Ruslana writes, composes and produces her own songs and music videos. Since 28 December 1995 she has been married toOleksandr Ksenofontov, a Ukrainian record producer.[15] Together they have run the companyLuxen Studio since 1993, producing radio and film trailers.[15]
Ruslana was the first artist from the former Soviet Union to officially receive aplatinum disc, herDyki tantsi album selling more than 170,000 copies in the first 100 days after its release.[16] This album is the best selling Ukrainian album to date, together with its English version, more than 500,000 copies being sold solely in Ukraine.[17][18]
She won the2004 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Wild Dances" receiving 280 points, which at that time was a record of points.[19] Following her victory, she rose to fame in Europe and became one of the biggest pop stars from theEastern part of the continent. Her winning song "Wild Dances" dominated the European charts for 97 weeks peaking at number one in Belgium for 10 consecutive weeks.[20] Her Eurovision winning song was included on the official compilation album calledThe Very Best of Eurovision celebrating the 60th anniversary of the contest.[21]
Her repertoire includes songs performed mainly in Ukrainian and English, but she also recorded cover versions in Spanish andLatin languages.
Encouraged by Nina, Ruslana studied from the age of four at an experimental musical school and sang in different bands, including in the vocal-instrumental band Horizon, the band Orion and the children's ensemble Usmishka (Smile). With Usmishka, Ruslana performed at a large concert in theDruzhba Stadium in 1989. One of the headlining acts of that concert wasVasyl Zinkevych, People's Artist of the Ukrainian SSR, who noticed her talent. At the end of the concert, Zinkevych asked her to come on stage and declared in front of an audience of 15,000 spectators: "Remember this young singer, your compatriot. You will see: she will definitely become a real star."[24] Stepan and Nina divorced in 1991.[25] After finishing secondary school, Ruslana entered theLviv Conservatory where she graduated as a classical pianist and symphonic orchestra conductor in 1995.[26]
Ruslana started her career as the winner of theSlavianski Bazaar song competition in Vitebsk, Belarus in 1996 with the songOj, letili dyki husi.[26] In the same year, she was among the nominees for the Ukrainian Singer of the Year award and the video forDzvinkyi Viter (Wind Bells) was awarded Music Video of the Year. Since her early career, Ruslana's producer was Oleksandr Ksenofontov, whom she married in 1995.[27]
In 1997, Ruslana began working onChristmas with Ruslana – the firstL'viv Christmas television project of an All-Ukrainian scale including the video clipBallad of a Princess which was the first animated music video made by a Ukrainian singer.
Her first albumMyt Vesny – Dzvinkyi Viter (A Moment of Spring – Wind Bells), released in 1998, received high praise from the critics.
Still, wider recognition did not come until 1998 with the songSvitanok (Sunrise) and the albumMyt' Vesny – Dzvinkyj Viter Live.Svitanok was the first Ukrainian big-budget music video. In 1998, Ruslana was awarded Person of the Year, the songSvitanok was awarded Song of the Year and its accompanying music video was awarded Music Video of the Year. In the second half of 1998, she organized a charity tour which had the aim of raising funds for the restoration of the old castles from Western Ukraine. The tour was a success and thanks to Ruslana's efforts, theZolochiv Castle was restored.[28]
In 1999, she worked on the Christmas musicalOstanne rizdvo 90th (The Last Christmas of the 90s), which won the UkrainianMovie of the Year award. With the video clip to the songZnaju ya (I Know), which is about the ancient people of theHutsuls living in the UkrainianCarpathians, Ruslana set new standards for modern video clip filming.
In 1995, Ruslana graduated from theLviv Conservatory as professional conductor and classical pianist. She was the student of one of the most prominent Ukrainian composers and conductors,Mykola Kolessa who is regarded as 'the father of the Ukrainian conducting school'. She used to be a part of the student choir of the Lviv Music Academy.[citation needed]
Ruslana's father is from the West-Ukrainian area of theHutsuls, the dwellers of the Ukrainian Carpathian Mountains. They have a unique culture with an ancient and rich history that inspired Ruslana to create her concept albumWild Dances. It combines powerful and permeating ethnic drums, trumpet sounds of thetrembita, an ancientHutsul music instrument, with modern dance beats. The album was composed by Ruslana after an expedition to theCarpathian Mountains in spring 2003.[29]
The albumDyki Tantsi (Wild Dances) was released in June 2003 in Ukraine. The album sold more than 170,000 copies in the first 100 days after its release, even without a supporting tour.[16] Together with its English language counterpart it was the first album ever to be certified five times platinum in Ukraine, selling more than 500,000 copies, making it the most successful album in Ukraine ever.[26]
Ruslana was internally selected by theNTU to represent Ukraine at theEurovision Song Contest 2004. Before the contest, she was a hot favorite for victory by the bookmakers. At theEurovision Song Contest 2004, she performed her self-composed song,Wild Dances and won the contest receiving 280 points. In the semifinal, the song received points from all other participating countries; in the final, Switzerland was the only country not giving any points to the song.
