Singer-songwriter Djanan Turan shares the first two singles from her upcoming new album Love’s Company, Diamond In Black, sang in English, and Yangın [Fire] in Turkish.
The two songs, while musically different, convey through their emotionally charged melodies and powerful, socially conscious lyrics the deep injustices of today’s world.
Yangın, produced in Hackney’s award-winning Fossil Studios, features electronic beats from Tansay Omar (Bjork, Stereo MC’s) and violins from Bar Markovich. Djanan calls out the brutality and inequality of life today and encourages the listener to not only engage with these realities, but to stand up against them.
In the atmospheric Diamond In Black, Djanan returns to a familiar theme: children. The mother of two laments how children tragically perish through poverty, wars, and injustice in her new song. The track, mixed by Tansay Omar, features Turkish oud player Baha Yetkin.
Diamond In Black follows Djanan’s 2018 release Dünya about the need to create a peaceful world for children. The video for the charity single in Turkish was shot with refugee children in Adana, with all proceeds from the sale of the song donated to Small Projects Istanbul, which supports refugee children from Syria and Palestine living in Turkiye.
Djanan’s career as a London-based Turkish singer and multi-genre songwriter and producer has seen her develop a broad repertoire of music, from disco to reggae, and psychedelic Anatolian folk. A well-known face in North London’s underground music scene, Djanan has also performed live at Glastonbury Festival, the Royal Albert Hall and many of London’s leading music venues, as well as gigs and events abroad.
Her quirky stage presence and authentic song writing style, whether fun and uplifting or dark and edgy, speaks straight to the heart.
To date, she has released one Turkish album, the acclaimed Düğüm (2009), 2 EPs in English, Artigo (2011) and Maze (2015), and five singles, including the 2022 track Lemon.
Djanan’s two new singles, Diamond In Black and Yangın, are now available in digital format from all leading online music platforms, including Bandcamp.
Main image, top, of Djanan Turan, 2023. Cropped from original photo © Gianluca De Girolamo
