Bashkir band Ay Yola's album and single enter first round of Grammy voting

The Ufa-based group Ay Yola's album “Ural Batyr” and single “Aihylyu” are taking part in the first stage of voting for the Grammy Awards. If they win, the Bashkir musicians would hold two nominations at once: Best Global Music Album and Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals.

“Ural Batyr” is the group's debut album, based on the ancient Bashkir epic of the same name. Its twelve tracks retell the epic's heroic story, blending traditional Bashkir instruments, modern electronic sound and Bashkir-language vocals. The single “Aihylyu” is dedicated to Ay and Samrau, the daughter of the bird king and one of the epic's heroes, and explores light versus darkness, loyalty and choosing one's own path.

The artists said that having the album and song included in Grammy voting is especially valuable to them, describing it as an opportunity to present Bashkir music and culture to the global music industry.