My One Great Love — Deronda Aiken | A Song for Türkiye

My One Great Love — Deronda Aiken | Joy Signature Studio Sometimes a place becomes part of you. Its streets hold your memories, its skyline feels familiar, and even after years away, the thought of returning still feels like coming home. My One Great Love is my love letter to Türkiye, especially Istanbul—the city where I lived for five years and left a piece of my heart. From the streets of Beşiktaş to the shores of the Bosphorus, my connection to this place reaches far beyond its beauty. It is woven into my life, my memories, and the person I became while living there. The title might make you expect a song about a person. This love story belongs to a place: a city I miss, a country I care deeply about, and a feeling of belonging that distance has never erased. I wrote this song for anyone who has ever felt that pull toward somewhere they love. Perhaps you were born there. Perhaps you found it later in life. Either way, some places stay with us long after we leave, and the hope of returning gives us something to look forward to. For me, that place is Istanbul. 🇹🇷 Thank you for listening to this unlisted music video preview. I hope it brings your own favorite place a little closer. My One Great Love By Deronda Aiken Joy Signature Studio Discover more music and personalized songs: https://joysignaturestudio.com/ © 2026 Deronda Aiken. All rights reserved. #MyOneGreatLove #Istanbul #Türkiye #DerondaAiken #JoySignatureStudio LYRICS I thought love would come walking With a smile across a room Thought I’d know him in a heartbeat Like a flower knows to bloom I thought maybe I had missed him Maybe he was miles away Living some unfinished story That would find me one fine day But the heart keeps better records Than the plans we try to make And mine had written Turkey On every road I’d take Chorus: With a ticket in my hand And my heart already gone I know where I am headed I have known it all along Where Istanbul is waiting Like a song I understand My one great love is calling With a ticket in my hand I have loved some good companions I have wanted someone near But no one ever held me Like that country held me clear When the life I planned broke open And I did not know my name Turkey found the scattered pieces And gave them back again Some people love a person Some people love a dream But I loved rooftops in the morning And streets that spoke to me Chorus: With a ticket in my hand And my heart already gone I know where I am headed I have known it all along Where Istanbul is waiting Like a song I understand My one great love is calling With a ticket in my hand Maybe love will find me later In a way I cannot see Maybe someone kind and steady Will walk that road with me But he’ll need to know the truth Before he tries to take my hand There is one love I will not lose And one place I will always land Final Chorus: With a ticket in my hand And my heart already gone I know where I am headed I have known it all along Where the water meets the skyline Where my restless soul can stand Turkey, you are calling With a ticket in my hand If you see me leaving You do not have to ask My one great love is waiting And I am going back © 2026 Deronda Aiken — original lyrics. All rights reserved.