Blessed with a heavenly voice, Olcay Bayır has been singing for as long as she can remember. She was born in Gaziantep to a Kurdish Alevi family steeped in the âşık (wandering minstrels) tradition, and her career as a classically-trained singer-songwriter is a perfect marriage of her roots and global music experiences following her move […]
An international landscape architect and multi-award winning garden designer, Nilüfer Danış has brought the essence of Turkish gardens to Britain. In 2015, she designed the first-ever Turkish show garden at the prestigious Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, winning a gold medal in the process. She talks to T-VINE about turning the world green and sustainable. […]
Selin Kiazim’s pop-ups at Ember Yard, Carousel London and a six-month residency at Trip Kitchen in Haggerston got the UK’s top food critics raving about her. She’s cooked for the British Prime Minister and his wife, Selfridges is stocking her luxury date butter, and at the end of last year she opened her first restaurant Oklava. We […]
Her debut release ‘13’ is an assured, yet intense album, dealing with assorted issues, from child abuse to loneliness. Tight Turkish Folk-Rock arrangements tread familiar ground. What carries the album are Canan’s poignant, self-penned lyrics and powerful vocals, moving effortlessly from tender ballads to fiery missives, making each of her 13 tracks compelling listening. Where […]
A legend of the Turkish wedding circuit, he hit the big time with his group Babutsa. These days, he runs a café in Beckenham and performs weekly at a top London Turkish nightspot, while guiding the career of his singer daughter. Tell us about your family life My parents are from Cyprus (İskele and Karpaz) […]
With 200 rejections for her first novel, Sibel could have easily given up. She persevered and is now an award-winning, international best-selling author with 16 titles under her belt. 1.Tell us about your background? My mum is English and my dad Turkish Cypriot. Dad’s originally from Girne. He left in 1958 to study in Britain, […]
His life hit rock bottom: no job, failed relationship and bad physique. Yet Eastender Altuğ has bounced back to become the first Turkish Cypriot Pro Fitness Model in the world. Tell us a bit about you I’m 29-year-old Londoner, now living in Essex. My mother is from Cyprus and my father from Ankara. I did […]
