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Calvin Harris
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 projects of the post-Soviet music scene of the 2000s. The group's musical foundation was melodic pop music with elements of dance-pop, Europop and contemporary mainstream pop, while carefully constructed vocal arrangements, music videos and stage imagery were equally important parts of its concept. The group's best-known songs include «Попытка №5», «Стоп! Стоп! Стоп!», «Не оставляй меня, любимый!», «Убей мою подругу», «Океан и три реки», «Притяженья больше нет», «Бриллианты», «Л.М.Л.», «Поцелуи», «Анти-гейша», «Перемирие» and «У меня появился другой».
Formation of VIA Gra and the first line-up
The idea for a female music project came to Dmitry Kostyuk in the late 1990s. Konstantin Meladze, already known as a composer and songwriter, was brought in to work on the repertoire. The combination of Kostyuk's production concept and Meladze's songwriting ultimately defined the original model of VIA Gra.
The first member was Alena Vinnitskaya, who worked as a presenter on the Ukrainian music television channel BIZ-TV. She was soon joined by Nadezhda Meykher, who adopted the stage surname Granovskaya while in the group. Although the original concept changed during preparation, the official debut took place as a duo.
On September 3, 2000, BIZ-TV premiered the video for «Попытка №5». This date is regarded as the group's official birthday. The song quickly became one of VIA Gra's first major hits and, in 2001, earned the group, among other honors, a Golden Gramophone award.
The group's first major concert took place on December 20, 2000, in Dnipropetrovsk at the local Ice Palace. According to the project's early official history, approximately four thousand people attended the show. The songs «Бомба» and «Я не вернусь» followed, while the group's touring geography rapidly expanded.
«Попытка №5» and the Sony Music contract
On August 31, 2001, VIA Gra signed a multi-album contract with Sony Music Russia. In September, the debut studio album «Попытка №5» was released. Alongside the title hit, it included «Бомба», «Я не вернусь», «Заклинание», «Каждый день» and other early recordings.
The Vinnitskaya–Granovskaya period established the brand's initial recognition, but the group's subsequent history almost immediately became associated with frequent line-up changes. Unlike many conventional bands, VIA Gra was structured as a producer-driven project: the performers could change, while musical continuity was maintained by Konstantin Meladze's songs and artistic direction.
Anna Sedokova and the transition from duo to trio
In the spring of 2002, Nadezhda Granovskaya temporarily left the group due to pregnancy. She was replaced by Tatyana Naynik, while at the same time the producers decided to transform the duo into a trio, with Anna Sedokova joining as the third member.
In May 2002, the video for «Стоп! Стоп! Стоп!» was released. After Granovskaya returned, there was briefly an unusual period when four singers were associated with the project at the same time, something reflected in the video for «Good Morning, папа!». In November, Tatyana Naynik permanently left the group.
During this period, Anna Sedokova gradually became the principal vocalist and one of the group's central stage personalities. Her voice is particularly prominent on recordings from 2002–2004, a period widely regarded as one of the most famous in VIA Gra's history.
The «golden line-up»: Sedokova, Granovskaya and Brezhneva
In January 2003, Alena Vinnitskaya left the group. She was replaced by Vera Brezhneva. The line-up of Anna Sedokova, Nadezhda Granovskaya and Vera Brezhneva remained together until the spring of 2004 and later became informally known as the «golden line-up». This trio is associated with one of the most intensive and commercially significant periods in the group's history.
In February 2003, the video for «Не оставляй меня, любимый!» was released and became one of the group's most recognizable works. It was followed by «Убей мою подругу», «Вот таки дела» and other songs.
In April, the album «Стоп! Снято!» was released, while the autumn brought two important projects at once: the international English-language album Stop! Stop! Stop! and the Russian-language «Биология». The latter became one of the most successful albums released by Sony Music's Russian division and was accompanied by extensive touring.
The group's duets with Valery Meladze were also highly successful. In 2003, they released «Океан и три реки», followed a year later by «Притяженья больше нет». Both songs became important parts of the catalogs of both VIA Gra and Valery Meladze.
Nu Virgos and the international market
In the early 2000s, Sony Music attempted to take the group beyond the Russian-speaking market. For international promotion, the name Nu Virgos was used. This was partly due to legal complications surrounding the name VIA Gra, which sounded similar to the pharmaceutical trademark Viagra.
The English-language album Stop! Stop! Stop! was first released in Japan in September 2003. It included English versions of already familiar songs as well as material adapted specifically for an international audience. The group performed in Japan, Southeast Asia, Scandinavia, Israel and Europe.
The international project did not turn Nu Virgos into a global pop act on the scale of the biggest Western performers, but it became a rare example from the early-2000s Russian-language pop scene of a systematic attempt to enter Asian and European markets through a major international label.
