Макsим
Zhanna Vladimirovna Friske (born Kopylova; July 8, 1974, Moscow — June 15, 2015, Moscow Region) was a Russian singer, actress and television presenter. She gained widespread fame as a member of the group «Блестящие», with which she worked from the mid-1990s until 2003, and later built a solo career. Among her best-known songs are «Ла-ла-ла», «Где-то летом», «Мама Мария», «Малинки» with Дискотека Авария, «Я была», «Портофино», «А на море белый песок», «Пилот», «Ты рядом» with Джиган and «Навсегда».
Friske also worked successfully outside the music scene. She played the witch Alisa Donnikova in Timur Bekmambetov’s films «Ночной дозор» and «Дневной дозор», twice became a finalist on the reality show «Последний герой», and hosted «Каникулы в Мексике» in 2011–2012. For her role in «Дневной дозор» she received the MTV Russia Movie Award for Best Actress, while her music career was recognized with MUZ-TV awards, «Золотой граммофон» and honors at the «Песня года» festival.
Childhood and the Friske surname
Zhanna was born on July 8, 1974, in Moscow to Vladimir and Olga Kopylov. She was one of two children born from a multiple pregnancy: her twin brother died shortly after birth.
The surname Friske came from her father’s family. Vladimir Borisovich had German roots, although during the Soviet period he used his wife’s surname, Kopylov. The family later restored the Friske surname, and Zhanna began her professional career under it.
She grew up in Moscow’s Perovo district and attended School No. 406. As a child and teenager, she practiced rhythmic gymnastics, acrobatics, ballet and ballroom dancing, and participated in school amateur performances. This dance training later helped her enter a professional pop group.
Education and early choreography work
After school, Zhanna attempted to enter the Faculty of Philosophy at Moscow State University but failed the entrance examinations. She later enrolled at Moscow University for the Humanities in cultural studies and subsequently transferred to the Faculty of Journalism.
Friske did not complete her higher education. For a time, she worked as a manager selling office furniture and also worked in choreography. In a 2006 interview, the singer herself recalled that it was through acquaintances that she became connected with the future producers of «Блестящих».
«Блестящие»: first behind the scenes
Zhanna did not initially enter the history of «Блестящие» as a singer. In 1996, she began working with the group as a choreographer and artistic director: she staged dances, participated in developing stage images and helped shape the project’s visual identity.
Producers Andrey Grozny and Andrey Shlykov soon invited her to appear on stage herself. In 1997, Friske became a full-fledged vocalist and appeared in the video for «Цветы».
Over the years, her fellow members included Olga Orlova, Polina Iodis, Irina Lukyanova, Ksenia Novikova, Yulia Kovalchuk and Anna Semenovich.
The «Блестящие» period
The second half of the 1990s and the beginning of the 2000s marked a rapid rise in the popularity of «Блестящие». The group worked in the format of dance-pop and released material aimed simultaneously at radio, music television and the live stage.
With Zhanna Friske, the group recorded albums and compilations including «Просто мечты», «О любви», «Белым снегом», «За четыре моря» and «Апельсиновый рай».
Among the main songs of this period were:
- «Цветы»;
- «Облака»;
- «Ча-ча-ча»;
- «Где же ты, где?»;
- «Милый рулевой»;
- «Чао, бамбина!»;
- «Белым снегом»;
- «Долго тебя ждала»;
- «Ау-ау»;
- «За четыре моря»;
- «А я всё летала»;
- «Апельсиновая песня».
Friske gradually became one of the group’s most recognizable members. Her importance was not limited to vocals: her dance training, movement style and stage image had a noticeable influence on the visual style of «Блестящие».
First solo project before leaving the group
The beginning of Friske’s solo career actually dates not to 2003 but to 2001.
While still a member of «Блестящие», she recorded the song «Лечу в темноту». Roman Prygunov directed the music video. At the time, the solo project was treated as parallel work rather than an announcement that she was leaving the group.
Zhanna decided to focus fully on her own music two years later.
«Последний герой» and departure from «Блестящие»
In 2003, Friske became a contestant on the fourth season of the reality show «Последний герой». The project was filmed in Panama. She reached the final and finished second behind Yana Volkova.
It was after returning from filming that Zhanna announced her departure from «Блестящие» and transition to an independent career.
A year later, she returned to the project for its fifth season, «Последний герой. Суперигра». Friske once again reached the final and once again finished second, this time losing to Alexander Matveev.
Two consecutive appearances in the final significantly broadened her audience: viewers saw the singer outside her usual music videos, stage costumes and carefully staged performances.
«Ла-ла-ла»
The first major hit of the new stage of her career was «Ла-ла-ла», released in 2004.
The song was written by Andrey Gubin. Roman Prygunov directed the music video, while the song itself became one of Friske’s most heavily rotated solo tracks and reached No. 3 on the overall TopHit radio chart.
