Mehmet Akbas

Mehmet Akbas, singer, song writer, composer, (born on the 1st April 1974, in Dicle (Piran) district of Diyarbakir (Amed) in North Kurdistan (Turkey). His mother, Emo, is one of the last representatives of pastoral elegy tradition, in other words the 'mourner women'.
He started his professional music career in 1998 at the Mesopotamian Cultural Centre (MKM) based in Istanbul, with a band called Venge Sodiri (The Voice of Morning), predominantly making music in Zazaki dialect of Kurdish.
In 2001, Mehmet Akbas released the first album named Wayir (The Owner) of Venge Sodiri as a solo singer, compiler and composer. In the same year he was admitted to the Singing Department of Akademi Istanbul Music School on a scholarship. While he continued his work with his band during his studies, in 2003 he shared the same stage with Mercan Dede, a Turkish composer; ney and bendir player, within the scope of Yollar ve Duraklar (Roads and Stops) Project of Akademi Istanbul. In the same period he also performed together with his band at Beje (Sing your Song) project at Harbiye Openair Theatre and at the II. International Beyoglu Gathering, both in Istanbul.
In 2004 he launched his Electronic Zaza Project in conjuction with Erdem Helvacioglu, a renowned electronic musician in Turkey. With this project he performed on several occasions both home and abroad, mostly at cultural festivals. In the same year he sang the song called 'Le Le Wane' at the second compilation album of Sahiya Stranan (Celebration of Songs) project of MKM, aimed at re-singing traditional Kurdish songs in their original language, which had been launched as Turkish songs with Turkish lyrics. With this song, Akbas won a great recognition in Turkey.
In 2005 Mehmet Akbas moved to Cologne, Germany where he continued his music career. In 2008 he launched his project 'Arias from Mesopotamia' in which he sang with western instruments together with traditional eastern instruments and combined opera, traditional and experimental styles. Within the scope of this project he performed in several European cities such as Vienna, Cologne, Frankfurt and Munich and he won an approval from music lovers, and gained a significant number of European listeners.
While Akbas accompanied several Kurdish singers with his duets and back vocals in their albums in 2009, he took part in the compilation album called 'I Love Kurdish Music', released by Suna Bar, with his own composition 'Nio'. In the same year he took part at the distinguished spiritual and sacral music festival 'Festival Musica sacra Paderborn' and took the stage as a soloist for the classical project The Armed Man A Mass for Peace of Karl Jenkins. In 2011 he also held a mutual concert in Wien Akzent Theater together with Tara Jaff, the only Kurdish Harp player.
In 2011 Mehmet Akbas released his first maxi album called NO in which he voiced two of his own compositions, 'Nio' and 'Tenha'. In this album he also sang Berde, a traditional love song from the 70's in Iraqi Kurdistan and it has become a hit since then. Meanwhile, following his sucessful concert at one of the most famous performance centres in Cologne Gloria in January 2011 he also performed at Mainz Intercultural Week and Cologne Music Nights festivals. In 2012 he held several concerts within the scope of the Cologne Summer Blood Festival.
Mehmet Akbas's first studio works were released as a double album named PA (Together) in Turkey by KALAN Music in June 2012. The album composed of two CDs, namely THE ISTANBUL SESSION and THE COLOGNE SESSION including 18 songs in Zazaki, Kurmanji, Sorani, Turkish and Farsi.
PA in which Electronics, World, Ambient, Orient Rock/Pop and Belcanto music styles are indigenously combined was prepared with avant-garde and experimental understanding of music. While THE ISTANBUL SESSION was produced by the Turkish electronic musician Erdem HELVACIOGLU, THE COLOGNE SESSION in which Orient Rock/Pop prevails was produced by the German jazz and rock musician Philipp BARDENBERG.

In this album, the song called Gift (lyrics by the famous Iranian poet Ferrough Ferroughzad) was composed by Mehmet Akbas and the famous Iranian singer SUSSAN DEYHIM, based in New York, accompanies him with a remarkable duet. On the other hand one of the most powerful Kurdish females voices HANi, from Iranian Kurdistan, accompanies the singer at the cover version of the traditional song Berde, from the 70's.