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.