With her powerful, raw-edged voice, her songwriting skills, and her proficiency at multiple instruments, İdil Çağatay is a classic triple threat. And one that keeps reinventing herself to boot. After fronting one of the earliest Turkish all-female metal bands in Kırmızı, her solo work finds her exploring various styles of rock and metal, while her classical background is never far away.

“Music has always been in my life since childhood”, Çağatay says. “I studied opera and harp at the conservatory, then worked as an artist in the opera world for many years. In 2004, I made a radical decision to explore the boundaries of my voice in a freer area, and to release my own music. I knew I could better reflect the energy inside me playing and singing rock and metal music. Therefore, in 2005, I left everything behind, formed a rock band, and started writing my own songs.

The last time I took part in the Istanbul State Opera was in 2005. I haven’t worked in any musical theater productions since then. A friend of mine from the opera world and I have been working on a baroque piece for a concert, though. Apart from that, I have a dream of writing a musical. Maybe one day I will realize it, but I don’t know if I will be in it.

Right now, I can say that classical music is a hobby that satisfies me. If I can muster up the energy, I have the idea of doing a classical concert again one day. But time will tell.”

A New Source of Excitement and Stress

“Opera singing is the pinnacle of vocal technique. I still find it fascinating, but frankly, it is really hard to make the transition from a classical to a modern singing technique. Using breath support and getting to know the vocal resonance areas has helped me a lot in this transition, but the technique itself is very different. Especially when doing harsh and dirty vocals, you use a completely different part of your instrument. I had to learn most things myself by trying them on stage. I made a lot of effort to get to know my throat and my vocal cords, and push the limits of my voice.

There are many variables, and the voice is a very sensitive structure. I continue to work on my voice, but I must admit that I do not live in a very sterile way. My main advantage is that I don’t smoke, and another one is that I’m a singing teacher. My voice always stays warm when I have to explain or give examples to my students.

In daily life, I always use my voice in the right position, which keeps it from getting tired. During concerts, especially when I have to sing at high pitches, it is necessary to be very controlled. Naturally, every concert is a new source of excitement and stress, but I always try to follow my voice from the inside while singing, and I prepare like an athlete to do the best that I can do.

I tell my students that each of them is a storyteller, and they need to convey this to whoever listens to them. I advise them to be very patient with themselves, and to love their voices. Apart from that, I try to tell them that they should not succumb to their egos, and that they should sing to make themselves happy first and foremost. Singing is like putting on wings and flying. If you don’t feel that while performing, you are not in the right place.

We all set out on this journey to find their own voices, and to be the voices of others. There is always a path opening up in front of you, as long as you are willing to walk it.”

Constant Renewal and Change

“Playing an instrument helps me a lot with turning what I hear in my head into sounds. I know better what I want to hear, and I can write what I hear better. The harp is an instrument I discovered while studying at the opera department at the conservatory. I had never seen one up-close until then, but I fell in love with it when I heard its sound, and decided that I wanted to play this instrument. So I ended up entering the harp department and continuing my education.

The piano was the instrument I started playing music with. There were always piano lessons in all departments at the conservatory. I didn’t start playing guitar until after I decided to play rock music. I really loved hearing distortion.

I have been listening to many different types of music for as long as I can remember, and I never get stuck in one genre. Every sound, every melody inspires me. I love trying new things, and it excites me. As life continues to flow, you cannot stay the same. This brings about constant renewal and change. The material I collect on the road while flowing through life reshape me and my music. I wake up as a different person every day. My feelings and thoughts change.

This naturally affects my production. Since I am an independent artist and don’t act according to the demands of the music industry, I have the luxury of producing music the way I want. This gives me the freedom to try whatever I want. I think this opens a window to diversity.”

A Boutique Audience

Being an independent artist may partly have been caused by circumstance, however. “I guess I am a bit of a difficult person”, Çağatay smiles. “I want to do whatever I want to do without bending or compromising. I have met with record companies before, and I have even worked with them, and frankly, they all made me unhappy. All these companies are after are commercial gains.

Unfortunately, there are no organizations that support the style of music I make right now. We are a small minority, especially in the Turkish music market, and we appeal to a boutique audience. Record companies generally try to bring your music to a form that will sell, which would mean going way out of line in my case.

I founded my own record company (Red Rec), so that I can easily release the music I want. This really gives me freedom. On the other hand, you have to deal with a lot of bureaucratic work, and you constantly have to pay taxes to the state, even when you don’t earn anything. This is the boring part of the job.

Since I don’t have a good relationship with the business, I didn’t get into producing other artists. Then I disbanded my record company. I am currently running the business through the company under my editor. I am still very free. I don’t deal with the boring parts. Also, I haven’t found any producers that suit me so far, so I don’t work with anyone. I have to think of everything myself. Of course, this is very tiring. I guess I am a bit of a stubborn person, haha!”

Achieving Perfect Harmony

Freedom is a term that comes up a lot during the conversation, including when discussing the differences between Kırmızı and Çağatay’s solo work. “I think the most important difference is that I am freer when I am working solo”, she says. “I used to write all the songs myself during the Kırmızı period, but since it was a group, it was necessary to act collectively. And this inevitably makes me feel responsible. There were times when I felt restricted, because even though all the songs were mine, everyone’s opinions and happiness were important to me.

On the other hand, financial concerns also come into play. The music you make needs to provide a financial return that is enough to keep the group together. This inevitably makes you think twice while producing. Another difficulty of being in a group is that when things don’t work out, changing the members can cause problems in terms of the group’s image. The hardest part of being a solo artist is having to carry the whole show on my back. But I have no complaints about that, haha!

