Turkish girl group Manifest took to the stage at London’s Wembley Arena on October 16, 2026, marking their first major UK concert. The performance serves as a significant milestone for the six-member ensemble, whose rapid rise followed their formation in February 2025 during the Big5 Türkiye reality television competition. We’re on a boat cruising down the River Thames, when I first meet Turkish girl group manifest. According to pınar, Her favourite Spice Girl is Baby Spice.
The group, consisting of Sueda Uluca, Lidya Pınar, Mina Solak, Alara, Elif, Begum, and Zeynep, has garnered over six million monthly listeners on Spotify.
Their London visit—part of filming for a six-part Netflix documentary—included a fan event in a local Turkish restaurant and the release of their first English-language single, TRALALA. Lead vocalist Pınar acknowledged the transition, noting that moving beyond their established environment was initially stressful. 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, while in London. According to getting out from that safe zone was a bit stressful for us,”, Pınar. According to we want to reach a global audience with our Turkish songs actually, not with English ones,”, Sude Oktay. We want to teach people to sing in Turkish. Instead they spoke about wanting to inspire a new generation of Turkish girls. We really, really want to see that little girls look at us and maybe they want to sing too, they want to dance too.
Career Milestones and Musical Influences
- Mentorship: The group was guided by former members of the girl group Hepsi, including Gülçin Ergül.
- International Recognition: The band performed at Dua Lipa’s Sunny Hill Festival earlier this summer, where they met the pop star backstage.
- Global Aspirations: Member Hilal Yelekçi stated, “After Wembley, we’ll manifest Coachella and other big stages.”
- Cultural Commitment: Despite international interest, the members emphasize their desire to retain their Turkish identity and encourage global audiences to learn songs in Turkish.
The group’s trajectory has been marked by significant professional success, yet they faced a turbulent period in their home country.
Just over a year ago, Turkish prosecutors initiated an investigation against the band. So it’s obvious,” she laughs, i’m pink and blonde. However, the band’s road to success was threatened last year.
Allegations centered on claims that their outfits and stage choreography at an Istanbul concert for audiences over 18 violated public decency.
A local court subsequently ruled that their performance and physical contact on stage constituted exhibitionism.
Legal and Social Context
- Sentencing: The six members received suspended prison sentences of three months and 22 days, though a travel ban previously imposed on them was lifted.
- Public Controversy: Politician Oktay Saral posted on X, calling for measures to ensure the group could never repeat their actions.
- Artistic Freedom: Critics of the investigation, including singer Ceylan Ertem, labeled the case an “open attack on women’s freedom and the performing arts.”
The concert at Wembley drew a crowd primarily composed of young Turkish women living in the UK, many of whom viewed the event as an act of empowerment.
Attendees, such as friends Elif and Zeynep, expressed support for the group’s resilience, noting that the performance felt like a rare, once-in-a-lifetime experience.
For many fans, the music serves as a connection to home during difficult times and a show of defiance against the pressure the band faced from authorities.
While the group continues to pursue global fame, the members maintain a strong longing for their home country, with Pınar stating, “Turkey is our home. Including K-pop-trained boyband dearALICE, the six band members are clutching union jack umbrellas as they pose for press photographs and mingle with British pop acts. The six members rehearse synchronised choreography alongside their back-up dancers, as the staging – complete with giant LED screens and the group’s logo – is set up around them. They have also had the chance to meet one of the world’s biggest pop stars, Dua Lipa.
We miss our home.”
Important Details
- Maybe they can get the power from us.
- Giving the group their first chance to meet some of their UK-based supporters in person, about 300 fans attended a signing event at a Turkish restaurant in London.
- It was a really cute moment for us.
- Alara, 26, Elif, 31, Begum, 31, and Zeynep, 25, called the concert “a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
- There was a sense of excitement outside Wembley Arena as fans wearing manifest-branded headbands and carrying banners gathered, on the day of the concert.
- Turkish pop star Tarkan previously performed at Wembley Arena in 2008.
