Artists - Biography and discography, all albums and songs | Pages: 47

Metallica is an American metal band formed on October 28, 1981, in Los Angeles, California, by drummer Lars Ulrich and vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield. The current lineup also includes lead guitarist Kirk Hammett, who joined in 1983, and bassist Robert Trujillo, who became a member in 2003. Over the years, Metallica has also included Dave Mustaine, Ron McGovney, Cliff Burton, and Jason Newsted. Metallica became one of the bands that defined the development of thrash metal in the 1980s, alongside Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax, later collectively known unofficially as the “Big Four” of American thrash metal. At the same time, Metallica’s importance has long extended beyond a single genre. Kill 'Em All, Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, and ...And Justice for…

Vera Viktorovna Galushka (stage name — Vera Brezhneva; born February 3, 1982, in Dniprodzerzhynsk, Ukrainian SSR, USSR; now Kamianske, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine) is a Ukrainian singer, actress and television presenter. She became widely known as a member of «VIA Gra», performing with the group from 2003 to 2007. After leaving the band, she launched a solo career, releasing the albums «Любовь спасёт мир» and VERVERA, the EP V., dozens of singles, while also working in television and film. Since 2022, a separate Ukrainian-language direction has emerged in her repertoire under the name VIRA. At the same time, she continues to use the stage name Vera Brezhneva in concert in 2026. Brezhneva’s solo repertoire is built mainly around pop music with…

Slava (real name — Anastasia Vladimirovna Slanevskaya) is a Russian singer and actress who rose to prominence in the early 2000s. Her music blends elements of pop, pop rock, and chanson-style lyricism, while her stage persona is defined by emotional openness and charisma aimed at a wide audience. Early Life Anastasia Slanevskaya was born on May 15, 1980, in Moscow. She grew up in an artistic family — her mother was a professional singer. From an early age, Slava showed an interest in music, although she did not receive formal academic training. Her youth was not easy — she became independent early and worked in various fields before entering the entertainment industry. Career Beginnings (2002–2004) A turning point in her career came in the early 2000s when…

“Butyrka” is a Russian musical group working in the genre of Russian chanson (criminal chanson), founded in 2001 in Voronezh. The group became one of the key representatives of the “second wave” of chanson in the early 2000s and built lasting popularity through a combination of realistic lyrics, a recognizable vocal style, and a simple yet emotionally precise musical form. The group is known for songs such as: “It Smelled Like Spring” “Don’t Touch Autumn” “Snow Is Melting” “Icon” “Diploma” “I’ll Serve Time for Someone Else’s Sins” Project Background (1998–2001) The project’s actual roots go back to the late 1990s. Lyricist Oleg Simonov…

Mikhail Krug (real surname — Vorobyov) was a legendary Russian singer-songwriter, a key figure of Russian chanson and one of the most recognizable artists of the 1990s. His songs became the voice of an era, while the composition “Vladimir Central” turned into a cultural symbol that long ago transcended the boundaries of the genre. Quick Facts Full name: Mikhail Vorobyov Date of birth: April 7, 1962 Place of birth: Kalinin (now Tver), RSFSR Date of death: July 1, 2002 Genre: Russian chanson Stage name: Mikhail Krug Early Years and the Influence of Vladimir Vysotsky Mikhail Vorobyov was born into a modest family of an engineer and an accountant. He did not excel academically at school, but showed an early interest in music. He attended a music school studying…

Elena Vaenga — is a Russian singer, songwriter and actress. Her real name is Elena Vladimirovna Khruleva. She was born on January 27, 1977, in Severomorsk, Murmansk Region. Her repertoire combines singer-songwriter music, Russian pop, Russian chanson, urban romance, folk music and elements of pop rock. Vaenga writes a significant part of her repertoire herself, working simultaneously as a performer, composer and lyricist. In 2025, she was awarded the honorary title Honored Artist of the Russian Federation. Childhood in the Russian Arctic Elena Khruleva was born in Severomorsk and spent her childhood in the settlement of Vyuzhny on the Kola Peninsula. Her parents worked at the Nerpa ship repair yard, which serviced nuclear submarines. Her maternal grandfather, Vasily Semyonovich…

