About
Two worlds. One love. New sound.
The Story
The Smilas are Roy and Yeliz Smila — two musicians from different cultural worlds who found a shared language through music and love.
Together, they create original music where Turkish vocals, oriental strings and contemporary electronic production meet.
Roy is a musician, composer and multi-instrumentalist. Yeliz is a vocalist, songwriter, performer and dancer. Roy plays oriental instruments including the Azerbaijani kamancheh, saz and Turkish oud, while Yeliz writes the poetic lyrics of The Smilas' songs.
Together they create original music that bridges tradition and contemporary production, bringing together Turkish vocals, oriental strings and modern electronic textures.
Their music draws from musical traditions across Turkey, Asia and the wider Middle East, while remaining firmly rooted in their own contemporary artistic voice.
They believe tradition is not something to preserve in the past, but something that can continue to evolve — through new compositions, new collaborations and new ways of listening. Their goal is not simply to preserve tradition, but to allow it to evolve through original music and cross-cultural collaboration.
Their life between different countries and cultures is an important part of their artistic identity. Their music explores love, identity, connection and shared human experience beyond language, geography and politics.
Roy Smila is a musician, composer and multi-instrumentalist whose musical language is deeply connected to oriental string traditions.
He plays the Azerbaijani kamancheh, saz and Turkish oud, bringing these instruments together with contemporary production and electronic sound.
His work moves between traditional musical forms and modern composition, creating a sound that is rooted in history while constantly looking forward.
Yeliz Smila is a vocalist, songwriter and dancer whose poetic writing and expressive performance are central to The Smilas' identity.
She writes the lyrics for The Smilas, creating poetic texts that explore love, longing, transformation, connection and the human experience.
Her voice and movement bring together music, poetry and dance, giving the project a strong visual and emotional dimension.
The Smilas combine expressive Turkish vocals with traditional instruments such as the Azerbaijani kamancheh, saz and Turkish oud, alongside contemporary production and electronic textures.
The result is a sound that is deeply rooted yet constantly evolving — where ancient musical traditions meet a new, global perspective.
Beyond the Music
Roy and Yeliz are partners in music and in life. Married and raising two daughters, they continue to create, travel and build their lives between different cultures and places.
Their family life and their artistic life are deeply connected — both shaped by curiosity, movement, love and the belief that different worlds can meet and create something new.
Where different worlds meet, a new sound begins.
Listen to the music →