turkish pop
what it is
Turkish pop music had its humble beginnings in the late 1950s with Turkish cover versions of a wide range of imported popular styles, including rock and roll, tango, and jazz. This wide collection of songs were labelled as "Hafif-batı" (light western) music and included a wide range of artists, such as Frank Sinatra to Doris Day, Nat King Cole to the Everly Brothers, from Elvis Presley to Paul Anka. Turkish artists began to produce English language cover versions of these songs and write their own too, and the first original song of this type is credited to Erol Büyükburç in 1958 for his song "Little Lucy", which was released as a 10-inch single known as a taş plak.
✦ start here: albums
✦ who's making it, level by level
level 3 · one step out
cult favorites and indie darlings
level 4 · further
art pop, hyperpop, and the underground
level 5 · all the way
deep experimental
✦ make turkish pop a playlist
turn these 25 artists into something you can press play on.
✦ nearby genres
questions
What is turkish pop?
Turkish pop music had its humble beginnings in the late 1950s with Turkish cover versions of a wide range of imported popular styles, including rock and roll, tango, and jazz. This wide collection of songs were labelled as "Hafif-batı" (light western) music and included a wide range of artists, such as Frank Sinatra to Doris Day, Nat King Cole to the Everly Brothers, from Elvis Presley to Paul Anka. Turkish artists began to produce English language cover versions of these songs and write their own too, and the first original song of this type is credited to Erol Büyükburç in 1958 for his song "Little Lucy", which was released as a 10-inch single known as a taş plak.
What are good turkish pop albums to start with?
Try Dudu by Tarkan, Apayri by Hande Yener, Akustik Travma by Yüzyüzeyken Konuşuruz, and Sen Olsan Bari by Aleyna Tilki.
Who are some women making turkish pop?
musicisforgirls.com/genres/turkish-pop/girls lists women, non-binary artists, and bands with women making turkish pop, from mainstream to underground.
genre notes from last.fm listeners · artists and albums from last.fm, updated 2026-10-20