“Then many people learned that there is other Tatar music and Zulfiya Kamalova”

“We had practically no rehearsals”

Zulya Kamalova was a native of Sarapul who moved to the Australian island of Tasmania in the 1990s, where she soon began recording songs in various languages, including her native Tatar. Through this, she received not only major musical awards from the continent and the title of Honored Artist of Tatarstan but also the status of a cult Tatar singer. In total, the singer recorded nine diverse albums, from ethnic to electronic. The last one was in 2019, with lyrics by Kazan poet Yoldyz Minnulina.

In February 2003, Kamalova came to Tatarstan at the invitation of playwright and State Council deputy Tufan Minnullin and performed for the first time at the NKTs Kazan (now the National Library of the Republic of Tatarstan). Her last concert in the republic was also held there in 2022. One of the participants in the 2003 performance was Sergey Klevensky, who plays numerous wind instruments.

— We had practically no rehearsals; all the concerts were highly improvisational, — recalls Klevensky. — Zulya performed the same song differently each time, depending on her inner state and the audience, so my playing was entirely focused on embellishing the space Zulya created. Zulya's usual state was a smile and a big open heart. Time flies quickly, and memory cannot keep up, shattering into thousands of fragments. What remains in my memory is Zulya's smile.

In Australia, Kamalova had a band called The Children of the Underground, but in Russia she often performed with a different lineup, a regular member of which was Gennady Lavrentiev, who played guitar, tabla, and violin.

— I remember the moment after which Zulya finally became popular in Tatarstan, — the musician begins his story. — It was 2005, the annual variety concert 'Tatar Jiry' at the Pyramida. The headliner was, of course, Salavat. What was significant was that Zulya's band was the only one performing without a backing track. I remember this shocked both the organizers and the sound engineers of the event. But in the end, we did it, I think, quite well, because after the performance we were asked to stay another day so that, I believe, President Mintimer Shaimiev could listen to Zulya. I caught a cold on the train to Kazan and was quite ill the whole time; Zulya kept plying me with some 'Demidovsky' balm, so I was also constantly slightly drunk, which is completely unlike me! After that performance, a DVD of 'Tatar Jiry — 2005' was released, and that's when many people in Tatarstan learned that there is other Tatar music and Zulfiya Kamalova.

Lavrentiev also shared memories of a trip to a Sabantuy festival — traveling by ship, where a conference of regional television channels was taking place:

— We sailed for three days, first to Nizhnekamsk and then back, listening to lectures and debates from the TV people. This was probably Zulya's most massive performance, as there were about 20,000 people at the Sabantuy. But, by our feeling, few people listened to us there. We formally played our set and went back to the ship.

“She always highlighted the essence and urged not to get distracted by unnecessary things”

One of the participants in the August 8 concert will be Saida Mukhametzyanova, who performed with the singer at a concert with the amusing title “Kamalova at the Kamalovsky” in February 2019, where an international lineup presented the last album “Alty kȯn yaratu.” But Mukhametzyanova particularly emphasizes their first meeting:

— I first spoke with Zulya Kamalova at the Krutushka festival. She invited me to the rehearsal room and was very open. That's when I also met her husband and the band. She praised my performance of Tatar folk songs and told me I should continue on that path. At Krutushka, we sang the song 'Sakhrar' together. I am proud that I met such a great person back then. Later, Zulya-apa and I performed at the Kamal Theatre: it was a big concert; we performed three songs — 'Alym jȁl tügel siña,' 'Kar yava,' 'Ay bylybym.' A strong lineup, musicians who love their work. I really enjoyed this collaboration and working with true professionals.

— I met her when she was sleeping — she opened the apartment door for me; that's how we first saw each other, — recalls Marat Taturas, who became a participant in several of her last concerts in Tatarstan. — At first, we corresponded on social media, and she invited me from Ufa to be a keyboardist with ethnic instruments for the Tat Cult Fest festival. We spent a whole week in daily, multi-hour rehearsals — these were real working sessions. We prepared a fantastic concert that was simply a hit. She generally revealed new facets of myself to me because she always highlighted the essence and urged me not to get distracted by unnecessary things, by some fuss, but to concentrate on what's important. She left the impression of, on one hand, a very sensitive person, and on the other, a detached one who always watches what's happening around her, with her music, and with her musicians.

“I thought, who would come after her, who would renew the culture in the same way?”

— I remember one of the first messages I received from her, — says Ilyas Gafarov, founder of the label Yummy Music. — It was 2008; the first album of our band Ittifaq had just been released. Zulya and her musicians came to the 'Creation of the World' festival, and my colleagues and I organized her solo concert at the 'Yellow Jacket' club. After the concert, I probably gave her our album and asked her to listen to it.

Zulya Kamalova wrote:

“I finally listened properly to 'Bälki.' I really liked it; I must say that rap and hip-hop have never interested me. But thanks to your work, I think I've started to understand the essence of these genres. I am particularly drawn to your subtle and melodic compositions — well, it's probably clear why. Your singer is very good. I'm sorry I didn't get to meet everyone. I wish you success, and may your inspiration and listeners never run out. I hope that in the future we will play together again.”

— Her words, of course, inspired us to keep creating, and in the end, we even recorded a joint song with her, which still hasn't been released,— says Gafarov. — But I hope we will definitely finish it and release it.

The oldest active Tatar rocker, Deniz Bedretdin, founder of the bands The Sounds of Tsingiskhan, Başkarma, KGB (Kazan Gruppasi Bedretdin), and SUPER TATAR Rhythm & Etno Band, recalls that Kamalova's appearance came at a difficult time in his life.

— In 1999–2000, I found it very difficult to do contemporary Tatar music in Tatarstan, — says Bedretdin. — And I had a feeling that somewhere far away there must be a woman also fighting for such music. I was told that a similar singer had performed in Moscow. They didn't know her name but said: 'She ruins Tatar music just like you do.' Later, I went to Turkey on vacation, opened my email to write to a Turkish musician acquaintance. And he writes to me that he is currently in Australia, attended a great concert by a singer with whom I should do something together. I got goosebumps.

Kamalova wrote to Bedretdin in English. They exchanged CDs by mail. After listening, the Tatar from Finland didn't pick up his guitar for over a month — the shock was that strong. In 2003, Kamalova and her husband, double bassist Andrew Tanner, came to Finland, where she played a concert with Bedretdin, percussionist Sabit Nasretdin, and ex-members of the band Tasavallan Presidentti — legendary guitarist Jukka Tolonen and saxophonist-flutist Juhani Aaltonen.

—It was not easy to come to terms with the news of her death. Because when we met, there were only two of us like that, — says Bedretdin. — I thought, who would come after her, who would renew the culture in the same way? So far, I haven't heard anyone like that among Tatar artists.”