Turkish singer Mehmet Daş is set to return to Israel this week for the Jerusalem East and West Festival at the Sultan's Pool, led by the Jerusalem East and West Orchestra under conductor Tom Cohen. In an interview with N12, Daş said the visit is not just another booking for him, but a personal return to a place where he has built a strong connection with audiences over more than a decade.
Daş said he feels welcome every time he comes. “I am excited to come to Israel every time,” he said. “I really love the place and I feel a lot of love. When I arrive here I am very happy.” He added that the feeling has remained the same since his first visit, and that the enthusiastic reception pushes him to return “with more joy and more passion.”
His relationship with Israel began about 13 years ago, when he first arrived to perform with Turkish musician and composer Mumin Sesler. Daş recalled that Sesler brought him from Istanbul, and that the first shows included three performances with Omer Adam. He said the first trip worried both him and his family, and that his father accompanied him on the first two visits until he saw how warmly Daş was received. Over time, Daş said, the concerts in Israel became a regular part of his career, including private events and weddings, and he no longer felt like a stranger there.
Asked whether tensions between Israel and Turkey ever discouraged him from coming, Daş said no. “In the end, what we know how to do is sing songs,” he said. “We are not people who deal with politics.” He added that he has never heard objections in Turkey to his performances in Israel, and that many Turks know Israelis attend his shows there. Daş, who began as a child prodigy and later appeared on Turkish television and on Ibrahim Tatlises's program, said half of his adolescence was spent in concerts in Israel and that he has been coming regularly since 2013. He said he and his team are preparing new material for the Israeli audience and hopes relations continue “beautifully, in joy and in peace.”
