Zemfira is an incredibly talented Russian singer who opened a completely new movement in Russian rock, called “women’s rock.”

Childhood

Zemfira Talgatovna Ramazanova was born on August 26, 1976 in the city of Ufa, which at that time was part of the Bashkir Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. The girl grew up in an intelligent Bashkir-Tatar family. The girl's father, Talgat Talkhoevich, taught history at school. Zemfira also has an older brother named Ramil.

From the early age Zemfira's musical talent awoke. From the age of 5, the girl took piano lessons at a music school, and later she was accepted as a soloist in the school choir.

Also, at the age of 5, the future singer first appeared on television: on a local TV channel, a girl sang a song about a worm.

As a child, the future singer had many hobbies, she attended 7 clubs at once, but more attention focused on music and basketball. Despite the fact that Zemfira was the shortest on the team in the school basketball team, the future singer became the captain of the Russian junior team.

Zemfira in her youth

After graduating from school, Zemfira decides to take music seriously and enters the pop-jazz vocal department at the Ufa College of Arts. In parallel with her studies, the girl performs hits of her favorite performers on the street: “Kino”, “Nautilus Pomilius” and “Aquarium”, and also sings the original compositions of Freddie Mercury and George Michael.

After graduating from college, Zemfira, together with her classmate Vlad Kolchin, who plays the saxophone, performed songs in restaurants in Ufa. But soon the girl got tired of it, and she decided to find another place of work.

The beginning of a musical career

In 1996, Zemfira was hired as a sound engineer at the local branch of the Europe-Plus radio station. At the same time, she begins to write her first songs in the Cakewalk program. Using this program, the compositions “Snow”, “Forecaster”, “Rockets” and “Why”, which were included in the singer’s first album, were recorded.

The girl also manages to work as a backing vocalist in the popular band of that time, Spectrum Ace. In the same year, Zemfira persuades Arkady Mukhtarov to record the performer’s demo disc.

That same year, Zemfira decides to form her own group. The first member was bass guitarist Rinat Akhmadiev, then Rinat brought his friend drummer Sergei Sozinov, next year keyboard player Sergei Mirolyubov and lead guitarist Vadim Solovyov joined the band.

The newly-minted group goes to Moscow to promote its team. In the capital, at the Maxidrom festival, Zemfira, through journalists, hands over a disk with songs recorded by the group to Leonid Burlakov, producer of the Mumiy Troll group. After listening to the songs, he decides to record an album.

Since 1998, active work began on the creation of the first album. The Mumiy Troll group actively helped the newcomers with the recording - vocalist Ilya Lagutenko acted as sound producer, and Yuri Tsaler and Oleg Pungin participated in the recording. In January 1999, the album was mixed in London. On May 10, the first album called “Zemfira” is released, which incredibly quickly gained popularity among listeners.

Videos were soon shot for the songs “AIDS”, “Arividerchi” and “Why”, which only increased Zemfira’s popularity. The band went on tour three months after the release of the record, and the concerts attracted full audiences.

Upon returning from the tour, the Zemfira group began recording their second album. On March 28, 2000, an album called “Forgive Me, My Love” was released, which was named the most popular album of 2000. Zemfira herself received the title of “Performer of the Year” from the publication “OM”.

The album includes famous songs that are still popular today: “I was looking”, which became the soundtrack of the film “Brother 2”, “Do you want”, “City” and “Dawns”. After the release of the album, Zemfira organized an all-Russian tour, which was a stunning success.

On April 1, Zemfira gave a solo concert at the Olimpiysky Sports Complex. At one of the concerts held in Ufa, an unpleasant incident occurred - 19 people were injured in a stampede. After the incident, the singer announced that she was taking a “sabbatical,” canceled all concerts and did not appear on stage for a year.

The exception was participation in the “FILM Test” project, organized in honor of the memory of Zemfira’s favorite performer, Viktor Tsoi.

Zemfira after a “sabbatical”

After a year of silence, the singer decides to completely change her style, so from that moment on, the Zemfira group disbands. The singer asks musicians from Mumiy Troll - Oleg Pungin and Yuri Tsaler - to help with the recording of the new album.

The release of the new album “Fourteen Weeks of Silence” took place on April 1, 2002. The number of discs sold quickly passed the one million mark, and critics began to actively discuss the new record. In 2003, the singer received the Triumph award for this album.

In 2004, two significant events took place: first, Zemfira performed with Ilya Lagutenko at the Maxidrom rock festival, then at the MTV Russia Music Awards ceremony, together with the group Queen, the singer performed the legendary composition “We are the Champions.”

