The Best Of Azerbaijani Pop Music

The Eurovision Song Contest put Azerbaijan on the map with their win in 2011. Mixing Persian and traditional influences, pop music from Azerbaijan often combines elements of folk with contemporary styles sang in either Azerbaijani, English or Turkish. Here are our suggestions for the ‘Land of Fire’s’ best pop musicians.

Roya

Roya was formerly part of a girl band, W-Trio, in 1999 as a teen star. Fast forward a few years, and she started a solo career developing into a more liberal style of pop. Since the 21st-century, Roya has released a few albums in both Azerbaijani and Turkish. Today, the star is a hit with the younger generation and one of Azerbaijan’s top musicians. ‘Doldur Ureyimi’, with several million hits, is Roya’s most viewed song on YouTube.

Aygun Kazimova

Safura Alizadeh

The young Safura became a national star after representing Azerbaijan in the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest. Safura, born in 1992 in Baku, performed ‘Drip Drop’ at just 18 years old, finishing fifth. The English lyrics describe heartbreak. ‘Drip drop’ refers to falling tears. The musician’s career skyrocketed, and she later released an album: It’s My War.

Eldar Qasimov

The singer’s pop career hit the roof after Eldar formed a duo with British-Azerbaijani singer Nigar Jamel as Ell & Nikki, winning the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest. As a solo artist, Eldar has been active since 2010 producing a mixture of pop, jazz-funk and R&B in his own language and English. After receiving professional training as a singer from an early age, he now produces some of the best music from Azerbaijan. ‘I’m Free’, in English, is one of his top hits.

Brilliant Dadashova

The prosperous career of Brilliant Dadashova began in 1985 with seven albums to date and reaching the top 10 in Russia. The musician sings in a variety of genres including pop, folk and folk dance, winning plenty of career awards. After more than 30 years, Brilliant performed live shows in Russia, Canada, the UK and the USA. She currently works on Akademiya, Azerbaijan’s Star Academy. ‘Anlamazdim’ is one of her famous hits.

Faiq Agayev

With the nickname as ‘Mr Golden Hit’ by his fans, Faiq’s career started in 1988 and has been a success with more than 140 solo concerts. After releasing his debut album Ola Bilmex (Cannot Be), he went on to win several music awards, including the People’s Artist of Azerbaijan in 2000. ‘Usaq kimi’is one of his latest hits.

Meykhana

Meykhana isn’t pop music, but the genre deserves a special mention for its unique style as folk-rap. Singers, often middle-aged Azeri men, rap to a backing track or instrumentals. Performances often resemble the typical rap battles we associate with contemporary music. But despite the similarities, Meykhana is more related to sharp-tongued and witty poetry than foul-mouthed banter. Artists tend to perform at weddings.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLD9CNvqRr0&feature=youtu.be

Mugham

Another traditional type of Azerbaijani music to mention here. Mugham has Persian roots and forms the main branch of classical Azeri folk. The ancient style has transformed into a modern genre and is on the UNESCO list for cultural heritage. The traditional instruments tend to incorporate a lot of improvisation. According to some, Mugham music from Azerbaijan inspired and influenced current Western genres including both jazz and blues. Try to experience this music on your trip to Azerbaijan.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.