The singleWild Dances stayed a total of 97 weeks in various European single charts. It was certified gold in Belgium, Sweden, Russia, Greece, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. In Belgium, it topped the singles charts at #1 for 10 consecutive weeks. Also in Ukraine and Greece, the song peaked at #1.[20] The English language albumWild Dances was released in many European countries in the autumn of 2004. InLas Vegas she received theWorld Music Award as best selling Ukrainian artist.[9]
After her victory Ruslana was appointed advisor to the Ukrainian prime minister, and the Ukrainian president bestowed upon her one of the country's highest honors when she received the title ofPeople's Artist of Ukraine.[6]
In Belgium she was among the top 15 ranked performers with her singles "Wild Dances" and "Dance with the Wolves".[30] Ruslana was named the most popular person in Belgium,[30] the sexiest girl in Greece,[30] the most influential public person in Ukraine[30] and was the first foreigner to receive the award of the Federation of Journalists in Turkey.[30]
Ukrainian stamp celebrating Ruslana's victory at the Eurovision Song Contest
Ruslana had been initially chosen to host the semi-final and the grand final of theEurovision Song Contest 2005.[31] However, the singer had to decline the offer due to her involvement in the organization of a big charity concert dedicated to the victims of theChernobyl disaster. Therefore, Ruslana appeared at the event only as a guest star. She performed a medley ofWild Dances andHeart on Fire at the opening ceremony being accompanied by the Zhyttia ballet and the Ukrainian drums ensemble ARS Nova. After interviewing the competitors in thegreen room she also performed her latest singleThe Same Star. During this performance, Ruslana wore a red costume inspired by Ukrainian ethnic elements.
Also in 2005, Ruslana designed the cover forJonathan Safran Foer'sThe Unabridged Pocket Book of Lightning which was produced as part ofPenguin Books' 70th birthday celebrations.[32]
In 2006, Ruslana's song "Wild Dances" was named Germany's all-time favorite Eurovision entry in an internet poll arranged by the German public television broadcasterNDR. During the television programDie Grand Prix Hitliste, "Wild Dances" was presented as the winner, ahead of well-known classics, such as "Waterloo" and Germany's only winner (at the time), "Ein Bißchen Frieden", which finished in sixth and twelfth place respectively. The programme was viewed by a television audience of approximately six million people in Germany.[33]
Ruslana's projectWild Energy was based on the science fiction novel by Maryna and Sergij DiachenkoWild Energy. Lana. In a future city which experiences a global energy crisis, far more threatening than lack of oil and gas, people are lacking their will to live, their energy of the heart – the "fuel for people". Lana, one of the synthetic inhabitants, sets out to find the mystical energy source. After many adventures, she discovers that the wild energy comes from her own heart.Wild Energy combines the art of music and video production, literature and social commitment in an extraordinary way. In June 2006 Ruslana presented the new single and videoWild Energy in a unique fantasy style. In this video clip, the singer develops from a synthetic blonde girl into her wild image.
In March 2008 Ruslana's Ukrainian albumAmazonka was released in Ukraine, Czech Republic and Slovakia. The English albumWild Energy was released byWarner Music in Canada and several European countries in autumn 2008.[34]
The album was recorded at theHit Factory Studio in Miami and contains two collaborations with American Urban superstarsT-Pain andMissy Elliott.[35] On this release Ruslana creates her own distinctive technique of incorporating ancient ethnic styles of theCarpathian Mountain people with modern popular music.
InGrand Theft Auto IV, Ruslana lends her voice as the host ofVladivostok FM. Her song "Wild Dances" is featured as one of the songs on Vladivostok. On 13 May 2008,Grand Theft Auto IV broke theGuinness World Records for "Highest grossing video game in 24 hours" and "Highest Revenue Generated by an Entertainment Product in 24 Hours". It sold 3.6 million copies on day one generating $310 million in revenue.[36]
2009–2010: Asia Song Festival & new album recordings
In 2009, she was invited to attend the sixthAsia Song Festival which took place in Seoul, Korea. The event was held at theSeoul World Cup Stadium where Ruslana sung in front of an audience of 60,000 people. Together with theZhyttia ballet, she performed three songs from her first international album: "Wild Dances", "Dance with the Wolves" and a bilingual version of "Play, Musician!". Her act was met with great enthusiasm by the Asian public who didn't know her until that moment. Even if she was supposed to receive only an award for her contribution to the cultural exchange between Ukraine and Asia in music, in the end she also won the main award of the festival, receiving the golden statue for the best artist of the Asia Song Festival 2009.[37]
2011–2012: The Voice of Ukraine and Ukrainian albumEy-fori-YA
In 2011, Ruslana was appointed as one of the judges of the Ukrainian version ofThe Voice show. Her involvement in the project was featured on the Dutch TV where the original show of the series kicked off. Eventually, Ruslana's alumni, Tonya Matvienko, placed 2nd in the grand final of the Ukrainian show.
