Земфира

Zemfira is the stage name of a Russian rock musician Zemfira Ramazanova, born in Ufa (then in Russian Soviet Republic) on August 26, 1976. She studied music since the age of 5, first – at the music school and later at the College of Fine Arts in Ufa. Working as a sound engineer at a radio station, she used its equipment to record her first singles "Почему" ("Why") and "Синоптик" ("Weatherman"). Zemfira’s life dramatically changed in 1999 when her demo tape made its way into the hands of the Mummiy Troll’s producer Leonid Burlakov. That led to the recording of the debut album Zemfira in 1999. The release became a sensation, songs from the album, such as "СПИД" ("AIDS") and "Ракеты" ("Rockets"), immediately topped the charts. Zemfira’s second album ПММЛ (abbreviation for "Forgive Me My Love") was even more successful and became the album of the year in 2000. The next releases - 14 недель тишины (14 weeks of Silence) in 2002, Вендетта (Vendetta) in 2005, and Спасибо (Thank You) in 2007 - received mixed reviews but each time were hugely appreciated and anticipated by the public. Zemfira started a women-in-rock phenomenon in Russia, revolutionizing traditional views on the female role in music by stepping onto 'men-only' territory. Being one of a kind artist, in her songs, Zemfira raise unusual and controversial topics and never cared about a commercially suitable image of herself. She sings about taboos, outcasts, social issues with ease and philosophical view. Her style is unique and signature, yet every new release is original and unpredictable.