Upcoming Performances
ABOUT OLCAY BAYIR
“...the queen of Anatolian song...." Heaven Magazine, Netherlands 2024
“One of the finest and most intriguing singers on the British world music scene...” The Guardian 2019
“Mellifluous vocals...” Songlines 2024
London based British Kurdish singer-songwriter Olcay Bayir's music is a blend of her original compositions and tunes rooted in Anatolian music heritage. Drawing from her Anatolian roots, she reinterprets songs of her past with a contemporary twist, reflecting her multicultural and multilingual background with her Kurdish soul. Olcay's music resonates with themes of survival, love and longing with the range of international sounds with powerful styling and hard grooves.
Olcay was nominated for Best Newcomer at the Songlines Music Awards 2015 for her debut album "Neva| Harmony".
Her second album Rüya – Dream (or ARC Music,2019 ) featured her own songs. She was awarded PRS Women Make Music with her work in this album.
Her third and last album “Tu Gul î” ( May 2024 ARC Music) is listed at number #3 on Music Charts Europe (2024 July) #8 on the Transglobal World Music Chart and #4 Balkan Music Chart.
“ ... The queen of the Anatolian songs ..." Kees van Wee
——— Heaven Magazine, Netherlands
“mellifluous vocals… a truly international collaboration…”
——— Songlines Magazine, UK
MUSIC & ALBUMS
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Tu Gulî | You are a Rose
Tu Gul î, a collection of Kurdish Alevi soul infused songs, pay tribute to Olcay’s multicultural, multilingual upbringing, memories, stories and sounds of the past. It gives a voice to the sounds and pains of the valiant people of Anatolia, who persist in preserving their language, culture and traditions despite many injustices. With Tu Gul î, Olcay also pays her respect to all the strong, devoted women of her geography, including her grandmothers and her mother.
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RUYA/DREAM FOR ANATOLIA
The album Rüya - Dream is the next step on a journey that began in one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, over 3,000 kilometres from cosmopolitan London. To paraphrase the opening song Uzun İnce Bir Yoldayım, an excerpt from Âşık Veysel Şatıroğlu ...
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NEVA/HARMONY
Inspired by the meeting of Asian and Mediterranean musical traditions, Olcay Bayir’s songs unfold ancient stories of love and mystery from the region of Turkey. Olcay Bayir’s songs unfold ancient stories of Anatolian love and mystery.
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KAYIP COCUK | LOST CHILD
The first line of “Kayip Çocuk | Lost Child” was written when I saw a girl on the television screaming over the death of her father during the Isis massacre of Yezidi Kurds. The girl asked, “Why this is happening? Why can’t you stop this?”
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ELA - HAZEL
This is a poem by 17th century Alevi asik bard Karacaoğlan, with music by Olcay and arranged and produced by talented Berlin-based multi-instrumentalist Deniz Mahir Kartal. In Turkey the prolific output of Karacaoğlan is compared to Shakespeare and love and death feature strongly.
PRESS & NEWS
"One of the finest most intriguing singers on the British world music scene"
- The Guardian
The official video of ELA | HAZEL from the album INSIDE
Lyrics - Karacaoğlan (a 17th century poet)
Music - Olcay Bayır
The official video of “Kayip Çocuk | Lost Child
Lyrics&music - Olcay Bayır
The live performance of Yar Dedi “ Beloved it Said” from Rüya| |Dream
Lyrics&music - Olcay Bayır
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