Alsou Bio - Biography

Name Alsou
Height 5' 8
Naionality Rashian
Date of Birth 27 June 1983,
Place of Birth Bugulma, Tartarstan Province, USSR (now Russia)
Famous for
Alsou was introduced to a music manager Valeriy Belotserkovskiy at the age of 15. She performed the song I Will Always Love You and impressed the manager. He started working with Alsou the next day. After the huge success of Alsou's debut Russian album she was signed to Universal Music Russia and became its first domestic artist. In 2000, Alsou recorded her first English language single Solo and was promptly entered into the Eurovision Song Contest 2000, eventually coming second overall. The song she sang went on to sell 100,000 copies and became the biggest selling single of all time in her home country, surpassed only by Alsou's next single, a duet with Enrique Iglesias You're My No.1 `I really enjoyed performing with him in the Kremlin and I hope our paths will cross again`. She performed Solo again at "Congratulations", the 50th anniversary Eurovision concert in Copenhagen, Denmark, in October 2005.

After her success in Eurovision 2000 Alsou started a big tour in Russia. She celebrated her 17th birthday by performing in her native town of Bugulma, where 85,000 of the 120,000 population gathered in the main square to see her.

During 2000-2001 Alsou was working on her debut English album 'Alsou', which was released in Russia and the CIS countries, as well as in Germany, Norway, Poland, Checz Republic and Malaysia. Her first brilliant UK pop-single, "Before You Love Me", which was # 1 on MTV UK, reached a disappointing # 27, and due to the promotional problems the album was cancelled in UK.

Before Alsou turned 19, she achieved great success that included such titles as the National singer of Tatarstan Republic, the Honourable citizen of Bugulma, the Best selling Russian artist ("World Music Awards-2001"), the Best Russian singer ("MTV Europe Music Awards-2001") and the Best single of 2000 (National Russian "Record" award for "You're My №1").

In the summer of 2002 Alsou was perfecting her vocal skill during the new concert tour through the CIS countries. Her new video "Letyashchaya Nad Oblakami" ("Flying Over The Clouds") was shown in Russian cinemas before Russian love story "Atlantida", because Alsou has recorded two songs for the movie. In August the studio sessions began, and Alsou was preparing her concerts in Moscow at the same time as well. The "Trilogy" project was called by the newspapers "the important social and cultural event". The uniqueness of "Trilogy" is: no one singer in the world has given three completely different performances during only 10 days. The first show was held in concert hall "Rossija", where Alsou performed her old program "Alsou And Her Authors", which was never presented in Moscow before. The second one was an exclusive orchestra concert in Tchaikovsky Hall, where there are only 1500 places (the VIP's enjoyed "Ave Maria" by Alsou!). And the third one was a euro-pop show called "Solo", it was held in "Olimpiyskiy" Sport Complex and contained new Russian and English songs, with phantasmagoric moving decorations, huge monitors, great special effects, live sound, fantastic dancing and singing. After the third show Alsou shot a video for the song "Vchera" ("Yesterday"), and in January 2003 released her new Russian album called "19". The CD was greatly appreciated by critics, and to April 2003 the sales have reached 500 thousand legal copies. Alsou's diligence couldn't be left without attention, and she was nominated to First National Music Award "Muz-TV". June 5th, 2003, having arrived in Moscow after the work in foreign studios, Alsou unexpectedly for herself became the winner in "Best Female Artist" nomination. The voting was held all over Russia, and Alsou couldn't stop the tears of joy. In July, 2003 the video for "Perviy Raz" ("First Time") was premiered.

Almost for four years Alsou was working on her second English album "Inspired". It was recorded in London and Los-Angeles. The first single, "Always On My Mind" was written by Alsou and Morten Schjolin. The video was shot in May 2004 by well-known director Joseph Kahn. In the beginning of 2005 she song was premiered on Capital FM and became the best forthcomiong single of the week. However, despite UK promotion, sexy video and touring with Westlife, the commencial single was cancelled by Alsou's UK label, Mercury, though the physical copies were available for short time. Alsou's second English album "Inspired" remains unreleased.

Alsou is credited on 90% tracks recorded for "Inspired". The work was supervised by the famous producers, for example Rhett Lawrence (Madonna, Michael Jackson) and Bass Bros. (Eminem). The album features a cover-version of Lionel Richie's "Hello". It should also include a collaboration with a rapstar Nelly "I Wish I Didn't Know". The album is more guitar flavored than Alsou's previous works. It includes the smash catchy pop-hits, R'n'B, beautiful ballads and songs with more rocky sound. Firstly it was intended to record the album containing mostly ballads, but then the album's direction has changed.

June 2004 Alsou was shooting in British mystical thriller Spirit Trap with Billie Piper, Luke Mably, Emma Catherwood and Sam Troughton.[1] The film was premiered in August, 2005. Alsou's self written powerful ballad "Teardrops" sounds in credits. The film got poor reviews and small box-office, though it was soon released on DVD.

The last known recorded English track of Alsou is a wedding song "Miracles" written by Alsou and her then-future husband Yan and released on a limited single for the guests. She has also collaborated with jazz musician George Benson in Los Angeles recently (Autumn 2006). Alsou's third Russian album is planned for Spring 2007, though it was finished in Autumn 2006. Currently she started promoting her new single "Samoe Glavnoe" ("The Main Thing") in Russia, the video for which was shot when she was pregnant though it is not shown.

Alsou Photos