In the same year, Zemfira recorded the track “Goddess: How I Loved” for the film by Renata Litvinova. In gratitude, Renata directed Zemfira’s video for the song “Itogi”.

Also in 2004, the performer decides to get higher education and enters the Faculty of Philosophy at Moscow State University. But the singer spent all her time on music, so she did not have time to study. During the first session, Zemfira took an academic leave, but then never recovered, for which she was expelled in 2006.

In March 2005, the performer’s fourth album, entitled “Vendetta,” was released, consisting of 15 songs. The album received only positive reviews from listeners and critics, and was also called the second “take-off” album after her debut “Zemfira”. On May 10, a tour began in support of the record.

In the fall of 2007, the album “Thank You” was released, which consisted of 12 songs. On October 21, a tour began in support of the album, and the end of the tour was a performance at the Olimpiysky Sports Complex. The following year, the singer won in the “Soloist of the Year” and “Music” categories at the “Chart Dozen” awards.

Since 2011, Zemfira begins work on her sixth album, “Live in Your Head.” Prior to this, Zemfira also released a collection of her B-sides called “Z-Sides”. On July 8, 2012, Zemfira closed her official website for some time, dissatisfied with the fact that too many users were discussing her image and appearance on social networks.

In 2013, work on the album “Live in Your Head” was completed and on February 15 the album was released, which again made a splash in the world of Russian rock. This album set a record for domestic online sales, collecting 2 million rubles in a month.

Before the release of the album, the singer organized a tour in which she visited 51 cities. In the fall of the same year, Zemfira received an award in the category “Best Russian performer"at the MTV Europe Music Awards.

In February 2016, a new tour began “ Small man" The singer traveled to 20 cities of the Russian Federation and neighboring countries, and the tour ended with an enchanting performance in Moscow. On this tour, Zemfira announced that she was completing her touring activities.

Personal life

There are many rumors about the singer’s personal life, but the singer does not give any comments on this matter.

It all started with the singer announcing her wedding to Vyacheslav Petkun, the lead singer of the group “Dancing Minus,” but this statement turned out to be just a PR stunt. After this, Zemfira was credited with an affair with Abramovich and Anastasia Kalmanovich, the singer’s director.


IN Lately Zemfira is credited with an affair with Renata Litvinova, a friend of the performer and a film director, but they do not comment on the information.

Biography of Zemfira

Childhood. Zemfira Talgatovna Ramazanova was born on August 26, 1976 in Ufa. Parents future star were not associated with music, but the girl got involved in creativity early - at the age of five she began learning to play the piano in music school. She was a soloist in the choir and additionally played the guitar. Already at the age of seven she wrote a song. She inherited her passion for rock music from her brother. She attended several clubs, but gave preference to music and basketball: she was the captain of the national junior team and graduated with honors from a music school.

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Career. 1996−1998. After school, she successfully passes the entrance exams to the art school and is immediately enrolled in the second year. He finishes his studies in 1997 with honors. For a short time, the future star performed in restaurants with her friend Vlad Kolchin. In 1996, she began working on radio “Europe +” in Ufa. At the same time, works were written that became hits - “Why”, “Snow”, “Forecaster”. In 1998, a rock band called “Zemfira” was created. On June 19, the team made its debut at the celebration of the anniversary of the local radio “Silver Rain”.

