Ruslana Ukrainian singer Date of Birth: 24.05.1974 Country: Ukraine

1. Biography of Ruslana
2. Career Beginnings
3. Success in Europe
4. Participation in Eurovision
5. Later Career
6. Personal Life

Biography of Ruslana

Ruslana Lyzhychko, widely known as Ruslana, was born on May 24, 1973, in Lviv, Ukraine. Her mother, Nina Arkadyevna Lyzhychko, worked as a media manager, and her father, Stepan Ihorovych Lyzhychko, was a technician and later started his own business. Ruslana has a sister named Anna. She developed an interest in music from a young age and attended music school, where she sang in various groups, including "Horizont," "Orion," and the children's ensemble "Ulybka." She completed her education at the 52nd school in Lviv and graduated from the Lviv Conservatory in 1995 as a conductor and pianist.

Career Beginnings

Ruslana launched her career as the winner of the "Slavianski Bazaar" festival in 1996. That same year, she was nominated for the Singer of the Year award in Ukraine, and her music video for the song "Dzvinky Viter" was nominated for Best Video. During this time, she became managed and songwritten by Alexander Ksenofontov, whom she married on December 28, 1995. In 1997, Ruslana started working on the project "Christmas with Ruslana," the first Christmas TV program from Lviv. Her debut album, "Zvonkyi Viter," was released in 1998 and received positive reviews from critics. The song "Svitatok" won the "Golden Firebird 98" award for Best Song of the Year.

Success in Europe

Ruslana's father was from Western Ukraine, where his ancestors were Hutsuls. Ruslana decided to incorporate Hutsul motifs into her arrangements, including the sounds of the trembita and other traditional instruments, along with modern dance beats. In 2003, she released the album "Dyki Tantsi," which became the first album in Ukraine to achieve quintuple platinum status with a total circulation of 500,000 copies. An English version of the album, titled "Wild Dances," was released in many European countries. Ruslana received an award for Best Foreign Album in Romania in 2004 and was nominated for a similar award in Hungary but lost to Lordi.

Participation in Eurovision

In 2004, Ruslana represented Ukraine in the Eurovision Song Contest with her song "Wild Dances" held in Istanbul. She placed 2nd in the semifinals and won first place in the final on May 16, 2004, with a total of 280 points. She received points from all countries except Switzerland. Ruslana's participation in the competition was supported by oligarch Viktor Pinchuk and his wife, Elena Franchuk, the daughter of the second President of Ukraine, Leonid Kuchma. As the winner of the previous Eurovision, Ruslana opened the 2005 contest with the song "Heart on Fire" and also performed the song "The Same Star" as a guest.

Later Career

In 2006, the song "Wild Dances" was recognized by German television as the Best Eurovision Song. Ruslana opened the national selection for Eurovision in Azerbaijan in 2008, as they participated in the competition for the first time. She also released the album "Amazonka" that year. In May 2011, Ruslana joined the Ukrainian music show project "Holos Krainy" (The Voice of the Country) as a star coach. She selected 14 professional vocalists for her team, along with other coaches Diana Arbenina, Stas Piekha, and Alexander Ponomarev. The show's unique feature was the blind auditions, where coaches listened to the contestants without seeing them.

Personal Life

On December 28, 1995, Ruslana married Ukrainian music producer Alexander Ksenofontov, who also served as her manager and co-writer for her music and lyrics.