Your new album How and Why greets us with a wonderful surprise: youâre covering Dumanâs âSenden Daha GĂŒzel.â How did you decide on this song? I toured many times in Turkey with Nouvelle Vague, and I always had the idea of covering a Turkish song in the back of my mind. I asked a friend in Istanbulâsheâs a teacherâto send me some of her favorite Turkish songs. When I heard Dumanâs âSenden Daha GĂŒzel,â I couldnât get it out of my head for weeks. It reminded me of the music I loved when I was younger⊠raw, grunge-style, but with such deep emotion. I fell in love instantly.
Do you speak Turkish? Or did you learn a little bit just for this song? I donât speak Turkish, so my friend helped me with the accent and rhythm. When I finally recorded it, I sent the cover to Kaan Tangöze. The fact that he liked it made me incredibly happy.
Nouvelle Vague is also a very beloved group in Turkey. Now, as part of the Pulse Festival in Istanbul and Ankara, weâll watch your solo performance. Youâve been performing in Turkey for many years. What is your relationship like with the audience here? I have such beautiful memories, especially from concerts at Babylon in Istanbul (now called Blind), and also from performances in Izmir and Ankara. The audiences here are very warm and very open. Every time they sing âIn a Manner of Speakingâ with me, my eyes fill with tears. Playing my solo songs in Turkey has been my dream for a long time; finally making it happen is incredibly exciting.
Are you interested in the Turkish music scene? Apart from Duman, who do you listen to or find interesting? Iâm a big fan of classics like BarÄ±Ć Manço and Cem Karaca. More recently I discovered Kalben and Maya Perest.
Your first single âBluer Than Blueâ is a soft, profound song blending the delicate tones of folk music with pop. Listening to the lyrics, we once again see how love can bring someone down to the ground⊠I read that you originally wrote this song for a short film. Why bring it to life now? âBluer Than Blueâ was actually the first line I wrote, and I loved the melody and lyrics so much that I kept building around them; eventually the song came alive. In a way, itâs a sad song, but I wanted melancholy to feel positive. Thereâs no anger. Only resilience and a calm beauty.
Listening to the song, I realized that we never stop fighting with ourselves, and sometimes we need to draw a world of emotions, like keeping a diary. Love sometimes comes from where we least expect it, and sometimes, while we try to hold onto it, it slips away from our hands. How do the other songs on the album look at love? Can you tell us some of their stories?
Thereâs a song on the album called âSameâ; itâs about the beauty of growing old together. About embracing the routine, the âalways the same, always the same.â Personally, unlike some people, I donât constantly seek change or wild passions. I like to imagine love as a river. Sometimes it flows stronger, sometimes calmer, but itâs always there.
âEVEN THROUGH MY DARKEST SONGS, THERE IS A LIGHTâ
Your first video is also very simpleâyouâre barefoot on a rooftop singing⊠We see the bright blue sky, the sunlight, the green of the trees. It feels both broken and strangely comforting. Where did you shoot this video? Was the idea of keeping it simple yours? What did you feel when you watched it?
The song is strong enough on its own, so I wanted the video to remain very natural. The director suggested shooting on a rooftop in Belgium in early summer. We filmed it three or four times, in one take, at sunset. I love the sense of fragility and quiet strength that came out of it. It feels like Iâm lost in the sky, but also safe there.
When I saw How and Why as the title of your album, I couldnât help but wonder: what do you ask this question about the most? About people, relationships, politics, friendships, or family? What surprises you most these days?
âHow and why we keep our hopes so high?â is the question I constantly ask myself. The fact that our emotions can pull us through the hardest situations always fascinates me. I usually write about relationships, but this song goes beyond that. Itâs about change, about dreams, and about holding onto them despite all obstacles. The album is actually quite hopeful. Even through the darker songs, there is a light shining through. I wanted to create something inspiring, and I think I managed to do that.
When youâre not performing or recording, what does an ordinary day look like for you? In the hustle and bustle of life, how do you create a calm world for yourself? Do you have specific escapes? Walking has become my morning ritual. I try to walk for an hour every day. Then I come home, have a coffee, and only then do I feel ready for the day. It helps me stay calm. The rest of the day can be a bit chaotic, because I have two kids and I tour a lot. Thatâs why I really treasure a peaceful day at home.
