VIA Gra, known outside of Ukraine and other nearby countries as Nu Virgos, is a Russian/Ukrainian girl group. The name VIA Gra is a triple wordplay; it is an allusion to the drug Viagra, the first three letters "ВИА" ("VIA") also stand for "vocal-instrumental ensemble" in Ukrainian, and "Гра" ("hra") means "game" or "play" in Ukrainian, and is also a kind of signature of the surnames of the two first girls of the group, VI-nnytsk-A and GR-anovsk-A, the originally used maiden name of Nadia Meiher. Nu Virgos rose to prominence when they hit the charts in the countries of CIS in September 2000, with their debut single "Popytka No. 5". Their first success outside the Russian language area was in May 2004, with the single "Stop! Stop! Stop!", an English version of their 2002 Russian song. The group is known for their frequent lineup changes, with 13 different individuals having at one time been in the group. The group was co-created by Dmitriy Kostyuk and Konstantin Meladze. Kostyuk is the manager of the group and the co-producer of the group's albums. Meladze is the writer of the group's songs and the co-producer of the group's albums.
Russian rock music originated in the Soviet Union in the 1960s based on the influence of Western rock music and bard songs, and was developed by both amateur bands and official VIA.
Mashina Vremeni is a Russian rock band founded in 1969. Mashina Vremeni was a pioneer of Soviet rock music and remains one of the oldest still-active rock bands in Russia. The band's music incorporates elements of classic rock, blues, and bard's song. Mashina Vremeni's best known members are Andrey Makarevich, Alexander Kutikov, and Evgeny Margulis (guitarist/songwriter).
Blestyashchiye is one of the first all-girl singing groups in Russia.
Inter is a Ukrainian television channel. It covers 99.7 percent of Ukraine's territory. According to Kyiv Post it is among the most-watched television channels in Ukraine.
Serebro is a Russian girl group formed by their manager and producer Maxim Fadeev. Serebro was formed in 2007, consisting of Marina Lizorkina, Olga Seryabkina, and Elena Temnikova as a submitted proposal for consideration by Channel One Russia for the Eurovision Song Contest 2007. Serebro was selected to represent Russia at the 2007 Contest with the song titled "Song #1". They subsequently placed third at the contest, scoring a total of 207 points. Serebro was then officially signed to Fadeev's record label Monolit Records, and in 2012, the group had additional releases produced by Sony Music Entertainment and Ego Music. In 2009, Lizorkina announced her departure from the group; she was subsequently replaced by Anastasia Karpova. Karpova left the group in 2013 and was replaced by Dasha Shashina, who left in 2016. Temnikova left the group in 2014 for health reasons, and Polina Favorskaya, who replaced Temnikova, left the group in 2017. Favorskaya was later replaced by Morgunova. In 2019, the line-up Olga Seryabkina, Katya Kischuk, and Tatiana Morgunova, the last one to include the last original member, has been replaced by Elizaveta Kornilova, Marianna Kochurova and Irina Titova.
Daria Dasha" Viktorivna Astafieva is a Ukrainian model, singer, and actress. Formerly of the Ukrainian pop duo NikitA, Dasha Astafieva was the 2007 Playmate of the Year for Ukrainian Playboy and the 55th Anniversary Playmate for American Playboy.
Anastasia Kostyantynivna Prikhodko is a Ukrainian activist, politician and former singer-songwriter. Known for her deep contralto singing voice and blend of folk rock and pop music, Prikhodko announced that she would be ending her music career in order to enter politics in October 2018. Prikhodko had previously made herself a major figure during Euromaidan and the 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine, expressing support for Ukrainian forces and vowing to never perform in Russia again.
Fabryka Zirok, is a Ukrainian televised talent show, which began in 2007 that features a group of young male and female candidates, aged 16 or older, across the country.
Vintage is a Russian pop group formed in 2006 by the singer Anna Pletnyova and musician Alexey Romanov.
Stigmata is a Russian metal band formed in Saint Petersburg in 2003. By 2023, the band has released 6 studio albums, 1 EP, 1 compilation album and two live DVDs.
Oleksandra Yevhenivna Nazarova is a Ukrainian retired ice dancer. With her skating partner, Maksym Nikitin, she is the 2015 World Junior bronze medalist and 2012 Youth Olympic silver medalist. On the senior level, they are the 2017 Winter Universiade champions, 2014 CS Warsaw Cup silver medalists, 2016 Cup of Nice bronze medalists, six-time Ukrainian national champions. Nazorova/Nikitin have represented Ukraine at the 2018 and 2022 Winter Olympics.
Maksym Kostiantynovych Nikitin is a Ukrainian retired ice dancer. With his skating partner, Oleksandra Nazarova, he is the 2015 World Junior bronze medalist and 2012 Youth Olympic silver medalist. On the senior level, they are the 2017 Winter Universiade champions, 2014 CS Warsaw Cup silver medalists, 2016 Cup of Nice bronze medalists, and six-time Ukrainian national champions. Nazorova/Nikitin have represented Ukraine at the 2018 and 2022 Winter Olympics.
Quest Pistols Show are a Ukrainian pop-rock band formed in 2007, originally consisting of Anton Savlepov, Nikita Goruk, and Konstantin 'Kostya' Borovsky. In 2012 Kostya left the band and was replaced by Daniel Joy. The band began as a group of dancers in a show called "Quest Ballet". On April 1, 2007 they took part as singers during the show "Chance" as an April Fools prank with the song "Я устал" and received over 60,000 positive votes. After their success, the group decided to become a band. Since their formation, the band has released the studio albums: Dlja tebja, in 2007 and Superklass in 2009; and one EP "Волшебные краски + ROCK’N'ROLL и кружева" in 2008, and now the single 'Forget Everything' in 2013. This song marks the start of 'a new stage' of the band, completely different from the usual image. The press team commented; 'With this release, they start the next level in their musical career, it's changed not only the style of sound, but the pitch, perception, positioning, and also the choice of material.' Most recently, the band released 'Shards of Ice', which takes the band in a more electronic and synthpop direction.
The Hardkiss is a Ukrainian rock band formed in 2011, consisting of Julia Sanina (vocals), Valeriy Bebko (guitar), Klym Lysiuk (bass), and Yevhen Kibeliev (drums). They participated in the Ukrainian national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with the song "Helpless", placing second in the final. To date, the Hardkiss has released four studio albums, one EP, one live album, and numerous singles.
Maryna Olehivna Asauliuk is a fashion designer, stylist and art director. She is married with two children.
Yuliia Oleksandrivna Bebko, professionally known as Julia Sanina, is a Ukrainian singer and the front woman of the Ukrainian alternative rock band The Hardkiss.
Kazka is a Ukrainian band that performs pop with elements of electro-folk. Since its creation in 2017, vocalist Oleksandra Zaritska, sopilka player Dmytro Mazuriak and multi-instrumentalist Nikita Budash have become a "breakthrough of the year".
Aina Zinovievna Vilberh is a Ukrainian singer, songwriter, vocal teacher and actress.
