Liza Umarova
Encyclopedia
Liza Sulimovna Umarova (born March 12, 1965 in Almaty
, Kazakhstan
) is a Chechen
singer and actress. She is regarded by many as the most popular contemporary Chechen singer today, and her poignant music on Chechnya
and the Chechen people
has led many to call her the Chechen Edith Piaf
.
, Kazakhstan
. Her parents had been removed from their native village of Katyr-Yurt, Chechnya
in February 1944 as a result of the forced deportations of most Chechens to Central Asia
. In 1982 her father decided to move the family back to Chechnya, and they settled in Grozny
that year.
after their house was bombed during the First Chechen War
. In Moscow she opened up a small business called 'Vaynaham', which sold Chechen
and Ingush
literature and audio recordings. During this time, Liza separated from her husband and struggled to raise their children by herself.
In 1998 Liza made her first recording with the song "Motherland", which set words about Chechnya to the tune of "Liberta", a 1980s hit by Italian
pop duo Al Bano and Romina Power
. "I think it cost $50 [to make the recording]," she said. "I was sewing, earning money to feed the children at that time. I sewed sets of linen swaddling for newborn babies. And I had a lot of cloth, rolls of cotton. I sold all those rolls at the market, on the cheap, and made back the $50."
"Motherland" became a hit on the Caucasian pirated records scene, although the singer herself often went uncredited. It was even picked as the anthem of the interregional peacemaking organization Echo of War, she said.
Liza then continued to make recordings of the First
and Second Chechen War
s, with hit songs such as "Rise Up, Russia!", "Grozny, Hero City", and "Our Time Has Not Yet Come". In particular, the single "Grozny, Hero City" has been described as an anthem of Chechnya.
Liza's music is pirated and sold throughout Chechnya as soon as it is recorded, earning her nothing. Furthermore, she notes that when a melody comes to her, she sings it into her mobile telephone because she cannot read music and does not own a tape recorder.
Nevertheless, Liza says she sings because, "Music has always affected me emotionally, has always calmed me and has given me hope. People came up to me after a concert, when I performed in Chechnya, in Grozny, and said that these songs heal. Although they are tragic, in the end there is always something positive - hope for a good life."
"You will not live in this country," one of the attackers told Umarova, she said in an interview with Gazeta
newspaper. She said the attacker gave her "the word of an officer."
Umarova is not a Chechen nationalist and said she was ashamed for her country, Russia
, over this kind of bigotry and over the continuing brutal war. Umarova has managed to appeal to both sides by staying clear of partisan views. When she sings the line, "You will be free, Chechnya," in "Motherland," she has in mind "free from war, from violence, from barbarism," rather than a call for independence, she said.
In an article published on April 4, 2006, The Moscow News reported that three of the attackers had been given guilty verdicts by a Moscow court. The sentences ranged from a one-year suspended sentence to three years at a prison settlement. After the defendants contested the decision, the case was sent for retrial, but the Moscow City Court upheld the previous verdict.
Almaty
Almaty , also known by its former names Verny and Alma-Ata , is the former capital of Kazakhstan and the nation's largest city, with a population of 1,348,500...
, Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
) is a Chechen
Chechen people
Chechens constitute the largest native ethnic group originating in the North Caucasus region. They refer to themselves as Noxçi . Also known as Sadiks , Gargareans, Malkhs...
singer and actress. She is regarded by many as the most popular contemporary Chechen singer today, and her poignant music on Chechnya
Chechnya
The Chechen Republic , commonly referred to as Chechnya , also spelled Chechnia or Chechenia, sometimes referred to as Ichkeria , is a federal subject of Russia . It is located in the southeastern part of Europe in the Northern Caucasus mountains. The capital of the republic is the city of Grozny...
and the Chechen people
Chechen people
Chechens constitute the largest native ethnic group originating in the North Caucasus region. They refer to themselves as Noxçi . Also known as Sadiks , Gargareans, Malkhs...
has led many to call her the Chechen Edith Piaf
Édith Piaf
Édith Piaf , born Édith Giovanna Gassion, was a French singer and cultural icon who became widely regarded as France's greatest popular singer. Her singing reflected her life, with her specialty being ballads...
.
Early life
Liza spent her childhood in AlmatyAlmaty
Almaty , also known by its former names Verny and Alma-Ata , is the former capital of Kazakhstan and the nation's largest city, with a population of 1,348,500...
, Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
. Her parents had been removed from their native village of Katyr-Yurt, Chechnya
Chechnya
The Chechen Republic , commonly referred to as Chechnya , also spelled Chechnia or Chechenia, sometimes referred to as Ichkeria , is a federal subject of Russia . It is located in the southeastern part of Europe in the Northern Caucasus mountains. The capital of the republic is the city of Grozny...
in February 1944 as a result of the forced deportations of most Chechens to Central Asia
Population transfer in the Soviet Union
Population transfer in the Soviet Union may be classified into the following broad categories: deportations of "anti-Soviet" categories of population, often classified as "enemies of workers," deportations of entire nationalities, labor force transfer, and organized migrations in opposite...
