Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held his first official rally April 28 in Izmir province for the elections that have been scheduled for June 24. Erdogan called Kurdish Arab singer Ibrahim Tatlises to join him on the stage. Known as the "emperor," "Turkish Pavarotti" and "Ibo," Tatlises is a legend with his impressive voice and colorful personality. Since the 1970s, he has captured the media’s interest not only in Turkey but in the Levant with his macho personality. He also owns restaurants and construction companies. He has had several run-ins with the law, and he was shot in the head and sustained permanent brain damage in 2011.

Tatlises, while holding Erdogan's hand, sang a few songs and shared an anecdote explaining why he supports the president. He said that at the time Erdogan was the mayor of Istanbul his 2-month-old son had caught a cold as his villa did not have proper heating. Erdogan, he claimed, answered his plea to bring natural gas to his neighborhood. He turned to Erdogan and said, “You remember, right?” Erdogan confirmed. While Tatlises was talking, the fact-checking on social media began. It appeared that his son was 2 years old when Erdogan became Istanbul’s mayor. In a country where children still die due to poverty, Tatlises’ false victimhood story was met with anger on the internet.

Erdogan then announced that Tatlises is seeking nomination to run for parliament on the Justice and Development Party (AKP) ticket. However, the president did not elaborate that this is Tatlises’ fourth time attempting to become an AKP lawmaker.

Tatlises has been with Erdogan during other historic moments, too. In November 2013, for instance, Erdogan met Kurdistan Regional Government President Massoud Barzani at a public rally in Diyarbakir province. This moment was also celebrated with the return of iconic Kurdish poet and singer Sivan Perwer back to Turkish soil after 37 years. Perwer and Tatlises sang together in Kurdish.