The star resumed the ranks of the Bachelorette.
The artist and her now ex-lover had far-reaching plans, but the couple’s relationship ended.
“It so happens that in people’s lives there comes such a starting point when it is divided into two paths. And such a starting point has arrived. This is not only in his heart, but also in mine. It was logical to go to this. Maybe because I mean it she spoke so happily. You need to remain silent about your personal happiness,” Zlata commented on the breakup.
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Note that the couple was first spotted together at the station in October last year. After joint photos appeared on the Internet, the artist officially confirmed the existence of a relationship with a guy who served in the ATO zone.
“There must be children in family life, but I’m not ready for this,” Ognevich summed up the situation.
The star also told Ekaterina Osadchaya about her joy from Jamala’s victory at the current Eurovision.
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“This is exactly the kind of event that Ukraine needs now in order to unite us, so that we have something to be proud of. I remember when it was announced that Ukraine had won, who was also watching Eurovision in our house and I heard a cry of “Hurray” and purely humanly I was happy,” Zlata emphasized.
Zlata Leonidovna Ognevich is a Ukrainian pop artist, participant in the Eurovision 2013 competition.
The future singer was born on January 12, 1986 in the north of the RSFSR, in the city of Murmansk. At birth, the girl received the name Inna Leonidovna Bordyug. Father Leonid Grigoryevich Bordyug was engaged in military surgery, mother Galina Vasilievna Bordyug taught Russian language and literature. The family lived for five years on the shores of the Barents Sea, after which the father was transferred to Leningrad.
The family did not live long in the northern capital, as soon the family council decided to move south, to Crimea. In Sudak, little Inna began to study music - playing the piano. After the collapse of the USSR, the girl’s father went to serve in the Ukrainian Navy, and her mother went into business. Inna has a younger sister, Yulia, who is now studying to become a lawyer.
Music
After graduating from school, Inna entered the music school named after R. M. Glier and moved to the capital of Ukraine. When the time came to choose a university, the girl entered two higher educational institutions at once: a music institute with a degree in jazz vocals and the National Aviation University, the faculty of psychology. In addition to her studies, Inna managed to work in the State Song and Dance Ensemble of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and also became a soloist of a small musical group performing in the Latin style.
After graduating from a music institute, the girl changed her name to the creative pseudonym Zlata Ognevich and began performing with solo projects. But for real success, the artist did not have enough participation in competitions. Therefore, Zlata’s goal from the very beginning of her musical career was to participate in the Eurovision video competition. In 2010 and 2011, the singer became a participant and finalist in the qualifying national rounds, but each time she lost to her opponents.
During these years, Zlata created her first songs “Angels”, “Addiction”, “Island”, “Cuckoo”. The first videos were shot for the singles. Ognevich not only worked solo, but also performed in a duet with J Shamshudinov with the song Kiss.
In 2010, the artist performed at the International Music Festival “Slavic Bazaar”, and in 2011 she won the Crimea Music Fest competition. A year later, Zlata becomes the face of an advertising campaign for the recreation area of the Crimean Peninsula. Photos of the Ukrainian star are published in international travel publications and on the Internet. In 2012, Ognevich pleased fans with the new hit “Behind the Forests of the Mountains.”
2013 becomes a turning point in the singer’s musical biography. After her third attempt to get to Eurovision, Zlata’s dream comes true: Ognevich’s hit “Gravity” wins the national qualifying round. Having performed in Sweden, in the city of Malmo, Zlata Ognevich received 214 votes and won third place, losing to Denmark and Azerbaijan.
In November of the same year, the Ukrainian singer became the host of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, which took place in Kyiv at the Ukraine Palace. Ukrainian TV journalist Timur Miroshnichenko was chosen as Zlata’s co-host. In 2013, Zlata Ognevich received the title of Honored Artist of the Republic of Crimea.
