Sold-out halls, million-dollar contract with Universal Do you know who 15-year-old rapper Zahide is?

At just 15 years old, Berlin rapper Zahide has risen to become a shooting star of the German-speaking music scene. How does such a rise succeed at such a young age - and who is this girl?

The song begins like this:

"Cozy tracksuit, Ferragamo, Gucci belt - check? My jeans: True Religion. Your opinion? F you - do you check? Nobody asked you, and I'll let the haters talk because that's what Serdar Abi says."

In the video, a young woman sits in the passenger seat of a red Ferrari and drives through the streets of Paris, past the Arc de Triomphe. She leans out of the car window, looks into the camera and continues rapping:

"Show you what 'ne baddie can do, driving in a Rari in Paris."

The song by "Zah1de" has 16 million views on YouTube and 35 million on Spotify. The singer is 15 and currently one of the most striking new faces in the German-speaking music scene. Who is she? And how did she become so successful?

A contract with Universal at the age of 14

The musician's full name is Zahide Kayaci. She has Turkish roots and comes from Berlin-Kreuzberg. Her parents run a health food store there. She also has three siblings: two brothers and a sister.

"I come from a very modest family. My parents are normal workers and never really had much, but what they did have was definitely a lot of love for me and my siblings," she said at the Bambi Awards in November, where she received the "Shooting Star of the Year" award. Incidentally, this made her the youngest solo winner in the history of the award.

She released her first song "Tiktok sportlich" in November 2024, followed by her next hit in January 2025. Zahide was just 14 years old at the time. Her songs are streamed millions of times on Spotify. She is now followed by over eight million people on TikTok, around 740,000 on Instagram and just over a million on YouTube.

At the same age, she is said to have signed a contract worth millions with the Universal music label. She advertises for the online retailer Zalando and the sneaker store Snipes, and has also won two YouTube Music Awards in addition to the Bambi.

Around two weeks ago, she released an album that went straight to number two in the German charts. Her first concerts - each with 4500 seats - were promptly sold out.

Zah1de's songs seem harmless

Zahide has long, brown hair. She wears false eyelashes and gel nails. Her clothes are usually casual, often combining loose jeans with a loose shirt and matching sneakers.

Unlike many of her female colleagues, Zahide doesn't rap about relationships or drugs, but about luxury brands and the lip liner she wears. Boys don't feature in her music at all. Her lyrics often seem harmless, almost child-friendly - which also suits her audience: Most of her fans are between twelve and sixteen years old. At her first concerts, there were therefore not only teenagers in the crowd, but also many parents accompanying their children.

However, Zahide did not become famous through music, but originally through the dance group "Lunatix". Together with other teenagers from her dance school, she rehearsed short choreographies to current hits and posted the recordings on TikTok, where they quickly went viral.

"Lunatix" also appears repeatedly in her song lyrics. For example in "Ballert auf Lautlos": "Z-A-H-I-D-E, yes, you know my name. Even teachers stalk me on Instagram. Dubai or London, international. No matter where I am, stay loyal to Lunatix," she sings in it.

Criticism of the manager

The dance group is led by Serdar Bogatekin. The 35-year-old is now also Zahide's manager. He also often appears in her music, for example in "Pretty Privilege": "Serdar Abi says, do your thing, girl". He also appears frequently in her videos on TikTok.

But Bogatekin is a controversial figure. At least two former students, Chiara Calisto and Samro Sauvage, turned against him publicly at the end of 2024.

They accused him of pressuring them into signing a contract, trying to secure 30% of their earnings and not even speaking English. They also described him as a bad manager. He is repeatedly described as unfriendly or unprofessional.

However, Bogatekin hardly seems to care about the criticism. He publishes videos in which he makes fun of the people who criticize him. Because things are going extremely well for him. Not least because things are also going extremely well for Zahide.

"How stressful is it for you?"

While Bogatekin likes to be present in public, Zahide is often quiet. Interviews with her are rare and hardly anything is known about her private life.

This may also be due to the fact that she is only 15 years old - and is therefore often referred to as a "child star". As "Der Spiegel" reports, her management and record label consistently turn down interview requests. The reason: Zahide is still too young and needs to be protected.

The magazine also reports on an influencer event that Zahide attended, where she answered a few questions on stage "like from a friendship book": "What did you want to be when you were younger? 'Firefighter'. What's the first thing you do at home on a lazy day? 'Lie in bed, look at my cell phone, do nothing'."

Der Spiegel writes: "But the important questions are actually: How stressful is it for you to be recognized on the street? Do you distrust people you meet because they might only be interested in your success? And: Are you actually afraid of the future?"

Yes, what about the future? It remains to be seen what will happen to Zahide - and how she will master the balancing act between youth and sudden fame. One thing is certain: what she has and can do is the dream of many.