Irina Aleksandrovna Allegrova (russian: link=no, Ирина Александровна Аллегрова; born 20 January 1952) is a Russian
singer
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or witho ...
. She is a
People's Artist of Russia
People's Artist of the Russian Federation (russian: Народный артист Российской Федерации, ''Narodnyy artist Rossiyskoy Federatsii''), also sometimes translated as National Artist of the Russian Federation, is an h ...
(2010).
[Почётное звание присвоено указом Президента России № 67 от 15.01.2010](_blank)
In January 2023, Ukraine imposed sanctions on Irina for her support of
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Biography
Irina Allegrova was born in
Rostov-on-Don
Rostov-on-Don ( rus, Ростов-на-Дону, r=Rostov-na-Donu, p=rɐˈstof nə dɐˈnu) is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. It lies in the southeastern part of the East ...
in 1952. Her father Alexander Sarkisov, an ethnic
Armenian
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent
** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...
, took the surname Allegrov as a pseudonym when he was just 17 and Irina was born with this surname (Allegrova). Her Russian mother was Serafima Sosnovskaya. Allegrova was brought up in a theatrical family with famous people who frequented their house and impressed the young girl. She spent her early life in
Baku,
Azerbaijan SSR where she studied piano and ballet. Allegrova gave birth to one daughter, Lala, at a young age. She left Lala with her parents and moved to Moscow to become a singer at the age of 22.
In 1985, Allegrova met
Oscar Feltsman, who gave her a chance at a solo career and wrote several songs for her. Then, in 1987 she became soloist in
David Tukhmanov
David Fyodorovich Tukhmanov PAR (russian: Дави́д Фёдорович Тухма́нов, was born on July 20, 1940, in Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union) is a Soviet and Russian composer. People's Artist of Russia (2000), State Prize ...
's band –
Electroclub
Electroclub (russian: Электроклуб) is a Soviet and Russian electropop group founded in 1986.
History
Group "Electroclub" was active from 1985 till 1993. Musical director — Vladimir Dubovitskiy. Composer — David Tukhmanov. Group w ...
.
[Аллегрова Ирина / Стильное радио «Перец ФМ»](_blank)
Her debut album "My Destined One – Suzheny/Wanderer – Strannik" was written and produced by her neighbor and friend
Igor Nikolaev. The album, supported by the single "Wanderer" (1991–1992) became No.1 and stayed No.1 for nearly a full year.
Allegrova's next album was "Ugonschitsa" (1994–1995), which won a Russian
Grammy
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
(
Ovatsiya) for Best Pop Female Star. She toured the United States after that album's release.
She began to work with
Igor Krutoi
Igor Yakovlevich Krutoy (russian: Игорь Яковлевич Крутой) or Ihor Yakovych Krutyi ( uk, Ігор Якович Крутий, born on July 29, 1954), is a Ukrainian and Russian music composer, performer, producer and musical p ...
, changed her hair to her natural brunette, got married, had a grandson, and bought a house on the outskirts of Moscow. Irina and Krutoi released two albums together, "I will disperse the clouds with my hands" and "Un-finished Romance" (1996, 1998).
Allegrova divorced, released a healing-themed album called "Teatr" (Theater) (1999) and went on tour around the world. In 2004, she received a star on the
Star Square in Moscow.
In 2005, she began working exclusively with
Aleksei Garnizov on "Po Lezviyu Lyubvi (On razor's edge of love) trilogy". A new album was planned for release in late 2005.
She has since written three
novellas about love, and created an award ceremony where she and other stars give out the 'Golden Duck' to those journalists who made up the worst lies.
Allegrova announced that in March 2012 she will be retiring and went on a final tour, she is still doing concerts, however, very rarely. At the end of 2013, she released a new song with Russian singer
Slava (singer)
Anastasia Vladimirovna Slanevskaya (russian: Анастаси́я Влади́мировна Слане́вская; born 15 May 1980), known professionally as Slava (russian: Сла́ва), is a Russian singer, actress, model, and public figur ...
called "First Love, Last Love". She also made a song for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi for ice hockey with past athletes of the sport.
Russian singer Iryna Allegrova supports Russian War in Ukraine and sponsors the Russian army with the money she earns in Germany: “I collected 20 sets with my own money, helped, sent them. I'm raising money for drones, night vision, everything you need”.
Popular songs
* ''Svadebnye Tsvety''
* ''Mladshiy Leitenant''
[This song is about a junior lieutenant, who has only one star on his shoulder straps in the Russian rank system. Thus, the line "Only TWO stars fell on his shoulder strap" is a mistake.]
* ''Ugonschitsa''
* ''Imperatritsa''
* ''Nezakonchennyi Roman''
* ''Baby-Stervy''
* ''Transitnyi passazhir''
Recordings
* ''Strannik (cassette/lp) = Suzheny (CD)'' (1991/1994 CD)
* ''Ugonschitsa'' (1995) – Car thief
* ''Ya Tuchi Razvedu Rukami'' (1996)
* ''Imperatritsa'' (1997) – Empress
* ''Nezakonchennyi Roman'' (1998)
* ''Teatr'' (1999) – The theatre
* ''Vsyo Snachala'' (2000 version 1 & 2001 version 2)
* ''Po Lezviyu Lyubvi'' (2002 version 1 BLACK & 2003 version 2 RED)
* ''Popolam'' (2004)
* ''S Dnem Rojdeniya'' (2005) – Happy Birthday!
* ''Allegrova 2007'' (2007)
* ''Exclusive edition'' (2010)
References
External links
Official website'Imperatritsa' fan unionIrina Allegrova's Worldwide FanClub*
Irina Allegrova on YouTubeConcert of Irina Allegrova in Olympic Stadium, Moscow
{{DEFAULTSORT:Allegrova, Irina
1952 births
Living people
Musicians from Rostov-on-Don
People's Artists of Russia
20th-century Russian singers
21st-century Russian singers
Russian people of Armenian descent
Russian pop singers
Soviet women singers
Honored Artists of the Russian Federation
Russian contraltos
20th-century Russian women singers
21st-century Russian women singers
Winners of the Golden Gramophone Award