, however, Erol Köse's production company released a previously recorded album by Gülşen, titled Mucize (Miracle).

"[35] A month later, following her concert at a casino in Dikmen she was escorted by police out of the area due to the presence of alcoholic and armed people.

In July 2009, Sabah reported that Gülşen was not satisfied with the second album that she was preparing with the production company Rec by Saatchi, and as a result, she had decided to stop working with them.

[39] Her seventh studio album, Önsöz (Foreword), was released in the last days of the year by Sony Music Entertainment and Arista Records.

[45][46] In 2011, Gülşen started to work on her new studio album and signed a new contract with Doğan Music Company, releasing the singles "Yeni Biri" and "Sözde Ayrılık" under their label.

[71] RTÜK drew similarities between the singer's body movements and behavior in the clip and "women who provide services of friendship over the phone", and found its content harmful for children, giving a warning to channels that broadcast the music video.

[74] In 2018, Gülşen was among the artists whose name appeared on the album Yıldız Tilbe'nin Yıldızlı Şarkıları, and performed the song "Delikanlım".

[79] On 25 August 2022, an investigation was launched against Gülşen by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office for a joke she had made about the religious İmam Hatip schools.

[80][81] In the video that was taken in April 2022, Gülşen is shown on stage during a concert, joking with one of her band members and saying "He studied at an İmam Hatip [school] previously.

[80] In a message published via her social media accounts, Gülşen apologized to anyone who might have been offended by the remarks, which she described as a "joke between colleagues",[80][84][85] and described the backlash as an attempt by those wanting to "polarize society".

[86][87] She was sent to Bakırköy Women's Prison on charges of "inciting or insulting the public to hatred and enmity", after her request for being released until a trial had taken place was rejected.

[86] Ömer Çelik, the spokesman for the ruling party AKP, spoke in support of arresting Gülşen, stating "inciting hatred is not an art form".

[86][89] The decision to arrest Gülşen, known for her revealing stage outfits and her support for the LGBT community, and to impose new bans on some music festivals in Turkey was described by government critics as an attempt by the ruling party and its leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (an İmam Hatip graduate) to garner support from the religious and conservative figures ahead of the 2023 presidential and parliamentary elections and shift people's minds away from the economic issues.

[90] On 29 August 2022, Gülşen was released from jail following a ruling by the Istanbul criminal court and was placed under house arrest pending a trial.

[91] The decision came after an appeal against her imprisonment by her lawyer, with the court agreeing to her release based on the fact that she had a small child, "was not a flight risk and was unlikely to tamper with evidence".

[92] On 2 September 2022, the 48-page indictment was completed with 702 complaints from different individuals, "a pro-government women's rights organization and an association from the religious school".

[93] On 12 September 2022, the house arrest was lifted but she was banned from travelling abroad and instructed to register at a police station every week.

[102] In 2018, with the help of Play for Children Association, Gülşen donated musical instruments to the Arpatepe Middle School in Artuklu, Mardin.