In addition to her solo career, Zlata Ognevich appeared as a mentor in the collective project “Battle of the Choirs 2013”. The singer’s wards, the Donetsk Choir, took second place. In 2014, Zlata Ognevich decided to try her hand at politics. The artist becomes a people's deputy of the Verkhovna Rada from the faction. Zlata dealt with issues of creativity, culture and spirituality. But, having worked in the legislative body for less than a year, the singer withdraws her parliamentary powers. Having seen the political kitchen from the inside, the girl realized that nothing except the redistribution of power and money was happening there.
In 2014, the singer recorded songs of a patriotic nature - “Anthem of Ukraine”, “Pray for Ukraine”. In 2015, the singer returned to concert activity. Zlata creates new hits “Lace” and “Zapali Vogon”, for which she later creates videos. The premiere of the second song took place on the Ukrainian channel “Inter”. The singer releases the song Ice & Fire in a duet with Eldar Gasimov, winner of the Eurovision 2011 contest from the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Personal life
The girl hides information about her personal life. In 2016, the singer broke up with her boyfriend, who served in the ATO troops. But after a while, Zlata has a new boyfriend, with whom Ognevich is thinking about starting a family.
The girl does not reveal the name and occupation of the new young man, but it is known that he likes to pamper the bride with gifts, flowers and jewelry.
Zlata Ognevich now
In 2016, the singer pleased fans with the new single “VodaVogon”, which she recorded together with the group “Skryabin” and lead singer Zhenya Tolochny. The producer of the joint project was Milos Jelic, musician of the band “Okean Elzy”. In the same year, the singer’s solo track “For Summer for Spring” was released, for which Zlata immediately began filming a video. The plot of the video is based on the story of an Indian wedding.
The ceremony of an ancient rite was recreated on the screen, in which the singer played the main role of the bride. The role of the groom was played by a dark Indian actor. Scenes with on-screen lovers kissing were negatively received by Zlata Ognevich’s current boyfriend. In order not to lose the affection of her beloved, the artist had to change the script and cut out some scenes. The premiere of the long-awaited video took place only six months after the start of filming.
In April 2017, the singer’s new video for the song “Dance” was released. The clip has already collected 35 thousand views on the YouTube channel.
At the beginning of May, the central TV channel “Inter” hosted a concert dedicated to Victory Day entitled “Victory. One for all”, in which Zlata Ognevich performed the premiere of the song “Nocturne”. In addition to the traditional military musical compositions “Victory Day”, “At a Nameless Height”, “Cranes”, “Our Tenth Airborne Battalion”, “It’s Time to Hit the Road”, songs by modern authors performed by Ukrainian pop stars were performed at the celebration: Vlad Sytnik, musical groups "Aviator" and "The Brothers Karamazov".
Now Zlata Ognevich is touring the country with a new show program “My Story”. The first concert performance took place in Kyiv, at the Ukraine Palace, to a full house. In addition to the hits of past years, the singer pleased listeners with a duet with Scriabin’s group “VodaVogon” and a musical composition in the flamenco style “My Darling,” which the girl performed together with the Gypsy Lyre ensemble. The guests of the evening were the musicians of the group KADNAY with the hit Freedom in my mind.
Songs
- "Angels" - 2010
- “Addiction” - 2010
- "Cuckoo" - 2010
- "Japan" - 2011
- "Far" - 2011
- “Beyond the Forests and Mountains” - 2012
- "Gravity" - 2012
- “Fired Vogon” - 2015
- "Lace" - 2015
- “Beyond the summer, beyond the spring” - 2016
- “Dance” - 2017
Everything that is done is for the better. Perhaps this is exactly what Zlata Ognevich told herself when she was a little short of getting into the Eurovision 2011 song contest from Ukraine. And although her song “The Kukushka” became an undisputed hit, and the singer herself was the favorite of the audience vote, another one went to Dusseldorf... “All my awards are still ahead,” she is sure.