It was «Ла-ла-ла», rather than the earlier «Лечу в темноту», that established the musical image of Zhanna Friske as an independent artist: light dance-pop, a summer atmosphere, romantic lyrics and visuals designed for music television.
«Где-то летом»
In the spring of 2005, «Где-то летом» followed. The song performed even better on radio and rose to No. 2 on TopHit’s Russian and CIS chart.
Friske later became a laureate of the «Песня года» festival with this song.
The summer motif subsequently returned repeatedly in her repertoire, especially in «Портофино» and «А на море белый песок».
The only studio album — «Жанна»
On October 4, 2005, the singer’s first and only solo studio album released during her lifetime, «Жанна», came out.
Most of the work on the album took place in 2003–2005. It was produced by Andrey Grozny and Sergey Kharuta.
The album included:
- «Лечу в темноту»;
- «Где-то летом»;
- «Ты не закрывай своё сердце»;
- «Ла-ла-ла»;
- «Загадаю я»;
- «На губах кусочки льда»;
- «Аквамарин»;
- «Ты — мой дождь, ты — мой снег»;
- «Ты не для меня»;
- remixes of several tracks.
The 2006 reissue added «Мама Мария», another song written by Andrey Gubin.
At the same time, «Я была», «Портофино» and «А на море белый песок», which are often mistakenly attributed to the album «Жанна», were recorded later.
«Мама Мария»
In 2006, «Мама Мария» was released as a separate single. Like «Ла-ла-ла», it was written by Andrey Gubin.
The song entered radio charts, was added to the reissue of the album «Жанна» and brought Friske another appearance at the final concert of «Песня года».
«Малинки» with «Дискотека Авария»
One of the biggest hits of Friske’s solo career was «Малинки», recorded in 2006 with the group «Дискотека Авария».
The song combined the humorous dance-pop style typical of «Дискотека Авария» with Friske’s image. A music video was made and received extensive television rotation.
At the MUZ-TV Awards 2007, «Малинки» won in two categories at once: Best Duet and Best Video. At the same ceremony, Zhanna Friske herself received the award for Best Female Artist.
For «Малинки», she also received a «Золотой граммофон».
«Я была»
In 2007, the single «Я была» was released. In character, it differed noticeably from the carefree «Ла-ла-ла» and «Малинки»: the focus shifted to a more dramatic love story.
The track became one of Friske’s most successful radio singles of the second half of the 2000s. Remixes of the song were also released later.
Портофино
In 2009, Friske released «Портофино», written by Andrey Grozny.
The music video was directed by Alan Badoev. Filming took place in Kyiv, where a studio pavilion was styled as an Italian resort.
«Портофино» continued one of the main visual themes of Friske’s solo career: sunshine, the sea, travel and romantic escapism.
«А на море белый песок»
In the same 2009, «А на море белый песок» appeared, becoming one of Friske’s most recognizable solo songs.
The song was written by Andrey Grozny. The video was filmed in Los Angeles and directed by Pavel Khudyakov.
The track received a diploma from the «Песня года» festival and in 2010 brought Friske her second «Золотой граммофон».
Duets and the final years of her music career
After her only studio album, Friske continued actively releasing individual singles and collaborative recordings.
Among them were «Вестерн» with Tanya Tereshina, «Ты рядом» with Dzhigan, «Падает снег» with Italian singer In-Grid and «Тихо падает снег» with Dmitry Malikov.
In the early 2010s, «Пилот» and «Навсегда» also appeared. The latter was released in a ChinKong Production version.
By then, the model of her music career had noticeably changed: instead of preparing a second full-length album, Friske released individual digital and radio singles.
«Ночной дозор»
In 2004, Zhanna Friske made her film debut in Timur Bekmambetov’s fantasy film «Ночной дозор».
She played Alisa Donnikova, a witch from Zavulon’s circle. In the first film, the role was relatively small, but the character returned in the sequel.
«Дневной дозор» and the MTV award
In «Дневной дозор», Alisa’s role became considerably larger and was incorporated into one of the central storylines.
The work proved successful for Friske as an actress: in 2006, she won the first MTV Russia Movie Awards ceremony in the category Best Actress.
Thus, the common claim that the singer was only nominated for «Дневной дозор» is incorrect — she actually won the award.
Other roles
Cinema did not become Friske’s primary profession, but after the «Дозоры» films she continued acting.
In 2010, she appeared in the comedy «О чём говорят мужчины», playing an ironic version of herself.
The same year saw the release of the detective film «Кто я?», in which Friske received one of the leading roles, actress Anna Levina.
She also worked in voice acting: in the Russian-language version of the animated film «Тачки 2», she voiced the British spy Holley Shiftwell.
Television
Television occupied almost as prominent a place in Friske’s career as music.
The most important project was «Последний герой». Zhanna reached the final twice, in the fourth and fifth seasons.
She also participated in entertainment projects including «Сердце Африки», «Империя», «Цирк со звёздами» and television ice shows.