Svetlana Loboda and the arrival of Albina Dzhanabaeva
In the spring of 2004, Anna Sedokova left the group due to changes in her personal life and pregnancy. She was replaced by Svetlana Loboda. This line-up lasted only a few months before Loboda also left.
In the autumn of 2004, Albina Dzhanabaeva became the group's new member. The trio of Granovskaya, Brezhneva and Dzhanabaeva became one of the most stable line-ups of the middle of the decade. During this period, the group released «Притяженья больше нет», «Мир, о котором я не знала до тебя», «Бриллианты» and other recordings.
At the end of 2005, Konstantin Meladze did announce his intention to disband the group, but the project ultimately was not closed. In early 2006, after Nadezhda Granovskaya left, she was briefly replaced by Kristina Kots-Gotlib, followed by Olga Koryagina, later known as Olga Romanovskaya. It is therefore incorrect to describe 2006 as a period when VIA Gra actually ceased to exist.
The second half of the 2000s
After Olga Koryagina left in 2007, Meseda Bagaudinova joined Vera Brezhneva and Albina Dzhanabaeva. Brezhneva soon also ended her time with the group, and for a period VIA Gra existed as a duo consisting of Dzhanabaeva and Bagaudinova.
In 2008, the group returned to a trio format with the arrival of Tatyana Kotova. This period produced the songs «Поцелуи», «Я не боюсь», «Emancipation», «Анти-гейша» and «Сумасшедший».
In January 2009, Nadezhda Granovskaya returned to VIA Gra, replacing Meseda Bagaudinova. In the spring of 2010, Tatyana Kotova left and Eva Bushmina became the new member. The Granovskaya–Dzhanabaeva–Bushmina line-up recorded, among other songs, «Пошёл вон!» and «День без тебя».
The final line-up of the first era and the announcement of closure
In November 2011, Nadezhda Granovskaya once again left the group due to pregnancy. She was replaced by Santa Dimopulos, who remained in VIA Gra for less than a year. After her departure in the autumn of 2012, the group continued for some time as a duo of Eva Bushmina and Albina Dzhanabaeva.
On November 25, 2012, Konstantin Meladze announced that the group would cease to exist from January 1, 2013, explaining that, in his view, the previous model of the project had exhausted itself. This marked the genuine end of VIA Gra's first major era.
The brand dispute and two versions of VIA Gra
The events of 2013 made the history of the project particularly complicated. After Meladze announced the closure, former executive producer Dmitry Kostyuk began assembling his own group under the name VIA Gra, as the former partners were involved in a dispute over the rights to the brand.
In the summer of 2013, Kostyuk's version released the song «Не ведая преград», followed by «Жива» and «Магия». Dasha Medovaya, Dasha Rostova, Ayna Vilberg and other performers were involved in the project. This version of the group existed only briefly and ceased activity in 2015 amid prolonged legal disputes.
At the same time, Konstantin Meladze launched his own reboot of the project. It was Meladze's version that subsequently continued VIA Gra's main discography and history until the group's final closure in 2025.
«I Want V VIA Gra» and the new line-up
In 2013, the television project «Хочу V ВИА Гру» was launched, with Konstantin Meladze selecting a new generation of members. The winning trio was Anastasia Kozhevnikova, Misha Romanova and Erika Herceg. Nadezhda Granovskaya served as their mentor during the final stage. The winners were announced on October 25, 2013.
The first song by the renewed group was «Перемирие». The reboot proved commercially viable: the new VIA Gra developed its own audience and stopped being perceived solely as a nostalgic continuation of the 2000s line-ups.
In May 2014, the group released the collaborative single «У меня появился другой» with Vakhtang. It was followed by «Кислород» with Mot, «Это было прекрасно», «Так сильно», «Кто ты мне?» and «Моё сердце занято».
The Kozhevnikova–Romanova–Herceg line-up proved exceptionally stable by VIA Gra's standards, remaining intact from the autumn of 2013 until the spring of 2018.
Line-up changes in 2018–2020
In March 2018, Misha Romanova left the group and was replaced by Olga Meganskaya. In September of the same year, Anastasia Kozhevnikova departed, after which Ulyana Sinetskaya joined Erika Herceg and Meganskaya. This line-up released the songs «Я полюбила монстра», «ЛюбоЛь» and «1+1».
Another major restructuring took place in 2020. Erika Herceg and Olga Meganskaya left the project, while Ksenia Popova and Sofia Tarasova joined Sinetskaya. The renewed line-up was officially presented in November 2020.
It is therefore incorrect to claim that VIA Gra was on an extended hiatus during 2019–2021. Throughout this period, the group continued recording new material and performing.
