Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek

Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek are internationally recognized for their  unique and infectious sound that combines Anatolian folk with psychedelia, pop and soul influences. They have released two albums and one EP since their start in 2014 and have been touring extensively throughout Europe.

The band is fronted by Hamburg-born singer and bağlama player Derya Yıldırım. Despite being multilingual, Yıldırım exclusively sings in Turkish: “It’s really important to me because that’s the language I can really express myself in, it’s my emotional language” she explains.

Graham Mushnik (organ, synthesizers) and Antonin Voyant (guitar, bass, and flute) are both members of outer-national collective Catapulte Records, known for their cinematic, groovy atmospheres — a clear influence on Grup Şimşek’s sprawling, vintage-tinged compositions. Capetonian drummer Helen Wells has introduced her own style and sensibilities from the South African DIY and psychedelic scenes into the live set since 2022.