Uzbek singer Yulduz Usmanova is a unique phenomenon in the global pop culture of the 90s. Hailing from a recently established country that for generations was part of the former Sovjet Union, she represents a new spirit: of freedom, of independence and innovation, while also celebrating age-old traditions. To her fans in her homeland of Uzbekistan, Yulduz is the voice of the future. To her European audience, she is an icon of authenticity who connects the old to the new, the East to the West.

When the Central Asian country of Uzbekistan established its independence in 1991, Yulduz Usmanova suddenly found new opportunities to express her art. Born in the '60s in a working class family in Namagan, a rural city situated along the ancient silk route which connects Europe to China, Yulduz sang earned her living by working in a silk factory and singing at wedding parties. The Uzbekistan star singer Gavhar Rahimova noted her talent and in 1984 provided for Yulduz to study at the music academy in Tashkent, Uzbekistan's capital, her performances soon attracted huge crowds: a 100.000-plus audience attended the annual concerts at the Palace Of Peoples Friendship in Tashkent. Her big break came in 1991, when she performed at the first-ever Voice of Asia festival in Alma Mata, capital of Kazakhstan.

Since then, Yulduz has toured Turkey, South East Asia, Australia, as well as Europe. She has performed at several major European festivals like WOMAD (UK), Roskilde (Denmark) and Mundial (The Netherlands), while still regularly entertaining crowds in the home country. Her frequent visits to Western Europe resulted in three albums recorded for an independent German label: "Alma Alma" (1993), "Jannona" (1995) and "Binafscha" (1996), cementing her growing reputation as a powerful singer and an imposing stage performer.

A superstar in her native country - she sold a staggering 5 million units in Uzbekistan, a country of 15 million inhabitants - Yulduz Usmanova represents a newfound pride to her fellow countrymen and women. To the younger generation, she is an independent woman who breaks away from the traditional female role in society. To the older generation, she represents a proud cultural tradition that has been stifled by years of Soviet colonialism. Almost single-handedly Yulduz has updated Uzbekistan's folk music and made it accessible to Western audiences.

Not surprisingly, Yulduz, the woman and the singer, is driven by ambition. As an icon of emancipation and self-expression, she firmly believes in taking responsibility for her own future. She worked and works hard to establish a reputation in Europe without forgoing her family and roots in Uzbekistan. Eager and a quick learner, she has adapted remarkably to the demands of the Western entertainment industry. "It's important for me to live in Uzbekistan," she says. "That's where my family lives and that's where my roots are. I don't work just for myselfI also work for my country, which is still a young country. What I learn over here, I can bring back home."

After having toured Europe frequently over the recent years, Yulduz Usmanova enjoys a healthy reputation among Western audiences and media alike. Her European fanbase is strong enough to warrant a fanclub (Friends of Yulduz Usmanova, based in The Netherlands) and in 1998 she contributed to the annual Liberation Day festivities in Holland, performing on national television her signature tune 'Dunya' to an audience that included the Dutch queen, Beatrix.

Yulduz Usmanova's album, Yulduz, is her most ambitious to date. Recorded in Amsterdam over a six month period with Yulduz commuting between the studio and gigs in Central Asia, it captures her unique blend of maqam (the traditional court music of Uzbekistan) and pop. Her regular band and drummer Jeffrey Clemens back Yulduz. The album evokes an Oriental pop atmosphere with the mixture of Western electronics and traditional instruments like tanbur (the Uzbek version of the saz, a Turkish string instrument) and doira (percussion) makes for an exotic though contemporary sound that fits Yulduz's emotive vocals like a glove. Guest appearances by the Family Factory, who contribute their choral textures to six tracks, further enhance the album's appeal to an international audience. The Family Factory, a South African choir of 10 men and women, have shared stages with The Spinners and The Manhattans, and have recorded with Hugh Masekela. Their contribution affirms the truly globe-spanning character of Yulduz’s latest recordings. A special version of the album was released in Turkey, one of Yulduz's core-markets.

Yulduz Usmanova’s work almost defies description, transcending definitions and categories such as tradition, crossover fusion and mainstream, by virtue of the singer’s amazing voice and personality.

Official Web Site: www.imzadi.nl/yulduz

Iz kichiklarini kuilaidi (1992)

Alma Alma (Blue Flame 398 40572/US: Miramar, 1993)

Jeli Jeli, single (Blue Flame 398 40575, 1993)

Jannona (Blue Flame 398 40772, 1995)

I wish you were here (Blue Flame 398 40775, 1995)

Binafscha, single (Blue Flame 398 40852, 1996)

Binafscha (Blue Flame 398 40855, 1996)

The selection album (Blue Flame 398 50022, 1997)

Yulduz (Double T Music, 1999)

Dünya (Double T Music, 1999)

Okkan daryo okaveradi (1999)

The best of (2000)

Sogintirip Yashagim Kelar (Tarona Records, 2000)

Simply Yulduz (2004)