Sherali Jorayev was born in 1947 in Asaka, then the Uzbek SSR, USSR. His exact birthday is unknown. He symbolically chose 12 April to be his birthday. Jorayev has stated that another reason he chose this date is because he entered inside of Kaaba. Jorayev graduated from the Uzbekistan State Institute of Arts and Culture in 1976. He has 2 sons and 3 daughters. Two of his sons, Shohjahon Joʻrayev and Zohir Shoh Joʻrayev, are became popular singers in Uzbekistan.
Professional career
From 1972 until 1979, Jorayev worked at the Shodlik Song and Dance Ensemble. From 1979 to 1986, he worked at the Andijan Province Philharmonic. From 1986 to 1996, he worked at the Uzbek State Philharmonic. Jorayev was a member of the Supreme Assembly of Uzbekistan from 1990 to 1995. Throughout his long career, Jorayev has written and recorded hundreds of songs. His most famous songs include "Bahor ayyomi" , "Birinchi muhabbatim" , "Inson qasidasi" , "Karvon" , "Meni kutgil" , "Oshiqlar sardori" , "Oʻzbegim" , "Oʻxshamas" , and many others. Jorayev's lyrics have incorporated a variety of political, social, philosophical, and literary influences. Some of his lyrics have become part of everyday Uzbek vocabulary. He is often invited to other countries, including Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Russia. While Jorayev usually writes both the music and lyrics to his songs, he has also used lines from the poems of Ali-Shir Nava'i, Babur, Jami, and Rumi in his songs. In 2008, Juraev organized gatherings at his home to celebrate the works of Rumi. In 1988, Jorayev wrote a book entitled Bola dunyoni tebratar. Juraev wrote the screenplay and played the leading role in the 1989 film Sherali va Oybarchin. Jorayev's song Ozbegim was featured on the 2005 album Rough Guide to the Music of Central Asia which was released by World Music Network. In honor of Queen Elizabeth II's 78th birthday, British AmbassadorCraig Murray welcomed more than a thousand guests to his residence in Tashkent on 23 April 2004. The celebrations featured Jorayev, Sevara Nazarkhan, and the Chamber Orchestra conducted by Vladimir Neimer. At the same time the British Embassy arranged a tour of Uzbekistan by Scotland's Battlefield Band, with whom Joʻrayev performed at the residency before a large and influential audience.
Censorship
In 2002 Uzbek government authorities banned Jorayev's appearance on Uzbek television and radio stations because of his "alleged political unreliability". He fell out of favor with the Uzbek government for his critical remarks about the difficult economic situation in the country. The singer generally avoids talking about the banin public. In 2017, one year after the death of Islam Karimov, Joʻrayev was briefly shown on state television.
