Bio : Dimash

Dimash Qudaibergen is a voice like no other. Effortlessly veering from full-throated, soaring power to soulful whistle tone, intimate operatic baritone and melodic pop lightness, the Kazakh singer has made his signature an astounding six+ octave vocal range that breaks boundaries and refuses to be boxed into any one genre. 

Since rising to international fame as a prize-winning competitor on the wildly popular Chinese Hunan TV show Singer in 2017, Dimash has headlined sell-out arena tours across his home country of Kazakhstan and in the USA, Latin America, Europe and Central Asia. His repertoire includes music in 12 languages, including songs from his triple-platinum debut album iD (2019), as well as classical repertoire, Kazakh folk songs and his own pop, jazz, rap and neoclassical arrangements. He has performed alongside The Three Tenors legends Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras, Croatian cellist HAUSER and multi-million selling Canadian singer-songwriter Lara Fabian, while his current Stranger World Tour is set to break records as he becomes the first Kazakh artist to headline iconic venues like New York’s Madison Square Gardens, London’s Wembley Arena and Mexico City’s Palacio de los Deportes. 

It’s clear that Dimash’s voice is not only prodigiously distinct but also a talent that speaks to the world, one that crosses borders and cultural boundaries to create a new imagining of popular music. Whether it’s the rock opera dramatics of 1978 French song “SOS d'un terrien en détresse,” the dombra-strumming Kazakh folk song “Daididau” or the wistful strings balladry of Dimash’s own “Unforgettable Day”, his wide-ranging music is a means of bringing people together regardless of their cultural backgrounds – a reflection of Kazakhstan’s own historical status as a cultural crossroads, a Silk Road anchor between East and West. 

Born in the Aktobe region of Kazakhstan, Dimash was raised by musical parents. His mother Svetlana is a soprano singer while his father Qanat, Director of DimashAli Creative Center, led the region’s Cultural Development Board. First appearing onstage as a two-year-old during a local theatre production, Dimash soon caught the bug for performance and by five was taking piano and vocal lessons that led him to discover he had perfect pitch. His early obsessions included The Three Tenors and Michael Jackson, while at six, he won the national Aynalayin piano contest before going on to win vocal contests across Kazakhstan, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan.

Garlanded with accolades including becoming the first Kazakh to win the Grand Prix at the International Belarus arts festival, the Slavic Bazaar in 2015, as well as obtaining a degree in Contemporary Music and a Master’s in Composition, it is ultimately new writing and dazzling performance that has shaped his musical career to date. 

Following his Slavic Bazaar win, Dimash began performing further afield in Turkey and Turkmenistan and after releasing his self-titled debut EP in 2016 was invited to perform on the fifth season of reality TV contest Singer. At 22, he was the youngest participant in the history of the show and competed against best-selling Chinese singers as a ‘wildcard’ competitor. Although he had only initially hoped to make it to the middle stages of the competition, his moving renditions of “SOS d'un terrien en détresse”, Queen’s “The Show Must Go On”, “Daididau” and Lara Fabian’s “Adagio”, led him to the final where he came second to Hong Kong singer Sandy Lam. 

Catapulted into the international eye, Dimash has since been on a whirlwind journey through arena and stadium stages, honing his theatrical visuals and indefatigable vocals to amass a legion of followers that he calls his ‘Dears’. He performed to 150,000 people at the Gakku Open-Air Festival in Almaty in 2017, where he showcased his astounding whistle register, while in 2019 he performed a debut sold out US headline show to 19,000 people and appeared on the CBS talent show The World’s Best, where he was described as “the man with the world's widest vocal range.” His most notable recent audiences include the estimated 35,000 attendees from 65 countries at his homecoming Almaty concert in 2022 and the estimated 1 billion viewers of his 2023 performance at the CCTV New Year's Gala.

With over 4.4 million Instagram followers, Dimash uses his platform not only to share music but also as a way to unite people across cultures and his extensive charitable work serves to underline that purpose. He regularly holds charity concerts across Kazakhstan and has also partnered with the UN’s World Food Programme and is an ambassador for Medical Aid charity Project C.U.R.E.

Despite his international success, Dimash currently remains independent from major labels, a deliberate choice that allows him to explore jazz, classical, pop and traditional Kazakh music on his own terms. His collaborations with Russian composer Igor Krutoy and his contemporary, genre-blending sound defy the conventions of “classical crossover” or “world music.” Instead, Dimash offers something entirely unique: a modern global voice rooted in Central Asian heritage.

At 31, Dimash continues to redefine his creative possibilities. He is currently preparing to release his first physical single in six years, as well as embark on his most ambitious global tour yet, starting with Madison Square Garden on 5 October. Almost a decade on from his Singer success, he is also coming full circle to launch his very own talent search competition for Hunan TV, inviting performers from Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Italy, Malaysia and Serbia to explore his home country’s rich cultural heritage. Through his varied work, Dimash might be celebrated as a cultural ambassador, popstar or creative inspiration but his message always remains clear: though his identity is Kazakh, his artistry belongs to the world.