Turkish girl group manifest: from reality show to Wembley Arena in one challenging year

The key facts

manifest is a Turkish girl group of six members, formed in February last year through the show Big5 Türkiye
The group gave their first concert in the UK at Wembley Arena on 16 October 2026
In Turkey, the members received suspended sentences for choreography at a concert in Istanbul; the travel ban was lifted

From reality show to Wembley

Turkish girl group manifest performed their first concert in the UK at Wembley Arena on 16 October 2026. The six-member group was formed in February last year as part of the Turkish reality show Big5 Türkiye, where contestants spent several months competing for a place in the group. The members' mentors were well-known Turkish pop performers, including Gülçin Ergül, a former member of the group Hepsi and a judge on the show. manifest currently has more than six million monthly listeners on Spotify. The group consists of: lead vocalist Süeda Uluka, lead vocalist Lidya Pınar, sub-vocalist Mina Solak, sub-vocalist and main rapper Zeynep Sude Oktay, lead dancer Hilal Yelekçi and main dancer Esin Bahat.

London visit and international ambitions

Ahead of the concert, the group was in London, where they filmed for a six-episode Netflix documentary and met with British pop groups, including dearALICE. In London, manifest released their first English-language single TRALALA, which topped the daily YouTube music chart, beating videos by Shakira and Taylor Swift. The video was the first one shot outside Turkey — with a predominantly British crew in east London. 'Stepping out of the comfort zone was a bit stressful for us,' Pınar noted. At the same time, the members emphasise that they want to preserve their Turkish identity: 'We want to reach a global audience with our Turkish songs, not with English ones. We want to teach people to sing in Turkish,' said Sude Oktay. Among the group's inspirations are the Turkish group Hepsi and the Spice Girls. In July this year, the members performed at Dua Lipa's Sunny Hill festival in Kosovo, where the singer met them backstage in person. 'After Wembley, we manifest Coachella and other big stages,' said Hilal Yelekçi.

Prosecution in Turkey

The trip to London took place just over a year after Turkish prosecutors opened an investigation against the group on charges of violating public decency — following criticism of the members' outfits and choreography at a concert for audiences over 18 in Istanbul. A Turkish court subsequently ruled that the choreography and physical contact on stage constituted exhibitionism. Turkish politician Oktay Saral, in a post on X, called for measures so that the group would 'never repeat such actions'. The case drew criticism regarding creative freedom in Turkey, where authorities have previously cancelled concerts and festivals over concerns about public morality. Turkish singer Ceylan Ertem called the investigation 'an open attack on women's freedom and the performing arts'. The six members received suspended prison sentences of three months and 22 days; the travel ban was lifted by the court. In London, the group refused to discuss the verdict.

The concert and fan reaction

At the Wembley Arena concert, the group opened the performance with the song Hileli, then performed TRALALA. Throughout the evening, the members alternated between English and Turkish. In addition to their own songs, they performed covers of Story of My Life by One Direction, Wannabe by the Spice Girls and Hush Hush by the Pussycat Dolls — the latter interpolates Gloria Gaynor's I Will Survive, which the group sang in Turkish. The audience was predominantly Turkish women aged 20–30. Among the spectators were friends Elif, 31, and Zeynep, 25, who live in London. 'I don't think I've ever heard of a girl group performing there. Maybe it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience,' said Zeynep, noting that Turkish pop star Tarkan previously performed at Wembley Arena in 2008. Elif added: 'These are difficult times back home. This means female power and empowerment, just fun and togetherness.' Earlier in London, about 300 fans came to a signing session at a Turkish restaurant — the first time the members met British fans in person.

Looking to the future

The members say they want to inspire a new generation of Turkish girls. 'We are six different women with different passions... We really want to see little girls look at us and maybe also want to sing and dance. Maybe they can draw strength from us,' said lead vocalist Pınar. Despite their international ambitions, after several weeks in London the members missed home. 'Turkish food, like kebab,' said rapper Sude Oktay, adding mantı — a traditional Turkish dumpling dish. 'Turkey is our home. We miss home,' Pınar noted.