The final active years
The trio of Ulyana Sinetskaya, Ksenia Popova and Sofia Tarasova released «Рикошет» in 2020. In 2021, they followed it with a new version of «Анти-гейши» as well as the songs «Родниковая вода» and «Манекен». As with most of the group's catalog, the music and lyrics for «Родниковая вода» were written by Konstantin Meladze.
After 2022, VIA Gra's activity declined sharply. The last known public performance by the Sinetskaya–Tarasova–Popova line-up took place in June 2022. In 2023, Sofia Tarasova announced the development of her solo career, while Ksenia Popova said that the group was on pause.
Galileo and the final closure of VIA Gra
On May 23, 2025, almost 25 years after the debut of «Попытка №5», the song «Galileo» was released. It was recorded by Sofia Tarasova and Ulyana Sinetskaya, with music and lyrics written by Konstantin Meladze.
At the same time, Meladze officially announced that «Galileo» was the final VIA Gra song and that the project was ending. The history of the main version of the group therefore spans the period from September 2000 to May 2025, although regular activity had effectively already been scaled back after 2022.
Members of VIA Gra
Over the lifetime of the main version of the project, its members at different times included Alena Vinnitskaya, Nadezhda Granovskaya, Tatyana Naynik, Anna Sedokova, Vera Brezhneva, Svetlana Loboda, Albina Dzhanabaeva, Kristina Kots-Gotlib, Olga Koryagina (Romanovskaya), Meseda Bagaudinova, Tatyana Kotova, Eva Bushmina, Santa Dimopulos, Erika Herceg, Misha Romanova, Anastasia Kozhevnikova, Olga Meganskaya, Ulyana Sinetskaya, Ksenia Popova and Sofia Tarasova. In total, 20 performers and approximately 20 official line-ups formed part of the group's main history.
Musical style
Despite the numerous personnel changes, VIA Gra's musical identity remained relatively consistent, largely due to Konstantin Meladze. His songs were built around easily recognizable melodic lines, multi-part choruses, contrasts between female vocal timbres and lyrics dealing with relationships, jealousy, separation and emotional dependence.
In the early period, the arrangements showed a clear influence of Europop and early-2000s dance music. Later, the sound became richer and more dramatic, while some songs incorporated elements of R&B, electronic pop and contemporary club production. At the same time, the group rarely followed any single genre trend too closely: the song and melody themselves remained the central elements.
The vocal model also distinguished VIA Gra from many other producer-created female groups. Members performed different functions within the arrangement: one singer might lead the main vocal line, while the others provided harmonies, backing vocals and contrasting timbral parts. This approach was especially evident in recordings by the Anna Sedokova, Nadezhda Granovskaya and Vera Brezhneva line-up.
Image and music videos
The visual component was one of the project's defining elements from the time of «Попытка №5». Videos for «Не оставляй меня, любимый!», «Убей мою подругу», «Биология», «Океан и три реки», «Притяженья больше нет», «Бриллианты», «Л.М.Л.» and other songs created an aesthetic that became almost as recognizable as the music itself.
A sexualized image was indeed part of VIA Gra's marketing, but it would be inaccurate to reduce the group's success to that factor alone. The longevity of its catalog was primarily sustained by Konstantin Meladze's songs, strong vocal arrangements and music videos, many of which remained recognizable decades after their release.
VIA Gra studio albums
- «Попытка №5» — 2001
- «Стоп! Снято!» — 2003
- Stop! Stop! Stop! — 2003, English-language album released internationally as Nu Virgos
- «Биология» — 2003
- L.M.L. — 2007, English-language international release
The group's discography also includes compilations such as «Бриллианты», «Поцелуи», «Эмансипация» and various greatest-hits collections. After 2007, the group's primary release format gradually shifted from full-length albums to individual singles. International catalogs generally identify five main studio albums in the project's discography.
The significance of VIA Gra
VIA Gra's history is unusual in pop music because the project's identity survived the near-total replacement of its original line-up. Alena Vinnitskaya, Nadezhda Granovskaya and Anna Sedokova defined its early period; the Sedokova–Granovskaya–Brezhneva trio became the symbol of its commercial peak; Albina Dzhanabaeva ensured continuity during the second half of the 2000s; while the Kozhevnikova–Romanova–Herceg line-up demonstrated that the brand could successfully exist with an entirely new generation of performers.
At the same time, VIA Gra became a launching platform for a number of independent artists. Vera Brezhneva, Anna Sedokova, Svetlana Loboda, Albina Dzhanabaeva, Eva Bushmina and other former members continued their careers outside the group, and several achieved notable solo success.
The closure of the project in 2025 brought an end to a history that had lasted a quarter of a century. Yet VIA Gra's significance is defined neither by the number of line-up changes nor by any single visual image. Its principal legacy remains Konstantin Meladze's catalog of songs — the material that carried the group through several generations of listeners and secured its lasting place in the history of Ukrainian and post-Soviet pop music of the 2000s and 2010s.