At the Maxidrom rock festival, the recordings of the future star go to Leonid Burlakov. It was he who suggested that the talented performer make her first album. 1999 In the fall of 1999, work began on an album named after the singer at the TonStudio of the Mosfilm film concern. On November 7 it was completed. In February, the songs “AIDS” (the absolute hit of the season), “Rockets” and “Arivederchi” appear on the country’s radio stations. In the spring, videos are shot for the popular compositions “AIDS” and “Arivederchi”. At a briefing on March 24, 1999, the rising star was introduced to the media. May 8 – presentation of her debut work in famous club"16 Tons". Tours around the country begin in September and continue until the beginning of 2000. By the end of 1999, remixes of the songs “Snow” and “Sky of London” were recorded. Zemfira's performances begin to be broadcast on television. On December 11, the group was invited as a headliner to the largest festival of Russian rock music “Invasion”. Work on the next collection has already begun in December. year 2000. On March 28, the new album “P. M. M. L.”, which surpassed the sales mark of 1,500,000 copies, becoming the best-selling. In August, the rock star receives the Shaikhzada Babich Award for special services in the field of art. 2001−2002. In 2001, she was awarded the Record Prize in the categories “Performer of the Year” and “Album of the Year”. In April 2002, another collection, “Fourteen Minutes of Silence,” appeared. He wins the nomination for the Muz-TV channel “Album of the Year” award. At the same time, he won the Triumph award for the highest achievements of art. 2004−2006. In 2004, the singer entered the Faculty of Philosophy at Moscow State University. But in the winter he takes a sabbatical to record an album and never returns to school. On October 16, 2004, the award ceremony of the MTV-Russia RMA channel took place, where legendary rock band Queen Zemfira sang “We Are The Champions”. A presentation took place on March 1, 2005 new job"Vendetta". Critics greeted her with delight, calling her the second takeoff of the singer. In 2005, the video clips and compositions of “Vendetta” were nominated in several categories for the MTV-Russia RMA TV channel award; the video for the composition “Blues” received the award. 2007−2010. At the beginning of 2007, a DVD with video clips “Zemfira. DVD". In the spring, the “Deja Vu” tour begins with already known songs in new arrangements. In October 2007, the album “Thank You” was released, including 12 compositions, and another tour began, ending with a concert at the Olimpiysky. On February 21, 2008, the premiere of Renata Litvinova’s musical film “ Green Theater in Zemfira. On January 1, 2010, the concert collection “Zemfira. Live 2", recorded during the "Thank You" tour. In August 2010, a collection of previously unreleased songs written from the beginning of creative activity and until 2006, “Z-Sides”. 2011−2013. Work is underway on the next album “Live in your head”. July 2012 was marked by a performance at the Olympic Stadium at a Queen concert. 2012 is devoted to working on the music for Renata Litvinova’s next directorial work, “Rita’s Last Fairy Tale.” 2013 began with the tour “Zemfira. Tour 2013”, which included performances in 50 cities. At the same time, he received an award from the MTV Europe Music Awards in the category “Best Russian Performer.” 2015−2016. In the fall of 2015 it became known about concert tour"Small man". There will be performances in 20 Russian cities, Belarus, and the Baltic states. The tour began in Omsk in February 2016 and ended in April in Moscow. This is the final tour of Zemfira Talgatovna. “It’s hard, troublesome, nervous,” she explains about giving up touring, but she won’t give up concerts and writing songs.

Personal life of Zemfira

There are many rumors about Zemfira’s private life. It is known that she is not married and has no children. Her first passion back in Ufa was Vlad Kolchin. Their romance ended with Vlad's departure to St. Petersburg. For some time, the singer lived in a civil marriage with sound engineer Arkady Mukhtarov. They broke up because of his passion for alcohol. At the beginning of her career, she announced a wedding with Vyacheslav Petkun, the leader of the group “Dancing Minus,” but this was just a PR move.

Information appeared in the press about the singer’s closeness with Roman Abramovich, and later about her relationship with Anastasia Kalmanovich. IN last years The media claim that Zemfira and Renata Litvinova have a closer relationship than just friendship, but the girls leave such information without comment. Her dislike of interviews and secrecy allows journalists to speculate about the singer’s personal life. Millions of fans love her for who she is. The rock singer, the idol of several generations, has not lost her popularity over the years.

Beloved and adored by many, Zemfira, whose biography will be described in this article, grew up on the music of such legendary performers as Viktor Tsoi, and the groups Queen, Aquarium, Nautilus Pompilius, Black Sabbath. Her older brother introduced her to rock. We can say that thanks to him the world learned about who she was.

Biography of the artist: childhood

The future singer was born on August 26, 1976 in the city of Ufa. The girl showed talent for music with early years. At five I went to music school for the first time, and at seven I already wrote my first song. Zemfira was born to a father who taught history, and a mother who worked as a doctor. The daughter pleased her parents - she was an excellent student at school and achieved considerable success in sports: in 1990 she became captain of the Russian women's basketball team. Despite the fact that the monotony at the music school began to get on Zemfira’s nerves, at the insistence of her mother she still completed her studies, and with

Zemfira: biography - education and early career

At first, the future singer planned to enroll in the Faculty of Philology, but she accidentally saw an announcement about entrance examinations to a music school and decided to give it a try. She was immediately accepted into the second year, but after a year Zemfira becomes bored, she regrets her choice and has difficulty graduating from the school that has disgusted her. In 1996, he worked during the day at radio “Europe+” (branch in Ufa) as an operator, and at night he recorded his first songs on a computer, which later became real hits: “Forecaster”, “Snow”, “Why”, etc.

