Natalia Podolskaya

Natalia Podolskaya
Background information
Born	(1982-05-20) May 20, 1982 Mogilev, Belarusian SSR, USSR
Genres	Pop-rock
Occupation(s)	Singer
Years active	2002–present
Website	en.npodolskaya.com

Natalia Podolskaya (Natalla Padolskaja, Belarusian: Натальля Падольская, Russian: Наталья Подольская, born May 20, 1982) is a Belarusian singer who performed for Russia at the Eurovision Song Contest on May 21, 2005 and was ranked No. 15. In 2008, she became a Russian citizen.^[1]

Early years

Natalia was born in 1982 in Mogilev, Belarus. At the age of nine she studied piano at music school and started singing at the age of nine in the Studio W group of the Mogilev Music and Choreography School. She went on tour in Belgium, Germany and Poland. Still a teenager she won grand prix at the music festivals "Zornaja rostan" (Belarus), "Mahutny Boza" (Belarus), "Goldenfest" (Poland).

Between 1999 and 2004, she studied law at a small private law school called Belarusian Law Institute and continued to gain experience as a solo performer. Natalia regularly took part in music shows on Belarusian radio and television and, in 2002/2003, she was finalist in the national Belarus TV festival ‘On the Crosses of Europe’. In 2002, Natalia moved to Moscow and joined the Moscow Institute of the Modern Art.

Natalia became well known in 2002 after her performance at the music festival "Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk". The same year in Prague, 16 members of ‘Universetalent Prague 2002’ International Jury marked her performance as very high: Natalia Podolskaya won the ‘Best Song’ and ‘Best Singer’ categories.

Solo career

2003-2005

In early 2003, Rayan Lobsher and Michael Jay wrote Unstoppable especially for Natalia and invited her to take part in the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest as the UK representative.^[2] However, Podolskaya was determined to sing only for her home country Belarus.

In 2004, Natalia Podolskaya got through the auditions and became a participant of Star Factory-5 in which she was taught by the best singing, dancing and acting teachers in Russia. It was here that Natalia met Victor Drobysh, the famous songwriter and producer. With his help she recorded her first album Pozdno ('Поздно', Late, 2004), which was released in December 2004 and was a success.

Turned down by Belarusians, Natallia decided to come to Eurovision as a representative of Russia. In February 2005, the Russian national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest took place. TV viewers chose a winner by televoting. Natalia was chosen to represent Russia with her song Nobody Hurt No One at the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 in Kiev, Ukraine.

Discography

Studio albums

• Pozdno (2005)

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Natalia Podolskaya.

• Natalia Podolskaya at the Internet Movie Database
• Official website

Russia in the Eurovision Song Contest   Participation 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 to 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016   Artists 1990s Youddiph Philipp Kirkorov 1996 Alla Pugacheva 1998 1999 2000s Alsou Mumiy Troll Prime Minister t.A.T.u. Julia Savicheva Natalia Podolskaya Dima Bilan Serebro Dima Bilan Anastasiya Prikhodko 2010s Peter Nalitch Alexey Vorobyov Buranovskiye Babushki Dina Garipova Tolmachevy Sisters Polina Gagarina Sergey Lazarev   Songs 1990s "Vyechniy stranik" "Kolibelnaya dlya vulkana" 1996 "Primadonna" 1998 1999 2000s "Solo" "Lady Alpine Blue" "Northern Girl" "Ne ver', ne boysia" "Believe Me" "Nobody Hurt No One" "Never Let You Go" "Song #1" "Believe" "Mamo" 2010s "Lost and Forgotten" "Get You" "Party for Everybody" "What If" "Shine" "A Million Voices" (Note: Entries scored out are when Russia did not compete)