Alsou

Biography

Alsou Ralifovna Abramova (Russian: Алсу́ Рали́фовна Абра́мова; Tatar: Алсу Рәлиф кызы Абрамова; née Safina; born 27 June 1983), known professionally as Alsou, is a Russian singer. She represented Russia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2000 in which she came second with the song "Solo" right after Denmark, giving her recognition across Europe. Alsou hosted the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 held in Moscow. She was given the Merited Artist of the Russia award in 2018.

== Biography ==

=== Early life === Alsou was born in Bugulma, Tatar ASSR, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union. Her father, Ralif Rafilovich Safin, who is of Bashkir descent, is a former LUKoil executive and a current member of the Federal Council, the upper chamber of the Russian parliament. He is also the owner of the FC Zhemchuzhina-Sochi football team and was named the 100th richest citizen of Russia by Forbes magazine in 2004. Alsou's mother, Raziya Iskhakovna, is an architect of Volga Tatar descent. Alsou is a Muslim. She has an older half-brother called Ruslan (1973), an older brother called Marat (1977, not to be confused with tennis player Marat Safin), and a younger brother called Renard (1996). When Alsou was one year old, her family moved from Bugulma to Siberia. At age five, Alsou asked her parents for a piano. She was then allowed to attend a private music school. After living in Moscow due to her father's business, she then moved to Syosset, New York, and later to the UK where she entered a private architecture college. While living in London, Alsou visited Russia often. In 1998, at the wedding of her brother Marat which was celebrated on the bank of the Moskva River, Alsou sat at the grand piano and sang I Will Always Love You. After this private performance, her family began to persuade her to pursue a professional singing career.

=== Later life === On 18 March 2006 Alsou married Yan Abramov, an Azerbaijani-born Jewish businessman. The wedding reception took place at Rossiya Hotel. On 7 September 2006, Alsou gave birth to her first daughter Safina at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. In 2007 Alsou joined the United Russia party. On 29 April 2008, Alsou gave birth to her second daughter Mikella at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center. On 10 August 2016, Alsou gave birth to her son, Rafael, at the Ihilov hospital in Tel-Aviv. On 24 May 2024 Alsou filed for divorce. In August 2024 the divorce was finalized.

== Career ==

=== Beginning === At the age of 15 Alsou was introduced to music manager Valeriy Belotserkovskiy. She again performed "I Will Always Love You" and impressed the manager. He began work with Alsou the next day. Her debut Russian album was the self-titled Alsou (Russian: Алсу́) was released on 16 September 1999. It was very successful in Russia and spawned 3 singles: "Zimniy Son" ("Winter Dream") "Vesna" ("Spring"), and "Inogda" ("Sometimes"). After the huge success of Alsou's debut Russian album she was signed to Universal Music Russia and became its first domestic artist. By 2000 more than 700.000 legal copies of CD Alsou were sold in Russia. In 2000, Alsou recorded her first English language single "Solo" and was entered into the Eurovision Song Contest 2000, written by Andrew Lane and Brandon Barnes eventually finishing second overall. "Solo" went on to sell 100,000 copies and became the biggest-selling single of all time in Russia, surpassed only by her next single, a duet with Enrique Iglesias entitled "You're My #1". ` I really enjoyed performing with him in Kremlin and I hope our paths will cross again`. After her success in Eurovision 2000, Alsou began a large-scale tour of Russia. She celebrated her 17th birthday by performing in her native town of Bugulma, where 86,000 of the 120,000 population gathered in the main square to see her. Alsou performed "Solo" again at Congratulations, the 50th anniversary Eurovision concert in Copenhagen, Denmark, in October 2005.

=== English career === During 2000–2001, Alsou began working on her debut English album also called Alsou, which was released in Russia on 28 June 2001. It was also released in (Germany), Norway, Poland, the Czech Republic and Malaysia. The lead single "Before You Love Me" was released in the UK on 30 April 2001, soon after charting at No. 1 on MTV Select and several TV appearances by Alsou. However, it only managed to chart at No. 27 in the UK Singles Chart. Later that year it was released in Germany and Australia. A follow-up single, "He Loves Me", was released only in (Germany) on 15 October 2001, with limited success. The album was canceled in the UK, though released from 2001–2002 in several European countries and Malaysia.

=== Between number albums === Alsou's debut Russian album was re-released twice – in 2001 and 2002, spawning two singles – "Osen" ("Autumn") and "Kogda Lubov Ko Mne Pridiot" ("When Love Comes To Me"). In the summer of 2002, Alsou began a tour of the former Soviet countries. Her new video for an upcoming single "Letyashaya Nad Oblakami" ("Flying Over The Clouds") was shown in Russian cinemas before the Russian romantic movie Atlantida. Alsou had recorded two songs for the movie.