In 1998, the singer created her own group “Zemfira”. At that time, the singer’s arsenal had already accumulated a lot of material, which she decided to transfer through her friend Leonid Burlakov (producer of the Mumiy Troll group). Leonid does not doubt for a minute that Zemfira is a real gem and immediately invites her to the capital to record an album. On March 24 of the same year, at a press conference of the Utekai Sound Recording company, the new singer Zemfira was first introduced to the public. The biography of the extraordinary artist, of course, contains information that not everyone accepted her work, and there was also criticism. Vladimir Polupanov, in a review of the album, wrote that Zemfira’s texts are illogical, “do not bring truths to the world” and have philological flaws. But this did not stop the singer from capturing the hearts of millions of fans.

Zemfira: biography - on the wave of fame

In 2000, the country heard the artist’s second album, which sold an incredible amount of copies (more than one and a half million copies). The album became one of the most successful in history Russian show business. 2002 gave fans a third copy of which more than one hundred and eighty thousand were sold on the first day. In 2003, Zemfira became a laureate of the Triumph youth award. And in 2004 her dream came true A big dream— she sang the song “We are the Champions” in a duet with Queen at the MTV Russia Awards ceremony.

Zemfira: biography - personal life

It is known that the singer is not married. Rumors of an affair with musician Petkun in the late 1990s turned out to be just a well-thought-out marketing ploy to promote her first album. The press contains unconfirmed information about Zemfira’s unconventional orientation and her special relationship with actress Renata Litvinova.

“Scandal Girl” Zemfira quickly burst into Russian show business in the late 90s and immediately won a place at the top of the stellar Olympus. Her songs, which differed favorably from those that sounded then on the domestic stage, took the top lines of the charts, and the singer’s very name became the personification of female rock. Time passes, but Zemfira does not lose her popularity. The biography and personal life of the performer today are still of interest to her fans as before. Let's take a closer look at the fate of this unique singer, which has become a real idol for several generations of youth.

Zemfira's family

The rock music star was born in the capital of Bashkortostan, the city of Ufa, on August 26, 1976. The girl was born into an intelligent family: her father, Talgat Talkhovich, taught history at a high school, and her mother, Florida Khakievna, worked as a doctor specializing in physical therapy. In addition to their daughter, the couple had an eldest son, Ramil. For Zemfira’s father, marriage to her mother was already the third. From his previous wives he had 2 sons.

Childhood

The future star spent his childhood in Chernikovka, a residential area located in the northern part of Ufa. The Ramazanov family lived here until the very end of the 90s. Little Zema attended kindergarten No. 267 and even then showed interest in songs. At the age of five, her parents took her to a music school. There she studied piano and sang in the choir. Zemfira's passion for writing songs appeared very early. At the age of seven, she composed her first creation, which was listened to by her mother’s work colleagues. Brother Ramil’s passion for rock music was passed on to the singer. Since childhood, her idols were Queen and Black Sabbath.

IN school years Zemfira Ramazanova, whose biography is discussed in this article, was an excellent student. In the third grade, in addition to music, Zema developed another serious hobby - basketball. The girl managed to achieve good success in this sport. She was the best player on the team, and in 1990 she was appointed captain of the Russian junior women's basketball team. But in high school, to the great chagrin of the coaches, Zemfira decided to quit sports and focus on music school, from which she graduated with honors.

Further education and first part-time jobs

After high school Ramazanova entered the Ufa College of Arts to major in " pop vocals" After music school, she was accepted straight into the second year. Educational institution the girl graduated in 1997 with honors. While a student at the college, she simultaneously mastered playing the guitar and worked part-time, performing Russian and Russian songs on the streets. foreign rock performers. In addition, Zemfira, together with her friend and classmate Vlad Kolchin, performed for some time in Ufa restaurants and nightclubs: the young singer sang and played the keyboard, and the guy accompanied her on the saxophone. Such part-time jobs lasted 4 years, and then the girl got tired of them and she abandoned them.

Background to success

In 1996, while still a student at the College of Arts, singer Zemfira got a job as a sound engineer at the Europe Plus radio station in Ufa. From that time on, her biography began to change dramatically: having mastered several music computer programs at work, the girl began writing songs that later made her famous throughout the country. Then such hits as “Why”, “Snow”, “Forecaster” were created. At night, sitting at work, Zemfira composed songs, and in the morning she drove home and listened to them. In 9 months she collected about 40 works.

