[1] Serpil was born in Istanbul to Kazım Polat and music soloist Aysel İpar.
Upon her return to Turkey in 1993, the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the Bosnian Genocide had become central issues in the region.
Alongside fellow musician Uğur Dikmen [tr], she recorded "Benim Adım İnsan", "Sahipsiz Çocuklar", and "Bosna", which aimed to give widespread publicity to these issues.
From 1998 to 2001, she appeared on the Flash TV [tr] program "Serpil Barlas'la Kurdele".
Serpil Barlas died of heart failure in Beşiktaş on 20 February 2021 at the age of 64.