In April 2012 the new Ukrainian language albumЕЙ-форі-Я (EY-fori-YA) was released in Ukraine. The album on which Ruslana had worked for four years was produced in the US, Sweden and Ukraine produced byVlad Debriansky and Ruslana and features musicians such as Rusty Allen, Victor Little, George Benson, Brian Coller and others.[39]
Despite its intercontinental rock and pop nature, the albumEY-fori-YA and the three songs taken from it previously is based on Slavic rhythms. Ruslana integrated old Slavic circle dances, liturgies and elements of classic pieces of Russian composers includingGlinka,Tschaikowsky,Mussorgsky, andRachmaninow.[39]The album is designed for flash mob type synchronous dances. In April/May 2012 she toured 11 Ukrainian cities with a unique show concept calledOGO Show. During these open-air events Ruslana appeared as lead dancer teaching the audience the moves. The audience doesn't consume passively, but is integrated into the show.[40] More concept concerts followed within the framework of theEURO 2012 public fan events.
2013: International albumMy Boo! (Together!) &Clash of the Choirs
Her third international album was set to be released in 2013 under the titleMy Boo! (Together!).[41] The new material shows how versatile Ruslana is as an artist as she completely changed her style since theWild Energy project, from a wildAmazon to an Urban pop princess.
At the same time of the release of the new English album Ruslana's Ukrainian albumЕЙ-форі-Я (EY-fori-YA,Euphoria) was re-released under the new titleМій Брат! (разом) (Miy Brat! (razom!),My Brother! (together!)). The renaming of the album had become necessary because of the coincidental same name of the winning song of theEurovision Song Contest 2012. The Swedish singerLoreen won the event with the songEuphoria, one month after Ruslana had released her Ukrainian album and song of the same name. In order to avoid misunderstandings Ruslana's renamed not only her album but also her English songEuphoria intoThis Is Euphoria.[43]
In August 2013 Ruslana globally released the singleThis Is Euphoria digitally. The track was composed and produced by Ruslana and the Swedish musicianStefan Örn.
She was one of the coaches of the first season of theClash of the Choirs TV show in Ukraine. Ruslana and her alumni from the city ofLviv have won the grand final of the project on 5 January 2014, receiving 78% of the tele voting.[46]
In January 2014 her international albumMy Boo! (Together!) was released digitally. For her subsequent album Ruslana intended to study againethnic motifs as she regarded theWild Dances project as her most creative work.[47] Due to her active involvement in theEuromaidan in Ukraine, Ruslana had to postpone her musical plans.
On 9 and 10 October Ruslana held two concerts at the Manchester Ukrainian Cultural Centre 'Dnipro'. She originally planned on performing only one show however as the tickets sold out within hours, it was decided that she would perform a second concert the next day. Tickets for that show were also almost sold out.[49]
On 24 October, Ruslana performed a concert along with theUkrainian Bandurist Chorus inMassey Hall in Toronto. The purpose of the concert was to showcase the beauty and the importance of theBandura in Ukrainian music and culture. For her final song, Ruslana performed along with the Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus as well as the Zoloti Struny Youth Bandura Ensemble based in Toronto. She was a judge atVidbir, Ukraine's National Selection for theEurovision Song Contest 2016. Out of the three jury members, she was the only one who supported the singerJamala who later on became the second Eurovision winner from Ukraine.
In late 2016, after Jamala's victory at Eurovision in Stockholm, Ruslana played 3 concerts in Western Europe. In October she played in London, in November she played in Paris and in December she played in Hanover (Hannover). In all of these concerts she spoke about the victory that Jamala brought for Ukraine, and how Ukraine would be opening up to the world again in May 2017.
