Çiğdem Aslan : keep sunny side of life !

 What are your main musical influences ?

This is not an easy question to answer but Edip Cansever, a Turkish Poet, in one of his poems said the following and I think it answers many things" one resembles the place they live in it's water, it's soil the fish in its sea the flower that pops up through its soilthe flogging slopes of its mountains and hills"  so I think my influences are parallelled wıth the places I lived in and the musical heritage of these places. I was born in Istanbul, which you can consider as a cultural capital with historical and contemporary cultural richness fed to it from everywhere; then I moved to London, another cultural capital; this time maybe even more diverse! So in my ears I have many genres, influencing me at different times but never dominating how I perform. I try to be true to myself, acknowledging all these influences but have my interpretation.

During the confinement, you realise several streamed lives and featurings with musicians. What did you deeply learn from these experiences ?

It was an amazing experience. Along with Tahir Palali we formed the platform (www.artistlockdown.com) not just for ourselves but all musicians to perform in a high quality setting, earn something and keep the flame alive !

No matter what happens it is possible to reach out to the audience one way or another; earning a living is another matter but hey , there is always hope. My musical experience so far showed me that if you are consistent in what you do, you are noticed and appreciated. Of course there are many problems, especially financial problems facing musicians, I cannot deny this. But we need to try and stay positive and see the bright side first to be able to carry on.

You seem to play and sing where your soul invites you... can you tell us what you are working on at the moment ?

I cannot reveal a lot of details but I am working on a project for 2022. If I can pull it off, it is going to be something special. Apart from that I am working towards making myself a better singer and musician during these challenging times. I do collaborations from time to time and probably 2021 will see some of these collaborations...

French public had the chance to see and hear you several times. How did you feel about your shows in France and did you prefer one ? In a few words, can you tell us what your musical training was, and why did you decided to become a professional singer and musician ?

I decided to become a performing singer at university when I realised that joining a band made everything better in my life; I felt complete and happier with myself hence became a better student, better person, etc...stage is where I belong.

My last concert at Opera de Renne was extremely special and magical; the audience, the venue, my band, the organisers, staff at the venue...everything was perfect.

Generally in France I feel extremely welcomed which makes me feel at home. I should thank my agency Accords Croises for all this.

Another experience I will never forget is my appearance at France Inter Radio, André Manoukian' s program. I was told that after I finish performing we would just leave and the program would continue as usual. Bbut André jumped up  to the stage and asked me a question which surprised me. After that programe I received emails from a very kind and unique person who explained how my voice made them feel, etc.

Your main character trait ? Joyful and positive

Your dream of happiness ? To be able to perform all my life !

 What do you hate the most ? Racism, hypocrisy, jealousy

Your favorite colour ? All of them but maybe red a little bit more :)

Your motto ? Keep on the sunny side of life!

Thank you so much Çiğdem ! We hope to hear you soon in Paris !