Shamshi Kaldayakov

Şämşı Qaldaiaqov
Kaldayakov on a 2025 stamp of Kazakhstan
Background information
Born
Jamshid Anapiya uly Donbaev

(1930-08-15)15 August 1930
Died(1992-02-29)29 February 1992 (aged 61)
Occupations
  • Composer
  • Singer

Şämşı Qaldaiaqov (/ʃæmˈʃ ˌkældəˈjækɒf/; 15 August 1930 – 29 February 1992) was a Kazakh composer. He was born Şämşı Donbaev (/dɒnˈbɛf/), but ran away from school and changed his name to avoid the police. He started playing music aged 17 and mainly wrote songs in a waltz style, but in 1956, he composed the music to the patriotic song My Kazakhstan. It was adopted in 2006 to be the Kazakhstan national anthem by Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev after a few modifications in the lyrics.