Валерия
Stage Name: Valeriya
Real Name: Valeria (Alla) Perfilova. Born on April 17,1968. In Atkarsk, Russian SFSR, USSR
She has sold millions of albums, regularly sells out stadiums and arenas and boasts in Russia the similar stardom status as the likes of Madonna and Celine Dion in the World.
Revealed in the August issue of Forbes magazine, in the list of the 50 best paid Russian celebrity actors, athletes, authors and musicians, Valeriya was ranked 9th.
Valeriya has recorded 8 top-selling albums and has shot 30 videos. Her next album features collaborations with a number of European and US writers and producers including Robin Gibb, David Richards (Queen, David Bowie), Martin Kierszenbaum (Sting, DJ Shadow), Dylan Burns (BodyRockers), Simon Gogerly (U2, New Order, Gwen Stefani) and Sergey Galoyan (Jennifer Lopez, t.a.T.u., Prodigy)
Valeriya was the first Russian artist to team with top professionals in the music business to record and release her debut album in English. Recordings of The Taiga Symphony (1992), written by Vitaliy Bondarchuk and Richard Nyles, took place at the studios in London, Munich and Moscow and attracted musicians from Pink Floyd, Dire Straits, Pet Shop Boys, and Pavel Kogan's Moscow State Symphony Orchestra.
2001 marked a turning point in Valeriya's life. In a move reminiscent of the life of Tina Turner, whilst at the peak of her fame, Valeriya turned her back on music. After years of mental and physical abuse at the hands of her then manager and husband (and father of her 3 children) she very publicly quit show business. Since then and until now Valeriya's name has never left the headlines of Russian press. Her private life has been in the full glare of publicity. Rejecting all business offers from major Russian record-labels and managers, Valeriya together with her three children left for her native Atkarsk and for more than a year, Valeriya lived a very low-key life, totally devoted to bringing up her children. Much to the country’s dismay, it started to look as though Valeriya would keep her promise to never come back.
But destiny took a different turn. Two years later, top Russian music manager Joseph Prigozhin, the president of "NOX MUSIC", arrived in Atkarsk and offered Valeriya an offer of a recording contract. The whole country watched the as their professional and then romantic relationship blossomed. With Joseph by her side, Valeriya found the courage to make music again, catapulting her to super-stardom status.
Valeriya’s comeback was spectacular and successful. Accolades and awards followed in quick succession – her first comeback single went to no1 and stayed there for 15 weeks, and her trophy cabinet soon bulged with silverware – ‘radio hit of the year’, ‘gold gramophone award’ ‘best female act’ at the MTV Awards and Muz-TV awards, ‘most beautiful Russian singer’ from huge-selling 7 Days magazine…… and the list goes on, crowned by the ‘Order for the Revival of Russia Award’ (akin to an OBE)
The new peak in Valeriya's spectacular career was when her single "Chasicki" ("Clocks") stayed at the top of the charts for a mind-blowing 15 weeks. She won the People's Choice "The Gold Gramophone" award and won the Russian Sound Recording Industry for "Radio Hit of the Year".
Valeriya had become an iconic figure in Russia – a symbol and role-model for women in the New Russia. This is something keenly recognised by businesses in Russia – resulting in sponsorships and endorsements from numerous consumer and beauty products.
Valeriya has just produced her first fragrance "De Lery", and in 2006 she fulfilled another dream when she became a jewellery designer. One of Russia’s greatest jewellery companies “Smolensk Diamonds” produced the “de Leri Jewelry Collection” ,from Valeriya’s sketches.
She has a good relationship with John Galiano who has designed a number of her dresses and recently met John Paul Gaultier in Paris to talk about further designs. She also has written a best-selling autobiography that tells the extraordinary story of her life.
And that’s not all - her husband Joseph already established as the Russian Harvey Goldsmith, is now moving into Simon Cowell territory as lead judge on the Russian X Factor. Valeriya often joins the judging panel, a worthy judge in that she has performed over 2000 performances in the last three years!
Valeriya also finds time to support a number of charities, from HIV awareness to anti people-trafficking (she has been appointed an ambassador for the International Organisation of Migration).
Valeriya’s sheer will and determination matched with her unbelievable talent and beauty has allowed her to rise to the top of the Russian music and entertainment industry.
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