Roza Rymbayeva is the Soviet and Kazakh pop singer, film actress and teacher-professor, Hero of Labour of Kazakhstan, People’s Artist of the Kazakh SSR, Honoured Artist of the Republic of Uzbekistan and Honoured Cultural Figure of the Kyrgyz Republic. She is called “Singing nightingale of Central Asia” – her melodious voice has charmed more than one generation of listeners. A celebrity was honoured with name marks in her homeland, as well as in Russia, at the square of pop stars in Moscow, and at the square of stars near the Summer Amphitheatre in Vitebsk, Belarus.

She was born on October 28, 1957, at the Zhangiztobe station in the family of a railway worker from the Semey region. The name was given in honour of the singer Roza Baglanova, and thereby, it had sealed her fate. A girl was brought up in a large family with seven brothers and sisters. In herinterview, Rymbayeva brought call to the memory that her mother was a strong woman and before her death instructed her to be the same, to take care of her brothers and sisters. She had raised her daughter to be household and hard-working, also, taught her to cook, clean, take care of the vegetable garden as well as livestock, and make the minor repairs.

Besides that, Rymbayeva’s artistic abilities manifested themselves in childhood. Her elder brother, who chose to become a musician, had a special influence for her creative development. Following his example, young Roza attended the Local Palace of Creativity, and after the graduation, she decided toperform on stage. A girl entered the Theatre and Art Institute of Alma-Ata at the faculty of musical and dramatic comedy. By the time of her graduation, she had already become a famous artist.

In the mid-70s, the young singer performed at the competition, dedicated to the anniversary of victory in the Great Patriotic War. Her singing attracted the attention of conductor Taskyn Okapov, who invited her to be a soloist in his group “Gulder”. A performer had sung in his group for three years.

In 1977, Rosa’s talent was highly appreciated in Bulgaria at the famous Golden Orpheus festival. In the friendly country, the USSR participant won the Grand Prix for her heartfelt rendition of the song “Aliya”, which had become a favourite composition by the Soviet listeners for a long time. In the following year, Rymbayeva took the third place in the Soviet hit parade “Sound Track”. Its compilers put the performer on a par with Alla Pugacheva and Sofiya Rotaru. A singer had reached the finals of the contest “Song of the Year” several years in a row.

In 1979, Roza joined the “Arai” ensemble and became the Honoured Artist of the Kazakh SSR. Soon after, she first sang the famous composition “Love has come” by the composer Raimond Pauls. Later, the celebrity admitted that in her youth she did not understand even half of the deep meaning laid in the text by the poet Robert Rozhdestvensky. In her opinion, the song is more reliable for a mature woman.

At the peak of her popularity, Roza Kuanyshevna constantly performed and recorded the songs, enriching her discography with albums in both her native Kazakh and Russian languages. She was loved by listeners all over the USSR, and even in Belarus the fans called her “their” singer. An artist participated in festivals and was filmed on television, so she was never lost sight of.

In the same decade, the performer made another gift for her fans. She sang the song “The Winner Takes It All” by the famous group ABBA. In the adapted version for the Russian-speaking audience, it was called “Just like before, the two of us”. For the first time, the song was sounded at the “Tamasha”concert programme in 1985. The following year brought the celebrity a title of “People’s Artist of the Kazakh SSR”.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Rymbayeva remained popular and in demand. She has never sung under a phonogram, and used to please the public with live performance, putting out fully.

A new century brought the new listeners to Roza Kuanyshevna. In 2008, she carried the torch of the Beijing Olympics. In 2011, she sang an anthem and carried the torch of the 7th Asian Winter Games, which were held in Kazakhstan. In 2012, her concert tours took place in Japan, Russia, Turkey and Belarus.

In 2023, the concerts dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the artist’s creative activity were held in different cities of Kazakhstan. The talented sons of the singer, Ali Okapov and Madi Rymbayev, participated in them as well.