Regina Vladimirovna Burd is a Russian singer and entrepreneur, born on October 8, 1985, in Moscow. She became widely known as a member and vocalist of the pop group “Slivki”, where she performed under the stage name Michelle. She joined the group in late 2004 and remained with it for several years, taking part in the period associated with the albums “Above the Clouds” and “Troubles”, concert tours and music video shoots. After leaving the group, Burd ended her full-time stage career and focused on her family and business projects.
In the history of Russian pop music of the mid-2000s, Regina Burd is associated primarily with the later phase of Slivki’s best-known lineup. Karina Koks remained the group’s principal vocalist, but Michelle became a noticeable part of its stage image and participated in its touring and studio work. Among the best-known songs from this period are “Above the Clouds,” “Troubles,” “Enough” and “Club Zone.”
Childhood and training in music and dance
Regina Burd grew up in Moscow in a family that was not professionally connected with show business. Creative activities nevertheless became part of her life from an early age. She studied choreography and vocals, learned to play guitar and attended art school. Dance occupied a particularly important place: at the Duncan school, Burd studied several styles, including ballroom and folk dance.
After school, Regina entered an educational institution specializing in physical culture, where she studied a field related to aerobics and fitness gymnastics. At the same time, she continued dancing and worked at Moscow club venues. In particular, Burd performed as part of the ballet at the Infinity club. Her dance training would later become directly connected with her entry into a professional pop group.
How Regina Burd joined Slivki
By the time Regina Burd appeared in the group, Slivki was already a well-known Russian female pop project. The group had existed since 2000 under producer Evgeny Orlov, while Karina Koks remained its constant musical center and principal vocalist. The group’s repertoire combined pop music with elements of R&B, and songs such as “Sometimes,” “You Got Caught,” “The Weeks Flew By,” “I Am Different” and “My Star” made Slivki a recognizable act on the Russian music scene of the early 2000s.
In November 2004, the music press reported a change in the lineup: Daria Ermolaeva was replaced by a new member introduced to the public under the name Michelle. That member was Regina Burd. In a report from that period, InterMedia noted that the new lineup was formed through a selection process and rehearsals with the group’s existing members. Thus, by the end of 2004, Burd had officially become part of Slivki.
The stage name Michelle was used primarily as part of the group’s image. In later years, the singer became much better known under her real name, Regina Burd, so biographical materials usually associate the name Michelle specifically with the period when she worked in Slivki.
“Above the Clouds”
The first major Slivki album release featuring Regina Burd was “Above the Clouds”, released in 2005 by ARS Records. The digital edition contains eight tracks, including “Above the Clouds,” “The Best,” “Rivers and Bridges,” “Mama’s Boy,” “With That, That, That,” “To Hawaii” and “Sari Lala.” The album continued the group’s characteristic blend of melodic pop music and R&B.
The main new song of this period was “Above the Clouds.” In 2005, a music video directed by Vladimir Yakimenko was made for the track. In the video, Karina Koks, Tina Charles Ogunleye and Regina Burd appeared dressed as angels. The song became one of the most recognizable numbers from the period of Slivki’s history in which Michelle participated.
For Burd, working in the group meant moving from club dance performances into a professional touring system. Slivki regularly appeared at multi-artist concerts, television programs and commercial events, and Regina later recalled this period as a full-time artist’s life with intensive travel and constant stage work.
Regina Burd’s role in Slivki
When assessing Burd’s music career, it is important to understand how the group itself functioned. Slivki was not a trio with lead vocals divided equally among all three members: Karina Koks remained the principal singer and most recognizable voice throughout much of the project’s history. Regina was part of the stage lineup, danced, contributed vocals, participated in recording sessions, concerts, photo shoots and music videos. Her years with Slivki are therefore more accurately viewed as work within a female pop group rather than as an independent solo career.
This format also explains why Burd did not leave behind a large separate solo discography after her departure. The principal recordings from her professional music period belong to the Slivki catalog, and she later consciously chose not to develop a new solo project. In interviews years later, she described her time in the group as an important but completed chapter of her life to which she had no desire to return.
“Troubles” and Dominik Joker
The next notable phase came with material released in the second half of the 2000s. In 2007, Slivki presented the song “Troubles”, recorded with Dominik Joker. In March of that year, InterMedia reported that a video for the track was being prepared, and in September the song gave its title to the group’s next album.
