New season kicks off in September: Cigdem Aslan

Çiğdem Aslan is a rising star in the revival of rebetiko, the bitter-sweet, devil-may-care songs of an exiled underclass, sung in hash dens and music houses of Athens and Istanbul of the turbulent 1920s. A culture shared by Greeks and Turks, rebetiko was famously outlawed in both countries as a music of the underground, of free-thinking and freedom-loving people; just as timely then as now. Born in Istanbul to Kurdish parents, Çiğdem absorbed the ethnic mosaic that makes up modern Turkey throughout her singing childhood. With character, charm and emotion, her delightful voice takes audiences on a journey: with passion and humour she opens the door on old songs about life, love, hopes and struggles of everyday people. With an ensemble of top-class musicians she revisits a world past to make these songs seem fresh and relevant, unlocking the riches and relevance of this ‘Blues of the Aegean’ to new audiences today.

With album awards and festival bookings flooding in, Çiğdem is creating the same kind of buzz about rebetiko as Mariza did for fado, Yasmin Levy did for Ladino song, and Amira for Bosnian Sevdah. Don’t miss!