After her long-lasting creative break, which was caused by the dramatic and stormy events in Ukraine, Ruslana presented her new single "It's Magical / Я люблю" at theEurovision Grand Finale in Kyiv on 13 May 2017. The new music style combines tender cradle songs with brisk exotic melodies and rhythms. The original, exotic manner of singing which forms the basis of the soundtrack Ruslana acquired on sometimes extreme expeditions into the Carpathian Mountains. The song was released in an English ("It's Magical") and a Ukrainian version ("Я люблю" / "Ya lyublyu" / "I Love").[50]
The film production took place in a unique place, the Basalt quarry in theRivne region. DirectorOles Sanin created a thunderstorm in a realistic way for the video clip. The image of Ruslana in the chainmail in which she appears in the clip resembles her internal state. After all the events in her country and her extreme expeditions into the mountains, Ruslana feels like a kind of warrioress who is called to protect the most valuable: Love. In her song, video Ruslana wants to draw attention to the widespread deforestation in the Carpathians. Her aim is the preservation of the Carpathian primeval forests, their unique wildlife, and exceptional culture.[50]
In autumn 2004 Ruslana actively supported the democratic processes in Ukraine known as theOrange Revolution, to which her song "Dance with the Wolves" was devoted. She declared her support forViktor Yushchenko during the disputedUkrainian presidential elections. She became one of the prominent figures that addressed the mass crowds rallying in support of Yushchenko's demand that his original defeat be declared fraudulent.From spring 2006 to summer 2007 she was a Member of theUkrainian Parliament for the partyOur Ukraine.[51]
In December 2012 Ruslana launched the human rights campaignНе мовчи (Don't keep silent) which challenges the juridical system of Ukraine. In particular she supports the case of Dmytro and Sergiy Pavlichenko who claim to have been forced to admit a murder they have not committed. The father and son were convicted of killing a judge of a district court in Kyiv and sentenced to life imprisonment and 13 years in prison respectively.[55] The verdict was widely criticized mainly by football fans.[56] Ruslana dedicated her song and videoЦе – Ей-форі-Я (This is Euphoria) to the case of the Pavlichenkos who according to her are victims of a misjudgement.[57]
Ruslana reading out an official resolution of Euromaidan, 29 November 2013Ruslana withJosé Manuel Barroso andHenri Malosse at the Plenary Session of the EESC in BrusselsFirst LadyMichelle Obama and Deputy SecretaryHeather Higginbottom pose for a photo with 2014 Secretary of State's International Women of Courage Award Winner Ruslana
Ruslana was one of the leading figures of the pro-EU protests known asEuromaidan.[58][59][60] On 22 November 2013, Ukrainian citizens started spontaneous protests in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, after the Ukrainian government had suspended preparations for signing anAssociation Agreement with theEuropean Union.[61]
From the first day of the protests she stayed on Kyiv'sMaidan Nezalezhnosti virtually all night, up to ten hours a night.[62][63] In an interview withThe Daily Beast on 11 December 2013 she explained her role in the opposition as "charging Maidan with freedom-loving energy", insisted she "hates" politics[64] and denied supporting any single leader.[65]
In total Ruslana spent at least 100 days and 100 nights on the Maidan stage during the cold winter inspiring the crowds, giving speeches and singing the Ukraine national anthem every hour day after day and night after and night, often sleeping just a couple of hours on the floor of the Trade Union building occupied by the protesters.[66] As a symbol of people power, peace and freedom she established holding up flashlights while singing the Ukraine national anthem.
When during the night of 30 November 2013 the riot police wanted to clear the occupied Maidan and started beating up peacefully sleeping activists, Ruslana rushed for help and managed to seek shelter with about 100 students, some of them wounded, in a nearby monastery.[67] During another night in December 2013, when riot police advanced again towards the square, Ruslana did her utmost to deescalate the situation by talking to them from the stage repeating over and over again "Quiet! No violence!". The 2,000+ riot police eventually retreated.[68]
Her commitment in the pro-European movement was featured in many international publications. While the American press regarded her as the 'true heroine of Ukraine',[69] the German magazineSpiegel called her 'Kyiv's queen of the night',[70] and the Spanish newspaperEl Mundo compared her toJeanne d'Arc.[71] The media even compared her toKatniss Everdeen, the heroine ofThe Hunger Games trilogy.[72] The RussianForbes magazine included her in the top 10 of the most influential women of 2013[73] and theBusiness Ukraine magazine named her 'person of the year'.[74]
From January 2014, Ruslana started to meet with key EU and U.S. politicians asking for support for Ukraine. Her first appearance in this role at the 495th Plenary Session of theEuropean Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and a meeting withJosé Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, resulted in a resolution of the EESC to support the Ukrainian civil society and its democratic rights.[75] In the following months Ruslana travelled to Stockholm, Paris, Warsaw, Brussels, Vienna, Strasbourg, Berlin, Munich, São Paulo, Washington, D.C., and New York speaking to leading government officials calling for international support, and giving interviews to press about the situation in Ukraine.
