Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek in Düsseldorf

Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek is a multinational band formed in 2014 around Turkish-German singer and bağlama player Derya Yıldırım. The group plays Anatolian folk-rooted psychedelic rock, drawing on traditional songs as well as original material. Its releases include the EP Nem Kaldı and the albums Kar Yağar, Dost 1 and Dost 2. The musicians first came together for the New Hamburg Festival in 2014, and the project developed into a touring band. In 2019 they recorded a KEXP session at Les Trans Musicales in Rennes, performing material from Kar Yağar. A 2024 Tiny Desk Concert presented the group’s core live setup of voice, bağlama, keyboards, guitar and drums at NPR.