. In 1982 her father decided to move the family back to Chechnya, and they settled in Grozny
Grozny
Grozny is the capital city of the Chechen Republic, Russia. The city lies on the Sunzha River. According to the preliminary results of the 2010 Census, the city had a population of 271,596; up from 210,720 recorded in the 2002 Census. but still only about two-thirds of 399,688 recorded in the 1989...
that year.
Career
Liza attended the Yaroslavl Drama Institute, where she developed a solid reputation for her emotive singing, yet declined a musical career upon graduation to get married, and shortly afterwards became the mother of three children. In 1994 the family moved to MoscowMoscow
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...
after their house was bombed during the First Chechen War
First Chechen War
The First Chechen War, also known as the War in Chechnya, was a conflict between the Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, fought from December 1994 to August 1996...
. In Moscow she opened up a small business called 'Vaynaham', which sold Chechen
Chechen language
The Chechen language is spoken by more than 1.5 million people, mostly in Chechnya and by Chechen people elsewhere. It is a member of the Northeast Caucasian languages.-Classification:...
and Ingush
Ingush language
Ingush is a language spoken by about 413,000 people , known as the Ingush, across a region covering Ingushetia, Chechnya, Kazakhstan and Russia. In Ingush, the language is called ГІалгІай Ğalğaj .-Classification:...
literature and audio recordings. During this time, Liza separated from her husband and struggled to raise their children by herself.
In 1998 Liza made her first recording with the song "Motherland", which set words about Chechnya to the tune of "Liberta", a 1980s hit by Italian
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
pop duo Al Bano and Romina Power
Romina Power
Romina Francesca Power is an American-born singer and actress.-Biography:Born in Los Angeles, California, Romina Power is the eldest daughter of American actor Tyrone Power and his second wife, actress Linda Christian....
. "I think it cost $50 [to make the recording]," she said. "I was sewing, earning money to feed the children at that time. I sewed sets of linen swaddling for newborn babies. And I had a lot of cloth, rolls of cotton. I sold all those rolls at the market, on the cheap, and made back the $50."
"Motherland" became a hit on the Caucasian pirated records scene, although the singer herself often went uncredited. It was even picked as the anthem of the interregional peacemaking organization Echo of War, she said.
Liza then continued to make recordings of the First
First Chechen War
The First Chechen War, also known as the War in Chechnya, was a conflict between the Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, fought from December 1994 to August 1996...
and Second Chechen War
Second Chechen War
The Second Chechen War, in a later phase better known as the War in the North Caucasus, was launched by the Russian Federation starting 26 August 1999, in response to the Invasion of Dagestan by the Islamic International Peacekeeping Brigade ....
s, with hit songs such as "Rise Up, Russia!", "Grozny, Hero City", and "Our Time Has Not Yet Come". In particular, the single "Grozny, Hero City" has been described as an anthem of Chechnya.
Liza's music is pirated and sold throughout Chechnya as soon as it is recorded, earning her nothing. Furthermore, she notes that when a melody comes to her, she sings it into her mobile telephone because she cannot read music and does not own a tape recorder.
Nevertheless, Liza says she sings because, "Music has always affected me emotionally, has always calmed me and has given me hope. People came up to me after a concert, when I performed in Chechnya, in Grozny, and said that these songs heal. Although they are tragic, in the end there is always something positive - hope for a good life."
2005 racially-motivated assault
On September 6, 2005, Liza and her then-15 year-old son Murad were beaten in Moscow on their way to the metro by four drunken men, aged between 25 and 30. Umarova and her son sustained numerous contusions in the attack but initially decided against reporting the incident to the police."You will not live in this country," one of the attackers told Umarova, she said in an interview with Gazeta
Gazeta
gazeta.ru is a Russian online newspaper covering politics and business. The first issue was published on 28 February 1999. Once controlled by Vladislav Borodulin, the editor-in-chief of the business daily Kommersant, gazeta.ru was sold in 2005 to Sekret Firmy Publishing, a publishing house...
newspaper. She said the attacker gave her "the word of an officer."
Umarova is not a Chechen nationalist and said she was ashamed for her country, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, over this kind of bigotry and over the continuing brutal war. Umarova has managed to appeal to both sides by staying clear of partisan views. When she sings the line, "You will be free, Chechnya," in "Motherland," she has in mind "free from war, from violence, from barbarism," rather than a call for independence, she said.
In an article published on April 4, 2006, The Moscow News reported that three of the attackers had been given guilty verdicts by a Moscow court. The sentences ranged from a one-year suspended sentence to three years at a prison settlement. After the defendants contested the decision, the case was sent for retrial, but the Moscow City Court upheld the previous verdict.
External links and sources
- Liza Umarova Music Video
- New York Times Article on Liza Umarova
- International Herald Tribune Article on Liza Umarova
- Correspondents Report Interview with Liza Umarova
- Segment of The Moscow Times article of assault on Umarova
- Chechnya Free.ru Article on Liza Umarova
- ex-Soviet Union Music Blogspot Article
- Interview with Umarova by Anna Politkovskaya (in Russian)