‘I Found Love On Instagram During My Time In Prison’ – Vybz Kartel

Jamaican dancehall icon Vybz Kartel has revealed that he met his current girlfriend, Turkish national Sidem Öztürk, on Instagram while serving time behind bars.

Speaking during an interview on the Hot 97 radio show with American host Ebro Darden on April 10, 2025, Kartel recounted how their unexpected love story began.

He explained that he stumbled upon Sidem’s profile while scrolling through the comments on one of his posts during a particularly difficult time in his personal life.

“Yeah, I met her on July 25, 2015, and I’ll never forget it,” Kartel shared. “In prison, I was very active on Instagram—because, you know, you have time. I was going through my comment section and saw this girl who always liked my pictures, so out of curiosity, I jumped onto her page and into her DM. At that time, I was also going through a lot with my then woman, my baby mama.”

Since then, their connection has grown stronger, defying the odds of distance and circumstance.

Vybz Kartel further shared that Sidem Öztürk had actually been searching for him but struggled to find his real account due to the numerous fake profiles in his name.

“She later confessed that she had been looking for me,” he said. “But with so many fake Vybz Kartel pages out there, she ended up finding me through my baby mama’s account.”

The dancehall star also opened up about his future with Sidem, revealing that they plan to tie the knot this year.

“She’s at my hotel right now with my mother. We’re definitely getting married this year,” Kartel revealed. “I need some Turkish children who will talk to me and I won’t understand.”

His lighthearted comment underscored his excitement about starting a new chapter with his longtime partner.