Her colleague Arkady Mukhtarov helped the singer record her first demo disc. At the same time, the girl began creating her own group “Zemfira” and recorded songs not using computer programs, but in a real recording studio. The future rock star rehearsed with his musicians in a room belonging to the Orange club for teenagers.

In 1997, local newspapers began to write about the talented girl, and the very next year the singer borrowed money from friends and set off to conquer Moscow. By this time, her group was already fully formed. It included keyboardist Sergei Mirolyubov, bass guitarist Rinat Akhmadiev, lead guitarist Vadim Solovyov and drummer Sergei Sozinov. In the capital, the girl, through a journalist friend, managed to transfer a cassette with her songs to the producer of “Mummiy Troll” Leonid Burlakov. After listening to the compositions, he offered cooperation to the talented singer.

Debut album and rise to popularity

Since 1998, Zemfira moved to Moscow. Her biography was updated during this period the most important event— working on recording the first studio album. It began in the fall of 1998 in Moscow and ended in January 1999 in London. The creators did not hesitate over the title of the album and gave it Zemfira’s name. Its sound producer was the leader of “Mummiy Troll” Ilya Lagutenko.

The official release of the album took place in May 1998. By this time, the singer’s name was already well known throughout the post-Soviet space, and her songs “Arivederchi” and “AIDS” managed to become hits. The album sold out at lightning speed. It was a real triumph, marking the beginning of an impressive star journey. Already this fall, singer Zemfira is going on her first tour. Her biography is beginning to interest all fans of rock music. But the girl is not very frank with journalists about her personal life and pours out her soul only in songs. Following her old hits, she has new ones. “Why” and “Daisies” are listened to even by those who have never been interested in rock music before.

Continuing a stellar career

In the spring of 2000, the second studio album of the Zemfira group, entitled “Forgive me, my love,” was released. It sold 1.5 million copies, breaking sales records in Russia and neighboring countries. Songs from this album “And the girl is ripe”, “Do you want it?”, “PMML”, “Goodbye” topped the country’s charts, and the composition “Iskala” became the soundtrack to the film “Brother-2” with Sergei Bodrov Jr. During the same period, Zemfira agreed to appear for the glossy cover of the fashion magazine “OM”. The biography and photos of this girl, placed in the publication, attracted millions of readers to it.

In April 2000, the singer gave a big solo concert in Moscow and soon after that she went on a new tour. In December 2000, a stampede occurred at her performance in Yakutsk, as a result of which many people were injured. The incident was widely discussed in the media; Zemfira was called the culprit. The singer, in turn, blamed the concert organizers for the incident. A busy tour schedule and a scandal in Yakutsk exhausted the artist so much that she canceled all performances planned for 2001 and disappeared from the sight of fans for many months.

The singer's subsequent albums

In the spring of 2002, Zemfira appeared in public again, presenting her next album entitled “14 Weeks of Silence.” It was enthusiastically received by music critics and fans of the singer. In the first day after the presentation alone, about 180 thousand copies of the album were sold, which was a record for Russian show business. In total, “14 Weeks of Silence” was sold among admirers of Zemfira’s talent in quantities exceeding 1 million copies. After that, from 2005 to 2013, the singer released 4 more albums (“Vendetta”, “Thank You”, “Z-Sides” and “Live in Your Head”), which were met with the same praise by critics and music lovers. positive reviews, like her first works.

Collaboration with Litvinova

In 2008, the star, together with her director friend Renata Litvinova, produced the musical film “Green Theater in Zemfira,” the basis for which was video footage filmed at the singer’s concert in Moscow. The film received high praise from critics and won the Steppenwolf Award. In 2012, Zemfira and Litvinova became producers of the film “Rita’s Last Fairy Tale.” The singer wrote the soundtrack for the same film. She is also the author of the music heard in other films by Renata Litvinova.

Rumors about personal life and orientation

Zemfira attracts public attention not only with her creativity. The biography and orientation of the singer sometimes interest them much more than her new songs. Over the past few years, there have been rumors in the media about the star’s unconventional sexual preferences, and Renata Litvinova is credited as her lover. Although both Zemfira and her no less famous friend have repeatedly denied this information, journalists do not let up and continue to look for evidence of a love affair between women.

Zemfira does not like to be frank with journalists, so not much is known about her personal life. In her youth, when the star performed in Ufa restaurants, she had an affair with her stage colleague Vlad Kolchin. The young people dated for several years, but the guy’s departure to St. Petersburg put an end to their relationship. After Ramazanova became a celebrity, she was credited with an affair with Vyacheslav Petkun (leader of the group “Dancing Minus”), but this information was subsequently not confirmed.

