Set to be released in August 2025.
Photo credit: Lokman – Official
Turkish-born, NYC-based artist Lokman is set to release his new studio album, ‘Catching Smiles’, in August 2025. The record reflects years of travel and transformation, fusing personal and cultural journeys into a sound rooted in healing, rhythm, and collective emotion.
From the ruins of Mesopotamia and Cambodia’s silent temples, to Thailand’s alleyway parties and the basements of New York City, Lokman’s work carries traces of each landscape. Drawing on years of movement across borders, ‘Catching Smiles’ arrives as a statement of resilience—an attempt to find joy without denying grief, and connection without erasing difference.
The album follows his 2023 benefit release ‘Mesopotamian Kids NYC 23’, created in response to Turkey’s devastating earthquakes. This new project builds on that sense of purpose, weaving sonic elements from flamenco, indigenous chants, ritual percussion, and meditative silence. It also echoes the mission of AVVA, the NYC-based collective supporting Turkish and Middle Eastern voices, of which Lokman is a central figure.
‘Catching Smiles’ will be released worldwide in August 2025. For more information and updates, follow Lokman on Instagram.
