Manifest are taking control of their own destiny

On the top deck of a riverboat cruising down the Thames, Turkish girlband Manifest are posing for photos as Tower Bridge looms into view. Though there’s no sign of rain, two of the group’s six members are gamely holding up Union Jack umbrellas. In 2026, a British act might reject that visual as too cheesy or even jingoistic, but this kind of thing always plays well from visiting pop stars – remember Sabrina Carpenter’s Union Jack beach towel from her London shows last year? A few minutes later, when Rolling Stone UK grabs a quick chat with the band, the phrase “girl power” isn’t far from their lips. No one in Manifest was born when the Spice Girls broke through “Wannabe” in 1996 – the six members are aged between 22 and 26 – but they know it’s smart to align themselves with the most iconic UK girl group of all.

In a way, Manifest are carrying out a sort of belated cultural change with Baby, Ginger, Posh, Scary and Sporty. In October 1997, the Spice Girls played their first-ever live show in Istanbul. Now, some 29 years later, Manifest are preparing for one of their first concerts outside of Turkey at Wembley Arena on October 16. British pop fans may not know Manifest yet, but London’s Turkish population probably do, so booking this 12,500-cap venue is less risky than it seems. Still, as a statement of intent, it’s pretty unimpeachable. Turkey’s biggest pop group are signalling that they want to break the UK next. In fact, they’ve decamped here for the best part of the month while they’re being filmed for an upcoming Netflix documentary. “We want to show the UK what a Turkish girlband can do,” band member Lidya says with calm conviction as Tower Bridge gets smaller behind her.

Back home in Turkey, Manifest are already chart-topping, merch-shifting, scream-inducing superstars. They launched at the start of 2025 after being formed on a TV talent show, Big5 Türkiye, that attracted auditions from thousands of wannabes. The group’s final lineup was supposed to comprise five members, but the judges sprung a last minute surprise and decided to make Manifest a six-piece uniting Esin Bahat, Hilal Yelekçi, Lidya Pınar, Mina Solak, Sueda Uluca and Zeynep Sude Oktay. The band’s debut single ‘Zamansızdık’, an insistent midtempo featuring distinctively Turkish rhythms, dropped in February of that year – the same month Manifest made their live debut at Istanbul’s Jolly Joker Arena.

Their impressive rise was briefly jeopardised in September 2025 when Turkey’s public prosecutor’s office launched an investigation into the group for alleged “exhibitionism” and “indecent and immoral acts” following a concert in Istanbul. Manifest subsequently cancelled a national tour and the band members were given suspended prison sentences that prevented them from leaving the country, though the travel ban has since been lifted. Manifest aren’t the only female pop act to have been targeted by Turkish authorities – singer-songwriter Gulsen was arrested in 2023 after making a joke about the country’s religious school system – and the tang of moral panic hasn’t halted their long-term momentum. The sextet’s recent single ‘Hileli’, an anthemic collaboration with legendary pop diva Ajda Pekkan, was Turkey’s most-streamed song of the summer on Spotify. Another Manifest banger, the rambunctious robo-R&B gem ‘Toz Pembe’, which was co-written by band members Esin, Lidya, Mina and Zeynep, was the third most-streamed.

The girls no longer share a house – each member has her own apartment – but Manifest are now so massive, Hilal says, that “it’s not possible for us to go out together” in public. While they’re in London, they’re hoping to take advantage of their brief return to anonymity. “We want to do some shopping and catch some West End shows like Hamilton,” Lidya says. They’re also booking sessions with several UK producers in a bid to build on their first English-language single, ‘Tralala’, which drops today (October 9). This breezy earworm feels irresistible even before you clock the cleverly coy lyrics: “Can’t get your eyes of my… I’m tralala / Look like an angel, God bless, mashallah.” When we ask why ‘Tralala’ is the right track to kick-start their English-language era, Mina replies purposefully: “It’s got a global sound, but also has a Turkish identity. So it’s a great opportunity to make our group global.”

That’s a statement of vaulting ambition, but Manifest have already comprehensively conquered their homeland. Three weeks before the London boat party, I fly to Izmir, Turkey, to watch the band’s headline set on the final night of their three-day “Manifestival”. The band have taken over the coastal city’s vast Kültürpark for this massive outdoor concert, which attracts a youthful and exuberant crowd who greet every Turkish-inflected pop gem like ‘Snap’ and ‘Yaşanacaksa’ with a deafening roar. Onstage, Manifest are a looser, less regimented proposition than a K-pop girl group like BLACKPINK; and generally, they don’t go in for strident vocalising like Little Mix. But their charisma and connection with the crowd is undeniable, and unless you find the sight of bare midriffs scandalising, nothing they offer looks like an “indecent and immoral act”.  With the right songs – and ‘Tralala’ is a great start – there’s no reason why they can’t follow LA-based combo KATSEYE into the UK charts.

A few hours before their jubilant Manifestival gig, we meet the band at their hotel nearby. It’s their first-ever press interview in English – a language not every member speaks confidently – but Manifest’s collective determination outshines any individual nerves. “There are six people in our group – six different women, six different perspectives,” Lydia says. “That is like our [super] power because we are all really different from each other. And it helps us to command any particular moment.” Next question: What makes a track perfect for Manifest, and not one they pass to another artist? “We always want to hear our [individual] voices, and the song has to be really powerful and sassy,” Esin replies. “And it always has to show that real girl power.”

Manifest play London’s Wembley Arena on October 16, supported by XO. Tickets are on sale now.