Ahmet Kaya: Next Steps

Further shedding light on the poetry and protest songs that defined Ahmet Kaya—a vocalist who embraced his Kurdish heritage with great purpose—these lesser-known songs still resonate today. Kaya's deep, earthly timbre and lamenting bağlama have a power that speaks to local and non-Turkish audiences alike, equally at home with sweeping, dramatic instrumentation, Eastern folk and funky '80s synths.