On May 11, megastar Tarkan made history as the first Turkish artist to headline the world-famous O2 Arena in London. The performance – part of his sprawling 2025 European tour – was a true spectacle. It was a celebration of culture, music, and emotion, held on Mother’s Day, a personal moment for the singer who recently lost his beloved mother. That weight and warmth shaped the night, making it one of the most heartfelt performances of his decades-long career.

The show, part of the promotional tour for the 2024 album Kuantum 51, followed sold-out stops in Rotterdam, Düsseldorf, Stuttgart, and Hamburg. Tarkan’s O2 debut, organised by Şahmeran Entertainment and Hitt Production, brought fans from across Europe to London, many of whom had waited years to see the pop icon live again, including us.

And what a show it was.

A hush fell over the crowd before the stage exploded into a swirl of digital imagery, with an AI-generated intro by Ahmet Rüstem Ekici and Hakan Sorar filling the arena. Backed by a superb LED setup designed by Salih Aksu and directed by veteran stage designer Can Besbelli, the production delivered a cinematic experience worthy of the venue. The visuals hit you with colours with each frame syncing perfectly with Tarkan’s music, sometimes subtle and soft, other times very explosive.

Opening with the seductive groove of Yo and Şerbetli (Kuantum 51), Tarkan wasted no time showing his newer work. From there, he weaved through hits old and new, proving why he remains the King of Turkish Pop even after more than 30 years in the industry. Kır Zincirlerini (Ölürüm Sana, 1997), with its club beat, and Dudu ( EP, 2003) had the crowd belting out every lyric, clapping, and dancing like we were all at the most joyful family celebration. A particularly powerful moment came with Sevdanın Son Vuruşu, a song released in 2010. It is, without a doubt, one of Tarkan’s most poignant songs. The lyrics were written by the legendary Turkish songwriter Aysel Gürel before her passing in 2008. Remarkably, the handwritten lyrics were discovered by a new tenant in her former apartment. With the blessing of Gürel’s daughter, actress Müjde Ar, Tarkan composed the music and brought the song to life in his 2010 album Adımı Kalbine Yaz. And when he performed that song life, he brought life to it once again.

I have to admit that Tarkan’s voice is soaked in melancholy and longing, a reminder of how easily he shifts between pop heartthrob and poetic crooner.

Tarkan also performed Müteşekkir from his latest album Kuantum 51. And then, of course, came the classics: Hüp, Ölürüm Sana, and the iconic Şımarık, the 1997 international hit that helped launch Tarkan into global fame. I don’t speak Turkish, nor do I pretend to understand it, but when this song hit the stage, I was surprised to find I remembered most of the lyrics. Even those who didn’t speak Turkish found themselves swept into the rhythm. That’s Tarkan’s power – his music is felt before it’s understood. Uzun İnce Bir Yoldayım, a modern arrangement of a beloved Turkish folk song written and composed by Âşık Veysel, offered a spiritual escape to whatever world you needed to be in at that moment.

Throughout the night, Tarkan was flanked by an elite band: Can Şengün on electric guitar, Alp Ersönmez on bass, Volkan Öktem on drums, Ayhan Günyıl and Ateş Berker Öngören on acoustic guitars, Serhat Ersöz and Matthew Erdem on keys, with Faruk Emre Kürklüoğlu and Ozan Öztürk lending backing vocals. Their musicianship grounded Tarkan’s pop showmanship in rich and live sound. And Tarkan’s vocals were simply SUBLIME!

And let’s not ignore the fashion – Tarkan stepped onto the O2 stage dressed like a star reborn: sleek gold tailoring, glittering details, and performance-ready cool that felt like a nod to both Istanbul nightlife and modern European glam. In two hours or so, Tarkan performed many songs, including Aşk Gitti Bizden.

For me, as someone who first discovered Tarkan in the mid-90s, when his posters filled bedrooms and his songs ruled cassette players, seeing him live at the O2 was surreal. He hasn’t just endured in a fickle industry – he’s evolved, daring to experiment while staying unmistakably himself.

Even if you don’t know a word of Turkish, a Tarkan show will move you. You’ll dance, you’ll sing, you might even cry. Because more than anything, his music reminds us how universal rhythm, memory, and love can be. Tarkan didn’t just make history at the O2, he made MAGIC.

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Written by Maggie Gogler

Featured image courtesy of Yiğit Eken

_{View of the Arts is an online publication dedicated to films, music, and arts, with a strong focus on the Asian entertainment industry. With rich content already available to our readers, we aim to expand our reach and grow alongside our audience by delving deeper into emerging platforms such as K-pop and Asian music more broadly. At the same time, we remain committed to exploring the vibrant and ever-evolving global landscape of film, music, and the arts, celebrating the immense talent and creativity that define these industries worldwide.}