When finding people for my solo releases, I don’t actually look for the perfect musicians. I work with people with whom I think I can achieve perfect harmony mentally and spiritually. It’s more important for them to understand my feelings and what I have in mind rather than to play perfectly. This actually breathes new life into every new work.

Of course, there have been musicians I have worked with for many years, and there are still some, and I don’t plan on giving up the harmony I have achieved with them. There are musicians who join and leave the project according to the spirit of the times and the conditions. This just adds different touches to every project.”

So Many Things to Say Through Music

“Lyrics usually come to my mind independently from the music. Most of the time, I write about an event or a subject that I want to sing about. This is my way of expressing myself. I try to make a composition that suits the feeling of the lyrics I write later. So this process does not mean that I write lyrics first and then compose the music. Sometimes a melody that comes to mind reminds me of an emotion or an event, and then I start writing the music. Sometimes the music and lyrics come at the same time. I have a very variable production process.

I love writing about social issues and current events, but sometimes I also want to sing about my inner world or my experiences. I’m not really the type of person who plans ahead; I write as I feel. Therefore, different projects and themes can emerge. For instance, I am currently making a very political album. It is a project in which I want to address everything that is on the agenda. It is impossible to think of anything else in this suffocating political climate that has enveloped our lives so much. I have so many things I want to say, and I say them through music.

Turkish is my mother tongue, and therefore, everything I want to convey finds more meaning in my own language. Since I use a lot of metaphors, I prefer to write my lyrics in the language I am most fluent in. I like the harmony of sounds in Turkish, and I can play with words much more comfortably. If you are nourished by the culture you live in, it feels more sincere to tell your stories in the language of that culture.”

Masculine Music in a Patriarchal Society

Turkish rock bands featuring multiple female members are quite rare. When Kırmızı started, the only prior known example was Volvox, which today is primarily known for kickstarting the careers of popular singers Şebnem Ferah and Özlem Tekin – as well as bassist Buket Doran. “There may have been unknown bands in the past, but we don’t know”, Çağatay clarifies. “The only known one is Volvox, but they didn’t release anything either. They mainly became famous because of their performances in bars.

When we started, we naturally encountered a lot of prejudice. We were compared to Volvox a lot in particular. We didn’t have much in common with them, except that we were all women. But we went our own way anyway. We were women trying to perform masculine music in a patriarchal society. It’s not easy to survive as an all-female band in a very masculine scene, especially heavy metal, but we did it.

We played very long shows every weekend at the best heavy metal club in the country. We created a serious audience in a short time, released our own projects and made our name known. These days, there are more all-female bands in the country. This is very promising. I hope we get to hear their voices more often.”

Elements of a Visual Identity

Apart from composing and producing her own music, Çağatay also appears to be very conscious of how she is represented visually. “I think those are all elements breathed from the same spirit”, she says. “On stage, I perform completely as the music makes me feel. Since I am also interested in visual arts, I usually design all other visual elements myself. For example, I have designed some of the album covers.

When I write the music, the idea for a video clip or cover art usually comes along with it. A friend of mine is a video director with whom I have been collaborating for my video clips for a very long time. I can’t imagine working with anyone else. We are so compatible!

Sometimes when I’m working on a song, its visuals are actually completed faster in my mind. For example, the album I am currently working on is not finished yet, but the cover art and ideas for the videos are already in my head. I think the stories or situations I want to tell simultaneously affect the music and the other elements that create my visual identity.”

Heading Towards Cacophony

Çağatay is critical of the Turkish music industry. “Only conscious listeners can find their way in the music market, because it has become impossible to deal with all the mechanisms in place.”, she states. “The capitalist system has completely taken over the market. While digital platforms provide relative freedom to those who want to make music, they have partially turned themselves into a garbage dump due to the lack of a filter, and the fact that too much data enters it every day.

In this seemingly democratic environment, record companies continue to manipulate these platforms. It is becoming quite difficult to be in this market and be listened to. The interest in live music also is not the same as before; people no longer go out to listen to music, because both the economic situation and socialization styles have changed. This is also causing venues to gradually close.

The opportunities provided by the development of recording technology have also increased. More people want to be performers instead of listeners nowadays. Everyone has the right to make music, but we are in a process that is heading towards cacophony. When the quality of listeners in this country increases, when the number of music lovers with developed ears and a developed musical culture increases, I think something will change.”

Working in a Scattered Manner

With the creativity flowing as freely as it does for Çağatay, there is always a new project on the horizon. “There is an album project that I have been working on for a long time”, she says . “My first goal is to complete it. Then I want to rest a little, produce new things, and try different sounds. I have another album project in mind, and I think I’m starting work on it after taking a break. Since I do everything myself, these projects are always very tiring processes. Therefore, I think I will need to gather some energy.

I have a dream of writing a musical, but that’s for later, though I have started to scribble small things for it. Generally, I am a person who works in a scattered manner. I start one project before finishing another. There are constantly notes around me, and unfinished projects in my head. This can sometimes delay the process of creating a song or an album, but I will always end up doing it.\

Sometimes, a new idea comes to mind, and I have to leave everything behind to focus on it. My most recent single release ‘Hasat’ was like that. It will be included in the album. This time, I promised myself that I would finish the new album without any further interruptions. It will probably be ready sometime in the first half of 2025.”