BODUR: “I’ve always spoken out rather than assimilating”

A young woman in a white blouse and shorts standing on a beach with a sign that says "What made me" in large text.

What Made Me — In this series, we ask artists and rebels about the about the forces and experiences that shaped who they are. Today, it’s SWANA-championing pop experimentalist BODUR.

To open ‘MORNING [9-8]’, the lead single from BODUR’s debut album MAQAM, twanging strings are plucked in an oddball, triplet rhythm. Recorded by BODUR herself playing the Oud – a traditional middle eastern lute-adjacent instrument, which she learnt how to play for the album. Over it, she sings: “I watch your fingers slide up and down the strings / I wish you’d play me like the songs that I sing.”

The song is fun and lustful, but also serves as an introduction into her distinctive style, as she blends experimental pop aesthetics with musical influence from her SWANA upbringing. Born in London, the Irish-Turkish-Sri Lankan singer’s album is as much a middle finger to injustice as an expression of herself as an artist – the album’s opening and closing tracks were written in response to the ongoing atrocities in Gaza, and the displacement of the Palestinian people.

To find out more about how she became the musician that she is, we asked BODUR: “What made you?”

Woman wearing white lace dress and fishnet stockings, standing in front of ocean.

I’m 14 years old, in my school uniform, arguing with a boy in my class that has a St George’s flag in his Twitter username, about the name ‘Mohammed’ being on the top 10 most popular boys’ names in the UK list for the first time. He says something about terrorism and how they’re “clearly not British”. Mo Farah had just won gold for us at the Olympics, and I asked him if he was British and what he thought Mo was short for. He said Mo wasn’t British either. Our white teacher told us both to stop shouting at each other, and he didn’t face any further punishments for his racist remarks than I did for simply countering them. Even when there was an educated adult in the room, I realised it would often be my job to “educate” in these types of rooms where my heritage made me a minority.

I am part Irish, so my skin is lighter, especially in the winter. I have a particular White privilege that grants me access to specific spaces that others from the Muslim or Arabic-speaking community don’t have access to. Unfortunately, this means I’ve lived a life where people have felt safe to spill their casual racism and Islamophobia out in front of me. Often.

Although my trojan-horse entry to these spaces is traumatic for me, I’ve always spoken out and had difficult conversations rather than rolling over and assimilating. Now, I have a different kind of privilege in my position in the music industry.

I have some power over thousands of my followers and their followers’ algorithms. So when I release a song with [HIJAZ] in brackets in the title, it means that the following video that plays on YouTube is an Arabic video with ‘Hijaz’ in the title. The archive material I share on my feed means the people who interact with it will get fed more content from the SWANA region; I feel like I am doing my part to help build bridges between communities globally. I am having dialogue and presenting people with a consistently beautiful representation of my culture. My brother is an actor and was asked to audition to be a suicide bomber twice before he'd even turned 12. My parents didn't allow him to do that. Still, I won’t stop doing what I do, and will continue to have positive political messaging in my music and visuals until those racist and Islamophobic stereotypes no longer exist. I expect this very much to be my life's work.

“My brother is an actor and was asked to audition to be a suicide bomber twice before he'd even turned 12. I won’t stop doing what I do, and will continue to have positive political messaging in my music and visuals until those racist and Islamophobic stereotypes no longer exist.” BODUR

MAQAM is out on March 21.

Follow BODUR on Instagram.

Buy your copy of Huck 81 here.

Enjoyed this article? Follow Huck on Instagram and sign up to our newsletter for more from the cutting edge of sport, music and counterculture.

Support stories like this by becoming a member of Club Huck.

Latest on Huck

A punk rock band performing on stage, with a female lead singer belting into a microphone. Behind them, a colourful mural with graffiti-style text.
Music

Meet the hair-raised radical women of Berlin’s noise punk scene

Powertool — In his new zine, George Nebieridze captures moments of loud rage and quiet intimacy within the German capital’s female-only bands, while exploring the intersections between music, community and anti-establishment politics.

Written by: Miss Rosen

Group of people dancing at a live music performance, with a large "Spaces Beats" sign in the background.
Music

Amid tensions in Eastern Europe, young Latvians are reviving their country’s folk rhythms

Spaces Between the Beats — The Baltic nation’s ancient melodies have long been a symbol of resistance, but as Russia’s war with Ukraine rages on, new generations of singers and dancers are taking them to the mainstream.

Written by: Jack Styler

A person's face surrounded by colourful flowers. The flowers include orange, red, and yellow dahlias, as well as smaller yellow blooms. The person's expression is serious.
Music

Uwade: “I was determined to transcend popular opinion”

What Made Me — In this series, we ask artists and rebels about the about the forces and experiences that shaped who they are. Today, it’s Nigerian-born, South Carolina-raised indie-soul singer Uwade.

Written by: Uwade

Taxidermy alligator with a small monkey sitting on its head, displayed on a wooden shelf with other items.
Culture

Inside the obscured, closeted habitats of Britain’s exotic pets

“I have a few animals...” — For his new series, photographer Jonty Clark went behind closed doors to meet rare animal owners, finding ethical grey areas and close bonds.

Written by: Hannah Bentley

Muscular man with arms crossed in a dark setting, 'Hard Feelings' text overlay.
Sport

Frazer Clarke: “I had a hole in my leg, I’m very lucky to be alive”

Hard Feelings — For our interview column on masculinity and fatherhood, the Olympic boxing medallist speaks to Robert Kazandjian about hard graft, the fear and triumph of his first fight, and returning to the ring after being stabbed on a night out.

Written by: Robert Kazandjian

Close-up view of a woman in a vintage pose, with flowing hair and an outstretched hand, set against a hazy, scenic background.
© Peter Palladino, courtesy of the Peter Palladino Archive.
Culture

Remembering Holly Woodlawn, Andy Warhol muse and trans trailblazer

Love You Madly — A new book explores the actress’s rollercoaster life and story, who helped inspire Lou Reed’s ‘Walk on the Wild Side’.

Written by: Miss Rosen

Signup to our newsletter

Sign up to our newsletter to informed with the cutting edge of sport, music and counterculture, featuring personal takes on the state of media and pop culture from Emma Garland, former Digital Editor of Huck, exclusive interviews, recommendations and more.

Please wait...

Accessibility Settings

Text

Applies the Open Dyslexic font, designed to improve readability for individuals with dyslexia.

Applies a more readable font throughout the website, improving readability.

Underlines links throughout the website, making them easier to distinguish.

Adjusts the font size for improved readability.

Visuals

Reduces animations and disables autoplaying videos across the website, reducing distractions and improving focus.

Reduces the colour saturation throughout the website to create a more soothing visual experience.

Increases the contrast of elements on the website, making text and interface elements easier to distinguish.