Born in London and with roots in Turkey, the Caribbean and Ireland, Nilüfer grew up in a household shaped by multicultural influences. There, she mainly listened to Turkish music (her father’s preference) and classical music (her mother’s choice). Such was their love for this music that Nilüfer’s name was inspired by the Turkish singer Nilüfer Yumlu. Her sister also contributed to her musical development by introducing her to bands like Fall Out Boys, The Strokes or The Cure. Although she struggled with her identity, often feeling out of place and lacking a sense of belonging, it was precisely this mix of diverse cultural influences that helped her find her own sound, one she could identify with.
At fourteen, she was already uploading demos to SoundCloud, and at the age of twenty, her songs caught Louis Tomlinson’s attention, a producer and former member of One Direction. He even offered her the opportunity to be part of a girl band. However, she was critical of the industry’s dynamic of taking advantage of young talent, so Nilüfer rejected the offer and decided to continue her solo career, developing her own music with absolute freedom.
Her deep, androgynous and versatile voice functions as a bridge that allows her to move across genres. From alternative rock, present in songs like midnight sun, to tracks that include jazz elements, like Golden Cage, the artist has found her place in that suggestive limbo between styles.
“I think [the merging of so many influences] made me try to always draw a link between things; in my music, I’m trying to make sense of things, bringing things together. I’ll start with one idea and then I’ll want a new idea for another part of the song in a way that wouldn’t work, and I’ll try to merge them.”
Author: Paula García Salido
Translation: Sara Sendra
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