No Land

No Land is a multilingual world music group founded in Istanbul in 2012 by Iranian, Azerbaijani and Turkish musicians. Known for its 2016 debut album Aramızda, the group sings in Turkish, Azerbaijani, Persian and Russian. The most-streamed No Land songs include "Düşünme Kaybolursun", "Niyə Belə Uzundur Bu Yollar", "Aramızda Dinozor", "Yüzerdik" and "Şehr-i Yar".

Formation and name

The group was founded in 2012 by Iranian guitarist Sahand Lesani, Turkish guitarist Mehmet Akif Ersoy and Azerbaijani singer and violinist Kamil Hajiyev, and began performing regularly in 2013. The name was suggested by Sahand Lesani and inspired by the film "No Man's Land". Kamil Hajiyev has explained it as the idea that a homeland cannot be defined by legal borders. Çağatay Vural, Hazal Akkerman, Can Kalyoncu, Yağız Nevzat İpek and Oğuzcan Bilgin joined later. The band's sound combines acoustic and electric guitar, bass, drums, violin, cello and trumpet.

Debut album: Aramızda

The debut album Aramızda was released in 2016 on Dinozor Plak. It collects Turkish and Azerbaijani songs the group had written since 2013, most of them from the first lineup. Kamil Hajiyev and Vugar Hasani wrote most of the lyrics, and the only cover on the album is "Niyə Belə Uzundur Bu Yollar", a song by an Azerbaijani musician. Tracks include "Yüzerdik", "Payız", "Aramızda Dinozor", "Düşünme Kaybolursun" and "52 Hertz Whale (Outro)". Around the same time, on 1 October 2016, the band played the Nazım Hikmet Cultural Centre in Kadıköy with Peyk and Kesmeşeker.

Pusulası Kaybolmuş and the international stage

The second release among No Land albums, Pusulası Kaybolmuş, came out digitally on 6 February 2019 on Pusula Plak. Its eight songs are in Turkish, Azerbaijani, Persian and Russian, with almost all lyrics by Kamil Hajiyev and Vugar Hasani. The tracklist is "Şehr-i Yar", "Sodom Gomore", "Pusulası Kaybolmuş", "Lakrima", "Krilatiye Kacheli", "N'olmuş", "Pervin" and "Seyir". In July 2019 the band shared the SOCAR Turkey Silk Road Tour Support Award with Tolgahan Çoğulu & Sinan Ayyıldız at the Vitrin showcase of the Istanbul Jazz Festival. On 10 January 2020 it played its first concert in Baku.

Singles and Akustikhane recordings

In 2017 the band released the singles "Üzümə Bax" and "İstanbul", featuring Fıratcan Gülhan. These were followed by "Şeb-i Hicran" (2020), "Deniz Derin" (2021), "Al Beni" featuring Animist (2021) and "Pencere" (2022). In July 2023 the band recorded a live session at the Binbirdirek cistern for the Dünyadan Sesler series. Live performances recorded at Akustikhane have been on digital platforms since December 2024, and the EP Akustikhane Kayıtları (Live at Akustikhane) was released in February 2026. The singles "Daldım" and "Nehir" followed on 19 December 2025 and 13 March 2026.

Current lineup and concerts

As of 2026 the lineup is Kamil Hajiyev (vocals, violin), Sahand Lesani (electric guitar), Çağatay Vural (bass), Oğuzcan Bilgin (trumpet), Ege Atalay (cello), Metin Kesik (rhythm guitar) and Nihal Saruhanlı (drums). No Land concerts take place in Istanbul and in other cities and countries. On 14 May 2026 the band played its first London show at 93 Feet East, and on 16 May 2026 it performed at the Pera Museum for International Museum Day.