Two years later, Zlata Ognevich got the chance to represent Ukraine at the prestigious Eurovision 2013 contest. In our opinion, the talented singer has all the data to make a real breakthrough to the song Olympus.
- So, Zlata, welcome to Viva! Let's get acquainted.
Good afternoon I am very pleased to become the heroine of your magazine. I’ve been reading it for many years, even when I lived in Sudak, I always bought the latest issue.
- Did you think then that you would end up on its pages?
Of course, I really wanted this, but I was sure that it was unrealistic.
- Do you have low self-esteem?
(Laughs) Not that low. But I have no narcissism either. However, I am working on myself... This is necessary in show business.
- So, you are Crimean.
Actually, I was born in Murmansk, lived there until I was five years old, my parents and I lived in St. Petersburg for a while - my dad is a military surgeon. But at some point my mother gave an ultimatum: “Listen, my dear husband, I’m tired of living in the cold, let’s move to the sea!” So we moved to Sudak. At first, my mother was very afraid for me, she did not let me go anywhere alone, even in the yard, even though I was a fairly independent child - my mother encouraged this quality in me. In St. Petersburg I was even allowed to go to the store to buy bread.
- What happened with the move to Crimea?
Firstly, it’s a foreign city, you never know what can happen. And the proximity of the sea... There was a tragedy in our family - our first child, a boy, drowned, so my parents were doubly worried about me. But in general, I remember my southern childhood with great tenderness. Someone was always visiting us, sometimes up to 30 people crammed into our tiny two-room apartment... I remember how at night we swam in the sea and went to the mountains. So I'm a water-mountain baby.
- That’s why you jumped so dashingly on the rocks in your heels in your video The Kukushka.
In fact, I fell several times while filming - you don't feel very comfortable on the rocks in heels. And director Oleg Stepchenko was perplexed every time: “Well, what’s scary here? What are you afraid of?" I once almost fell off the wall when they were filming an episode in the fortress! Everyone froze for a second, and I said: “Everything is fine.” “Well, since everything is fine, then let’s continue filming,” said the director. Also, while preparing to shoot a video, I was learning to ride a horse and fell from a horse - my leg got stuck in the stirrup, and the horse bolted. At that moment my whole life flashed before my eyes!
You went through some serious stunt school! And this, mind you, is not for the sake of a big role in a movie, but for the sake of a three-minute video.
Yes, then I got into character so much, I was so excited that I was ready to jump off a cliff into a mountain river with icy water! If the director told me to do this, I wouldn’t hesitate for a second.
- Is it worth making such sacrifices?
In general, I realized that on set an actress is not a person, but an object for realizing the director’s ideas. The only main thing is that he understands exactly what should be in the frame. I was lucky with the director.
- Then the question naturally arises: does cinematography not appeal to you?
Yes, I dream of playing both dramatic and comedic roles. While no offers have been received, I’m just building up my internal baggage, observing people, noticing some mise-en-scène that life around is so rich in. Children and tramps are especially interesting; they behave so spontaneously, absolutely freely, without any conventions or boundaries. What if you suddenly have to play a tramp?
- And if you were offered to transform into a decrepit old woman, would you agree?
Easily. Do you remember that movie “Monster” where Charlize Theron played? I would try to do something similar. This is a game! The only person I wouldn't like to play is a witch and a murderer. You can’t joke with evil spirits, it all later affects karma.
By the way, about witches. At first we wanted to make a video in the style of the Venetian Middle Ages, all in dark colors, and in the story, the inquisitor shoots a cuckoo girl. But they overplayed it - and the result was a beautiful romantic story. In general, the time of knights and fair ladies is my favorite. We have a Genoese fortress in Sudak, where my friends and I played knights and princesses.
- Naturally, you got the main role.
(Laughs) To be honest, I never felt 100% smart and beautiful. I constantly delve into myself and think: what else could I work on? But at the same time, I accept compliments with pleasure, although I am a little embarrassed.
