Alla Pugacheva

File:Allapugacheva.jpg

Alla on the Star Factory television show, 2004

Alla Borisovna Pugachyova (А́лла Бори́совна Пугачёва), pronounced "Pougachova" and commonly anglicized as Pugacheva, born April 15 1949 in Moscow, Russia, is perhaps the best known musical performer in Russia, her career having started in 1965 and continuing to this day.

Although hugely popular in Russia and other former Soviet republics among older generations, she is also widely disliked by many, not least for the amount of airtime given to her by the Federal channels and the continual gossip about her life in popular tabloids. For many she epitomizes the stale, repetitive, state-endorsed pop-culture fed to the population through the media.

Nonetheless, her contribution to Russian music cannot be ignored. She is certainly the most successful Soviet and Russian performer in terms of record sales and popularity (* see notes about record sales below). Pugacheva is also the winner of numerous Soviet, Russian, and European awards for vocals. Her earlier compositions feature incredibly artistic melodies with sophisticated arrangements, witty lyrics, and almost theatrical vocals. By the 1990s, however, Pugacheva's records have become more mainstream. In any case, her earlier performance is often regarded with high respect even from such eccentric non-conformist artists as Sergei Shnurov from Leningrad.

Pugacheva is also credited (and blamed too) for helping many young and unknown artists to rise to fame. Although most of them have become pop stars of often dubious talents, some of them later became such rock legends as Vyacheslav Butusov of Nautilus Pompilius.

Professional biography

Pugacheva was born to mother Zinaida Arkhipovna Odegova and father Boris Mikhailovich Pugachev in Moscow. At the age of 5, she participated in a concert held in the Kolonnyj Zal Doma Soyuzov (Pillar Hall of Palace of Unions) hall, the most prestigious hall in Russia. In 1956 she entered the №31 music school, attached to the Ippolitova-Ivanova music college. She went on to study in the №496 school, finishing her studies there in 1964. She then studied in the choral-conductor department of the Ipolita-Ivanovna music college, and in 1965 she released her first song, titled "Robot". The song was recorded for the State Radio "Good Morning!" programme and was very well received.

In 1966 she finished college and toured with the group "Yunost" ("Youth") in Western Siberia. The following year she started to work as a piano accompanist in the State Circus-Musical college. She provided the leading vocals to a number of bands, including "New Electron", part of the Lipetsk State Philharmonic Society, in 1966; "Moskvichi" in 1971; Oleg Lundstrem's band in 1972-73; and "Vesyoliye Rebyata" in 1974-75. Throughout the period, she also recorded notable songs for numerous movies, including "King-Deer", "My Dear Boy" and "3-Minute Train Stop". In 1974 she received the 3rd place prize in the 5th All-Union competition of music artists, which was somewhat of a disappointment for her. However, her steep rise to stardom was soon to follow, and in 1975 she received the prestigious Bulgarian "Golden Orpheus" prize for her song "Harlequin". Following her success in Bulgaria, Alla released a record called "Alla Pugacheva Singing" in that country.

In 1977-80 she worked with the group "Ritm" and played the leading role in the movie "A Woman That Sings". The film was very popular, reaching out to an audience of 55 million people. In 1978 she also received the "Amber Nightingale" prize at the Sopot International Song Festival in Poland for the song "Kings Can Do Anything" from the movie. From this time, her rivalry with the Ukrainian superstar Sophia Rotaru has been notorious.

A slew of further awards, records, movie roles, and growth of popularity followed, most notably the title of "People's Artist of the USSR", the highest honour that could be bestowed to a musical artist, awarded to her in 1991. While the lesser titles of "Accomplished Artist of the Russian SFSR", and "People's Artist of the Russian SFSR" had been already awarded to her in 1980 and 1985 respectively, the government was hesitant to award the highest honour for a long time. This was mainly because of numerous statements and actions on her part that were inconsistent with the Party's agenda. While never directly opposing the Soviet regime, her outspoken and unrestrained manner of behaviour, such as saying "Cheer up! Ho Chi Minh may be dead, but I'm still alive!", at a concert held on the day of Ho Chi Minh's death, would have constituted grounds for regulatory action. However, because of fears of public retaliation, the government did not risk taking any action, adopting a cautious stance instead.

After the break-up of the Soviet Union, Alla expanded her ventures, launching a magazine called "Alla", "Alla" perfume and the "Alla Pugachova" shoe line. She also received further awards from the government, presented by President Boris Yeltsin, including the "Government Award for Achievement in Literature and Arts" in 1990, and the highest civilian decoration of the Russian Federation ("Service to the Motherland of the 2nd Class Order") in 1999. In 1994, Alla also received a plate with her name on the "Square of Stars" in the city of Yalta in Ukraine. In 1997, she represented Russia at the Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin and finished 15th with the song "Primadonna".

In recent years, Alla has participated in the popular television reality talent show Star Factory, similar to the Pop Idol format, which has spawned series like American Idol.

Personal history

Alla's personal life has been very public due to her image and popularity, and is often discussed in the tabloid press. Her weight and rumours of extramarital relationships have been particularly popular points of discussion in such publications. However, she has maintained a positive attitude, and on numerous occasions shown that she is willing to discuss personal matters openly and laugh at herself.

In 1969 she married circus performer Mykolas Orbakas, and in 1971 she gave birth to daughter Kristina Orbakaite, who is now also a popular singer. She divorced Mykolas after 4 years of marriage in 1973.