Later, rumors appeared about a romantic relationship between Zemfira and oligarch Romanov Abramovich. People close to the billionaire claimed that he was a fan of the girl’s talent and invested a lot of money in her promotion. The secret relationship between the singer and the governor of Chukotka continued until he met Dasha Zhukova. After this, Zema fell into depression, lost a lot of weight and found solace in the face of her best friend Renata Litvinova. It was then that they began to accuse her of lesbian tendencies.

The fate of the star's relatives

Zemfira owed her popularity largely to her parents. The singer’s biography and family once again attracted media attention after her beloved father passed away in April 2009. 77-year-old Talgat Talkhovich died of a heart attack. The father always rejoiced at his daughter’s successes and, as long as his health allowed him, he attended all her concerts in Ufa. A year after the tragedy, fate took away another loved one from Zemfira - brother Ramil. A 43-year-old man drowned in the Pavlovsk Reservoir while spearfishing. In March 2015, Zemfira buried her mother, whose health was severely damaged by the deaths of her husband and son. Florida Khakievna was ill for a long time, and the singer even wanted to take her to her place in Moscow, but did not have time.

In 2004, a school history textbook was published in Russia, in which the singer was mentioned as the founder of a new direction in the Russian musical culture. In the same year, Ramazanova was enrolled as a student at the Faculty of Philosophy of Moscow State University, but due to a busy work schedule she had to quit her studies.

The singer Zemfira is not a Bashkir, as many people think. Her biography, in which her nationality was not indicated for a long time, did not shed light on this issue. The answer was given by the star herself. In 2013, at a concert in Kazan, she announced that she was Tatar.

In 2011, Zemfira took 26th place in the top 100 influential women Russia. The rating was compiled jointly by the radio station “Echo of Moscow”, news agency Interfax, Ogonyok magazine and RIA Novosti.

Throughout the existence of the Zemfira group, its composition has changed several times. In 2013, the singer took her nephews Artyom and Arthur (sons of her deceased brother Ramil) into the band as musicians.

17 years have already passed since Zemfira appeared on the Russian stage. The biography and personal life of the singer have been under close media attention all this time. Due to her complex character, the star many times found herself at the center of scandals, but this did not make her any less popular. Zemfira continues to work fruitfully, and fans of her talent can be sure that in the near future the star will delight them with new hits.

Zemfira is “the breakthrough voice of the generation,” as Ogonyok magazine called the singer, a Russian rock singer, lyricist, composer and music producer. Zemfira set a direction in Russian rock, which journalists defined as “women’s rock.”

Zemfira Ramazanova at one time discovered in Russian rock music new page. The press calls her style “female rock,” and the popularity of the singer, who rapidly soared to the top of all radio stations, has not only not declined in eighteen years, but continues to confidently win more and more new fans.

Zemfira was born in Ufa into an intelligent Tatar-Bashkir family. Her father Talgat Talkhovich taught history, and her mother Florida Khakievna worked as a specialist in physical therapy. The girl had an older brother named Ramil, with whom the singer developed a close and trusting relationship.

Zemfira's talent for music was revealed very early; from the age of five, the future singer studied at a specialized music school, where she studied piano and was a soloist in a student choir. Then she performed on local television with a children's song.

The girl was seven years old when she wrote her first song, performing it at her mother’s work. During her school years, Zemfira was fond of the work of the Kino group: as the singer herself claims, the songs and Thom Yorke largely influenced her development as a musician.

At school, Zemfira was seriously involved in basketball. Despite the fact that the girl was the lowest on the team, she became the captain of the Russian junior team. Thus, in the last grades she was faced with a dilemma: sports or music. Zemfira chose the latter and entered the Ufa School of Arts in the pop-jazz vocal department.

In parallel with her studies at the university, the girl began to earn extra money, performing popular songs in Ufa restaurants. However, she quickly became bored with such activities, and in 1996 Zemfira got a job on the radio: she recorded commercials for the Bashkir branch of the Europe Plus radio station. Then she recorded her first demos.

Music

Zemfira's biography changed dramatically in 1997, when at the annual rock festival "Maxidrom" a cassette with her songs fell through familiar journalists into the hands of the then producer of the Mumiy Troll group, Leonid Burlakov. Leonid decides to give the talented performer a chance, and at the end of 1998, Zemfira records her first album, “Zemfira,” at the Mosfilm studio.

