The fall showcase of the BATYR LAB residency was held in Almaty. It was organized by the public fund named after Batyrkhan Shukenov with the support of the EA Charity Fund. Ten finalists took the stage, the BATYR LAB 2025 recipients.
The showcase became the finale of the musical residency where young artists from Kazakhstan and Central Asian countries presented their tracks that were created during the program. This year BATYR LAB focused on community work and collaborative work. Ten participants got together under the same roof under the mentorship of M’Dee, Konstantin Kohan, and ORYNKHAN.
In addition to creating music, the finalists studied the basics of the music business, including management, intellectual property rights, marketing, and an artist’s visual identity. Leading Kazakh experts, Karina Somerset, Sanzhar Baiterokov, Saniya Sultanova, Shokan Nukushev, Akmaral Mergen, Anya Kostryukova, and the Qazaq Indie team, shared their expertise with the participants.
The showcase finalists were Laylo Rikhsieva (Laylo), Asanali Amangeldy (ASANALI), Yerlan Ongarov (erlan.smp), Azhar Beisembina (0zhar), Bakhyt Murzabekova (Baqyt), Darya Prokopec (dariaoda), Ali Nurkuspan (nurkuspan), Dias Seitbekov (dias.), Aliya Medeubayeva (oeleye), and Magjan Maksutov (Magjan & the Qoltrayn).
The program included 10 grants totaling 4.75 million tenge, along with free training, mentorship support, and the opportunity to release new music. Each participant recorded a single or an EP with the support of BATYR LAB. The releases have been available on all streaming platforms since October 18.
Last year, the BATYR LAB festival was held under the mentorship of Ivan Dorn. The fund has been accepting applications for the musical residency since 2021, marking five years of the program.
