Ay Yola (, ) is a Russian Bashkir-language folk-pop musical group, which was formed in Ufa in 2024.
"Ay Yola" is most famous through its 2025 song "Homay", which went viral internationally, notably in the Turkic states: Kazakhstan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan.
Name.
The name of the group "Ay Yola" comes from the Bashkir words "Ay" () and "Yola" (). Connecting the group name to the Ural-batyr legend, member Rinat Ramazanov explains its meaning to be "universal laws, charter", "set of rules of the universe": don't kill, don't steal, respect your elders, protect your juniors.
Members.
The group has three members:
History.
The Ay Yola group was founded from representatives of two other musical groups. Ruslan and Adel Shayhitdinovs began their creative work in the "Musume" project in 2010, and Rinat Ramazanov is the lead singer and leader of the "Argymak" ethno group. Ruslan Shayhitdinov and Rinat Ramazanov met in 2024 while writing the song "My Ufa", dedicated to the 450th anniversary of the founding of Ufa. Acquaintance and joint work inspired the musicians to create a new project, in which modern sound is combined with ethnic motives and the epic of Ural-batyr. Thus, within 10 months, a music album of the same name with the Bashkir epic was created. The second track "Homay" was especially viral in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Russia.
Style.
The band's musical style is characterized by a monotonous rhythm reminiscent of the clatter of hooves and the use of repetitive musical phrases. A special atmosphere is created by a deep, monotonous bass. The song "Homay" additionally includes throat singing.