“Greetings to the Uzbek People!”

This chapter examines estrada as it is played in from tape and CD vendors in the bazaars, sung karaoke-style by wedding musicians, and performed to sold-out audiences in the Bunyodkor Concert Hall (Creative Workers' Concert Hall, formerly known as the Friendship of Nations Concert Hall) located in the center of the city. It considers how women interact with popular music as performers and consumers, and analyze concert footage, recorded songs, and music videos by Rayhon G'anieva, Yulduz Usmanova, Sevara Nazarkhan, and Gulzoda Hudoinazarova. A large variety of these musical practices converge in wedding music. The chapter first provides an overview of estrada's development in Uzbekistan before defining and framing popular music in Central Asia. It then looks at the Uzbek State Conservatory's estrada department, along with the notion of talent and how it legitimizes one's art, an especially salient issue for women estrada singers. It also explores the importance of radio to girls in Uzbekistan and concludes with an assessment of the works of Usmanova, Nazarkhan, G'anieva, and Hudoinazarova.