Well, then I want to give you a compliment: you are not just a beautiful girl, but also a talented singer. I realized this when I watched all your performances on YouTube: duets with Asan Bilyalov on the Narodna Zirka project, in which you won, and castings for Eurovision, and videos...
Thank you very much, it’s flattering to hear these words.
Your fans also edited and posted the biographical film “The Story of a Singer” on the Internet. He talks about how one day the girl Zlata collected a bundle of belongings, said goodbye to her parents and set off to conquer the capital... Then you tell the story.
I was 17, and I realized that I needed to get out into the big world. My parents told me: “Go, daughter, and good luck to you, we certainly won’t help you there.” I came to Kyiv and entered the Gliere Music School. There was a double celebration at home: firstly, I entered, and secondly, on a budget. I always said that if I have to pay for my studies, I will change my profession.
- What else could you do besides music?
Diplomatic activities or psychology. After all, in parallel with the music school, I went to NAU, the Faculty of Psychology. At first I thought that music was good, but maybe I should try something else. In the end, it turned out that psychology sucks energy and salvation out of me only in creativity. When I ended up in the Gliere hostel, in the “musical madhouse,” as it was called, I met like-minded people there, just like me, obsessed with music, and I realized that I was at ease. I studied for five hours in the studio, fortunately it was in the hostel, and I listened to so much music! This stuff still feeds me to this day.
Classes for five hours in the studio, raising the educational level... It’s somehow bland. But what about the delights of a wild student life?
Of course, we fooled around, had parties, organized all sorts of KVN, poured salt into the kettle, broke eggs under the guys’ door, taped off the exit from the room. It was very funny.
- But this is more like pranks in a pioneer camp.
Well, if we talk about adult entertainment, the girls and I went to almost all Kyiv clubs.
-Where did they get the money from?
Well, it’s well known that you can enter every club for free until a certain time.
- And were you treated, obviously, by the guys you met there?
No, what are you talking about! I am generally opposed to all this. I am a self-sufficient and independent girl. My parents brought this up in me, for which I am very grateful to them.
What else did I do as a student? She loved going to museums, theaters, and the “44” club. There were jam sessions every Sunday, in which Kyiv musicians took part. I also went to concerts. I spent all my money on tickets.
- So, I ate spiritual food with appetite.
Yes, and if you spent money not on tickets, then on cosmetics. And food is not the main thing.
- Diet from: more music and cosmetics, less food.
(Laughs) Approximately. Although in fact I lose kilos at concerts. Sometimes it costs up to a kilogram per performance. But, by the way, opera singers lose the most.
- Hmm, looking at the plump tenors with impressive bellies, you can’t tell.
So they then gorge themselves at night! And all this puts pressure on the lungs and diaphragm, resulting in the development of a disease such as bulimia. A striking example is Luciano Pavarotti. He never went anywhere without his cook!
It's not the same for everybody. For example, I don’t eat meat - only fish, seafood, mushrooms. When I lived in the North, I ate too much black caviar. Now I can't look at her.
- Do you often have to?
(Laughs) No, not often. I have a dream: when I earn enough, I will send my parents on a cruise. My mother dreams of visiting Paris and Italy.
- You will definitely earn money. Is it true that you are planning to leave for Europe?
I was going to. When I came to the studio, I sang voice songs, jazz, blues, and they said to me: “Listen, who needs this? Let’s make three chords, two strings and let’s go work on corporate events.” I was so scared by this prospect that I decided to go to Europe to prepare to get into some kind of musical. After all, there are many of our guys in Europe and on Broadway. Finding a job there is not a problem if you know the language, are hardworking and talented.
- They say that blues is when a good person is sad, and pop music is when a bad person is happy...
Well, if it’s pop like Aguilera and Jackson, then that’s cool. But if there are three notes and “umts-tsmts-umts”, then it’s terrible.
- So you want to say that your career can develop both in Ukraine and in Europe.