The mixing of the first album was done in the British capital under the leadership of Mumiy Troll, the frontman and leader. The band's guitarist and drummer also took part in the recording. The release of the disc took place in May 1999, while individual songs - “AIDS”, “Rockets” and “Arivederchi” - entered the rotation of radio stations back in February. Thus the public was prepared for the birth nova. The composition “Arivederchi” has gained deafening popularity, but due to the complex name, fans often call this track “Ships” after the first word of the chorus.

The presentation of the album took place on May 8 at the 16 Ton club. The stage was designed in a spring style, and the singer wove flowers into her hair. Zemfira used the flower in her hair to tell fortunes while singing the song “Daisies.”

The album also included the songs “Rumba”, “T-shirts” (also often signed as “Anechka”), “Forecaster”, “Why” and others.

The album was a resounding success, selling more than seven hundred thousand copies in the first six months. Video clips were shot for three songs: the Riga video for the song "AIDS", which was never released on wide screens, "Why" - a concert video from the singer's Ufa performance, as well as the video work "Arivederchi", which immediately won the hearts of thousands fans with her extraordinary approach to editing and directing (Zemfira’s face in this video was shaded, there were rumors that the singer was a side project of Lagutenko himself). The compositions “Snow” and “London” were also released as separate singles.

The first tour, which started three months after the album's release, also exceeded all expectations; the concerts were sold out. At the end of the tour, Zemfira becomes the headliner of the first music festival"Invasion".

Upon returning from tour, the Zemfira group begins recording a new album, which they also named after one of the songs, “Forgive me, my love.” The singer herself admits that names have always been difficult for her.

Nevertheless, “Forgive me, my love” became the most popular disc of 2000 in Russia, as well as the most commercially successful of Zemfira’s entire discography. The track “Iskala” from the new album was featured in the cult film “” and was included in the film’s soundtrack album.

The album also included other compositions, which critics and fans later called Zemfira’s hits: “Ripe”, “Do you want?”, “City”, “Proved”, “P. M. M. L." and "Sunrises". The album also includes the tracks “Cigarettes”, “Don’t Let Go” and “London”. A recording of a live performance of the latter composition was also released on the single “Snow/London Sky”.

The singer herself becomes "Performer of the Year" according to music magazine"OM".

The increased popularity was more of a burden than a joy for Zemfira, and at the end of 2000 she went on sabbatical, taking part in only one project dedicated to her musical idol -. For the "Screen Test" concert, Zemfira recorded the song "Cuckoo", which was later also included in the singles "Goodbye" and "Every Night".

The next stage was Zemfira's album "Fourteen Weeks of Silence", which was released in 2002. During this time, the girl rethought a lot in her work, and the album turned out to be solid, but unlike her previous works. Zemfira completely departed from the stylistic framework once set by Burlakov, which is why she was constantly compared to Mumiy Troll, although the band’s musicians still participated in the recording of songs.

The album included the songs “Webgirl”, the performer’s undisputed hit, which fans remembered under the Russian title “Girl Living on the Net”, “Fairy Tales”, “Macho” (also known as “Drunk Macho”), “The Main Thing” and others. The record's circulation exceeded one million discs, and the singer herself received the Triumph Award in 2003. The compositions “Infinity” and “Traffic” were released as separate singles.

The year 2004 was marked by several events for Zemfira. She performed two outstanding duets: one at the Maxidrom rock festival paired with Ilya Lagutenko and the second with the group Queen at the MTV Russia Music Awards ceremony (the immortal hit “We are the Champions”).

Zemfira decided to get a higher education in philosophy and entered Moscow State University, but she was unable to complete her studies, music took up too much of her time.

In 2005, Zemfira began collaborating with the charismatic actress and director. Zemfira was invited to create music for Litvinova's film "Goddess: How I Loved". Subsequently, Renata directed the video for the song “Itogi” and many of the singer’s subsequent works. Zemfira's song "Love is like accidental death"was included in the film's soundtrack.

In 2005, the singer presented her fourth album, “Vendetta,” which included the songs “Airplane,” “Breathe,” “Sky and Sea Clouds,” and “Let’s Leave It That Way.” The singer called the album eclectic in sound, and identified search and anxiety as the main theme.

In October 2007, Zemfira’s new album “Spasibo” was released, which the singer released on her own behalf, declaring that the group “Zemfira” no longer exists, but only she, the singer Zemfira Ramazanova. The title song of the album was the composition “In the Subway,” which the performer herself described as both combative and lyrical.

