Pelageya is the stage name chosen by the popular Russian folk singer Pelageya Sergeevna Khanova. Her unique voice is hard to confuse with other singers. She masterfully performs romances, folk songs, and original songs. And her sincere and spontaneous manner of performance always causes real delight in listeners. She is original, cheerful, talented and, most importantly, real. This is what her fans say. And the singer herself can confirm her success with numerous awards in the field of show business.
Pelageya: years of childhood and youth
Pelageya Khanova is a native of the Siberian region. The future star was born in the summer of 1986 in the city of Novosibirsk. From an early age, the girl surprised others with absolutely everything - with a unique timbre, a manner of presenting herself, and not childishly serious thinking. In the birth certificate, the artist was recorded as Polina. But already in her youth, the girl decided to take her grandmother's old name - Pelageya. That's what it says on the passport. Based on the surname, many people mistakenly think that the singer is a Tatar by nationality. But it's not. She hardly remembers her own father, Sergei Smirnov. She received the surname Khanova from her stepfather. Pelageya's mother is a professional jazz singer. It was from her that a delightful timbre was transmitted to the girl.
Pelageya: singing from the cradle
According to her mother, her daughter showed interest in music since she was in diapers. She closely watched her mother, who sang lullabies to her every evening. The little one even moved her lips and yelped, trying to repeat the articulation. Svetlana Khanova understood that the child had talent and it was necessary to develop it at all costs. After a protracted illness, Pelageya's mother lost her voice forever and stopped performing. This allowed her to devote most of her time to raising and musically educating her daughter. The girl with a unique voice debuted on stage in St. Petersburg at the age of four. The performance impressed not only the audience, but also the little performer herself. It was from that moment that she developed a great love for creativity. When Pelageya turned 8, she was invited to study at a special school at the Novosibirsk Conservatory. She is the only vocalist student in the history of the music school.
Participation in the project "Morning Star"
In her city, Pelageya began to be recognized even at school age. Not a single concert in Novosibirsk took place without her participation. But the girl's mother predicted that she would become famous on a completely different scale. That is why she enrolled her daughter in all sorts of song contests. At one of these contests, the young singer was noticed by musician Dmitry Revyakin. The man was the frontman of the group "Kalinov Most". It was he who advised Svetlana Khanova to send the girl to Moscow and film her in the popular TV show "Morning Star", where her talent would be appreciated by true professionals in the field of music. This is exactly what happened. The show changed Pelageya's life, and, of course, for the better. Just a few months later, the young singer received her first serious award - the title of "Best Performer of Folk Song 1996".
The rapid career growth of Pelageya
After such an award, other honorary music prizes literally began to pour in on the singer. In a record short time, Pelageya has become mega-demanded. The Young Talents of Russia Foundation awards her a scholarship. A year later, Pelageya becomes the leading participant in the UN international project "Names of the Planet". Soon, not only the citizens of Russia could enjoy the amazing bel canto of the artist. French President J. Chirac compared her to Edith Piaf. Her singing was also admired by Hillary Clinton, Jerzy Hoffman, Alexander Lukashenko, Boris Yeltsin and many other world-class dignitaries. The State Concert Hall "Russia" and the Kremlin Palace become the main venues for Pelageya's performances.
Pelageya: new acquaintances
At one of Pelagia's Kremlin speeches, Patriarch Alexy II was present in the hall. He was so struck by the singing that the clergyman blessed the artist and wished her further development in her work. Many of the pop singers could not even dream of such indulgence. Gradually, the social circle of the singer and her parents (since the girl was only 12 years old at that time) includes Joseph Kobzon, Nikita Mikhalkov, Alla Pugacheva, Nina Yeltsina, Oleg Gazmanov and other titans of show business.
In 1997, the girl was invited to play in one of the rooms of the Novosibirsk KVN team. There, the young artist made a splash. Without thinking twice, the team makes Pelageya a full member. The girl performs not only in musical numbers, but also brilliantly plays comedy scenes.
Creative everyday life Pelagia
Since the demand for the girl was constantly growing, the family had to move to Moscow. Here the parents rented a small apartment in the center. Mom continued to study vocals with her daughter. But the girl did not refuse to study at the music school at the Gnessin School. But here the young talent ran into a problem. Even in such a famous institution, most of the teachers refused to study with a girl who owns a range of four octaves. The main part of the work had to be taken over by my mother, Svetlana Khanova.
In parallel with her studies, the girl is actively recording albums. The FILI recording studio signs a contract with her. Here Pelageya is recording the track "Home" for the new collection of the Depeche Mode group. The track was recognized as the best composition of the album.
