- Published
When I first meet Turkish girl group manifest, we're on a boat cruising down the River Thames.
asserted
we → publish → Thames
The six band members are clutching Union jack umbrellas as they pose for press photographs and mingle with British pop acts, including K-pop-trained boyband dearALICE.
asserted
they → clutch → dearALICE
Netflix cameras are filming the evening for a six-part documentary.
asserted
cameras → film → documentary
The group are in London hoping to build on their success in Turkey and reach an international audience.
asserted
group → hop → audience
Their ambitions come after a turbulent year at home, during which the band were prosecuted for public indecency over their outfits and dance moves during a concert in Istanbul.
asserted
band → come → Istanbul
'We'll manifest Coachella'
asserted
We → manifest → Coachella
A few weeks after their appearance on the boat, I meet the group again at Wembley Arena, where they are preparing for their first UK concert the following night.
asserted
they → meet → concert
As the staging - complete with giant LED screens and the group's logo - is set up around them, the six members rehearse synchronised choreography alongside their back-up dancers.
asserted
members → set → dancers
The group consists of main vocalist Sueda Uluca, lead vocalist Lidya Pınar, sub-vocalist Mina Solak, sub-vocalist and main rapper Zeynep Sude Oktay, lead dancer Hilal Yelekçi and main dancer Esin Bahat.
asserted
group → consist → Uluca
"After Wembley, we'll manifest Coachella and other big stages," says Hilal Yelekçi, playing on the group's name.
asserted
Yelekçi → manifest → name
manifest were formed in February last year through the Turkish reality TV talent competition Big5 Türkiye, which saw contestants compete over several months for a place in the group.
asserted
contestants → form → group
They were mentored by established Turkish pop stars, including Gülçin Ergül, a former member of girl group Hepsi, who was also a judge on the show.
asserted
who → mentor → show
The band's rise has been rapid, and they now have more than six million monthly listeners on Spotify.
asserted
they → have → Spotify
While in London, they released their first English-language single, TRALALA, which topped YouTube's daily music video chart on its release, ahead of videos from Shakira and Taylor Swift.
asserted
which → release → Shakira
The music video was also their first to be filmed outside Turkey, with the group working with a largely British production crew in east London.
asserted
group → film → London
"Getting out from that safe zone was a bit stressful for us," says Pınar.
asserted
Pınar → get → us
Despite their hopes to perform on British and American stages, they're keen to retain their Turkish identity.
asserted
they → perform → identity
"We want to reach a global audience with our Turkish songs actually, not with English ones," says Sude Oktay.
asserted
Oktay → want → ones
"We want to teach people to sing in Turkish."
asserted
We → want → Turkish
Alongside Turkish girl group Hepsi, manifest cite the Spice Girls among their musical inspirations.
asserted
manifest → cite → inspirations
Pınar says her favourite Spice Girl is Baby Spice.
"Because of the pink.
asserted
Girl → say → pink
I'm pink and blonde, so it's obvious," she laughs.
asserted
she → laugh → ?
They have also had the chance to meet one of the world's biggest pop stars, Dua Lipa.
asserted
They → have → stars
The British-Albanian singer met manifest backstage before watching them perform at her Sunny Hill Festival in Kosovo in July this year.
asserted
them → meet → July
"She came to our backstage and said a lot of great things," one member recalls.
"
asserted
member → come → things
We really love her, her songs, her stage presence.
asserted
We → love → her
However, the band's road to success was threatened last year.
asserted
road → threaten → success
The trip to London comes just over a year after Turkish prosecutors launched an investigation into the group over allegations of violating public decency, following criticism of their outfits and choreography at an over-18s concert in Istanbul.
asserted
prosecutors → come → Istanbul
A Turkish court later ruled that their choreography and physical contact on stage amounted to exhibitionism.
asserted
choreography → rule → exhibitionism
In a post on X, Turkish politician Oktay Saral called for action so the group "can never repeat such acts".
asserted
group → call → acts
The case also prompted criticism over artistic freedom in Turkey, where authorities have previously cancelled concerts and festivals over concerns about public morality.
asserted
authorities → prompt → morality
Turkish singer Ceylan Ertem described the investigation as "an open attack on women's freedom and the performing arts".
asserted
Ertem → describe → freedom
The six members were handed suspended prison sentences of three months and 22 days.
asserted
members → hand → months
A ban preventing them from leaving Turkey was also lifted by the court.
asserted
ban → prevent → court
'We want little girls to sing too'
asserted
girls → want → ?
Speaking to me in London, the group would not talk about the sentencing.
asserted
group → speak → sentencing
Instead they spoke about wanting to inspire a new generation of Turkish girls.
asserted
they → speak → girls
"We are six different women, we have different hobbies... " says lead vocalist Pınar.
asserted
Pınar → have → hobbies
"We really, really want to see that little girls look at us and maybe they want to sing too, they want to dance too.
asserted
they → want → us
"Maybe they can get the power from us."
asserted
they → get → us
…and 22 more, not listed.
The Aporia