I would like to. Moreover, I received the approval of our European colleagues, especially when I performed the song Japan.
- Did you write this song when there was an earthquake in Japan?
You can’t stand by when something like this happens: here everything is fine, but there people are in grief, families are dying. This song became a musical and social action, to which other artists and the symphony orchestra responded. There is a website on the Internet where musicians from around the world post their tracks, they can be downloaded, and all proceeds go to help Japan.
- Zlata, apparently, you are a caring person?
I perceive trouble - be it with people or animals - with bare nerves.
- Surely, as a child, she picked up cats and dogs and brought them into the house to the delight of her mother?
(Laughs) Snails. I can imagine what it looked like: a whole colony of slugs spreading throughout the house. Poor mother, how she endured it! Well, dogs and cats are sacred! For as long as I can remember, we fed them.
I am sure that you enjoyed increased attention from the guys. Have you ever had situations where you accepted advances only out of pity?
This only happened once, and I hope it was the first and last time. I became nervous, irritable and suddenly decided to end this relationship. One conversation - and you understand that you are free, that the sun is shining again! Now my heart is free.
- Do you like this state or do you live in anticipation of meeting true love?
I love freedom, but this does not prevent me from being in a certain premonition. Because the more I want something, the harder it will be for me. This has already been tested more than once. So I rely on fate.
Tatiana Vityaz
Zlata Ognevich- Ukrainian singer, show business figure. Zlata Ognevich rose to fame when she was chosen to represent Ukraine at the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest. Zlata Ognevich is an Honored Artist of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. As is customary in Ukraine, there was Zlata Ognevich and a deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine of the VIII convocation, and from the Radical Party of Oleg Lyashko.
Zlata Ognevich
Full name - Bordyug Inna Leonidovna
Date of birth January 12, 1986
Place of birth Murmansk, RSFSR, USSR
Country Ukraine
Profession singer
Singing voice: lyric-dramatic soprano
Genres pop music
Future Zlata Ognevich(and at that time - “just” Inna Leonidovna Bordyug - was born in Murmansk in the family of a military surgeon and teacher (teacher of Russian language and literature). Family Zlaty Ognevich lived in St. Petersburg and Minsk. Inna began studying music in the Crimea, in Sudak, where she moved with her family at the age of 5. Becoming Zlata Ognevich already as a professional singer took place in Kyiv, where the girl became a graduate of the Kyiv Institute of Music. Glier with a specialization in Jazz Vocals.
Zlata Ognevich is a soloist of the State Song and Dance Ensemble of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and also sang in a Latin band.
In 2010 Zlata Ognevich became a finalist in the national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 from Ukraine, but did not win. In 2011, she took part in the Eurovision 2011 selection, but also did not win.
In 2011 at the Crimea Music Fest competition Zlata Ognevich took first place and also received a press prize.
In 2012 Zlata Ognevich became the face of an advertising campaign for Crimean resorts.
In 2013 Zlata Ognevich represented Ukraine at the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmo with the song “Gravity”, where she took 3rd place.
November 30, 2013 Zlata Ognevich Together with Timur Miroshnichenko she was the host of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2013.
In 2013, she became a coach of the Donetsk choir in the television program “Battle of the Choirs” (Russian: Battle of the Choirs), in which her choir took 2nd place.
In September 2014 Zlata Ognevich became a candidate for people's deputies of Ukraine from the Radical Party.
Family of Zlata Ognevich
Father: Leonid Bordyug, military surgeon.
Mother-Galina Vasilievna Bordyug, teacher of Russian language and literature. Has a younger sister Julia
Participation of Zlata Ognevich in Eurovision - 2013
After the victory Zlaty Ognevich In the national selection of the Eurovision Song Contest 2013, information was provided that the song Gravity could be changed (the tempo could be accelerated, verses could be added).
Zlata Ognevich took 3rd place, scoring 214 points.