«Каникулы в Мексике»
In 2011, Friske became the host of the MTV reality show «Каникулы в Мексике».
She hosted the first season and continued working on the second. The project aired in 2011–2012 and became her most notable regular job as a television presenter.
Musical style
Zhanna Friske’s solo work belongs primarily to Russian pop music and dance-pop of the mid-2000s.
Musically, her repertoire was not built around complex vocal material. Its main components were memorable choruses, dance rhythms, a distinctive stage image and concise song structures well suited to radio and music television.
At the same time, her range extended beyond purely club-oriented material. «Я была» and several other songs used a more dramatic pop-ballad tone, while «Малинки» relied on humor, and «Портофино» and «А на море белый песок» focused on a light resort aesthetic.
Personal life
Biographies of Friske contain numerous reports about alleged romances, but a significant portion of them are based on later accounts by third parties and celebrity press. For an encyclopedic text, it is more appropriate not to present such claims as established facts.
The most significant and publicly confirmed relationship of the final years of the singer’s life was with television presenter Dmitry Shepelev.
On April 7, 2013, the couple’s son Platon was born in Miami. Friske became a mother for the first time at the age of 38.
Illness
In 2013, Zhanna Friske was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, glioblastoma. The illness became publicly known in January 2014, when her family officially confirmed reports about the singer’s serious condition.
The tumor was considered inoperable. Friske underwent treatment abroad, including in the United States, followed by rehabilitation in the Baltic region and a course of treatment in China.
After the diagnosis was announced, Channel One together with Rusfond organized a fundraising campaign. Tens of millions of rubles were raised within several days; part of the amount exceeding what was needed for her immediate treatment was directed to help other seriously ill children.
Final months and death
After a temporary improvement in her condition, Friske returned to Russia and lived with her family in a country house in the Moscow Region.
On June 15, 2015, Zhanna Friske died at the age of 40 after a prolonged illness.
A public farewell ceremony was held at Crocus City Hall. On June 18, the singer was buried at Nikolo-Arkhangelskoye Cemetery in Moscow.
«Жанна Фриске — Я рядом!»
In 2017, the album «Жанна Фриске — Я рядом!» was released.
It is sometimes mistakenly described as a compilation of previously unreleased songs by the singer. In fact, it is a tribute album: the songs for the project were performed by various artists and friends of Friske.
The recording features, among others, Olga Orlova, Filipp Kirkorov, Dima Bilan, Anna Semenovich and other performers.
Archive recordings
After the singer’s death, it became known that studio material existed which had not been included in her main lifetime catalog.
Some of these recordings gradually received official digital releases. In particular, in 2024, the singles «Из Москвы в Лондон» and «Конфета» were released under Zhanna Friske’s name.
«Конфета» was published on July 8, 2024, the day the singer would have turned 50. In the digital credits, Andrey Grozny and Tatyana Ivanova are listed as the authors of the recording.
New version of «А на море белый песок»
In July 2023, the group «Блестящие» released a new version of «А на море белый песок» using Zhanna Friske’s vocals.
The release was credited as «Блестящие feat. Жанна Фриске». In this way, the song, which originally appeared in Friske’s solo repertoire in 2009, became connected with her former group fourteen years later.
MUZ-TV Awards 2024
In June 2024, Zhanna Friske was posthumously awarded the special MUZ-TV prize «Легенда российской популярной музыки».
At the ceremony, «А на море белый песок» was performed by members of «Блестящие» from different eras, including Yulia Kovalchuk and Anna Semenovich.
Main awards
- MTV Russia Movie Awards 2006 — Best Actress, «Дневной дозор»;
- MUZ-TV Awards 2007 — Best Female Artist;
- MUZ-TV Awards 2007 — Best Duet, «Малинки» with «Дискотека Авария»;
- MUZ-TV Awards 2007 — Best Video, «Малинки»;
- «Золотой граммофон» 2007 — «Малинки»;
- «Золотой граммофон» 2010 — «А на море белый песок»;
- laureate of «Песня года» with «Где-то летом», «Мама Мария» and «А на море белый песок»;
- MUZ-TV Awards 2024 — «Легенда российской популярной музыки», posthumously.
Solo discography
Studio album:
- «Жанна» — 2005.
Remix compilation:
- «Жанна Фриске (Сборник ремиксов)» — 2009.
Tribute:
- «Жанна Фриске — Я рядом!» — 2017, Various Artists.
Friske in the history of «Блестящие»
Zhanna Friske’s period remains one of the central chapters in the history of «Блестящие». She entered the project as the person responsible for choreography and visual presentation, and left it as an independent star capable of launching a solo career without changing her production team.
At the same time, the most enduring part of her own catalog turned out to be more than just the club-oriented recordings of the mid-2000s. «Ла-ла-ла», «Где-то летом», «Малинки», «Портофино» and especially «А на море белый песок» continue to appear in digital catalogs and retro playlists, while the archive releases of 2023–2024 once again brought her voice into the current discography.
