Usmanova’s sound maintains the Turkish, Persian, and Central Asian strands of Uzbekian folklore while also absorbing Western rock, jazz, and dance music. Stereoplay observed that her “rhythms and melodies are based on Turkish-Ottoman bar and harmony structures but avoid that harmony nerve-killing for European ears.” After completing studies in the Department for Oriental Music at the Conservatorium in Taschkent, she gained international notice by winning the inaugural Voice of Asia festival competition in 1991. Two years later she issued her first album, Alma Alma, and embarked on her first European tour. Although Alma Alma and the 1995 follow-up Jannona both drew heavily on verses from the Koran, the Bible, and classical poets, her 1996 release Binafscha shifted toward contemporary writers such as Muhammed Yussuf. Previously employed as a silk worker, she began performing as a traditional wedding singer and is recognized for establishing the practice of formal concerts in Uzbekistan. Once required to pass official state review, her work later profited from the evolving cultural climate in her native country.
