Татьяна Буланова
Polina Sergeyevna Gagarina (born March 27, 1987, in Moscow) is a Russian singer, songwriter, actress and television presenter. She became widely known after winning the second season of the television project «Фабрика звёзд» in 2003. In 2015, she represented Russia at the Eurovision Song Contest with A Million Voices and finished second. Among Gagarina’s best-known recordings are «Колыбельная», «Кому, зачем?» with Irina Dubtsova, «Спектакль окончен», «Нет», «Шагай», «Кукушка», «Драмы больше нет», «Обезоружена», «Смотри», «Небо в глазах» and «Вода». Her main studio discography consists of the albums «Попроси у облаков», «О себе», «9» and «Вдох».
Childhood and education
Polina Gagarina was born in Moscow. Her father, Sergey Gagarin, was a doctor; her mother, Ekaterina Muchkaeva, was a professional dancer. Her father died in 1993. Polina spent part of her childhood in Greece, where her mother had moved to work under contract with a ballet company in Athens. There, the future singer started school and learned Greek. She later lived for some time with her grandmother in Saratov before moving to Moscow with her mother.
In Saratov, Gagarina enrolled in a music school after performing a Whitney Houston song at the entrance audition. After the ninth grade, at the age of 14, she entered the State Musical College of Pop and Jazz Art. Later, after the beginning of her professional career, she studied acting at the Moscow Art Theatre School and graduated in 2010.
«Фабрика звёзд-2»
In 2003, while studying at the music college, teacher Natalia Andriyanova suggested that Gagarina audition for the second season of «Фабрика звёзд». The season was produced by Maxim Fadeev. Polina reached the final and won the project.
After «Фабрика звёзд», Gagarina chose not to continue working with Fadeev under the terms she had been offered. Over the next several years, she developed her own repertoire and recorded material for her first solo album.
New Wave 2005
In 2005, Gagarina represented Russia at the international competition for young performers New Wave in Jūrmala. She finished third overall with 221 points. Intars Busulis won the competition, while Tina Karol finished second. On the third competition day, Gagarina received the highest score for her performance of «Колыбельная».
Thus, the widespread claim that New Wave took place before «Фабрика звёзд» and marked the beginning of the singer’s career is incorrect: Gagarina entered the competition after already winning the television project.
«Попроси у облаков»
On July 12, 2007, Gagarina released her debut studio album «Попроси у облаков». The record featured songs in Russian and English and was the result of several years of work following «Фабрика звёзд».
The album included «Колыбельная», «Я твоя», «Ветер», «Morning», «Я тебя не прощу никогда», «Помню», «Ты мой» and other tracks. «Колыбельная» became one of the first songs to be firmly associated with Gagarina’s solo career.
«О себе» and «Кому, зачем?»
Her second studio album, «О себе», was released on March 11, 2010. It included «Любовь под солнцем», «Где-то живёт любовь», «Таю», «Без обид», «Пропади всё пропадом» and other songs.
One of the best-known recordings of this period was the duet with Irina Dubtsova, «Кому, зачем?». The song was released before the album and in 2010 earned Gagarina and Dubtsova the MUZ-TV Award in the Best Duet category.
Collaboration with Konstantin Meladze
A new stage in Gagarina’s career began in the early 2010s and was closely associated with songs by Konstantin Meladze. One of the key releases was «Спектакль окончен», released in January 2012. Meladze wrote the music and lyrics and produced the recording.
The same year saw the release of «Нет», followed later by «Навек» and «Шагай». This material differed noticeably from her first albums through its larger-scale pop arrangements and greater emphasis on vocal drama.
In 2013, Polina recorded the duet «Зеркала» with Ani Lorak. It is a standalone single, not the title of Gagarina’s second album.
«Кукушка»
In 2015, Gagarina recorded her own version of Viktor Tsoi’s song «Кукушка». The track became the official song of the film Battle for Sevastopol, with a new arrangement prepared by Konstantin Meladze. The digital single was released on April 28, 2015.
Over time, «Кукушка» became one of Gagarina’s most recognizable concert songs and is regularly included in her major solo programs.
Eurovision 2015
In May 2015, Polina Gagarina represented Russia at the 60th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna. She performed the English-language song A Million Voices and finished second, behind Swedish winner Måns Zelmerlöw.
The performance became one of the most notable international episodes of Gagarina’s career. After the contest, she continued touring and became a regular participant in major television music projects.
«Голос»
In autumn 2015, Gagarina joined the Russian television show «Голос» as a coach for the first time. She participated in the fourth and fifth seasons, returned to the project in 2019, and in subsequent years repeatedly occupied one of the coaches’ chairs.
In the ninth season, a member of her team, Yana Gabbasova, won the competition. Gagarina also worked as a coach on «Голос. Дети». In 2024 and 2025, she again joined the main coaching lineup of the adult edition of «Голос».
