A music for all times: Arabesk as a nostalgic commodity for New Turkey’s entertainment industry

Abstract

This article deals with the relation between recent manifestations of arabesk music (nostalgic arabesk albums by popular figures and Serkan Kaya, a new singer of arabesk) and the transformation of Turkey’s sociocultural climate during the 2010s. Drawing from concepts of nostalgia and neoliberal consumerism, it examines how contemporary arabesk music turned into a retro product or a nostalgic commodity to correspond to consumers’ constant desire for ‘new’. We compare Kaya’s lyrics and melodies with classical arabesk songs to reveal ruptures and continuities between classical and contemporary arabesk. Based on our findings, we initially claim that nostalgic arabesk albums, which simply reproduce a golden arabesk past, embrace restorative nostalgia through turning classical arabesk songs into historical souvenirs rather than reflecting on what contemporary arabesk may become. By the same token, Serkan Kaya’s version of arabesk somehow questions how to interpret this musical trajectory to capture the Zeitgeist and, in this connection, accommodates reflective nostalgia. Since both new manifestations of arabesk in the 2010s are products of/for the entertainment industry, fueled by neoliberal consumer culture, and replicate classical arabesk songs in a nostalgic manner, we argue that they lose their ability to create something new in the complete sense of the term.