Artist Interview: Derya Irdem
Interview By: Emma Lum
Derya Irdem is a self-taught performer from Turkey who enjoys discovering new music and singing. In preparation for her performance at the Inclusive Arts Festival, we spoke with Derya to get to know more about her music and cultural influence.
AADN:
What inspired you to become a musician?
Derya:
I do not consider myself a musician but I enjoy singing and discovering new music. Since I was very little I sang, I learned new songs very fast, people around called me a ‘cassette player’.
AADN:
What made you begin playing guitar at the age of 12?
Derya:
I wanted to learn to play an instrument that can accompany me when singing, I used to follow all the music magazines and rock music was very popular. The Cranberries were rocking with their ‘Bury the Hatchet’ album at that time, so I picked the guitar.
AADN:
How did you develop your musical skills?
Derya:
I learned to play the guitar by myself, at some point took singing lessons from an opera singer, and joined jazz and Greek singing workshops back in Turkey.
AADN:
What kind of bands did you play in?
Derya:
Most of them are rock, blues, and jazz cover bands. When I do open mics I usually play and sing by myself.
AADN:
How has your Turkish background influenced your music?
Derya:
Turkey is a culturally very rich country, Fatih Akin’s Crossing the Bridge documentary is a very good example to show this culture.
Being able to listen to music from different regions (East, Aegean, Black Sea, Thraki..) when growing up has definitely given me a different level of interest.
AADN:
What performances have you prepared for the Inclusive Arts Festival?
Derya:
I am going to sing different songs from Turkey, starting in the East region and ending in the West.
AADN:
Will you be performing at any shows or working on any projects in the future?
Derya:
Currently, I am trying to connect with like-minded people to start an acoustic project.
I write songs too but they need some time…
Editor: Ezel Urul
