Dogan Mehmet (born in

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

, England, on 31 March 1990) is a British stage performer and musician of

Turkish Cypriot Turkish Cypriots or Cypriot Turks ( or ; ) are so called ethnic Turks originating from Cyprus. Turkish Cypriots are mainly Sunni Muslims. Following the Ottoman conquest of the island in 1571, about 30,000 Turkish settlers were given land onc ...

descent. Mehmet writes a mixture of English and Turkish Cypriot folk songs and tunes.

Early life

Mehmet was born in

to parents from the Turkish part of Cyprus (Northern Cyprus), making him a first-generation Turkish-Cypriot. Raised in a multicultural environment, he was exposed to both British and Cypriot cultures, which influenced his upbringing. He is

bilingual Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. When the languages are just two, it is usually called bilingualism. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolin ...

, fluent in both English and Turkish.

Career

Mehmet began his performing career with the Brighton Theatre Group at the age of 11. He studied Music Technology and Production at

Northbrook College Northbrook College is a further education and higher education college that is part of the Chichester College Group. It currently has three campuses: Broadwater Campus and West Durrington Campus in Worthing and Shoreham Airport Campus in ...

from 2006 to 2007. He holds a Grade 8 certification in both voice and violin. In 2007, Mehmet appeared on BBC 1’s The Omid Djalali Show, featuring in both the first and last episodes of Season 1. He was a finalist in the 2008's BBC Young Folk Awards. That same year, his EP "Unlimited" was released, followed by his

album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

"Gypsyhead" in November 2009. Work on his second album began during the winter of 2010, and "Outlandish" was released in 2012. He has toured the UK and performed with his band at various festivals, including regional Folk Festivals, Beautiful Days, London Remixed Festival, Larmer Tree, WOMAD, and Glastonbury. He participated in

Morris Morris may refer to: Places Australia * St Morris, South Australia, place in South Australia Canada * Morris Township, Ontario, now part of the municipality of Morris-Turnberry * Rural Municipality of Morris, Manitoba ** Morris, Man ...

dancing and

Rapper Sword Rapper sword (also known as short sword dance) is a variation of sword dance unique to Northumberland and County Durham. It emerged from the pit villages of Tyneside and Wearside, where miners first performed the tradition. The dance requires ...

Dance with various Morris dance groups, including Brighton Morris and Newcastle Kingsmen, which complemented his passion for folk music. Mehmet attended Newcastle University from 2009 to 2013, where he studied Folk and Traditional Music. During the end of his final year, he was a member of the percussion group

STOMP Stomp may refer to: *Stomp (strike), a downwards kick using the heel Music and dance * ''Stomp'' (album), by Big D and the Kids Table, 2013 *Stomp (jazz), a type of rhythmic jazz tune popular in the 1920s *Stomp (theatrical show), a percussive ph ...

. He has performed with notable artists such as James Fagan,

Martin Carthy Martin Dominic Forbes Carthy MBE (born 21 May 1941) is an English singer and guitarist who has remained one of the most influential figures in English folk music, inspiring contemporaries such as Bob Dylan and Paul Simon, as well as later ar ...

, and

Eliza Carthy Eliza Amy Forbes Carthy, MBE (born 23 August 1975) is an English folk musician known for both singing and playing the fiddle. She is the daughter of English folk musicians Martin Carthy and Norma Waterson. Life and career Carthy was born i ...

, and has also made a guest appearances with the global folk band

The Imagined Village The Imagined Village is a folk music project founded by Simon Emmerson of Afro Celt Sound System. A reflection of modern United Kingdom multiculturalism, the music collective syncretizes diverse musical traditions while featuring musicians ...

. From March 2013 to March 2014, Mehmet joined the

London West End The West End of London (commonly referred to as the West End) is a district of Central London, England, in the London Boroughs of Camden and the City of Westminster. It is west of the City of London and north of the River Thames, in which ma ...

production of ''

War Horse The first evidence of horses in warfare dates from Eurasia between 4000 and 3000 BC. A Sumerian illustration of warfare from 2500 BC depicts some type of equine pulling wagons. By 1600 BC, improved harness and chariot design ...

'', taking on the role of Songman, the storyteller and musical narrator of the production’s songs. Due to the demanding nature of the role, with eight shows a week, he shared the part with Ben Murray, alternating each week. When one performed as Songman, the other took on the role of musical narrator, providing instrumental accompaniment, backing vocals, and performing in the ensemble. In the summer of 2013, he also performed on BBC Radio 3's ''World Routes'' Show. He participated in Season 3 of the singing competition '' The Voice'' in 2013, performing "

Englishman in New York "Englishman in New York" is a song by the English singer-songwriter Sting, from his second studio album '' Nothing Like the Sun'', released in October 1987. Branford Marsalis played soprano saxophone on the track, while the drums were played by ...

" by

Sting Stimulator of interferon genes (STING), also known as transmembrane protein 173 (TMEM173) and MPYS/MITA/ERIS is a regulator protein that in humans is encoded by the STING1 gene. STING plays an important role in innate immunity. STING induces typ ...

, though his performance was not aired. From June 2014 to February 2015, Mehmet performed in the West End production of ''Once: The Musical''. BADA Studios

In 2017, he launched BADA Music, a Music School offering lessons in music, instruments, and vocals. Working as a singing and voice coach, he established the studio in "container village" on the site of the former derelict scrap metal yard, Cobbler’s Thumb, in Brighton. In May 2018, he performed at

Shakespeare's Globe Shakespeare's Globe is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, an Elizabethan playhouse first built in 1599 for which William Shakespeare wrote his plays. Like the original, it is located on the south bank of the River Thames, in Southwark, Lon ...

Theatre in the production of ''

The Two Noble Kinsmen ''The Two Noble Kinsmen'' is a Jacobean tragicomedy, first published in 1634 and attributed jointly to John Fletcher and William Shakespeare. Its plot derives from "The Knight's Tale" in Geoffrey Chaucer's ''The Canterbury Tales'' (1387–140 ...

'', where he played the

fiddle A fiddle is a Bow (music), bowed String instrument, string musical instrument, most often a violin or a bass. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including European classical music, classical music. Althou ...

. In 2018, he expanded the space by opening a coffee shop next to the studio called "Expresso Yourself." Both the music studio and coffee shop closed in 2020 due to the impact of the

Covid-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. In July 2020, he opened a barber shop named Maverick Delta Studios in

Peacehaven Peacehaven is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Lewes (district), Lewes district of East Sussex, England. It is above the chalk cliffs of the South Downs about east of Brighton city centre, on the A259 road. It is the ...

, near Brighton. In December 2024, he opened a coffee bar again with the name “Expresso Yourself” opposite to his barber shop in Peacehaven.

Personal life

Dogan is often called "Doe," a nickname that arose because many non-Turkish speakers are unaware that the "g" in his name is silent. Dogan is one of three siblings in his immediate family, having a brother and a sister. Additionally, he has three half-siblings from his father's first marriage. In 2011, he dated English Folk Musician

. While working on ''Once: The Musical in 2014,'' he met his future wife. The couple welcomed their daughter on July 3, 2018.

References

External links

Official WebsiteDoğan Mehmet at last.fm
*https://maverickdelta.com Living people Alumni of Newcastle University British folk singers Musicians from Brighton English people of Turkish Cypriot descent 1990 births 21st-century British singers 21st-century British male singers {{UK-musician-stub