Artists - Biography and discography, all albums and songs | Pages: 48

Alena Apina (full name — Elena Evgenyevna Apina, née Lyovochkina; born August 23, 1964, Saratov) is a Soviet and Russian pop singer, composer, poet, radio host, actress, and vocal coach. She was awarded the title Honored Artist of the Russian Federation (2002). She is a laureate of the “Ovation”, “Golden Gramophone”, and “Song of the Year” awards. She rose to nationwide fame as the lead vocalist of the group “Kombinatsiya” (1988–1991), and later as a successful solo artist with hits such as “Uzelki”, “Elektrichka”, “Ksyusha”, “Bukhgalter”, “Lyokha”, “A Song About Women’s Friendship”, “Lunnye nochi” and others. Early Life Elena…

Moby (real name — Richard Melville Hall; born September 11, 1965, in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, USA) is an American electronic musician, composer, producer, DJ, singer and multi-instrumentalist. One of the most prominent figures on the American electronic scene of the 1990s and 2000s, he has worked at the intersection of techno, house, ambient, downtempo, trip-hop, punk rock and pop music. Moby achieved worldwide fame with the album Play (1999), which sold more than 12 million copies and became one of the most commercially successful electronic albums of its era. Over the course of his career, he has sold more than 20 million albums worldwide. Moby's best-known tracks include «Go», «Feeling So Real», «Porcelain», «Natural…

TIK (Sobriety and Culture) — a Ukrainian folk rock / pop rock band from Vinnytsia, founded in the 2000s and becoming one of the most recognizable groups thanks to their vivid image, ironic lyrics, social satire, and the unique style of frontman Victor Bronyuk. Their songs “Oleni,” “Vchytelka,” “Sosiura,” “Alkohol,” and “Bazaar” became nationwide hits and brought the band wide popularity across Ukraine. Formation of the band: 2000–2004 The story of TIK begins in the dormitory of Vinnytsia State College No. 1. In the late 1990s — early 2000s, two students — Denys Repey and Victor Bronyuk — decided to create a music group. That was when the name “TIK” was born, meaning “Sobriety and…

Vitas (real name — Vitaliy Vladasovich Grachev) is a Ukrainian-Russian singer, composer, and actor, known for his unique voice and extraordinary vocal range. He was born on February 19, 1979, in Daugavpils, Latvia. The artist is famous for his exceptionally high notes, original delivery, mystical stage image, and iconic hits such as “Opera #2”, “The Bird of Happiness”, and “Mama”. Early Life Vitas spent his childhood in Odesa, where his family moved soon after his birth. His musical talent emerged at an early age. He graduated from Secondary School No. 35 and a music school, majoring in accordion. In addition to mastering the instrument, young Vitaliy was actively involved in amateur performances and vocal training. After school, he performed…

Philipp Bedrosovich Kirkorov is a Russian estrada and pop singer, producer, actor and songwriter. He was born on 30 April 1967 in Varna, Bulgaria. Since the late 1980s, his career has gone through several distinctly different stages — from traditional estrada and television festivals of the late Soviet period to large-scale concert productions, digital-era pop music and collaborations with artists of younger generations. Kirkorov is a People’s Artist of the Russian Federation, a recipient of the Order of Honour and a multiple winner of Russian and international music awards. His repertoire includes «Атлантида», «Ты, ты, ты», «Зайка моя», «Единственная моя», «Дива», «Ой, мама, шика дам!», «Я за тебя…

Alla Borisovna Pugacheva is a Soviet and Russian singer, composer, actress, stage director and music producer. She was born on 15 April 1949 in Moscow. Pugacheva’s professional career began in the 1960s, while nationwide fame came after her victory with the song «Арлекино» at the Golden Orpheus festival in 1975. By the end of the decade, she had become one of the central figures of Soviet popular music. In 1991, she was awarded the title of People’s Artist of the USSR. Over several decades, Pugacheva created a repertoire spanning Soviet estrada, pop music, elements of rock, synth-pop, romance and theatrical musical performance. Her interpretations of «Арлекино», «Всё могут короли», «Этот мир», «Маэстро»,…

