Mesut Kurtis

Mesut Kurtis was born in Skopje, Macedonia. His parents are Turkish. He studied at the College of Skopje and went to the UK at a young age to pursue his studies. He graduated with a degree in Human Sciences, Islamic Law and Jurisprudence. from the European Institute of Human Sciences, University of Wales.

Kurtis comes from a scholarly and religious family. His father and grandfather were fluent in classical Arabic.

He showed a strong interest in Islamic nasheeds from a very young age. He joined several nasheed groups in Macedonia that performed local and also made several international visits including performances in Turkey and neighbouring places. His style is influenced by Sufi, Turkish classical, Arabic and European styles.

In May 2004, his debut album Salawat, produced by Awakening Records, was released and featured songs that combine Arabic, Turkish and English. It was well received by Muslim listeners around the world after his first music video “Al‐Burdah” which was filmed on location in the islands off the coast of Turkey.

In June 2009, his second album Beloved was released. On 7 July 2014, his third album Tabassam was released.

Kurtis sings in Arabic, English, Macedonian and Turkish. He is also fluent in five languages.