Before the presentation, the radio single “Boy” and a video clip for the song “We Are Breaking,” filmed by Renata Litvinova, were released. The singles prepared the audience for the upcoming album.

During the tour, a special single “10 Boys” was on sale at concerts, containing ten remixes of the song “Boy”, collected from the works that people sent to the Internet competition. At the same time, the concert film “Green Theater in Zemfira” was presented, which was filmed by Litvinova during the singer’s performance at the venue of the same name in Gorky Park in Moscow.

The final concert of the tour took place at the Olimpiysky. According to the singer, the concert was prepared for two years and became a major victory for Zemfira.

In 2009, Zemfira released a collection called “Z-sides”, and also toured extensively in Russia and abroad. The singer is also working on the soundtrack for the arthouse film “Rita’s Last Fairy Tale,” directed by her friend Renata Litvinova. In the same year, the performer recorded the single “Australia”.

In 2010, Afisha magazine compiled a list of the “50 best Russian albums of all time. The choice of young musicians." The singer’s debut album took fifth place on this list, and the album “Forgive Me, My Love” took 43rd place. Zemfira also received the Russian Authors' Society award "For contribution to the development of science, culture and art."

In 2011, the singer released the singles “Money” and “No Chances.”

Zemfira's next album became another breakthrough in the history of Russian rock. The disc "Live in Your Head" with its amazing combination of minimalism, style and precise sound said a new word in modern music. It set a new record in domestic online sales.

At the end of 2013, three songs were posted on iTunes, which almost immediately topped the Russian chart. The performer was the group, this Bashkir word means “triangle”. As stated by the legend described in the official community of the group in in social networks, the band consists of guitarist Bro, bassist and drummer Luka and vocalist Rocket, represented by animated characters.

Listeners recognized Zemfira’s characteristic vocals immediately, and soon she herself announced the performance of her side project in the main concert hall“Russia”, where the secret of Bro and Luka’s personalities was revealed: they turned out to be Zemfira’s nephews, twins Artem and Artur Ramazanov.

At the end of 2103, Zemfira was awarded the MTV Europe Music Awards as the best Russian performer. In 2013, 2014 and 2015, the rock singer was included in the list of “One Hundred Most Influential Women in Russia.”

At the end of October 2015, Zemfira announced the start of a new concert tour, “Little Man”.

Personal life

Zemfira's personal life throughout musical career the singer was filled with all sorts of rumors and speculation. The singer herself started this, at the very beginning announcing the upcoming wedding with the leader of the group "Dancing Minus", which was nothing more than a publicity stunt. Since then, the press has groundlessly associated Zemfira's name either with the oligarch or with the singer's director.

In recent years, journalists have been saying: Zemfira and Renata Litvinova are not just friends, supposedly the women are connected by something more. There were even rumors in the media that the stars got married in Stockholm. Friends do not comment on this information. The singer’s secretive nature and her dislike for interviews allows journalists to only speculate about her private life.

In 2010, a misfortune occurred in Zemfira’s family - her older brother Ramil drowned in the river while spearfishing. A year earlier, the singer’s father, Talgat Talkhovich, died from a long illness, and at the beginning of 2015, the singer died. Since then, the girl has been trying to take care of her remaining nephews Arthur and Artem, so at the end of 2013 Zemfira created a joint venture with them music project. The singer does not have her own children.

A page is dedicated to Zemfira in “ Instagram", which has 188 thousand subscribers. The account is not verified, and the photos appearing on it are mainly taken at concerts and other social events.

Zemfira now

During the “Little Man” tour, the performer visited more than 20 cities of the Russian Federation, as well as cities near and far abroad. The first part of the huge tour started in February 2016 in Omsk and ended in April in Moscow, the second part took place abroad: in Israel, Germany, Great Britain, the UAE, the USA and Canada.

During the large-scale tour “Little Man” Zemfira. Nevertheless, the singer continued to present, and even more so distribute, already recorded songs. Today, Zemfira’s official website is a business card site. On the page with a large black and white photo there are links to popular online music stores where you can buy Zemfira’s tracks: Apple Music, Google play, Yandex. Music", "Spotify", "Deezer" and "Zvooq".

In 2016, Zemfira recorded a new track, “Come Back Home.”

In July 2017, journalists learned that Zemfira could write the soundtrack for a film about the Great Patriotic War"Sevastopol 1952". The directors of the film are negotiating with the singer.

Discography

• Forgive me, my love
• Fourteen weeks of silence
• Vendetta
• Thank you
• Live in your head