Album «9»
On September 9, 2016, Gagarina released her third studio album, «9». It contained 12 tracks, including «Танцуй со мной», «Стану солнцем» and «Целого мира мало», recorded with Basta.
The album was Gagarina’s first full-length release after a six-year break and brought together material recorded after the change in her stage and musical direction in the early 2010s.
«Драмы больше нет» and «Обезоружена»
After the album «9», Gagarina again focused mainly on standalone singles. In 2017, she released «Драмы больше нет» and «Обезоружена». «Драмы больше нет» was released on March 24 and later received a Golden Gramophone award.
In 2018, she released «Выше головы», «Камень на сердце» and «Меланхолия», followed in 2019 by «Смотри» and «Ангелы в танце». These songs were not collected into a separate studio album and were issued as standalone digital releases.
Singer 2019 in China
In 2019, Gagarina participated in the Chinese television competition Singer 2019 on Hunan Television. She joined the project as an invited contestant after the season was already underway.
Her first performance, with «Кукушка», brought her first place in that particular competition episode. She later performed «Катюша», «A Million Voices», «Hurt», «Спектакль окончен» and other songs. Gagarina reached the season finale but was eliminated after the first round of the final stage.
Songs of the early 2020s
In 2020, Gagarina released «Небо в глазах», «На расстоянии», «Ты не целуй» and «Зима». In 2021, she released «Вчера», and together with Eurovision 2015 winner Måns Zelmerlöw recorded Circles and Squares for the World Figure Skating Championships.
Album «Вдох»
On November 25, 2022, Gagarina released her fourth studio album, «Вдох» — her first full-length release in six years. It contains nine songs: «Бабочки», «Вдох», «Тени», «Плакали», «Вода», «Не моё кино», «Безотносительно», «Последний ноябрь» and «Мировой океан».
The same year, Gagarina released the separate duet «Души» with Dima Bilan and the single «Навсегда». These recordings exist separately from the nine-track album «Вдох».
«Навсегда» concert
In 2023, Gagarina presented the large-scale «Навсегда» concert program at Moscow’s Megasport Palace of Sports. The concert was later released as the official live album «НАВСЕГДА (Live at ДС „Мегаспорт“, Москва 2023)». The program included songs from different stages of her career, from «Колыбельная» and «Кукушка» to material from the album «Вдох».
New releases
In 2023, Gagarina released the single «Солнце взойдёт», followed in 2024 by «Нагадай», «Родной» and a new version of «Опять метель». In 2025, her catalog was expanded with «Танец перед зеркалом», «Осколки», «Море» and «Полина».
On March 27, 2026, Gagarina released the solo single «Твоими руками». The song was written by Kirill Kuzmenko and Ksenia Rasporskaya, while Gagarina herself is also credited as a producer of the recording.
In June 2026, Gagarina and Sergey Lazarev released their first full collaborative single, «Хэппи Энд». The song also appeared in the singer’s official music catalog.
Musical style
Polina Gagarina’s main musical direction is pop music. At different stages, her repertoire has also incorporated elements of pop rock, electronic pop and ballad-oriented music. Her work is not part of the chanson genre.
The early material on «Попроси у облаков» combined Russian-language pop with several English-language tracks. During her collaboration with Konstantin Meladze, the arrangements became larger and more dramatic, particularly in «Спектакль окончен», «Нет» and «Шагай». Later, Gagarina alternated large-scale vocal ballads with more rhythmic pop releases.
Viktor Tsoi’s «Кукушка» occupies a special place in her concert repertoire. Although it is not a song written by Gagarina, her version became one of the singer’s most recognizable recordings.
Personal life
In 2007, Polina Gagarina married actor Pyotr Kislov. On October 14 of the same year, their son Andrey was born. Gagarina and Kislov officially divorced in March 2010.
In 2014, the singer married photographer Dmitry Iskhakov. Their daughter Mia was born on April 26, 2017. The couple separated in 2020, and the marriage was dissolved in 2021. Therefore, claims that Gagarina is currently married to Iskhakov or that the couple have a son are incorrect.
Studio discography
- «Попроси у облаков» — 2007
- «О себе» — 2010
- «9» — 2016
- «Вдох» — 2022
These four releases form the core of Gagarina’s studio discography. Some digital services list the first two albums with later dates because of reissues, but their original release years were 2007 and 2010 respectively.
Polina Gagarina today
By the mid-2020s, Gagarina continues to combine studio work, major solo concerts and participation in television music projects. After the album «Вдох», she returned primarily to a singles-based release model while continuing to develop the «Навсегда» concert program and new performance formats with orchestra. In 2026, her official catalog was expanded by «Твоими руками» and the Sergey Lazarev duet «Хэппи Энд».
Her career now spans more than two decades — from winning «Фабрика звёзд-2» and releasing her first songs in the mid-2000s to Eurovision, her work as a coach on «Голос», appearances on Singer 2019 and her own large-scale concert productions.
