Mehmet Atlı

He is a citizen of the Republic of Turkey, Kurdish, Musician, Architect and Writer. Mehmet Atlı is a member of Koma Dengê Azadî, a renowned Kurdish protest music group based in Istanbul in the 1990s. He has contributed to numerous albums since 1994. He has also participated in some compilations and collective albums. His work includes short film soundtracks, sitcoms and theatre plays. As a composer, songwriter, soloist, music writer and instrumentalist, he maintains a multifaceted relationship with music. He performs a wide repertoire primarily in the Kurmancî and Dimilî (Zazakî) dialects of Kurdish and occasionally in Turkish, encompassing folk music pieces and his own songs. On stage, he typically performs with a small ensemble, playing the guitar, lute, or tembûr, and singing in his beloved vocal range. In interviews, he frequently states that he emerged from a tradition of protest music and, over time, developed a musical narrative focusing on the urbanisation of the Kurdish language and Kurds. He emphasises that he creates a kind of individual pop music with universal themes, drawing on folkloric and classical influences. Mehmet Atlı is considered an innovator in his field, not only for his original songs, but also for his compositions based on poems and well-known folk songs, as well as his unique interpretations of songs by masters such as Aram Tîgran, Mihemed Şêxo, Mihemed Arif Cizrawî and Ayşe Şan.