Otyken is an indigenous Siberian folk pop band that uses traditional instruments and sings in Khakas, Chulym, and Russian. For much more on the Khakas language, check out this great resource from our sister site, Folkways.today. The members of the group are Chulym Khakas, an indigenous population that lives in Eastern Siberia. The name “Otyken” […]

Feruza Jumaniyozova is an Uzbek singer. She has released songs in Tajik, Uyghur, Farsi, Dari, Turkmen, Azeri, Hindi, Turkish, and Uzbek. Feruza was born on 14 Feebruary, 1984 in Khorezm, in the Uzbek SSR. She started performing music when she was three. Originally wanting to be a doctor, she enrolled in the Institute of Medicine […]

The London School, where the SRAS students in Bishkek study, is located near a small shopping mall known as the VEFA Center. Due to its proximity, VEFA is where most students do their shopping. It also hosts many rotating attractions, however, in the large presentation space at the main entrance. Sometimes this is marketing for […]

Nargiz Zakirova (Наргиз Закирова; or Nargiz Zokirova in Uzbek) is an Uzbek-American singer who sings mostly in Russian. Better known by her stage name, Nargiz, Zakirova made her big break after winning the Russian music contest Voice (Голос). She is known for her strong voice, striking appearance (with a shaved head and powerful body covered […]

Munisa Rizayeva (Муниса Ризаева) is an Uzbek singer and actress. Rizayeva has been on the scene for some years, but her popularity has been picking up recently. She is seen as unique in the world of Uzbek pop, with an unusual voice and fashion style—she’s bringing the Uzbek pop scene in a new direction with […]

Gauga, previously known as Oscar c7c5, is an up and coming Tatar band located in Kazan, Russia. Made up of lead vocalist Oscar Yunusov, guitarists Farhad Sibgatullin and Aidar Zakirov, keyboardist Ilnar Fatihov, and percussionists Albert Sadtrutdinov and Albert Sadtrutdinov, Oscar c7c5 emerged in recent years to revitalize the Tatar music scene. In May 2016, […]

A popular Russian-language site in Kyrgyzstan, Limon.ru, assembled the following list of Kyrgyzstan’s top native hits for 2017. Бегиш feat. Баястан – «Теке» Мирбек Атабеков – «Жолуктун неге» Нурмат Садыров feat. Баястан – «Табышмак сулуу» Гулназ Чыныбек кызы – «Кайда» Абир Касенов – «Жаным» Айгерим Расул кызы – «Озун эле» Non Stop – «Жаныма кел» […]

Juna (Юна) is a six-person band from Kazan, Russia, in the Republic of Tatarstan. Often playing more than ten instruments simultaneously, Juna is known for its ethnic, instrumental sound, and consists of members: Aniya Fayzrakhmanova (vocals, keys), Sergey Prokofiev (flutes), Alexander Mustafin (backing vocals, ukulele, banjo, metallophone), Timur Milyukov (guitar), Irina Lakota (bass guitar), and […]