She openly spoke about her personal life, how it influences her work - how she quarreled with a guy and lost her voice, how she fell in love with a nationalist and left politics, that she does not want children and is not ready to sacrifice her career for the sake of her family, and also revealed the secrets of her slimness and beauty
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I was born in Murmansk, where my father served as a doctor on a nuclear submarine. For the first five years, my parents and I moved from city to city at my father’s place of service, lived for some time in St. Petersburg, and then settled in Crimea.
My mother insisted on moving to warmer climes. I was often sick: either a sore throat or a runny nose with blood, constantly on antibiotics and IVs, from one hospital to another. My mother is a nurse by first education, and she decided that the northern climate was not suitable for me. In addition, she herself dreamed of living by the sea. With her characteristic diplomacy and feminine gentleness, my mother won my father over to her side, persuaded him to become a civilian and move to Crimea.
My dad is a surgeon and generally a wonderful person. He was born and raised in the city of Alexandria, Kirovograd region. There is a small rural area within the city limits, where my father’s family and their farm lived – cows, hens, chickens. I also herded goats when I visited my grandmother in the summer.
So, dad graduated from school in his province and went to enroll. And not just anywhere, but to Leningrad, to the Kirov Military Medical Academy, to the Faculty of Training of Navy Physicians! You could get there either by calling from above or with perfect knowledge. Dad, naturally, didn’t have any cronyism, but he passed the entrance exams with flying colors and was accepted. For a whole year he was modest, hid from his family exactly where he was studying, and in the summer he came to his parents in military uniform. Surprise!
I herded goats when I visited my grandmother in the summer
Mom still has photographs of dad from the times when he served in the navy. So handsome, a real sailor!
He told me how once there was an emergency on a submarine. At first, the crew believed that this was a drill: they began to batten down the hatches and reduce the pressure. But when only emergency lighting remained and there was deathly silence for about five minutes, it became clear that everything was for real. He remembered this moment for the rest of his life.
Dad is a doctor from God, very attentive, although strict with his patients. In Sudak, he worked in the city hospital and became a celebrity. People often called out to me: “Oh, you are the daughter of that wonderful doctor! Tell him that everything is fine, the leg is healed, thank you!” I felt embarrassed. I didn’t yet understand that dad was doing a great job, saving lives.
My parents treated me like a little princess: they cared for me, cherished me, blew away specks of dust, forgave my whims and pranks. And I loved to play pranks. I drew on the sheets with a pen, dug out rosettes from the walls, tore off the wallpaper, removed shavings from lacquered furniture - I loved the way it went. She chewed the heels of her mother's shoes. When we lived in Pinsk, Belarus, my mother headed the local House of Culture and hosted KVN. She is generally a very artistic, musical person; I inherited my vocal abilities from her. So, my mother had several outfits for the stage and the only concert shoes, the heels of which I hopelessly ruined.
I love designing clothes and altering ready-made ones
For some reason I didn’t like the new blanket that my parents got for the occasion - a beautiful woolen one. While mom and dad were at work, I cut it into diamonds and circles. In general, I liked “cutting” - for example, cutting out patterns along the edges of clothes.
Now I love not only modeling clothes, but also altering ready-made ones: rearranging pockets, sewing appliqué, changing the length of a product. I model most of my concert and everyday costumes myself, and the dressmaker sews them according to my sketches. But then, as a child, this passion for design brought nothing but trouble.
Were you punished?
Mom believed that punishment would achieve little; you should talk to the child seriously, like an adult. As I already said, by her first education, my mother was a nurse, and by her second, she was a teacher, a teacher of Russian language and literature, and her methods of education were pedagogical. Dad, a military man, tried to resolve conflicts like an army: keep quiet, keep it up! But mom found words for him: “Lenechka, you’re not on training, you’re at home, here you don’t have subordinates, but a child.”
