Effective period / Period of releases: 2004

Mesut Kurtis was born in Skopje, North Macedonia. His parents are Turkish. He studied at the College of Skopje and came to the UK at a young age to pursue his studies. He graduated with a degree in Human Sciences, Islamic Law and Jurisprudence from the European Institute of Human Sciences, University of Wales. Kurtis comes from a scholarly and religious family. His father and grandfather were fluent in classical Arabic.

Kurtis showed a strong interest in Islamic nasheeds from a very young age. He joined several nasheed groups in Macedonia that performed local and also made several international visits including performances in Turkey and neighbouring places. His music is influenced by Sufi, Turkish classical, Arabic and European styles. Kurtis sings in Arabic, English, Macedonian and Turkish. He is also fluent in five languages.