Alla then married film director Aleksandr Stefanovich in 1976, and starred in a few of his movies. The union was dissolved in 1980, after drawn-out legal proceedings on the division of property, with Alla's luxurious flat in Patriarshy Ponds, Moscow being the heart of the debate.

In 1985, after years of living together, Alla married producer Yevgeniy Boldin, with whom she had numerous professional collaborations. They filed for divorce in 1993, stating that their professional lives interfered too much with their personal life.

In 1994 she married one of the most popular pop singers in Russia, Filipp Kirkorov, twice her junior and of Bulgarian-Armenian ethnicity. His career is said to have benefited significantly from the marriage. Their divorce was announced in November 2005.

She has also recently befriended popular comedian Maksim Galkin, and the relationship between them has been the source of numerous tabloid rumours, even though there is a 27-year age difference between them, and both sides have repeatedly stated that they are just friends. The two often perform together in large celebrity-studded events, such as New Year's day shows, and have even had a few musical collaborations.

Discography

Albums

• 1976 Alla Pugacheva & Vesyoliye Rebyata [Алла Пугачева и Веселые Ребята] - live / split
• 1978 Mirror of the Soul [Зеркало души] - album #1 (2LP)
• 1979 "Harlequin" And Others ["Арлекино" и другие] - album #2
• 1979 Alla Pugacheva & Iosif Kobzon [Алла Пугачева и Иосиф Кобзон] - split
• 1980 Rise Above the Hustle [Поднимись над суетой] - album #3
• 1980 Disco A [Дискотека А] - instrumental remixes
• 1980 More to Come... [То ли еще будет...] - album #4
• 1981 How Worrysome This Road Is [Как тревожен этот путь] - album #5 (2LP)
• 1982 You Have a Maestro as a Guest [У вас в гостях маэстро] - live / split
• 1982 Planet Parade [Парад планет] - split
• 1983 Ah, How I Want to Live! [Ах, как хочется жить] - album #6
• 1983 Million Roses [Миллион роз] (released in Japan) - compilation
• 1984 Alla Pugacheva - Soviet Superstar (released in Finland) - compilation (2LP)
• 1985 Watch Out! (released in Sweden) - album #7
• 1985 In Stockholm [В Стокгольме] - album #7 (Russian version)
• 1986 ...Happiness in Private Life [Счастья в личной жизни] - album #8
• 1986 I've Come and I'm Talking... [Пришла и говорю] - album #9
• 1987 Him, Her, and the Rain [Он, она, и дождь] - ???
• 1988 Songs Instead Of Letters [Песни вместо писем] - split
• 1989 Ferry Captain [Паромщик] - album #8 (Finland version)
• 1990 Alla [Алла] - album #10
• 1991 Christmas Meetings '91 [Рождественские встречи] - album #11 / split (2LP)
• 1992 Christmas Meetings '92 [Рождественские встречи] - album #12 / split (2LP)
• 1994 I Believe In You [Верю в тебя] - compilation
• 1994 Gentlemen, Don't Hurt Me [Не делайте мне больно, господа] - album #13
• 1995 The Path of a Star [Путь звезды] - compilation
• 1996 A 13 CD compilation of songs previously released only on LP and MC:
  • Over the Sharp Needles of the Bright Flame [По острым иглам яркого огня]
  • Ah, How I Want to Live! [Ах, как хочется жить!]
  • And That's What All My Sadness Is [И в этом вся моя печаль]
  • Only in Movies [Только в кино]
  • That's Tomorrow, But Today... [Это завтра, а сегодня...]
  • Ticket to Yesterday's Show [Билет на вчерашний спектакль]
  • Rendez-vous on the Way [Встречи в пути]
  • On the Road of Expectations [На дороге ожиданий]
  • Ponderings by the Fireplace [Размышления у камина]
  • That Happened One Time [Это было однажды]
  • Lady From the Countryside Outpost [Барышня с Крестьянской заставы]
  • Alla Pugacheva in Stockholm [Алла Пугачева в Стокгольме]
  • Songs for the Encore [Песни на бис]
• 1996 Alla Pugacheva Sings [Поет Алла Пугачева] (songs by Aleksandr Zazepin) - compilation
• 1997 Two Stars [Две звезды] (with Vladimir Kuzmin) - compilation / split
• 1998 Yes! [Да!] - album #14
• 1998 Surprise from Alla Pugacheva [Сюрприз от Аллы Пугачевой] - tribute
• 2001 River Tram [Речной трамвайчик] - album #15
• 2002 Was There a Boy? [А был ли мальчик?] - album #16 / split
• 2003 Live Peacefully, Country! [Живи спокойно, страна!] - album #17

Singles [only CD singles]

• 1997 Primadonna [Примадонна]
• 2000 White Snow [Белый снег]
• 2000 Madam Broshkina [Мадам Брошкина]
• 2002 This Is Love [Это любовь]

There are also many SP/EP singles published in Russia and all over the world.

Notes

• * Encyclopædia Britannica repeats a claim on its features website that Pugacheva has sold around 250 million records - Link .Other internet sources claim figures from 70 million to 300 million records. Unfortunately there is no official source for this information, even in Russian language.

See also

• Best selling music artists - World's top selling music artists chart.

External links

• Official site of Alla Pugacheva (in Russian)
• Unofficial Alla Pugacheva club (in English & Russian)
• Alla Pugacheva discography (in Russian)
• pugaczowa.com (in Polish)
• Alla Pugacheva discography at MusicBrainz