In 1999, the first album of the singer called "Lubo" was released. The collection was sold out in huge numbers.
Festivals and concerts
A girl with a unique voice is a regular participant in official receptions and events of national importance. Mstislav Rostropovich himself invites Pelageya to participate in a music festival that took place in the capital of Switzerland. After a successful performance, local producers offer the girl to record an album in this country. Here Pelageya meets the personal manager of Jose Carreras. At his request, the singer takes part in the opera star's concert in 2000. After a series of concerts (18) in different countries of the world with the participation of a Russian star. In 2003, the next album appeared under the same name "Pelageya".
Create a group
After completing her studies at the Russian Institute of Theater Arts (2005), the girl decides to create her own musical group. She already has enough experience to do it. The artist does not bother with the name. Her own name fit perfectly. Plus, he was already well known, both in his native country and far abroad. The artist focuses on creating high-quality video clips. One after another, the clips “Party”, “Cossack”, “Vanya is sitting on the couch”, etc. are released on music channels. The main genre of song performance is ethno-rock. When creating tracks, the group members relied on the work of domestic artists who worked in the same direction (Kalinov Most, Anzhela Manukyan, etc.).
In 2009, the artist pleased with the next album, Paths. By the end of 2013, the group had released 6 compilations. In 2018, Pelageya, according to Forbes, found herself in position 39 of the 50 most successful artists and athletes in the country. Her annual income was about $1,7 million. In 2020, the singer was awarded the title of Honored Artist of the Russian Federation.
Participation in TV projects
In 2004, Pelageya was invited to shoot in the TV series Yesenin. She agreed, and for good reason. She flawlessly played her role and was noted by famous directors.
The whole of 2009 was devoted to work in the TV project "Two Stars". The duet with Daria Moroz turned out to be charismatic and memorable.
In 2012, Pelageya agreed to be mentors for aspiring artists in the Voice show. And in 2014 she worked at the Voice. Children".
In 2019, the artist works with the participants of the TV show “Voices. 60+". Leonid Sergienko, who was Pelagia's ward, became a finalist. So the artist proved her professionalism and ability to work in different age categories.
Appearance of Pelageya
Like any star accustomed to the sharp attention of the public, Pelageya devotes a lot of time and resources to her health and appearance. In 2014, the singer was so carried away by weight loss that fans stopped recognizing her. Many even noted that such excessive thinness spoils her image as a performer of folk songs and romances. After some time, the star was able to come to her ideal weight, gaining a few kilograms. Now the singer strictly monitors nutrition. But to find her ideal diet, she had to try a lot of diets. In addition to nutrition, sports, massage and regular visits to the bath are extremely important for a woman. Regarding appearance, the star does not hide the fact that she often visits a beautician, makes injections and resorts to the services of plastic surgeons.
Personal life of a star
Pelageya is not a fan of social networks. The only page on Instagram is not even run by herself, but by her administrator. The artist prefers not to publicize her life outside the stage and not even discuss it on various TV shows.
In 2010, Pelageya formalized an official marriage with the director of the Comedy Woman TV project Dmitry Efimovich. But two years later, the relationship was terminated. Two creative personalities failed to get along together.
Pelagia's next romance happened to Ivan Telegin, a member of the Russian hockey team. This connection gave rise to a lot of rumors. The fact is that the athlete was in a civil marriage, his wife was expecting a child. A few months after the birth of his son, Telegin left the family and in the summer of 2016 formalized his relationship with the singer. In January 2017, their common daughter Taisiya was born. Several times in the press there was information about the frequent betrayals of Telegin. The singer kept silent, preferring not to comment on the "rumors in the yellow press." But in 2019, the rumors were confirmed. Reporters managed to photograph Pelageya's husband with a charming young companion, Maria Gonchar. At the beginning of 2020, Pelageya and Ivan Telegin began divorce proceedings. According to rumors, Telegin gave the artist an impressive compensation in the form of a country house and several apartments in the capital.
Pelagia now
Despite the difficult process of divorce, Pelageya found the strength not to hide under the covers and not suffer in a pillow. She continues to be creative, writes new songs and actively performs. In the summer of 2021, the singer was a participant in the Heat Festival. The artist also organized a grand concert on the occasion of her birthday. All eminent artists of the country were invited to the event.
The artist tries to devote all her free time to raising her daughter. Little Tasya is engaged in a ballet circle and is studying English.
An interesting hobby of Pelageya is a tattoo. On the body of the singer there are several tattoos depicting ancient Slavic spirits.
