Lola

Lola Yoʻldosheva, known simply as Lola (sometimes spelt Lola Yuldasheva in English), born on 4 September 1985, is an Uzbek singer, songwriter and film actress. She first became known in Uzbekistan with her song ‘Muhabbatim’ (‘My Love’) in 2003. She records songs in both Uzbek and Russian.

Her first appearance on screen is in the Uzbek film Sevinch (2004). Her leading role in the comedy Kelgindi kuyov (‘The Son-in-Law from Elsewhere’) in 2005 marks a new turning point in her acting career. She then appears in several other Uzbek films.

In 2005, she married and stepped away from the stage for an indefinite period; she returned in 2011 with a series of solo concerts. In 2015, Uzbeknavo, the Uzbek government agency that issues performance licences to artists, issued her a warning over a backless red dress deemed ‘contrary to the national mentality’ during a duet with Rayhon; the controversy led to the suspension of her licence in July 2015. In November 2019, she released the music video for her single ‘Sevgingni menga ayt’ (‘Tell Me About Your Love’), directed by herself, in which she denounces the censorship targeting singers and musicians in Uzbekistan. The video went viral and was praised by many critics as a ‘social protest’ and a ‘revolutionary’ work.