Manifest Concert in erzurum Canceled Amidst Clothing Concerns
Erzurum, Turkey – A concert by the Turkish girl group Manifest scheduled for September 6th in Erzurum has been canceled, sparking speculation over the appropriateness of the group’s stage attire. While no official statement has been released detailing the reason for the cancellation, sources suggest concerns were raised regarding the clothing worn by the group members.
The cancellation impacts 12,000 ticket holders who had purchased seats for the sold-out performance,part of Manifest’s planned Türkiye tour. The incident raises questions about artistic expression and censorship within the region, and highlights the challenges faced by emerging artists navigating cultural sensitivities. The group acknowledged their Erzurum fanbase with a post on X (formerly Twitter) on September 2nd, stating, “Erzuruman Manifest listeners love you.”
Manifest was formed from the winners of Hypers New Media Agency’s Big5 Turkey talent competition: Esin Bahat, Zeynep Sude Oktay, Lidya Pinar, Suda Uluca, and Emine Hilal West. The group launched their stage career with concerts in Istanbul on February 16th and 17th, and has sence performed at numerous festivals and venues, reaching tens of thousands of fans.
their debut album, “Manifestival,” was released on June 13th, followed by the declaration of a Türkiye-wide tour. Remaining tour dates include performances in Bursa, İzmir, Konya, Antalya, Adana, Gaziantep, Eskişehir, Samsun, Trabzon, and Ankara throughout September, October, and November.
Manifest currently boasts a combined social media following of 2 million across Instagram, tiktok, X, and youtube, and averages 4.2 million monthly listeners on Spotify. The cancellation in Erzurum is the first reported disruption to their tour schedule.
