Alsou
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Alsou Ralifovna Abramova (Tatar: Alsu Rälif qızı Abramova, Russian: Алсу́ Рали́фовна Абрамова), better known as just Alsou (Russian: Алсу́, born on June 27, 1983) is a popular Tatar-Russian singer.
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[edit] Early life
Alsou was born in Bögelmä, Tatarstan, USSR. Her father, Ralif Rafilovich Safin is a former Russian oligarch and a member of the Federal Council, the upper chamber of the Russian parliament. He is also the owner of the Sochi football team Zhemchuzhina and was named the 100th richest Russian by Forbes Magazine in 2004. Alsou's mother, Razia Iskhakovna, is an architect and she also has two brothers, Renard and Marat. When Alsou was 1 year old her family moved to Siberia. At 5 years old, Alsou asked her parents for a piano, and was subsequently allowed to attend music school to learn it. By 10, having moved first to Moscow when her father started to expand his business, she moved New York City to attend school.
[edit] Life and career
She was introduced to a music manager Valeriy Belotserkovskiy at the age of 15. She sang I will always love you and amazed the manager. He started to work with her next day. After the huge success of Alsou's debut self-titled Russian album she was signed to Universal Music Russia and became its first domestic artist. In 2000, Alsou recorded her first English language single Solo and was promptly entered into the Eurovision Song Contest 2000, eventually coming second overall. The song she sang went on to sell 100,000 copies and became the biggest selling single of all time in her home country, surpassed only by Alsou`s next single, a duet with Enrique Iglesias You're my No.1 `I really enjoyed performing with him in the Kremlin and I hope our paths will cross again`. She performed Solo again at "Congratulations", the 50th anniversary Eurovision concert in Copenhagen, Denmark, in October 2005.
After her success in Eurovision 2000 Alsou had a big tour in Russia. She celebrated her 17th birthday by performing in her native Bugulma, where 85,000 of the 120,000 population gathered in the main square to see her.
During 2000-2001 Alsou was working on her debut English album 'Alsou', which was released in Russia and CIS countries, Germany, Norway, Poland, Checz Republic and Malaysia. Unfortunately her first brillant UK pop-single, "Before You Love Me", which was # 1 on MTV UK, reached a disappointing # 27, and due to the promotional problems the album was cancelled in UK.
Before Alsou became 19, she was awarded: National singer of Tatarstan Republic, Honourable citizen of Bugulma town, Best selling russian artist ("World Music Awards-2001"), Best russian singer ("MTV Europe Music Awards-2001"), Best single of 2000 (National russian "Record" award for "You're My №1").
Summer 2002 Alsou was perfecting her vocal skill during the new concert tour through the CIS countries. Her new video for "Letyashchaya Nad Oblakami" ("Flying Over The Clouds") was shown in Russian cinemas before Russian love story "Atlantida", because Alsou has recorded two songs for the movie. In August the studio sessions began, and Alsou was preparing her concerts in Moscow at the same time as well. The "Trilogy" project was called by the newspapers "the important social and cultural event". The uniqueness of "Trilogy" is: no one singer in the world has given three completely different performances during only 10 days. The first show was held in concert hall "Rossija", where Alsou performed her old program "Alsou And Her Authors", which was never presented in Moscow before. The second one was an exclusive orchestra concert in Tchaikovsky Hall, where there are only 1500 places (the VIP's enjoyed "Ave Maria" by Alsou!). And the third one was a euro-pop show called "Solo", it was held in "Olimpiyskiy" Sport Complex and contained new Russian and English songs, with phantasmagoric moving decorations, huge monitors, great special effects, live sound, fantastic dancing and singing. After the third show Alsou shooted a video for the song "Vchera" ("Yesterday"), and in January 2003 released her new Russian album called "19". The CD was greatly appreciated by critics, and to April 2003 the sales have reached 500 thousand legal copies. Alsou's diligence couldn't be left without attention, and she was nominated to First National Music Award "Muz-TV". June 5th, 2003, having arrived in Moscow after the work in foreign studios, Alsou unexpectedly for herself became the winner in "Best Female Artist" nomination. The voting was held all over Russia, and Alsou couldn't stop the tears of joy. In July, 2003 the video for "Perviy Raz" ("First Time") was premiered.
