Anasheed by Mesut Kurtis

Mesut Kurtis: A Macedonian Nasheed Singer with an Islamic Vision

He speaks several languages, including Arabic, Turkish, Macedonian and English; his voice is rich and his performance outstanding. He has worked with leading Arab and international nasheed artists such as Sami Yusuf, Maher Zain and others. His Islamic nasheeds have spread widely and won over Arab audiences. This is the young Macedonian nasheed singer Mesut Kurtis.

Mesut Kurtis was born in 1981 in the Republic of Macedonia into a devout, conservative family of Turkish origin. This conservative environment shaped his personality from an early age: he showed a particular interest in memorizing the Holy Quran and in singing Islamic nasheeds. He later joined nasheed groups in Macedonia and performed with them at concerts in his home country, in Turkey and in neighboring countries.

His time as an amateur singer was short-lived, as he soon left the local nasheed groups when he emigrated with his parents from Macedonia to Britain to continue his education. He studied Islamic law (Sharia) at the European Institute of Human Sciences in Wales, from which he recently graduated.

His Turkish roots, Macedonian nationality and life in Britain are among the factors that enriched Mesut Kurtis’s personality and helped his talent and intellectual gifts to flourish. His albums are known for blending several languages, which gives his nasheeds variety and a truly international character.

Mesut Kurtis released his first album, “Salawat,” in collaboration with the well-known Islamic singer Sami Yusuf, mixing Arabic, English and Turkish. The album was warmly received and found a wide audience; it was, and still is, broadcast on Arab satellite channels and on the internet.

Despite his young and brief career, Mesut Kurtis already has a respectable body of work: in addition to his debut album “Salawat,” the Macedonian singer has released other albums, including “Tabassam,” “Al-Habib” and “Al-Burdah.”