Harun Tekin, lead vocalist of Turkey’s biggest alternative rock band mor ve ötesi, has released his debut solo EP, A Dictionary Of Night. The six-track collection sees the singer step into a more intimate musical space, reinterpreting songs by The Beatles, Kate Bush and Elton John, alongside three selections from the Turkish musical canon.
Harun Tekin
Now based in London, Tekin is beginning a new creative chapter after three decades at the forefront of Turkish alternative rock. Since forming mor ve ötesi in 1996, he has helped build the band into one of the country’s most successful rock acts. Across eight studio albums, they have established a substantial following, represented Türkiye at the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest and made history in 2022 as the first Turkish rock band to headline a solo sold-out concert at Istanbul’s iconic İnönü Stadium.
Harun Tekin - A Dictionary of Night EP Launch @ Stone Nest
A Dictionary Of Night offers a different perspective on Tekin’s songwriting and musical influences. Its six stripped-back recordings pair three English-language songs with three Turkish selections, creating a connection between the singer’s two home cities, Istanbul and London. Each is linked by the theme of night, with Tekin choosing the title because he sees the songs as an eclectic collection of musical definitions of that time of day. He has even created a small accompanying dictionary, featuring his own interpretations of concepts and places connected to the tracks.
The English-language selections revisit some much-loved compositions. The Beatles’ McCartney-penned Golden Slumbers receives a new interpretation, while Tekin turns to Kate Bush’s And Dream Of Sheep, from her landmark album Hounds Of Love, and Elton John’s Tonight. Rather than attempting to replicate the original arrangements, he brings the songs into a more intimate setting, allowing their melodies and emotional character to take centre stage.
Harun Tekin - A Dictionary of Night EP Launch @ Stone Nest
The Turkish selections offer a further insight into the music that has shaped him. Alaturka, originally performed by Sezen Aksu, features alongside Fethi Karamahmutoğlu’s Hiçbir Şeyde Gözüm Yok. The collection closes with Kalamış, a love song by Münir Nurettin Selçuk, inspired by the Istanbul neighbourhood of the same name. Tekin regards Selçuk as an important figure in Turkish music whose work deserves to be heard by audiences everywhere.
His decision to strip the arrangements back was central to the project. Playing guitar on half of the recordings and piano on the others, Tekin places the emphasis firmly on the songs themselves and the stories they carry. “A good song doesn’t really belong to a specific period – it’s timeless,” he explains. “And a good song still sounds good with only one accompanying instrument.”
That philosophy reflects a musical identity shaped by the meeting of British rock and classical Turkish influences. During the early years of mor ve ötesi in the mid-1990s, the band drew inspiration from significant British releases including The Bends by Radiohead, Everything Must Go by Manic Street Preachers and Dog Man Star by Suede. Those influences helped shape the group’s sound, and the new EP provides an opportunity for Tekin to explore some of the songwriting traditions that have stayed with him.
The EP was introduced with an intimate launch performance at London’s Stone Nest in Soho, attended by Tekin’s mor ve ötesi bandmates. Having previously performed with the band to a sold-out audience at London’s Barbican Centre, he is now looking forward to returning to UK stages with his solo material.
Harun Tekin - A Dictionary of Night EP Launch @ Stone Nest
Away from music, Tekin is a graduate of Boğaziçi University, where he studied philosophy and psychology, and has also taught songwriting at Istanbul Bilgi University. His move to London provides the backdrop for this latest project, which brings together different languages, musical histories and personal connections.
With A Dictionary Of Night, Tekin steps away from the full-band intensity of mor ve ötesi to reveal a quieter, more reflective side of his musical character. By bringing together British classics and treasured Turkish compositions in pared-back arrangements, he creates a collection that connects two musical cultures while celebrating the enduring power of a well-written song.
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