Almost for four years Alsou was working on her second English album "Inspired". It was recorded in London and Los-Angeles. The first single, "Always On My Mind" was written by Alsou and Morten Schjolin. The video was shot in May 2004 by well-known director Joseph Kahn. In the beginning of 2005 she song was premiered on Capital FM and became the best forthcomiong single of the week. However, despite UK promotion, sexy video and touring with Westlife, the commencial single was cancelled by Alsou's UK label, Mercury, though the physical copies were avaible for short time. Alsou's second English album "Inspired" remains unreleased.
Alsou is credited on 90 % tracks recorded for "Inspired". The work was supervised by the famous producers, for example Rhett Lawrence (Madonna, Michael Jackson) and Bass Bros. (Eminem). The album features a cover-version of Lionel Richie's "Hello". It should also include a collaboration with a rapstar Nelly "I Wish I Didn't Know". The album is more guitar flavored than Alsou's previous works. It includes the smash catchy pop-hits, R'n'B, beautiful ballads and songs with more rocky sound. Firstly it was intended to record the album containing mostly ballads, but then the album's direction has changed.
June 2004 Alsou was shooting in British mystical thriller Spirit Trap with Billie Piper, Luke Mably, Emma Catherwood and Sam Troughton.[1] The film was premiered in August, 2005. Alsou's self written powerful ballad "Teardrops" sounds in credits. The film got poor reviews and small box-office, though it was soon released on DVD.
The last known recorded English track of Alsou is a wedding song "Miracles" written by Alsou and her then-future husband Yan and released on a limited single for the guests. She has also collaborated with jazz musician George Benson in Los Angeles recently (Autumn 2006). Alsou's third Russian album is planned for Spring 2007, though it was finished in Autumn 2006. Currently she started promoting her new single "Samoe Glavnoe" ("The Main Thing")in Russia, the video for which was shot when she was pregnant though it is not shown.
[edit] Personal life
Alsou is now one of a few Russian artists who are known in other parts of the world. She is also well known in Germany, France, USA, Canada, Australia as well as Ukraine and other former Soviet Union republics. She is often featured in Russian magazines, and often in other European magazines.
On March 18, 2006 Alsou married Yan Abramov, a millionaire, who comes from an Azerbaijani Jewish family. Yan allegedly proposed to her with a fireworks display. On September 7, 2006 Alsou gave birth to a 7-pound daughter Safina at the famous Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. The name for the girl was chosen by Yan and it is spelled the same as Alsou's maiden last name, with the accent falling on the second syllable making the only pronunciation difference (Alsou's maiden last name is pronounced with the accent falling on the first syllable.) It is said to be an ancient Arabic name, which means 'a ship'.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Singles
All singles were performed in English.
- "Solo" (2000, best selling Russian single of all time)
- "You Are My №1" (2000, featuring Enrique Iglesias, platimun awarded, best selling Russian single of all time, beating Alsou's previous single)
- "Before You Love Me" (2001, released in UK, Germany and Australia, charting # 27 in UK)
- "He Loves Me" (2001)
- "Run Right Out Of Time" (2002, a 1-track single with Gala magazine, Russian edition)
- "Always on My Mind" (2004)
- "I Wish I Didn't Know" (2005, featuring Nelly, an unreleased single which has leaked to internet)
[edit] Albums
- Alsou (Russian: Алсу́, 2000, in Russian)
- Alsou (2001, in English, released in CIS countries, Poland, Germany, Norway, Malaysia)
- Mne prisnilas' osen' (Russian: Мне́ присни́лась о́сень, 2002, in Russian)
- 19 (2003, in Russian and Tatarian)
- Inspired (2007, in English, remains unreleased)
- TBA (2007, third Russian album)
[edit] Other collaborations
- Livin' On A Prayer (2003, a duet with Bon Jovi recorded for Russian edition of This Left Feels Right and released to Russian radiostations, but then cancelled)
- How High The Moon (2005, a guest appearance among Sting, Richie Sambora and Joss Stone released worldwide on Les Paul's album American Made World Played
[edit] References
- ^ IMDb film page Spirit Trap (2005)
[edit] See also
- Sogdiana (singer)
