Selin Sümbültepe

With her distinctive Fusion Folk Pop, Turkish artist Selin Sümbültepe weaves Middle Eastern melodies into a Western pop aesthetic, creating a sound that is both contemporary and deeply rooted in tradition. In 2024, she released her EP Hemhal (meaning “to unite”), produced by Lebanese indie and global music pioneer Zeid Hamdan. Hemhal is inspired by the culture of Hatay, her home region in southeastern Turkey, which was deeply affected by the 2023 earthquake. Through her music, Sümbültepe pays tribute to her roots while giving voice to resilience and renewal.

Her influences include the voices of Lebanese artists Fairuz and Yasmin Hamdan, the improvisations of flutist Naïssam Jalal, as well as Turkish figures such as Barış Manço and lyricist Aysel Gürel.

Selin Sümbültepe has performed at festivals across Turkey, including the Istanbul Caz Festival, Bursa Nilüfer Müzik Festivali, and Bozcaada Caz Festivali, and her work has been regularly covered in the Turkish media. In 2025, she was featured in an ARTE Tracks East documentary exploring the political and social climate of present-day Turkey, further establishing her as a voice of artistic and cultural significance.

Acclaimed for her captivating live performances, Sümbültepe took her music to international stages in 2025 with appearances at the RIMM Festival in Sfax (Tunisia), the Festival Músicas do Mundo in Sines (Portugal), and the Jazzhane Festival in Zurich. In the fall of 2025, Selin Sümbültepe set out on her first European tour - ten concerts in ten cities - marking the beginning of a journey she intends to carry onto global stages in the years ahead.