Ilo Toerkell

The Iranian singer Faravaz will release her debut, "Azadi" (meaning "Freedom" in Farsi), on May 11th. The record recounts the story of her life in exile in Germany because the Iranian government sentenced her to one year in prison for the act of singing as a woman. Choosing to not return to her homeland, Faravaz fights for women’s rights from abroad. Her music is driven by the yearning and fight for liberation from patriarchal oppression.

The Glasgow-based artist Intibint uses creative expression to call to light injustice. Her latest single, "Ymn Alsa3eed" is inspired by the complicated relationship she has to Yemen—the country where she grew up but has not been able to return to since a civil war broke out in 2014. In conversation with Ilo Toerkell, Intibint speaks about her musical beginnings, the inspiration behind the new song, and why the war in Yemen should not be a forgotten one.

The Berlin-based rapper Sorah uses her music to fight racism, sexism and homophobia. Performing at demonstrations in Berlin, her double-time grime and drill-inspired verses are echoed by a crowd that challenges unjust societal structures. Ilo Toerkell spoke to Sorah about making political music and why she also started releasing more personal songs.

Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek recently released their new record "Yarın Yoksa". The album follows the acclaimed releases, "Dost 2" (2022) and "Kar Yağar" (2019), and was recorded in New York City. Ilo Toerkell met Derya Yıldırım and Helen Wells from the group to speak about working with Anatolian classics, folk music as resistance and the bağlama in Germany.

The Palestinian-American alt-pop artist Lana Lubany just released her new EP "YAFA", named after her hometown. It follows the acclaimed "The Holy Land", which garnered the singer international attention. Ahead of her headlining show in Berlin, Lana Lubany shares her thoughts on "YAFA", the meaning of community and how she found anger to be a useful source of power.

The acclaimed singer Ganavya Doraiswamy, also known as ganavya, releases the new record "Daughter of a Temple". Raised in Tamil-Nadu the artist draws on South Asian devotional music as well as the legacy of Alice Coltrane. The album, recorded in just one week, assembles multiple voices, among them ganavya's parents.

Melike Şahin releases her sophomore record "AKKOR" meaning glowing or burning in Turkish. With catchy melodies and the occasional disco-inspired song, the artist sings about her personal experiences of survival and how they are connected to collective survival. In conversation, Melike Şahin dives into what's behind her new release.

Men Seni Suyemin is the electronic project of artist and producer Minona Volandova. With a background in classical training on the guitar, Volandova quickly fell in love with electronic and rave music. Her debut record "Believe" unites the two influences. We spoke to the artist about her practice, honoring roots, and organizing the first rave in her hometown.