Stas Vladimirovich Mikhaylov is a Russian singer, songwriter, and composer, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation (2010) and People’s Artist of the Russian Federation (2022). His story is a rare example in pop music of a long, uneven, and deeply human journey to success—one without instant fame, television shortcuts, or fashionable formulas. Childhood and early dreams Stas Mikhaylov was born on April 27, 1969, in Sochi, into a family where discipline and responsibility were highly valued. From an early age, he was drawn to the stage: he willingly recited poetry, sang, took part in school competitions, and was always the first to volunteer to perform. Creativity came naturally to him—without affectation or pressure. Yet after finishing school, he made an unexpected…

Zara (full name — Zarifa Pashayevna Mgoyan) is a Russian singer, actress, and public figure, an UNESCO Artist for Peace, and one of the most respected and intellectually refined figures on the contemporary pop scene. Her career combines an academic foundation, television popularity, a multilingual repertoire, and active humanitarian work, placing her beyond the limits of the standard pop format. Childhood and Early Achievements Zara was born on July 26, 1983, in Leningrad, into a family of Kurdish Yazidis. From an early age, she grew up in a multilingual and multicultural environment, which later had a direct influence on her musical thinking and repertoire. As a child, Zara began performing at vocal competitions, quickly earning the recognition of juries. At the age of 14, she…

Eminem is the American rapper, songwriter, music producer, and actor Marshall Bruce Mathers III, born on October 17, 1972, in St. Joseph, Missouri, USA. His musical career is inseparably connected with Detroit, where Mathers developed as a performer and came up through the city’s rap-battle scene. In addition to the name Eminem, he is known for his alter ego Slim Shady, a provocative character who played a central role in his breakthrough at the end of the 1990s. Eminem ranks among the most commercially successful and influential rappers in history: he has received 15 Grammy Awards, won an Academy Award for Lose Yourself, and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. His essential recordings span several generations of hip-hop: My Name Is, Guilty Conscience, The…

Justin Bieber (full name — Justin Drew Bieber) is a Canadian singer, songwriter and musician, and one of the most commercially successful pop artists of his generation. He was born on 1 March 1994 in London, Ontario, Canada, and grew up in Stratford. His music has developed at the intersection of pop, R&B, electronic dance music, soul and, during certain periods, gospel. Bieber’s career occupies a special place in the history of digital-era pop music. He became one of the first global pop artists whose professional career grew directly out of user-uploaded videos on YouTube. Home recordings by the future singer led to connections with Scooter Braun, Usher and the major record industry, while the online audience that formed even before his debut album became an important…

Angelica Varum is a singer whose career has evolved not according to the laws of the show business industry, but according to an inner logic of taste and intonation. Her music has never aimed for loud effects or aggressive relevance. Varum chose a different path — calm, observant, built on nuance, melody, and the ability to speak to the listener softly. Angelica Varum (real name — Maria Yuryevna Varum) was born on May 26, 1969, in Lviv. She grew up in a family where music and theater were not professions but a natural environment of existence. Her father, Yuri Ignatievich Varum, was a composer and arranger; her mother, Galina Shapovalova, a theater director. It was an environment in which creativity was not divided into “work” and “everyday life”…

Andrey Viktorovich Gubin was born on April 30, 1974, in the city of Ufa. When he was eight years old, his family made the decision to move to Moscow — a step that largely determined the future fate of the aspiring artist. The move was not easy for the family. In the first years in the capital, Andrey’s parents faced serious everyday difficulties: his mother was unable to find a job due to the lack of a Moscow residence permit, so his father became the sole breadwinner in a family with two children — Andrey and his younger sister Anastasia. The family rented apartments and often moved from place to place, which was especially hard on Andrey. Constant changes of schools and surroundings made it difficult to make friends and fostered a sense of loneliness, which later…

Alena Valentinovna Sviridova (née Leonova) is a Russian singer, composer, and songwriter, one of the most recognizable pop artists of the 1990s and 2000s. She is known for her refined style, intelligent lyrics, and the ability to organically combine pop music with elements of jazz, chanson, and singer-songwriter traditions. Alena Sviridova was born on August 14, 1962, in the city of Kerch (Crimea). From an early age, she showed an interest in music and the arts, which largely determined her future life path. Early years and education Alena’s childhood was spent in various cities across the USSR, which helped shape her broad cultural outlook. In her youth, she received musical training, studied piano and guitar, and worked on vocal technique. Sviridova received her higher…

