{"id":289087,"date":"2026-04-30T09:31:07","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T07:31:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.recordjet.com\/our-artist-of-the-month-for-may-is-engin\/"},"modified":"2026-04-30T09:31:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T07:31:07","slug":"our-artist-of-the-month-for-may-is-engin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.recordjet.com\/en\/our-artist-of-the-month-for-may-is-engin\/","title":{"rendered":"Our Artist of the Month for May is: ENGIN"},"content":{"rendered":"

What exactly is German indie pop in 2026?
\nPerhaps it’s long been more than guitars, melancholy, and big-city romance. Perhaps it’s global, multilingual, raw \u2013 and above all: open. <\/p>\n

A band that embodies exactly that is ENGIN<\/a> from Mannheim, our Artist of the Month for May. Their sound combines indie pop with Anadolu Rock, psychedelica, and Britpop \u2013 creating something that can hardly be confined to genre boundaries. <\/p>\n

Who is ENGIN? A band between friendship and the search for identity <\/h3>\n

ENGIN consists of Engin Devekiran<\/a> (vocals, guitar), Jonas Stiegler (drums), and David Knevels (bass) \u2013 three musicians whose story is deeply rooted in friendship.<\/p>\n

Engin and Jonas have known each other since school, making music together early on. While Jonas later studied jazz drumming, Engin initially took a different path \u2013 psychology. But music never let him go. <\/p>\n

A decisive moment: a support gig for Robert Francis<\/a>, where Engin played his own songs. After that, it was clear: a life without music is not an option. <\/p>\n

With pop studies in Mannheim \u2013 and meeting David \u2013 a solo project eventually became a band. And a band became a shared vision. <\/p>\n

The Sound of ENGIN: Indie Pop Meets Anadolu Rock<\/h3>\n

What makes ENGIN so special is their musical approach:
\nThey are reimagining German indie pop \u2013 and expanding it with cultural influences that have long been underrepresented.<\/p>\n

During the pandemic, Engin began to delve deeply into Turkish music. The psychedelic Anadolu Rock of the 70s, in particular, became an inspiration \u2013 a style that is now being reinterpreted by acts like Altin G\u00fcn<\/a> or Gaye Su Akyol<\/a>. <\/p>\n

For ENGIN, this is not a stylistic gimmick, but part of a personal journey. How do you connect different cultural identities? What does music sound like that is not either-or, but both-and? <\/p>\n

They provide the answer themselves \u2013 with a sound that is raw, danceable, and emotional all at once.<\/p>\n

From “Merhaba Montag” to “Nacht”: The Musical Journey<\/h3>\n

The band took its first steps with the EP Merhaba Montag<\/a> (2021), followed by the debut album Nacht<\/a>. “Nacht” was produced by Robert Stephenson, who has worked with Mighty Oaks and Von Wegen Lisbeth, among others. The album’s sound: recorded live, unpolished, direct. Not perfection \u2013 but attitude. <\/p>\n

Viral with Meaning: How “Gurbet” Became an Anthem<\/h3>\n

A turning point in the band’s history came almost by chance. As part of a social media project, ENGIN released weekly Turkish classics with German translations. One of these songs was Gurbet by \u00d6zdemir Erdo\u011fan<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Then came the devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria. ENGIN’s version of “Gurbet” \u2013 a song about longing, migration, and fear for one’s homeland \u2013 suddenly struck a chord. The video went viral, especially in Turkey, and became an emotional soundtrack for many people during that time. <\/p>\n

A moment that showed: music can connect \u2013 across countries, languages, and crises.<\/p>\n

Between Worlds: Success in Germany and Turkey<\/h3>\n

What followed was extraordinary:<\/p>\n