limits by solo nour

solo nour are Billie Barleben (voice) and Anatolian Lover (music), both based in Cologne. The name ‘solo nour’ is derived from the Spanish ‘sol’ and the Arabic ‘nour,’ symbolizing light. ‘limits’ is their very first single.

Billie Barleben—yes, that is her real name—is a trained actress and loves to dance. In addition to her artistic pursuits, she is involved with the project minhafaktur, a co-operative in Cologne-Poll that creates spaces for collaborative and interdisciplinary work. At the first event she organized, Yaşar Fidan—known as Anatolian Lover—also performed. Anatolian Lover grew up in Ankara and Ingolstadt. He is a beat-maker with a classic hip-hop background and has released various works with Dezibelle Records from Berlin. He is also an aspiring social worker who conducts workshops on racial equality, diversity, and masculinity.

It took a second meeting for Billie Barleben and Anatolian Lover to come together as solo nour. The fact that this happened at a surf camp in France is a charming an-ecdote, but not the main point. A few weeks later—in Winter 2023—they met for the first time in Yaşar's home studio in Cologne-Mühlheim. Since then, they’ve hardly ever stopped making music.

“At some point, I received a message from Yaşar that he needed a break from me because he couldn't hear my voice anymore over all the mixing. At that time, there were ten songs in progress—simultaneously. Now it’s fine again,” Billie jokes, add-ing, “Our music has become a place of encounter and connection. With solo nour, a deep friendship has also developed.”

This is a friendship they now want to share with the rest of the world. It’s about time, we think, because the way solo nour brings together hip-hop, indie, soul, and pop is very much worth a listen.

Billie Barleben & Anatolian Lover. Cologne-based duo dabbling in soul, hip-hop & pop.