Alsou (full name — Alsou Ralifovna Abramova, née Safina) is a Russian singer, pianist, composer, and public figure, and one of the most recognizable pop artists of the late 1990s and 2000s. She became a symbol of a new wave of female pop music in Russia, combining classical musical training, a gentle Eastern-inspired image, and a modern pop sound. Early life and background Alsou was born on 27 June 1983 in the city of Bugulma (Tatar ASSR). Her father, Ralif Safin, is a businessman and politician, while her mother is an architect. Alsou’s childhood was spent across several countries, including Russia and the United Kingdom, which had a significant influence on her worldview and musical taste. She began studying music at an early age. At just five years old, Alsou…

VIA Gra is a Ukrainian female pop group founded on September 3, 2000, in Kyiv by producers Dmitry Kostyuk and Konstantin Meladze. Kostyuk initiated the project and served as its original executive producer, while Meladze became its music producer, composer and the author of the overwhelming majority of its songs. The first line-up consisted of Alena Vinnitskaya and Nadezhda Granovskaya (Meykher). Over the group's 25-year history, 20 performers were members of the project, while the best-known line-up is generally considered to be Anna Sedokova — Nadezhda Granovskaya — Vera Brezhneva. On May 23, 2025, Konstantin Meladze officially announced the end of the project following the release of its final single, «Galileo». VIA Gra became one of the most recognizable pop…

Avraam Russo (birth name — Abraham Ipjean) is a popular singer of Armenian origin, born on July 21, 1969, in Aleppo, Syria. One of the most recognizable lyrical voices of the 2000s and a star of the Russian pop scene, he is the performer behind such hits as “Daleko-dalyoko”, “Lyubov’, kotoroy bolshe net”, “Prosto lyubit’ tebya”, “Obruchal’naya”, and many other popular songs. Origins and Early Years Avraam was born into an Armenian family. His father, Jean Ipjean, served in the French Foreign Legion and took part in World War II. His mother, Maria, worked as a nurse. When Avraam was seven years old, his father passed away, and the family moved to Paris. Life in France greatly influenced his future: he absorbed…

Alexander Nikolaevich Buinov was born on March 24, 1950 in Moscow, into the family of military pilot Nikolai Alexandrovich Buinov. His mother, Klavdia Mikhailovna Kosova, was a trained musician and teacher, thanks to whom the children grew up in an atmosphere of musical discipline. At his mother’s insistence, Alexander attended a music school, studying piano. The studies were difficult, but the persistence of the family paid off — he passed his final exam with “excellent.” The artist later recalled that his brother really used to chain him to the piano so he wouldn’t run away from lessons. Early years and first bands Buinov’s childhood took place around the Tishinsky Market district — a place full of mixed subcultures and street groups.…

Alexander Nikolaevich Serov was born on March 24, 1951 in the village of Kovalyovka, Mykolaiv Region, Ukrainian SSR. A Soviet and Russian singer, composer, arranger, Honored Artist of the RSFSR (1989), and People’s Artist of the Russian Federation (2004). One of the most recognizable male vocalists of the late 1980s and early 1990s, he is known for hits such as “Madonna,” “I Love You to Tears,” “Starfall,” “Suzanna,” and “Nostalgia for You.” Early Years and Musical Education Serov’s interest in music appeared during his school years — he played alto horn in a brass band. Later, he taught himself piano and became deeply fascinated by Western pop music, especially Tom Jones. After graduating school, he…

Alexander Nikolayevich Malinin (birth surname — Vyguzov; born November 16, 1958, Sverdlovsk) is a Soviet and Russian singer, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation (1997), and People’s Artist of the Russian Federation (2006). He is one of the most recognizable performers of Russian romances and lyrical pop music of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Early Life Alexander was born in Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg) in a family not connected with professional music. His father was Nikolai Vyguzov, and his mother, Ludmila Vasilievna, worked in domestic services. His parents divorced early, and after the separation his mother returned to her maiden name, Malinina, which Alexander later adopted as well. His musical abilities appeared in childhood: he taught himself to play…

Aziza Abdulhasanovna Mukhamedova (born April 10, 1964, Tashkent, Uzbek SSR) is a Soviet and Russian singer, known for her uniquely powerful and richly colored voice. A laureate of international competitions, a finalist of the Jurmala festival, and one of the brightest performers of the late 1980s–1990s. Her vocal style is a fusion of Eastern melisma, academic training, and pop-stage expressiveness—qualities that made Aziza an artist with a truly distinctive stage persona. Early Years and Musical Family Aziza was born into a family of renowned Uzbek musicians: Father — Abdurakhim Mukhamedov, Honored Artist of the USSR, composer, and teacher; Mother — soloist of a chapel, conductor and music school teacher. Music accompanied her from early childhood: Aziza…