K-pop is sweeping across the globe with ever-widening strides. We now have Chinese pop, Kazakh pop, Thai pop, Taiwanese pop, Indonesian and Filipino pop, with India already announced as the next frontier. The United States and Japan are a somewhat different case, as they primarily host local branches and international groups directly tied to parent agencies in South Korea.

K-pop is more than just a musical genre — it is a full-fledged system for grooming idols, built on rigorous training (not mere rehearsals), synchronized choreography, clearly defined roles within each group (visual, vocalist, dancer, rapper, and so on), meticulously crafted visual and musical concepts, and the cultivation of a strong bond with the fandom.

Now Türkiye has joined the ranks of countries producing popular groups in this mold.

The country already has two groups, one male and one female, both crafted according to the precise Korean blueprint.

Manifest - the girl group - was the first major Turkish project to be directly inspired by the K-pop model. The group was formed through the competition show «Big5 Türkiye» in early 2025, and is widely credited with launching the trend of locally produced idol groups in Türkiye.

Their debut track, «Zamansızdık» («We Were Timeless»), was released on February 7, 2025, and within its first few months had already amassed over 12 million streams across digital platforms. The music video on YouTube has now reached 24 million views:

The group consists of six members: Sueda Uluca (main vocal), Hilal Yelekçi (main dancer), Lidya Pınar (lead vocal), Mina Solak (vocal), Zeynep Sude Oktay (vocal, rap), and Esin Bahat (main dancer).

Lidya Pınar has Russian roots through her mother, while Esin Bahat is of Moldovan descent on her mother's side.

Following their successful debut, they released several more singles: «Arıyo», «KTS», and «Snap». Their studio album «Manifestival» came out on June 13, 2025, and immediately topped the charts in both Türkiye and Azerbaijan. The group toured extensively. However,Türkiye is not South Korea, and in September 2025, the group's choreography was deemed «indecent», leading to a lawsuit against the members. In December 2025, a court handed down a suspended sentence and a five-year probation period, a case that received widespread media coverage. Nevertheless, the group continues to perform.

The legal proceedings against Manifest appear to have done little to dampen investor enthusiasm. In 2026, they launched the male survival show «Idol House Türkiye» and created the boys-band Crush. The contestants underwent some four months of intensive training in vocals, dance, stage presence, and teamwork. The finale was held on July 5, 2026, in Istanbul, where a combination of jury and audience vote selected seven finalists out of fifteen to form the group.

The lineup includes: Arda Soydoğan (19), Barış Çağan Yüksekkaya (23) — who is involved in production, Batu Cengiz (25) — a professional dancer, Efe Şan (18) — the maknae (youngest member), Milan Önder (21) — a songwriter, Miraç Fırat (22) — who studied performing arts in Korea, and Oğuzhan Çiftçi (26) — the oldest member and a professional dancer.

Official role designations (main vocalist, dancer, rapper, etc.) have not yet been announced.

Of particular interest is the fact that Milan Önder has Russian roots on his mother's side. He was born in Russia but grew up in the Turkish town of Ayvalık.

Crush made their debut on July 30, 2026, with the single «CRUSH!» — an energetic pop number with R&B flourishes, synchronized choreography, and multi-part vocal harmonies. There is little doubt that the group is stylistically rooted in K-pop, from the tight choreography to the polished idol aesthetics.

The group has also announced an official fandom name — «CRUSHERS» — in the tradition of Korean idol groups.

Crush have already announced their first major concert, scheduled for September 12, 2026, at the Maximum Uniq Açıkhava venue in Istanbul. Tickets went on sale on August 1 and sold out quickly. The group also has plans for international performances, including a festival appearance in Kosovo.

At the time of writing, the music video for «CRUSH!» has been viewed over 10 million times on YouTube

We will be closely following the evolution of the K-pop phenomenon in Türkiye, and we trust that this time it will steer clear of any courtroom drama with the authorities.

Only one question remains unresolved: what to call this emerging regional offshoot of K-pop? T-pop is already claimed by Thailand (and occasionally Taiwan). Turk-pop? TR-pop? The Kazakhs, at least, had it easy — they adopted Q-pop, and it is unlikely that anyone other than Qatar could lay claim to that letter.