Kyrgyz Music Friday is a weekly feature in which I post a pop music video from an artist in Kyrgyzstan. It could be catchy, annoying, funny, insightful, brilliant, awful, or anything in between. It’s what’s playing on the radio, what all the cool kids are listening to these days. Kyrgyz Music Friday is not trying to appeal to your musical taste (which I’m sure is awesome), but simply gives you a glimpse into how pop music is done on this side of the world. Feel free to share your thoughts on this week’s video in the comment section!
Going a bit retro this week (it’s at least four years old), with Sema and Kunduz singing “90-60-90”. I didn’t have a video prepared for today, so I asked my employees for suggestions and this one was just too good not to post. Even though Sema is dressed like a rap star from New York City and Kunduz like a go-go dancer, the song sounds heavily influenced by Turkish/Arab and Bollywood music (although, Sema starts rapping around 2:45). It’s a nice change from some of these pop songs that sound like remixed versions of 90s boy bands.
It’s not just the music or ridiculous clothes that makes this video special (which my employee insists is still very popular with kids in Bishkek these days), but the lyrics. Kunduz sings during the chorus “Hey Sema!…my figure is 90-60-90” referring to how she possesses an ideal body shape according to the size of her bust/waist/hips (in centimeters, of course), and thus she implores him to holler at her. I mean, what more could a guy ask for?
Of course, I’ve heard much racier lyrics from American pop songs, but my employees could barely control their laughter as I played the song in the office. That must be the sign of a good pop song, right?
So readers, love it or hate it?
shades of Kanye and Rihanna – Kyrgyz style…