Aygun Kazimova
Encyclopedia
Aygun Alasgar qizi Kazimova (born 26 January 1971, Baku
) is an Azerbaijani singer, songwriter, pop musician and actress, and a six-time winner of the Grand Music Award for best concert, videoclip and song. She is considered Azerbaijan
's leading pop star, and is seen as a cultural icon for the South Caucasian
nation in fast transition from post-Soviet state to a boom country. She has spoken passionately on many causes, such as the prevention of HIV
/AIDS
to the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict in which she claims to have once taken up arms against separatist Armenia
n forces.
and was the captain of the school's female handball team. She abandoned sports upon graduating from high school and entering the Maarif Technicum
of Arts, from where she dropped out in 1986. At the time she worked with the Gaya youth band.
Some of her most prestigious awards include numerous Grand-Prix, Honoured Artist of Azerbaijan and many other music awards. Along with singing, she is also deeply involved in charity work, giving free and benefit concerts for orphan
children every year.
Kazimova also tried herself as an actress. In 2005, she played the title role in the musical Khari Bulbullar directed by Arif Gaziyev and Sanam in the screen version of the play Meshadi Ibad.
She has given concerts outside Azerbaijan, the most successful and recent of them held in Kremlin Palace, Moscow
on January 26, 2006. On June 20, 2007 Aygun gave a fantastic solo concert at the T. Bakhramov stadium dedicated to her 20th anniversary of the pop music career in Azerbaijan.
Aygun Kazimova hosted several TV shows of her own, however they were not very successful.
She was president of the annual Best Model of Azerbaijan contest in 2006–2008.
Aygun Kazimova is one of the most prominent artists in the history of Azerbaijani popular music. She is considered the most successful female singer in Azerbaijani music industry and has released the largest number of best-selling singles in the history of Azerbaijan. She is well-known for her innovative music videos and carefully prepared mounted stage performances.
), from whom she has been virtually separated since Guliyev was taken into custody in 1996. Beginning in the late 90s, the Azerbaijani mass media numerously reported Aygun Kazimova's plans to get remarried (pop-singer Faig Aghayev and Turkish
model Mert Kilic among others were named her potential spouses). These plans would later turn out to be rumours. In her interview with Aysel dated January 2006, Kazimova said she did not have plans to remarry as legally she was not divorced. In 2005–2010, she was in a relationship with meykhana
-singer Namig Garachukhurlu.
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
) is an Azerbaijani singer, songwriter, pop musician and actress, and a six-time winner of the Grand Music Award for best concert, videoclip and song. She is considered Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
's leading pop star, and is seen as a cultural icon for the South Caucasian
South Caucasus
The South Caucasus is a geopolitical region located on the border of Eastern Europe and Southwest Asia also referred to as Transcaucasia, or The Trans-Caucasus...
nation in fast transition from post-Soviet state to a boom country. She has spoken passionately on many causes, such as the prevention of HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
/AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
to the Nagorno-Karabakh
Nagorno-Karabakh
Nagorno-Karabakh is a landlocked region in the South Caucasus, lying between Lower Karabakh and Zangezur and covering the southeastern range of the Lesser Caucasus mountains...
conflict in which she claims to have once taken up arms against separatist Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
n forces.
Early life
Aygun was the youngest of the family's four children. She revealed her musical talent at the time she was a middle school student. Along with amateur music, Kazimova was passionate about handballTeam handball
Handball is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each pass a ball to throw it into the goal of the other team...
and was the captain of the school's female handball team. She abandoned sports upon graduating from high school and entering the Maarif Technicum
Technicum
Technicum was a Soviet institute of vocational education. A mass-education facility of "special middle education" category 1 step higher than PTU, but aimed to train low-level industrial managers or specializing in occupations that require skills more advanced than purely manual...
of Arts, from where she dropped out in 1986. At the time she worked with the Gaya youth band.
Career
Kazimova's professional solo career began in 1988, when she won the first prize at the Baki payizi-88 (Baku Autumn-88) musical contest. In 1989 Aygun won an award in the Yurmala music contest, and then in 1992 she won an award in the "The voice of Asia" music contest, in Rebublic of Kazakhstan. Aygun released her first album in 1997. The CD Sevgi Gulleri (Flowers of love) contained 14 tracks and most of them was written by famous pop music composer Vagif Gerayzade. Until today she has released six albums and the most successful in sales was CD Aygun which released in October 2000 and contained multimedia files with videos and pictures of Aygun. In 2002 she became Honourary Artist of Azerbaijan.Some of her most prestigious awards include numerous Grand-Prix, Honoured Artist of Azerbaijan and many other music awards. Along with singing, she is also deeply involved in charity work, giving free and benefit concerts for orphan
Orphan
An orphan is a child permanently bereaved of or abandoned by his or her parents. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents is called an orphan...
children every year.
Kazimova also tried herself as an actress. In 2005, she played the title role in the musical Khari Bulbullar directed by Arif Gaziyev and Sanam in the screen version of the play Meshadi Ibad.
She has given concerts outside Azerbaijan, the most successful and recent of them held in Kremlin Palace, Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
on January 26, 2006. On June 20, 2007 Aygun gave a fantastic solo concert at the T. Bakhramov stadium dedicated to her 20th anniversary of the pop music career in Azerbaijan.
Aygun Kazimova hosted several TV shows of her own, however they were not very successful.
She was president of the annual Best Model of Azerbaijan contest in 2006–2008.
Aygun Kazimova is one of the most prominent artists in the history of Azerbaijani popular music. She is considered the most successful female singer in Azerbaijani music industry and has released the largest number of best-selling singles in the history of Azerbaijan. She is well-known for her innovative music videos and carefully prepared mounted stage performances.
Private life
In 1989 Aygun Kazimova ran away with her long-time boyfriend Ilgar Ibrahimov and in 1990 gave birth to daughter Ilgara. Ibrahimov and Kazimova divorced in 1991. In 1994 she married Rza Guliyev (nephew of Azerbaijan's ex-Speaker of the Parliament and current opposition member Rasul GuliyevRasul Guliyev
-Early years:Guliyev was born on December 10, 1947 in the Gazanchy village of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan. After completing his secondary education in 1965, he entered the Chemistry-Technology faculty of the Oil And Chemistry Institute of Azerbaijan, graduating in 1970 and...
), from whom she has been virtually separated since Guliyev was taken into custody in 1996. Beginning in the late 90s, the Azerbaijani mass media numerously reported Aygun Kazimova's plans to get remarried (pop-singer Faig Aghayev and Turkish
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
model Mert Kilic among others were named her potential spouses). These plans would later turn out to be rumours. In her interview with Aysel dated January 2006, Kazimova said she did not have plans to remarry as legally she was not divorced. In 2005–2010, she was in a relationship with meykhana
Meykhana
Meykhana is a distinctive Azerbaijani literary and folk rap tradition, consisting of an unaccompanied song performed by one or more people improvising on a particular subject...
-singer Namig Garachukhurlu.
Albums
- Sevgi gullari (1997)
- Ey manim dunyam (1999)
- Aygun (2000)
- Sevdim (2001)
- Son soz (2004)
- Sevarsanmi? (2005)
External links
- Aygun Kazimova mp3s at Mp3-az.com