Çiğdem Aslan

Çiğdem Aslan (pronounced Chee-dem) is a rising star in the revival of rebetiko, the bitter-sweet, devil-may-care songs of an exiled underclass, sung in hash dens and 'Café Amans' of Athens, Piraeus and İstanbul from the 1920s - 40s. With strong roots in the port of Smyrna/İzmir, rebetiko is a culture shared by Greeks and Turks that developed in mainland Greece following forced population exchanges, and was famously outlawed in both countries for its association with the underworld and being too 'oriental' in outlook.