Shura (Alexander Vladimirovich Medvedev, born May 20, 1975 in Novosibirsk) is a Russian pop singer known for his unmistakable stage persona, lisping vocal delivery, bright late-1990s hits, and emotional openness. His artistry, biography, and image made him one of the most recognizable figures of post-Soviet pop culture. Shura became a symbol of an era where personal courage, painful honesty, and artistic shock value blended into a unique cultural phenomenon. Early years: a difficult childhood and character formation Shura was born to Vladimir Shapkin and Svetlana Medvedeva. His parents met when the father was 20 and the mother was 17. A year later, Alexander was born. The couple split almost immediately: the father did not take part in raising his son, the mother married Nikolai…

Ruslana Lyzhychko is a Ukrainian singer, composer, producer, People's Artist of Ukraine, and one of the most influential figures in the history of Ukrainian pop and ethno music. She became famous for her unique style that blends Carpathian ethnic traditions, modern pop music, choral elements, and high-energy dance performance. Ruslana is the first artist from Ukraine to win the Eurovision Song Contest (2004). Her hit “Wild Dances” became a global symbol of Ukrainian culture. Early Life and Education Ruslana was born on 24 May 1973 in Lviv to a musical family. She studied piano, conducting, choral art, and composition from early childhood. Education: Solomiya Krushelnytska Lviv Specialized Music School Lviv National Music Academy (Mykola Lysenko Academy) —…

Ruki Vverh! is a Russian music project that achieved mass popularity in the second half of the 1990s through the partnership of Sergey Zhukov and Alexey Potekhin. Their songs combined Eurodance, dance-pop, simple synthesizer arrangements and deliberately direct lyrics about love, school, growing up and breakups. At the turn of the 1990s and 2000s, Ruki Vverh! became one of the most popular Russian-language pop projects of its generation. Malysh, Student, Kroshka moya, Chuzhie guby, Pesenka, Alyoshka, 18 mne uzhe, On tebya tseluet and other songs received heavy radio and television rotation, while the group’s concerts attracted audiences of many thousands. The classic Zhukov–Potekhin duo ceased to exist in 2006. Sergey Zhukov later resumed concert activity under the name Ruki…

The group “Ranetki” emerged in the summer of 2005 and almost instantly became a phenomenon of the Russian youth scene. It all began when four schoolgirls — Anya Rudneva, Lera Kozlova, Natasha Shchelкова, and Zhenya Ogurtsova — passed a casting call for a music project where participants were required not only to sing but also to play instruments. On August 10, 2005, the band officially received the name “Ranetki”, and by the end of the year the lineup solidified with the arrival of bass player Lena Tretyakova. This became the very “golden lineup” that would make the band iconic for an entire generation of teenagers. Early Steps: Basement Rehearsals and Faith in Music The rehearsals took place in the basement of a mansion in Gorky Park…

The duo “ЯR” became one of the most unusual and artistically self-sufficient projects of the early 2000s. Its founders — Yulia Osina-Fridman, a directing student at VGIK, and Sergey Guanin, a professional designer with an exceptionally fine musical ear — met for a reason. They were too different to resemble each other, and too similar on the inside to pass by without creating something together. Their meeting led to the creation of a project in which music was not a craft but a way to reveal the inner world — complex, contradictory, and therefore honest. The Birth of the Duo On February 2, 2002, Yulia and Sergey formed a creative partnership called “YaR” — two different “selves” united by one energy, one idea, one artistic…

The band “Butterfly Effect” was formed in Cherkasy in 2004 by musicians who had previously played in various local projects. Some of those earlier bands had split up, but their members didn’t want to leave the stage — this shared desire brought the future lineup together. The name symbolically reflects the central idea: “a small action can lead to a big result,” a concept that perfectly matched the spirit of the group. Formation and Early Years (2004–2008) The first years of the band’s existence passed almost unnoticed by the general public. The lineup changed several times, and only by 2008 did the group settle into its “golden roster”: Serhii Bobrov — vocals, lyricist, conceptual author Kostiantyn Dobrotskyi —…

Hi-Fi is one of the most recognizable pop projects of the post-Soviet music scene. The group was created in the summer of 1998 by producers Erik Chanturia and Pavel Yesenin, who had already spent several years working together on musical and television projects in Novosibirsk and later in Moscow. They developed the concept, visual aesthetics, and musical identity of the band — the very sound that became iconic after the very first music videos. Formation and the first lineup Originally, Hi-Fi consisted of: Dmitry Fomin — frontman Oksana Oleshko — vocalist Timofey Pronkhin — dancer, choreographer, backing vocals Fun fact: During the casting process, the members didn’t know each other at all, and the project creators worried whether their…

