Screenshot of the YouTube video of the Bashkir band Ay Yola’s song “Homay,” taken from the AY YOLA YouTube channel. Fair use.

This article was originally published in Russian on April 7, 2025, on Novaya Vkladka, a Global Voices content partner. Daria Dergacheva translated the article, which was also edited for clarity; this version is republished below with permission.

The song “Homay,” performed in the Bashkir language by the Ufa-based group Ay Yola, racked up millions of online streams in just a few weeks and climbed onto the global music charts. While some Bashkirs are thrilled that a song by a local artist is now playing everywhere, others criticize lead singer Adel Shaikhitdinova for her Russian accent, the phonetics of which made some words unintelligible. This one song has sparked intense debate among the people of Bashkortostan about national pride and identity.

As the hit song goes viral in the Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and other Turkic-speaking corners of the internet, a heated debate has erupted in Ay Yola's home region of Bashkortostan over how well “Homay” promotes Bashkir culture.

In Turkic mythology, the beautiful Homay is considered an ancient deity, a protector of peace and kindness, a bird of happiness that safeguards women. In the Bashkir epic “Ural-Batyr,” Homay is a swan-maiden, the daughter of the Sun and the bird king Samrau.

Bashkir blogger and comedian Azamat Nokta posted a humorous video on Instagram, mocking the singer's pronunciation. In the reel, he listens to “Homay” and struggles to make out the lyrics, proudly concluding that the singer must be Bashkir. The clip gathered 3.2 million views and hundreds of comments.

Commenting on the post, a user named Fidalia suggested that “if the singer had enunciated correctly and built her sentences properly, the song wouldn’t have become a hit.” Others urged people to “leave the girl alone,” saying they liked the song even if they didn’t understand all the words.

Tansulpan Burakaeva, a well-known screenwriter, director, and organizer of a Bashkir language study club, told the Telegram channel From the Republics that many Bashkirs can’t accept such pronunciation and the singer should study phonetics. “In the song ‘Homay’,” she explained, “we almost lose that sense of recognition entirely because attention is drawn to clunky lines and misplaced sounds.” Burakaeva believes that due to Russian-dominated schooling, “native Bashkir speakers only use the language at a household level,” and suggested the singer “take a few lessons to improve her pronunciation.”

Meanwhile, art historian Gulyuzum Gadelsina from Bashkortostan defended the singer. In a comment to From the Republics, she noted, “An accent isn't a fault, it’s a sign of the times,” adding that the backlash hurts efforts to preserve the Bashkir language, which is increasingly being pushed out by Russian:

Yes, the accent sparked debate, but isn’t it more important that these voices are being heard? Purity of language matters, but even more important is the willingness to use it. Instead of criticizing ‘imperfect’ pronunciation, let’s create an environment where any attempt to speak Bashkir is met with respect.

Most social media users agreed with her. Voicing their support for Shaikhitdinova, they argued that negative comments “kill any desire to learn and speak the native language.” Some even pointed out that Kazakhs, Uzbeks, and other Central Asian nations had embraced the song, and urged locals to be more tolerant of their own artist.

Indeed, in Kazakhstan, “Homay” became a hit in just one day. Under videos featuring the track, Kazakhstani users wrote comments like “This song is awesome! So glad Turkic peoples are singing in their native languages,” and “Go, Turks, go!” The portal vAktau.ru noted that the song’s success is rooted in shared cultural memory, mythology, and language that unite Turkic nations.

Shaikhitdinova later told journalists that she took the pronunciation critiques calmly:

I’m half Bashkir and half Russian. There are no native speakers in our family. But that doesn’t stop me from being interested in the culture and singing in the native language. I’m totally fine with the comments about my accent—some listeners even found it charming.

The song also inspired many Bashkirs to reconnect with their identity. On social media, people started sharing stories about their heritage and culture, often dressing in traditional attire while playing the track. 

A fairly new band, Ay Yola was formed in Ufa in 2024 by three musicians from different backgrounds. Their debut track “Batyr,” also in Bashkir, was released in February 2025, while “Homay” came out on March 14. The father/daughter duo of Ruslan and Adel Shaikhitdinov had previously performed in the band MUSUME.

Rinat Ramazanov, leader of the Bashkir ethno-rock band “Argymak,” co-founded Ay Yola. For eight years, until December 2024, he also headed the All-Russian Congress of Bashkir Youth. Ramazanov has posted in support of – and raised funds for – Bashkirs fighting in Ukraine, and shared his personal experience of sending his own brother to war. He says the band's music is based on the values from ancient Bashkir epics:

‘Ay yola’ in Bashkir means ‘universal laws, code of the universe’ – eternal values like do not kill, do not steal, respect elders, protect the young. These are the core principles of our project. We’re not just releasing an album, but presenting a full-fledged musical show and internet project inspired by one of the world’s oldest and most mysterious epics – ‘Ural-Batyr’.

This now-famous song is dedicated to Homay, a heroine of that epic. It entered the Shazam Top 10 songs in Russia. At the time of publishing, it had already reached Number One, surpassing even tracks by Lady Gaga. Subtitled videos of the popular track have been released in multiple languages, including Azerbaijani, Kazakh, and Karakalpak.