Mehmet Akbas

Mehmet Akbas is an artist who speaks the universal language of music, nourished by his roots and mixed with the influences of the times in which he lives. The Cologne-based singer and composer Mehmet Akbas is one of the pioneers of modern Kurdish music and is known for his broad repertoire, which ranges from traditional songs to modern compositions. With his extraordinary gift for improvisation and his versatile, often operatic voice, he succeeds in combining the mystical atmosphere, cultural diversity and rich musical heritage of the Middle East with very different musical poles.

In Germany, he released his first EP NÎO in 2011. In 2012, the double album Pi A was released, which immediately climbed to the top of the World Music Charts Europe and definitively confirmed Mehmet Akbas' multilingualism.

Mehmet Akbas is forging his own path through Kurdish music. He sings in the local languages Zazakî, Kurmanci, Sorani and Kelhori - but also in Turkish, Farsi, Dari, Arabic and Armenian.

For his musical bridges, Mehmet Akbas has always teamed up with musicians who, like him, roam and explore the most diverse worlds of sound with curiosity, openness and without blinkers.

With Markus Stockhausen, Ömer Avcı, Cenk Şanlıoğlu, Onur Cicin, Yavuz Duman, Veit Steinmann, Nurullah Turgut, Anush Nazaryan, Zelal Cengizhan, Akbaş recorded a live concert at the Cologne Philharmonic Hall under the direction of Erdem Altınses. 

The artist, who has released 4 songs from his album titled “Music Is My Homeland” so far, plans to introduce the entire album to world music audiences by the end of the year. 

Performers:
Mehmet Akbas: Vocals
Erdem Altınses: music director, arrangements, violin, lute, tembur
Epaminondas Ladas: Guitar
Zelal Cengizhan: Keyboard, backing vocals
Sidal Çakar: backing vocals
Eylem Külahçı: Erbane
Thomas Sauerborn: Drums