Song That Unites All Turkic Peoples: How the Bashkir Track Homay Won Kazakhstan’s Heart

A few days ago, the track Homay by the Bashkir musical project Ay Yola went viral across Kaznet. Despite being sung in Bashkir,  the song has deeply resonated with Kazakhstan's listeners. Orda.kz explores what the track is about — and why it's striking such a chord.

Released on March 14, Homay quickly gained traction on streaming platforms. It’s already been played nearly 800,000 times. On Yandex Music alone, the group’s monthly plays soared to 47,000—up 45,000 from the month before.

The official YouTube video has over 150,000 views and a fan-made clip compiled by Shorts has already surpassed 640,000 views at the time of writing. The teaser, which includes just the opening verse, has been shared widely across social media.

And although the lyrics are entirely in Bashkir, judging by the comments under the video, Homay seems to have especially captured the hearts of Kazakh listeners. There are likely more “greetings from Kazakhstan” comments than from Bashkir viewers:

This is a song that pierces the soul. As a Kazakh, I feel a deep connection to it—a love for our ancestral lands and the power of brotherhood,wrote Ayan Daukenov. 

I hear this and it feels like home. Greetings from sunny Kazakhstan,wrote user a.e.06.18. 

This song unites all Turks. Respect from Kazakhstan,commented dinarar9288. 

The lyrics reference not just Bashkirs but also Uzbeks, Azerbaijanis, Kyrgyz, Karakalpaks, and Kazakhs.

What is Homay About?

Homay refers to a mythical bird from the Bashkir heroic epic Ural-Batyr:

In the Bashkir epics ‘Ural-Batyr’ and ‘Akbuzat’, Homay appears as a swan-maiden and the daughter of celestial beings: the bird king Samrau and the heavenly beauty, the Sun.
says Russian Wikipedia. 

Similar figures exist across Turkic cultures, including among Kazakhs. Uzbekistan features a related mythical bird—  Humo — on its national emblem. In essence, Homay is the Turkic bird of happiness. So, it’s no surprise that the song has struck a deep emotional chord with Turkic peoples across Central Asia.

Homay isn’t Ay Yola’s first release — the group dropped a track titled Batyr in February, though it gained significantly fewer plays (about 32,000 views on YouTube).

The project is still very new: its VK page was only launched in January 2025.

According to the group’s description:

Ay Yola is a musical project inspired by the Ural-Batyr epic. We blend the traditions of our ancestors with modern music styles to create a unique show that brings ancient legends to life. Each song is a chapter of a great legend, retold in a fresh format. 

Ay Yola could be considered a Bashkir “supergroup,” featuring artists well-known both within Bashkortostan and beyond.

Adel Shaikhitdinova is the project’s lead vocalist, often performing alongside her father, Ruslan Shaikhitdinov —also known as DJ Ruslan Sever. The father-daughter duo previously ran an electronic music project called Musume.

Ruslan has been a well-known name in Bashkir music circles for decades, even appearing on the Russian TV show Pesni on TNT.

In an interview, Adel mentioned that her father initially didn’t want her to pursue music. But her parents eventually relented, allowing her to study music formally — leading to the creation of Homay.

The third member is Rinat Ramazanov, instantly recognizable in the music video as the bearded man playing a tambourine and a kuray (a traditional Bashkir reed flute). Kazakh audiences might know him from the folk-rock band Argymak, which has performed at Almaty’s The Spirit of Tengri festival.

Ramazanov is an Honored Artist of the Republic of Bashkortostan, celebrated as a rock musician and a master kuray player.

Interestingly, he’s also a business coach and entrepreneur, known for launching marketplace promotion startups— a true multi-hyphenate.

Coming Soon: Live in Kazakhstan

Ay Yola has already announced their first international concert, which will be in Almaty this May.

This will be their chance to experience the song live.

Original Author: Igor Ulitin