The search engine yielded a direct link to Hasan's upload. She clicked download, transferred the file to her phone, and pressed play.

"I downloaded your song 'Berfin' today. My name is Berfin. Your music made me feel like I wasn't so alone in this big city tonight. Thank you for creating it."

The rain against the window of Hasan’s small Istanbul apartment matched the melancholic rhythm of the melody playing on his cracked laptop screen. He had just uploaded his latest composition, "Berfin," named after the snowdrop flower that blooms against all odds in the freezing cold.