The album “Troubles” became the last major Slivki studio album released during Regina Burd’s time in the group. During the same period, the band presented the song “Enough.” Musically, Slivki retained its characteristic combination of pop with elements of contemporary mid-2000s R&B and dance-oriented mainstream music.
In 2008, another collaboration with Dominik Joker appeared — “Club Zone.” A music video for the track was directed by Alexey Golubev. This recording belongs to the final period of Burd’s participation in the project.
Meeting Sergey Zhukov
While working in Slivki, Regina met Sergey Zhukov, leader of the group “Ruki Vverh!”. They first met during a touring trip when both were still actively performing. Burd later said that their relationship did not begin immediately after the first meeting, but some time later. In 2007, Regina Burd and Sergey Zhukov married.
The marriage itself was not the direct reason Burd ended her music career. She later explained that even while still working in the group, she already felt that this stage of her life was coming to an end and wanted to move away from the intensive touring schedule. Family life simply coincided with her own decision to change her lifestyle.
Leaving Slivki
Regina Burd left Slivki in 2008. In August of that year, InterMedia reported another change in the group’s lineup and Michelle’s departure because of pregnancy. In November 2008, Regina and Sergey Zhukov welcomed their daughter Nika. After that, Burd did not return to permanent work in a pop group.
She later spoke about the decision without regret. According to Burd, the touring years gave her valuable experience, but by the time she left she wanted a quieter life and a family. In a 2019 interview, she emphasized that she did not want to recreate the past, although she had maintained good relations with her former colleagues.
Life after her music career
After leaving Slivki, Regina Burd spent several years focusing almost entirely on her family. She and Sergey Zhukov have four children: Nika, born in 2008; Angel, born in 2010; Miron, born in 2014; and Evan, born in 2023.
Over time, entrepreneurship became an important part of her professional life. In 2014, the family launched the dessert business Cupcake Story, which later developed into a chain called “Love and Sweets.” Burd was directly involved in developing the project and managing production. In interviews with Marie Claire and other publications, she emphasized that the confectionery business became an independent professional activity rather than simply a side hobby of a celebrity family.
At the same time, Burd does not reject her own musical past. On rare occasions she has appeared on stage with her husband and children, but these performances were family-oriented or special events and did not represent a revival of her solo career. In interviews, she has consistently described her Slivki period as a completed chapter of her life.
Returning to her own story on film
In 2024, Regina Burd appeared in the musical biographical film “Ruki Vverh!”, devoted to the story of Sergey Zhukov and the group of the same name. She played herself in the film. The appearance became one of Burd’s rare roles in a feature film after the end of her stage career.
Musical style and stage image
Regina Burd did not have time to develop an independent musical direction of her own because almost her entire professional singing career took place within Slivki. During the Michelle period, the group’s sound was based on mid-2000s Russian pop with a noticeable influence of R&B and dance-oriented mainstream music. The visual side was also highly important: performances were built around a female trio, choreographed routines and colorful music videos.
One of Burd’s strongest qualities was her choreographic training. By the time she joined the group, she already had many years of dance experience, which allowed her to fit naturally into Slivki’s stage model, where vocal performance was combined with carefully choreographed routines.
Main releases from Regina Burd’s period in Slivki
- “Above the Clouds” — album, 2005;
- “Above the Clouds” — song and music video, 2005;
- “Troubles” — song with Dominik Joker, 2007;
- “Troubles” — album, 2007;
- “Enough” — song and music video, 2007;
- “Club Zone” — collaboration with Dominik Joker, 2008.
The two full-length Slivki albums directly associated with Regina Burd’s time in the group are “Above the Clouds” and “Troubles.” The earlier well-known albums “First Spring,” “Mood...” and “Easy!?” were recorded before she joined the group.
Regina Burd’s place in the history of Slivki
Regina Burd was neither a founder nor the principal voice of Slivki, so her contribution is best assessed within the context of a specific period in the group’s history. She joined when the project already had a recognizable name and established repertoire and became part of its mid-2000s lineup — the era of “Above the Clouds,” “Troubles” and intensive touring activity.
Unlike many members of popular female groups of that era, Burd did not use the fame she had gained to build a solo singing career after leaving the group. She consciously brought that stage of her life to an end and found professional fulfillment outside the music scene. Her musical biography is therefore relatively compact, but it occupies a clearly defined place in Russian pop culture of the 2000s: Regina Burd, who performed as Michelle, remains one of the most recognizable members of Slivki’s later lineup.
