| Sofia Nizharadze სოფო ნიჟარაძე |
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Sopho Nizharadze in Oslo (2010) |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Sophio Nizharadze სოფიო ნიჟარაძე |
| Also known as | Sopho Nizharadze София Нижарадзе |
| Born | 6 February 1986 |
| Origin | Tbilisi, Georgia |
| Genres | pop, soul, musical |
| Occupations | singer, actress, songwriter |
Sofia Nizharadze (Georgian: სოფო ნიჟარაძე, Sopho Nizharadze IPA: [sɔpʰɔ niʒɑrɑdzɛ]; born February 6,1986 in Tbilisi, Georgian SSR, USSR) is a Georgian singer, actress and songwriter who represented Georgia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 with the song Shine.[1]
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Nizharadze's grandfather, a Turkish native, met his wife in Georgia during vacation and stayed there, during the Soviet era when all non-Soviet foreigners were considered potential spies, causing him trouble to communicate with his family in Turkey.
Nizharadze was born in Tbilisi and started singing from an early age, something that was encouraged by her mother. She studied piano and vocals in the Tbilisi State Conservatory, graduated with honors, and later continued her studies at the theatre of Arts GITIS, Moscow. She also graduated with honors from the Gnessin State Musical College, Moscow. She has a younger brother.
Sopho's vocal range is light lyric soprano.
At the age of three, Nizharadze started performing as a professional with very positive reception. At the age of seven she was invited by Jansug Kakhidze, a prominent Georgian conductor and author of famous sound tracks for Georgian cinema, to join a children’s music studio where she took the lead as a vocalist for various shows and TV projects.
Later on at age 11 she performed “Sous le ciel de Paris” at the French Embassy, where she was noticed by journalist Bernard Pivot who invited her to his program on TV5.
When she reached 17 years old, Nizharadze had won several international young singer's contests, including the "Bravo, Bravissimo!" competition in Mini La Scala (Italy), "Crystal Note" (Moscow, Russia), "Crystal Fur-tree" (Borjomi, Georgia). She participated in several festivals in Russia, Turkey, Italy, Latvia and Georgia.
Later, she took the leading parts in the musicals “The Wedding Of The Jays” and ”Roméo et Juliette, de la Haine à l'Amour”. Living in Moscow at that moment she started gaining international recognition as a singer.
In 2004 she got a main part in Gerard Presgurvic's musical (Original Russian Version, Operetta Theatre, leading cast). In 2005, she reached the final in the New Wave Festival in Jūrmala, Latvia.
In 2008, Nizharadze gave up her career in Russia and returned to Georgia as a consequence of the war between the two countries, and started a career in Georgia.
Nizharadze was internally chosen by GBP to represent Georgia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010. An open call for songs was launched, and over 100 entries submitted, the broadcasting authorities selected 6, that were all performed by her in a national final on February 27 in the Tbilisi Even Hall. Shine was voted as the winner.
Nizharadze will plan her new album release, and new songs for it. She will also continue promoting her Eurovision entry in Georgia. Sofia actively participates in many concerts and shows in Europe and Asia. She sang duets with legendary José Carreras, Andrea Bocelli and Chris de Burgh. She was also the spokesperson announcing the Georgian votes during the Eurovision Song Contest 2011.
| Preceded by Diana Gurtskaya with Peace Will Come |
Georgia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 |
Succeeded by Eldrine with One More Day |