Once in St. Petersburg, I ran away from my dad as soon as he turned away for a second to buy cigarettes at a kiosk. I found my way to the house on my own. Dad rushed around the entire neighborhood, asking passers-by in a trembling voice: “Have you seen a girl with two pigtails and a striped hat?” He returns home - and I play in the sandbox.
In Sudak, at first they didn’t let me go out at all: the city was unfamiliar, I was a small child. I met the children in the yard right from the balcony. And they made friends from there, and they quarreled - they threw sandals at each other.
I was terribly cruel to my parents. Mom could hardly hold back her tears
I always felt that my parents took great care of me. Subconsciously she understood that there was a reason for manipulation, and she behaved terribly cruelly. She often shouted: “I’ll leave you!” or “I’ll die and they’ll bury me!” Mom could hardly hold back her tears and asked me not to say that.
Once, after another such incident, my grandmother took me aside and explained why I shouldn’t upset my mother. That’s how I found out that before I was born, my parents had another child – my older brother. At the age of six, he drowned right in front of his parents. This terrible tragedy runs like a black thread through our family history.
Such events test a family's strength. Mom and Dad got through it, stayed together, did not separate, and after a while I was born.
Of course, they took great care of me. God forbid there is a draft or some other “danger”! I received scarce clothes and the most delicious food. But all this ended with the move to Crimea: the difficult 90s began. I remember very well how we sat in the evenings in the dark, by candlelight, and I played the piano blindly. By the way, it’s an interesting feeling; your fingers remember the melody better by touch. I also remember that my mother fried pancakes, greased them with butter and sprinkled them with sugar. This is still one of my favorite treats.
When did your passion for music begin?
At first it was more of my mother's hobby. She loved to sing since childhood, but one day she lost her voice and was unable to develop her gift. But for some reason her grandmother didn’t send her to music school - either there was no money or time, I don’t know. Therefore, when it became clear that I had good hearing and voice, my mother began to realize in me her failed childhood dream of becoming an artist. She enrolled me in a music school to study piano, I made some progress, even composed small plays myself, and won the Grand Prix at a city performing arts competition. The jury advised sending me to piano competitions. But I didn’t want to enter any competitions - I studied only because of my mother. It was especially difficult in my senior year: all my girlfriends were already hanging out with the boys, and I was learning Rachmaninoff at home. I wanted to chop the piano with an ax and blow up the school. But now I’m grateful to my mother for holding me back and insisting. Mastering an instrument helps a lot in a singer’s career.
my mother began to make me realize her failed dream of becoming an artist
Vocals are a completely different matter. I started singing on stage at the age of nine, having tried myself at a New Year's party in the role of the Snow Maiden. My mother then worked at a leisure center for the elderly and often called me to help and make the elderly happy. Then I performed at some other festivals on a regional and city scale.
At first, my mother had to push and stimulate me here too. I hated that moment before a performance, when you stand backstage, waiting for your entrance - and your mouth dries out from excitement, your stomach cramps, your legs give way, you tremble all over. But after a while I overcame myself and learned to pull myself together. Fear and nervous trembling were replaced by courage, and that’s when I began to enjoy performing. Every artist knows this incomparable feeling of goosebumps, the happiness that overwhelms you as soon as you go on stage.
Now I wanted to perform as well as possible. And my mother helped - she selected songs, altered her old concert dresses for me, and taught me to move beautifully. Instead of a microphone, I picked up a hair brush or a can of hairspray and sang in front of my mother - and she was my critic and spectator.
My dad took my mom and me to local Crimean competitions in his Moskvich, and we went to all-Ukrainian competitions by train. Sometimes my mother had to take things to a pawn shop to pay for trips to competitions or costumes for performances.
I remember well the “Kril of Ukraine” competition, which took place in Vinnitsa. Groups and performers from all over the country, both adults and children, gathered there. There were stars of the Chervona Ruta festival and even Bogdan Titomir. My mother’s friend, who worked in the city department of culture, brought me there. She wrote lyrics for my songs.