Toshpolat Matkarimov: "I would say use this money for another need instead"

Uzbekistan's honored artist Toshpo‘lat Matkarimov gave an interview to “Daryo.” During the interview, the singer talked about writing lyrics for foreign songs, his immense wealth, moral dilemmas, accidentally meeting and becoming friends with Muhammad Yusuf, and persuading those who wanted to hire him for weddings to reconsider.

“Although I have a lot of wealth, I had no path of my own”

Since I was about 10-15 years old, I have been in the world of art. In fact, I became a singer to sing for my mother. She used to listen to the song “Ona bebaho” a lot. I memorized 1-2 words from it, and later participated in school events and art festivals, receiving applause from my peers. People gradually started taking me to weddings. We would innovate using new musical techniques, which the youth liked. One of my musicians complained that I was finishing conservatory and wouldn’t become a horseman. I then asked myself, “Toshpo‘lat, will you keep going in the midst of weddings and money, or should you have your own name? You need to be an individual, after all.” At the age of 26, I would sing the popular songs of others to the people. I was a prominent figure of that time, I have a higher education, I am married, and I have a home, a car, and wealth. No, I will find my own path, I said.

“I would eat once a day and fall asleep in the barbershop”

At that time, I heard from an acquaintance that there was a prepared musical group in Tashkent. The singer had left for some reason. The musicians were Korean guys who had grown up in pop music, and they were full of music. Whenever I started singing, they would creatively play along. Moreover, we had the most modern musical instruments. I had completely changed my image. After that, our weddings increased even more. In 1988-89, we flourished. My Korean musicians would say “it’s over.” It was day and night service. I would even fall asleep while getting my hair cut at the barbershop. I was only eating once a day. There were weddings that lasted 6-7 hours. My drummer's hands would bleed, and he would doze off while playing. In between, we recorded our songs and distributed them all over Uzbekistan.

“The wedding was like a ring arena”

I would have a large empty sofa where I would put the money I earned from weddings. It was overflowing. I bought a new car every year.

At weddings, only live singing was allowed, there were no phonograms or “backing tracks.” But on one side, I would be singing, and on the other side, Muhriddin Khaliqov or Ahror Usmonov would be singing. It was like a ring — I would sing for half an hour, and then they would sing for half an hour. Those times resolved many issues. However, my conscience was troubled by singing lyrics to someone else's music, he said.

“I didn’t know Muhammad Yusuf, I was tested for two years”

In the 1988s, God introduced me to the poet Muhammad Yusuf. I had gone abroad for a winter vacation. A dark-eyed guy came and talked to me. We had fun and relaxed. When I returned home and was flipping through the “Yoshlik” magazine, I found the poem “Qora quyosh.” When I looked at the author's photo, it was that guy! Wow, this is Muhammad Yusuf, I thought. Look at his humility; when we met, he didn’t say he was a poet. I didn’t mention that I was a singer either. Immediately, I went to the “Yoshlik” magazine, got his address, and went to see him. We developed a mutual affection and became close. He never withheld any advice from me.

Muhammad Yusuf introduced me to the composer Anor Nazarov. I met Anor, but he tested me for two years and didn’t write anything for me. Later, I learned that he was studying my voice and range. While I was wondering when my creativity would begin, Anor played some music for me to listen to. That’s how I started working with him, and my direction changed. My hair was cut short, and my image matched the television format. Thus, I managed to recover from just singing lyrics to foreign music and following others.

Is Toshpo‘lat Matkarimov an expensive artist?

I was expensive at the time, but there were many who would take the money we mentioned. I don’t know if someone was struggling or not. Even now, I negotiate with wedding hosts, depending on their circumstances. I often explain to them, “Is it really necessary for you? Wouldn’t it be better to buy something else with the money you’re giving me?” says the honored artist of Uzbekistan.