Selin Sümbültepe’s new single “Zehr-i İstanbul” is a quiet storm: a slow-burning meditation on loss, memory, and the contradictions of her city. She calls it “the story of a love that refuses to fade — that final glass drunk in defiant longing,” and the track holds that tension throughout: unresolved, but deeply felt.

Produced by Zeid Hamdan and arranged by Görkem Karabudak, the song blends maqam-inspired melodies with minimal instrumentation — oud, strings, electronics — all carefully balanced to let Sümbültepe’s voice carry the weight. Her delivery moves between delicacy and defiance, never overstated, always precise.

Since her 2017 debut Cızgan, Sümbültepe has shifted effortlessly across genres, but “Zehr-i İstanbul” feels especially distilled. It sidesteps the clichés of fusion; traditional and contemporary elements don’t clash or blend — they simply coexist, like the city itself: fractured, magnetic, and full of unresolved feeling.

You can stream and listen to the single HERE