Kamalova, Zulya

Award-winning Zulya Kamalova is the leading proponent of Tatar music in Australia as well as one of the most versatile and accomplished vocalists on the world music scene today.

A native of Volga River region of Central Russia, Zulya began performing Russian and Tatar songs at the age of 9. Later she studied music and languages at university level. Inspired by the diversity of cultures, Zulya settled in Australia in 1991 and began to not only share her indigenous music, but master the musical and linguistic riches of the multitude of cultures living side by side in Australia.

Zulya's recent release Aloukie has been awarded "The World Music Album of the Year" during Australian World Music Awards in the year 2000. It includes some of her original compositions as well as the new arrangements of the beautiful songs from her Tatar heritage, the haunting and powerful music that is born of people who have struggled against invasions of the Mongol Khans, Ivan the Terrible and the Communists. Several tracks from Aloukie have been featured on various compilation albums including American World Music label Putumayo's "Music from the Tea Lands".

Zulya's debut CD Journey of Voice has also received widespread critical acclaim and has been featured repeatedly on ABC Radio National. Her stellar voice captures the music of four continents in nearly a dozen languages as well as Tatar and Russian material.



Recently awarded "The Female Artist of the Year 2001", Zulya has been described as "a remarkable singer, who is not merely versitile..." by Doug Spencer of ABC Radio National. She has dazzled audiences with her multi-cultural proficiency and passion for music and song at most major festivals during the last few years. Zulya also conducted numerous workshops in Tatar and Russian singing for festival goers and choirs so that others may experientially share her musical inheritance. She has performed with Slava Grigoryan, 'Sirocco', Kavisha Mazzella and Valanga Khoza among others and regularly works with gifted musicians Martin Tucker who is known for his natural fluidity on a number of musical instruments (kora, mbira, various flutes and percussion, keyboard), Paul Parnell (drums, percussion) and Andrew Tanner (double bass).



Zulya Kamalova continues to enchant audiences around the country and abroad with her unique world music performances. Her recent shows include National Folk Festival (ACT), "10 Days on the Island" Arts festival, Woodford Folk Festival (Qld), 'Women in Voice" (Qld), Brunswick Music Festival (Vic), Femmes Funk 99 (New Caledonia), Brisbane Biennial Festival of Music (Qld), Apollo Bay Music Festival (Vic), Fairbridge Festival (WA), Songs of the Wind Festival (NSW), Kulcha (WA), Musician in Residence Program, Aboriginal communities (N.T) and many others.