In April of 2004 the world had not heard of Ruslana but that would soon change…
The International stage was set and in May of that year, Ukrainian vocalist Ruslana swept the EuroVision Song Competition broadcast live from Istanbul, Turkey. 1.5 billion worldwide viewers saw Ruslana achieve a spectacular victory, leaving Ukrainians the world over flushed with national pride.
Her winning single and subsequent album “Wild Dances” saw widespread acceptance in over twenty-five countries. For ninety-seven weeks Ruslana dominated fourteen different charts throughout an amazed Europe. In the Ukraine alone, the album achieved five times platinum status, making her the first recording artist to domestically sell 500,000 copies of an album. Shortly thereafter Ruslana received the prestigious World Music Award in Las Vegas as the top selling Ukrainian artist in the world. But the phenomenon did not stop at the border. Gold Record awards and more chart successes followed in Belgium (11 weeks at #1), Czech Republic, Greece and many other countries.
Ruslana’s shining success in Europe gave the diminutive powerhouse an opportunity to expand her stage worldwide. Constant touring enabled Ruslana to share her musical vision across the Globe. From Siberia, Canada, and Iceland to Greece, Turkey and China - most recently performing at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
Her popularity after her stunning European breakthrough and ceaseless touring is on the rise. In the spring of last year L’Oreal Cosmetics offered Ruslana an endorsement contract where she will become a new face of L’Oreal.
Projecting her identity as Today’s Woman in business, she peacefully coexists with her ‘Wild Energy’ persona. Even the established music industry powerhouse Warner Music took notice by signing Ruslana to contract as a worldwide recording artist.
While joining forces with a major record company like Warner Music, Ruslana remains nothing if not original. She is exotically unique by constantly setting new trends using original, unusual and rarely heard ethnic sounds, blending the ancient styles and singing traditions of the Carpathian mountain people with modern pop music. The timbre of her voice and her unique vocal styling are unmistakable and instantly identifiable to millions now.
Using a team of musicians and DJ’s, Ruslana creates her own unique style incorporating the use of original grooves. Ruslana channels the inspiration for her own, unique style of music from the peaks and valleys of the Carpathian Mountains.
The versatile range of her abilities allows her to be a complete performer. Ruslana – vocalist, conductor, pianist, composer, producer; and parliamentarian. Her classical musical training started at the age of four when she became a participant of an experimental music school and at seven she went on tour with a children's ensemble,
later graduating from the music Conservatory in L'viv Ukraine as a pianist and orchestra conductor.
Besides her musical successes, social commitment has always been an affair of the heart for Ruslana. In autumn 2004 Ruslana actively supported the democratic processes in Ukraine known as the ‘Orange Revolution’. Providing a voice for the people, Ruslana was an outspoken member of the Ukrainian Parliament from spring 2006 to summer 2007.
Despite her new found success and constant touring, Ruslana has always managed to find time to support those less fortunate. She has staged numerous charity concerts benefiting Children's hospitals in Kiev, L’viv and Dnepropetrovsk and in the spring of 2007, Ruslana joined artists from 14 different countries in a major charity tour across Germany. The tour, organized by noted rock vocalist Peter Maffay, performed in fifteen cities raising funds to address urgent social issues.
The year before, Ruslana began working with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) on the global issue of human trafficking. Shortly thereafter, UNICEF appointed her Good Will Ambassador of Ukraine. This past February, Ego Works wrote and produced her song, “Not for Sale” which became the anthem of a new international campaign against human trafficking, initiated by UN.GIFT (The United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking).
In July of this year a devastating series of floods in western Ukraine caused monumental damage to life, property and the infrastructure. These regions required immediate assistance as well as long-term reconstructive efforts. Ruslana and the Klichko Brothers formed a charitable foundation supplying substantial aid and comfort to the victims of this devastation.
As spring began, the phenomenon that is Ruslana continued to evolve. Audiences the world over are being exposed to her music with the recent release of the most popular video game ever, ‘Grand Theft Auto 4’. GTA-4 features Ruslana as an actual game character as well as “Wild Dances” as a musical contribution, proving she appeals to music listeners of all ages.
Autumn promises perhaps the most exciting development for millions of her fans with the release of Ruslana’s new cutting edge album “Wild Energy”. Produced in the US by Ego Works at the legendary Hit Factory Criteria Studios in Miami, “Wild Energy” maintains Ruslana’s unique musical components blended with modern urban influences. This release contains a first for Ruslana - the incorporation of guest artists. Featured on two tracks are American Urban superstars T-Pain and Missy Elliott: unlikely collaborations with very dramatic results.
But it doesn’t stop there. For those fortunate enough to attend a Ruslana live show, their experience is profound. Together with a team of artists, designers, dancers and musicians, Ruslana creates a mythical atmosphere where melodies, dynamic rhythms, colors and movement collide to create something otherworldly. Something wild. Something Energetic.
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