Lola initially performed under the stage name of Maya and sang mostly in Russian. She rose to prominence in Uzbekistan with her song "Muhabbatim" ("My Love") in 2003. In October 2005, Lola got married and went on an indefinite hiatus, but returned to show business in November 2011 with a series of solo concerts entitled "Senga" ("For You"). Lola made her film debut in the 2004 Uzbek film
Sevinch. The film did well in theaters and Lola received positive reviews for her portrayal of a girl with
cancer. Her song "Orzu" was among the songs included in the
soundtrack for the movie. Lola became highly popular within the Uzbek film industry in 2005 with her leading role in the popular comedy
Kelgindi kuyov (
The Alien Bridegroom). Since then she has acted in several films.
2015 controversy Lola was given a warning by Uzbeknavo, Uzbekistan's government agency that issues licenses to performers, for wearing a red low-back dress that “conflicts with the national mentality” while performing the song "Koʻnikmadim" with
Rayhon at the latter's concert on 24 February 2015. In March 2015, Uzbeknavo issued a directive that female singers were no longer to wear clothing that exposed their shoulders or legs, that they were not to appear “half-naked” at public events, and that they were not to include any sexually suggestive moves on stage. Deputy Prime Minister and chairperson of Uzbekistanʼs State Women’s Committee Elmira Bositkhonova was quoted as saying “How can one explain the fact that some of our
female singers are dressed in a more than revealing style, completely divorced from the national
style, and
appear on television channels intended for family viewing, singing songs with messages that aren’t subjected to any criticism and in frivolous
video clips?” Following Bositkhonova's remarks, Uzbeknavo suspended Lolaʼs license on 14 July 2015.
2019 censorship video In November 2019, Lola released a second music video for her single "Sevgingni menga ayt" (Tell Me About Your Love) in her personal YouTube channel in which she criticized censorship of singers and musicians in Uzbekistan. The video, which was directed by Lola herself, went viral and was hailed as a "social protest" and "revolutionary" by many critics and fans, including the well-known Uzbek director
Ali Hamroyev. Uzbek government officials, however, criticized the music video, saying that "all clips, all music and songs must adhere to the Uzbek mentality." In 2020, the singer deleted her YouTube channel along with all of her videos. == Discography ==