Kazakh Pop Stars Ninety One Break 'Taboo' on Political Lyrics

 By OLZHAS AUYEZOV

ALMATY (Reuters) - References to George Orwell and Aldous Huxley aren't precisely what one expects to listen in a pop track, least of all in the relevant Asian kingdom of Kazakhstan where the political scene has been ruled by way of one birthday celebration for nearly 3 a long time.

So while ninety one, a famous local band, released a tune and a track video titled "Taboo" within the very last days of 2020, it became likely to attract attention from past their standard fanbase.

Having garnered greater than 3 million perspectives on YouTube, the track seems to have struck a chord with Kazakhs fatigued by the pandemic, monetary woes, corruption and a lack of significant political competition.

Written mostly in Kazakh, the music makes use of complicated wordplay to make references, amongst others, to President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and powerful former President Nursultan Nazarbayev, earlier than list some famous grievances.

"Orwell might no longer had been amazed by our country, Huxley might were silent and in complete settlement," cross the lyrics, referring to the authors of the dystopian science fiction novels "1984" and "brave New world".

The music mentions the limitless depreciation of the tenge forex and the "dementors" of kingdom procurement - twinning the wraithlike soul-suckers from the Harry Potter books and films with a place of public existence normally appeared because the domain of corrupt officials.

"Say 'Neo, wake up!' and you are a dissident," it is going on - a nod to the Keanu Reeves cult film "The Matrix" - before making an obvious connection with a widely criticised selection to have a good time Nazarbayev's 80th birthday ultimate July with fireworks amid a spike in COVID-19 instances and deaths.

government of the capital metropolis Nur-Sultan - named after the ex-president - defended the pass by announcing the fireworks were organized earlier, paid for by using private sponsors and meant to lift the spirits of medical people. Kazakhstan held a national day of mourning for COVID-19 victims a week later.

'SELF-CENSORSHIP'

ninety one, whose name refers back to the yr oil-wealthy Kazakhstan received independence, have constantly been mavericks on the former Soviet republic's pop scene.

avoided via nearby television stations, the band have depended on YouTube and social media to establish themselves as mainstream trendsetters of the "Q-Pop" - the u . s . a . is spelt "Qazaqstan" in its very own Latin script - genre.

also surprisingly, ninety one in no way perform on the non-public events which might be a key source of earnings for lots Kazakh performers.

The band's manufacturer, Yerbolat Bedelkhan, stated while the idea of releasing a track specializing in social problems has been at the table for a long time, the band changed into guided to a huge quantity with the aid of what they had been hearing from fans.

"Our enthusiasts are young humans and the voice of the youths should be heard," he stated in an interview. "tune is smooth power."

according to band member Zaq, the music, produced in collaboration with local rap band Irina Kairatovna, additionally highlights self-censorship followed by way of Kazakh society in general and showbusiness in particular.

"Why 'Taboo'? because it appears we aren't allowed to mention many stuff," he said. "but no one has really stated that this isn't always allowed... it's far humans themselves who think that they need to not say positive things."

Fellow band member Ace described the music as an exercise in "musical journalism".

In assessment to the rest of the lyrics, the tune's chorus is constructive, with lines inclusive of "dark days are over, there's no restriction in advance".

but, at the quit of the track video, in which all performers are sat at a round table, everyone angrily leaves the meeting, refusing to shake arms with the 2 refrain performers - who a few viewers saw as symbolising Tokayev and Nazarbayev.

The band and its manufacturer, but, might not comment on the song's allegories, regarding its own lyrics: "The which means is for your head and those are just letters".AZlyrics