Team
Our Team
The people behind MusicAL — founders, composers, programmers and more.
Əkrəm Babayev
CTO · Co-founder · Programmer
Akrem Babayev is a software engineer and CTO of the MusicAL platform. Akrem Babayev was born on 21 January 1993. From 2010 to 2014 he studied Computer Engineering at the Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University, earning a bachelor's degree. He began his professional career in 2017 and has spent more than nine years building enterprise systems — ERP, POS, CRM, warehouse and e-learning platforms. His portfolio spans a wide range of projects, from startup platforms and cross-company B2B integration systems to multi-platform applications for web, iOS and Android, production tracking and competition management systems. He currently works as a software engineer at one of Azerbaijan's largest retail networks. He is the creator of the "Pen" personal product brand. Systems developed under this brand — ERP, CRM, warehouse, installment sales, HR and budgeting — are in use at numerous companies. His official and international work includes WcfAcademy.com, the official learning and certification platform of the World Capoeira Federation, and Capoeira.az, the official website of the Azerbaijan Capoeira Federation. He is currently leading the technical rebuild of Kinobox.az, Azerbaijan's movie and series platform. He built the entire technical foundation of MusicAL — from the website to the mobile apps — and serves as the platform's CTO.
Lalə Əliyeva
Content Manager · Marketing · Content Creator
Musicologist, music marketing specialist and content strategist. Lala Namig Aliyeva completed her bachelor's and master's degrees in Musicology at the Uzeyir Hajibeyli Baku Music Academy, graduating with honours in both. Since 2016 she has worked as a specialist in the Press Office of the Baku Music Academy and takes part in a wide range of music and cultural projects. She has been one of the core team members of Musical.az since the platform's first day. She leads music marketing, content strategy, research and relations with creators. She also assesses whether the music submitted to the platform meets professional quality standards, and conducts interviews with composers and music creators. Her articles have been published in newspapers, magazines and media platforms. Her professional interests include musicology, music marketing, the creative industries, the digital music ecosystem, and presenting musical heritage to international audiences.
ilaha Qismat
CEO · Founder · Composer
Ilaha Gismat Abdullayeva is a composer, Doctor of Philosophy in Art Studies, a member of staff at the Baku Music Academy, Secretary of the Union of Composers of Azerbaijan, and chair of the Support for the Development of Cultural Relations public union. Ilaha Gismat Abdullayeva was born in Baku in 1993. From 1999 she studied Piano, Mugham performance and Composition at the Bulbul Secondary Specialised Music School. In 2010 she entered the Composition department of the Uzeyir Hajibeyli Baku Music Academy, studying in the class of the eminent composer Arif Malikov, and completed both her bachelor's and master's degrees with honours. She also studied symphony orchestra conducting as a second specialisation. During her studies she was awarded the Gara Garayev scholarship. In 2016 her monograph "The main features of Gulnaz Abdullazade's work as a composer" was published. From 2017 she pursued doctoral studies at the Baku Music Academy, and on 22 October 2025 successfully defended her dissertation on "The Traditional Music of the Shamakhi Region of Azerbaijan". Her research has taken her to international academic conferences in Cyprus, Turkey, Qatar and other countries, and she is the author of numerous scholarly articles. As a composer, her works have been performed on stages in the USA, Italy, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Russia, Estonia, Germany, Israel and Georgia, among others. She has won local and international competitions, and has taken part in the Uzeyir Hajibeyli International Music Festival, the Gabala International Music Festival, the Novus Via Music Festival and other respected festivals. She is the author of the ballets "Dede Gorgud" and "Iron Fist", of "The Ozan of a Victorious People" — the first poem written for saz and symphony orchestra — and of other large-scale works. She has been a member of staff at the Baku Music Academy since 2014. In 2017 she was admitted to the Union of Composers of Azerbaijan. In 2019 she was appointed head of its Youth Work Department and later elected to its board. Since April 2026 she has served as Secretary of the Union of Composers of Azerbaijan.