Sultana

A champion of women's rights, Turkish pop singer Sultana has built a reputation for her bold, socially aware hip-hop style that fuses native Turkish rhythms with atmospheric electronica. Attention first arrived via the 2000 single "Kuşu Kalkmaz," taken from her debut album Çerkez Kızı. Though the track faced prohibition at home, it generated significant interest in the artist, who has sustained her output of provocative material across projects such as the 2008 album Şöhret Yolu, the 2015 single "Biz Neysek," and the 2019 Konqistador collaboration "Nafada."

Raised in Turkey, Sultana attracted early notice during summer 2000 after RTUK, the country's Supreme Board of Radio and Television, prohibited "Kuşu Kalkmaz" from Çerkez Kızı on grounds of explicit sexual content. Roughly rendered in English as "Can't Get It Up," the recording heightened demand for the vocalist, who delivered verses in both Turkish and English. She subsequently joined free funk pioneers Jamaaladeen Tacuma and Burhan Oçal for performances and embarked on tours across Europe and America. Growing momentum led to Çerkez Kızı receiving broad distribution in both the U.K. and America. In 2003 she supplied vocals for multiple Delerium tracks, then resumed solo work with her follow-up album Şöhret Yolu in 2008. Remaining a vocal advocate for women's rights, she issued the empowerment-focused single "Biz Neysek" in 2015 and the 2019 Konqistador track "Nafada."