YULDUZ USMONOVA.

Yulduz Usmonova (Russified form: Yulduz Usmanova) (Uzbek: Yulduz Usmonova, Юлдуз Усмонова) (born December 12, 1963) is a well-known Uzbek singer and actress.^[1] She has achieved widespread fame in Uzbekistan, other parts of Central Asia, and more recently in Turkey. Usmonova has also acted in a number of Uzbek films.

Yulduz Usmonova was born in Margilan in the Ferghana region^[2] of Uzbekistan. Her parents worked at a silk factory. She studied music at the pedagogical institute in Margilan.

She was discovered by Gavharxonim Rahimova after singing at a Women’s Day show. Rahimova helped to open many doors for Usmanova. After being introduced to professors from the Uzbekistan State Conservatory, she prepared under their guidance. She studied vocal, and then later became a popular singer in Uzbekistan after independence in 1991. She became famous throughout Central Asia and later in Turkey and has released songs in many languages, such as Uzbek, Uyghur, Turkish, Russian, Tajik, Arab, Kazakh, and Tatar.^[3]

As Uzbekistan’s most popular singer, she has regularly appeared in concerts and has released several albums. She is known for her vocal opposition to the practice of lip-syncing in "live" concerts which is widespread among (younger) singers in Uzbekistan. She is one of the few artists remaining who always sing live when in concert.

Yulduz Usmonova has served in the Uzbek parliament.

In 2008, Usmonova emigrated to Turkey citing dissatisfaction with political involvement and the incident that happened on May 13, 2005 in Fergana (also known as the "Bloody Friday in the Fergana Valley"). However, in her own interview Yulduz Usmonova cites the problems with the control of the state in Uzbekistan over where a singer is allowed to sing. She mentions that the Uzbek government obstructed her from performing in Turkmenistan, with which Uzbek officials had problematic relations over border issues. After migration she launched a successful career in Turkey, scoring hits with such singles as '"Beni kovma kalbinden", "Dünya", "Yalan" and "Seni Severdim," the latter being a duet with the famous Turkish singer Yaşar. Yulduz Usmonova's daughter Nilufar Usmonova is also a singer.