Her activism put herself in serious danger. She received numerous death threats on her phone, her car was followed and she couldn't live in her house for several weeks because it was constantly observed. Snipers aimed at her while she was standing on the Maidan stage. The threats started after she started demanding sanctions from the EU governments against theYanukovych government.[76] Ruslana had also noted the presence of paid provocateurs who have instigated fights in the otherwise peaceful protests.[77] After PresidentViktor Yanukovych had fled the country in late February 2014 and the fights in Ukraine escalated Ruslana targeted Russian PresidentVladimir Putin as aggressor and demanded sanctions against him and his government. In Washington, D.C., she stated: "Putin's propaganda is a machine against the truth. Putin started his terrorist operation in Eastern Ukraine and is preparing his way to Kyiv. Russia's special forces, terrorist, are invading Ukraine ... Tomorrow we will wake up and see that Putin took away everything he wanted."[78]
On 24 May 2014, the day before the presidential election in Ukraine which happened to be also her birthday, Ruslana organized a global joint prayer which involved one million people in several countries highlighting the unity of Ukrainians across the world and the global support for Ukraine. Ruslana herself read the prayer "For Ukraine, for peace and quiet" and performed theUkraine national anthem in 12 languages on MountKhomyak in theCarpathian Mountains.[81]
After Russia launched afull-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, Ruslana posted a statement on herInstagram account expressing hope that "the world will stand united for Ukraine. We have worked for many years to ensure that the modern world chooses Ukraine as a country that has suffered from the Russian regime for centuries. The world feels us and will help." She also used her profile to share information on how to responsibly coordinate citizen actions such as assisting theTerritorial Defence Forces and listening to announcements from official sources.[82]
Ruslana has performed at concerts to raise funds for relief efforts. While such shows in Ukraine were restricted for safety reasons, she held a performance in an undergroundmetro station.[85] In August 2023, she led a concert atTallinn'sFreedom Square to celebrate theIndependence Day of Ukraine and theEstonian Restoration of Independence; proceeds from the show went to assist children living near the frontlines and buildingbomb shelters in the region.[86] Ruslana explained in September 2023 that "music has become quite the weapon during this time of war" by helping to maintain morale.[85]
Her song "I'm Alive", released on 7 March 2022, is dedicated to Ukrainian civilians and troops killed in theRusso-Ukrainian War.[87] At a show inLiverpool to promote theEurovision Song Contest 2023, Ruslana announced a new studio album that she said was to unite Ukraine and "show [Russia] that we can still make new songs, that we can still create despite the ongoing war."[88]
In 2004 to 2005 Ruslana was appointed Good Will Ambassador of Ukraine by theUNICEF and combatstrafficking in human beings.[89] She released two video clips which aim to make potential victims aware of the dangers ofhuman trafficking. In February 2008 Ruslana performed at an anti-human trafficking event in Vienna, Austria, organized byUN.GIFT (The United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking) in front of 117 international delegations. Her songNot for Sale became the anthem of the anti-trafficking campaign.[90]
Within the frames of theEurovision Song Contest 2005 in Kyiv she gave a charity concert for children suffering from the consequences of theChernobyl tragedy. For another charity project Ruslana joined forces with German rock starPeter Maffay.[91] In April/May 2007 they went together with artists from 14 countries on a four weeks tour through Germany. The funds gathered benefited children in need.
Ruslana has also staged numerous charity concerts benefiting Children's hospitals in Kyiv,Lviv andDnipropetrovsk.
With her project Wild Energy Ruslana supports the use ofrenewable energy. She regards the energy of the sun, the water and the wind as an energy independence. The project gradually developed into this bigger meaning. Ruslana wants to make people aware of the dangers ofglobal climate change.[92] In September 2018, she was appointed as global ambassador for renewable energy byGlobal100RE.[93]
After large regions in Western Ukraine were hit by a flood in July 2008 Ruslana set up the co-ordinating and relief centreCarpathians. Flood. SOS! 2008. The aim of the centre is to create a database of the people in need, to provide emergency humanitarian help and to collect and distribute donations both from the public and from other Ukrainian artists and sportsmen to support the victims of the flood.[94]
^"Bershidsky on Europe: Swiss Reject Pay Cap". Bloomberg News. 25 November 2013.Archived from the original on 26 November 2013. Retrieved25 November 2013.Yet the Euromaidan, as the protest campaign is known, is serious enough to give President Viktor Yanukovych a serious scare.
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