Nilüfer Akbal is one of the leading women musicians of authentic folk music. Considering the difficulties of singing in her mother - tongue in Turkey, Nilüfer Akbal is a good example for the other musicians as she never made concessions. She usually sings in Zaza, which is her mother - tongue, in her albums as well as she sings in Turkish, Kurdish and Armenian.
Nilüfer Akbal expresses her effort in reaching an universal level as follows:
"These sounds are the apples, gold, rubies of our land. Wherever we place them nobody is able to demolish the essence of them. That is, I want our raw gold to be processed by an Indian or Italian. And I am supervising him."
Opinions of some of her colleagues about Nilüfer Akbal and her music:
"I have listened the last album of Nilüfer. It is a beautiful and significant study for Kurdish Folk. Nilüfer Akbal' s voice is one of the best Kurdish Woman Voices. Because of that Kurdish people should protect this voice in order to carry it to a worldwide status. This album led Nilüfer to success. I believe that her graphic will follow a positive path afterwards. Because Nilüfer knows well what she does or what she wants."
Ciwan Haco - 1998
Kurdish Music is defined as a single sounded music with its melodies and rhythm lines. It is based on traditional folk melodies, voice masters (DENGBEJ), requiems, folk dances (GOVEND). Extemporarily and ordinarily sang melodies are all because of the charm of the geography. Nilüfer Akbal' s artistic effort is to carry the folks' brotherhood songs to a worldwide status through experimental studies like those Mercedes Sossa, Inti - Ilimiani and Victor Jara. Nilüfer Akbal's "Revingi" album introduces this geography to the world. Mesopotamian and Anatolian music is traditionally carried through cultural sayings to the current. It has set free the countries, folks, communities and individuals through love and brotherhood for ages. Brotherhood and love reaches to the world common music language with "Revingi".
Kadir Karakoç (Music Director) - 1998
Living the melancholic days of fall in 1998 when I listened Nilüfer' s "Revingi" album it seemed that many springs, rivers, streams of Anatolia were flowing cheerfully. Weddings, separations, loves, pains, pressures and tortures echoed in my ears. I produced a film in each song. I viewed migrations, fires and poor broken hearts.
Reis Çelik (Film Director) - 1998
She is a mountain wind
Wandering through her voice in exiled springs...
She is a flower in the highlands
Embroidered on sorrowful hearts with her color...
She is a scream of courage
Of an oppressed folk that is in love with her lyrics...
Yusuf Hayaloglu (Poet and Lyrics Author) - 1998