Mikhail Yuryevich Shcherbakov is one of the most distinctive and subtle authors in contemporary Russian song. He was born on March 27, 1963, in the city of Obninsk, Kaluga Region, into an educated family that treated literature and language with deep respect. Even in school, his talent for the written word was evident: the future bard wrote poetry, admired the lyrics of Vladimir Vysotsky, Yuz Aleshkovsky and Igor Guberman, yet from the very beginning sought his own voice. Early Years and First Songs At the age of 15, Mikhail began writing his first songs — immediately recognizable for their unusual imagery, philosophical depth and a signature sense of “Shcherbakovian” irony. His early recordings circulated within a small circle, but soon gained cult status among…

Shahzoda (real name — Zilola Musaeva) is an Uzbek singer, actress, and one of the brightest stars of modern Eastern pop music. Her soft timbre, romantic stage persona, and natural charisma have made her a beloved artist in Uzbekistan, Central Asia, Russia, and across the CIS. Early Life The future artist was born in June 1979 into an intellectual family. Her mother taught Russian language and literature, while her father was a Doctor of Philosophy. The family spent her early childhood in Moscow, where her father was completing his postgraduate studies, and later returned to Tashkent. It was in Tashkent that young Zilola met her friend Natella — a friendship that would later become the foundation of her first musical project. From early childhood, Zilola took part in…

The Russian group “Unesyonnye Vetrom” (“Gone with the Wind”) appeared on the music scene in 1997 and quickly became a bright and memorable phenomenon of the late 1990s – early 2000s. The project was created by two talented artists: Tatyana Morozova — vocalist, the face and voice of the group, Dmitry Chizhov — poet, composer, arranger, and ideological leader. The creative tandem of Tatyana and Dmitry became the core of the group and remained unchanged throughout its entire history, while the surrounding lineup shifted from time to time, giving the project flexibility and room for experimentation. Early Years and First Success (1997–1999) The band’s first album, “Poltergeist” (1998), marked the official start…

«Otpetye Moshenniki» are one of the most recognizable and charismatic groups of the late 1990s and early 2000s, whose music and image became part of an entire era of Russian dance floors. They themselves describe their style as «cultural chaos» and «gop-stop jazz» — a mix of rap, street-style folk chants, dance elements and a strikingly mischievous aesthetic. This unique formula combines humor, irony and a touch of theatricality, which quickly turned the «Moshenniki» into audience favorites. Early years: how it all began Although the official birth date of the group is considered to be December 1996 — their performance at the «Dancing City» festival in Cherepovets — the story of the band members started much…

Mika Newton (real name — Oksana Stefanivna Hrytsai; born 5 March 1986 in Burshtyn, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, Ukraine) is a Ukrainian singer and actress. She gained widespread recognition in the mid-2000s thanks to songs such as «Anomaliya», «V plenu», «Tyoplaya reka», «Belye loshadi» and «Vyshe, chem lyubov». In 2011, she represented Ukraine at the Eurovision Song Contest with Angel and finished in fourth place with 159 points. After the contest, she moved to the United States and continued her music career in Los Angeles. At different stages, Mika Newton’s music has combined pop, pop-rock, Europop, elements of electronic music and a more English-language pop-rock sound aimed at the American market. In 2022, she…

Madonna (full birth name — Madonna Louise Ciccone; born 16 August 1958, Bay City, Michigan, USA) is an American singer, songwriter, music producer, actress and director, and one of the most influential figures in the history of modern pop music. Over a career that began on New York’s club scene in the early 1980s, she has repeatedly reinvented her sound — from post-disco and synth-pop to house, R&B, electronica, disco and contemporary dance music. In 2008, Madonna was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Her importance is defined by more than record sales. Madonna changed perceptions of how much control a pop artist could exercise over songs, visual identity, music videos, concert productions and the public conversation surrounding her work. Religious…

The story of the band Tokiо began in 2002, when director Aleksandr Shein introduced two young musicians to each other — Yaroslav Maly and Demyan Kurchenko. Later both would laugh about this first meeting: wanting to show off his virtuoso playing, Demyan accidentally broke a string on Yaroslav’s guitar — and instead of friendship, they almost ended up in a conflict. But this uneasy beginning became the starting point for the future band. The duo was soon joined by bass player Ilya Yazov and keyboardist Maksim Bogoyavlenskiy. All of them had different musical backgrounds and had already taken part in studio projects, which allowed the band to sound confident and professional from day one. Interestingly, some members came into music through cinema: even before the band was…