Akmaral (more reffered to as Lara)
Zykayeva (born in December 21, 1985 in Almaty, Kazakhstan) is a kazakh singer, songwriter, multi-musician and producer. Her music varies from folk, electronic, trip-hop, pop and rock sung in Kazakh language.
Starting at nineteen, Mergen began work on her debut album, 13 (Thirteen) for
independent record studios.
She graduated from Kazakh State
Conservatory of Music in 2008, where she studied violin. The debut record became available online absolutely for free long before the official physical release, which happened on July 1, 2009 hitting Kazakh music stores.

Currently, Mergen produces new songs for sophomore album, which is planned to appear next 2010 year. Artist chooses absolutely different path for music development in Kazakhstan, inclining towards more of ethnic sound mixed with unpolished trip-hop beats, raw synths and dark pads.