Manizha Dalerovna Sangin (; ; ; born 8 July 1991), known

mononymously A mononym is a name composed of only one word. An individual who is known and addressed by a mononym is a mononymous person. A mononym may be the person's only name, given to them at birth. This was routine in most ancient societies, and remains ...

as Manizha, is a Russian-Tajik singer and songwriter, as well as a Goodwill Ambassador for the

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, l ...

. Beginning her career in 2003 as a child singer, Manizha went on to perform with the music groups Ru.Kola, Assai, and Krip De Shin, before later pursuing a solo career. She represented Russia in the

Eurovision Song Contest 2021 The Eurovision Song Contest 2021 was the 65th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Rotterdam, Netherlands, following the country's win at the with the song "Arcade (song), Arcade" by Duncan Laurence. The Netherlands was se ...

with the song "

Russian Woman "Russian Woman" (transliterated into Russian Cyrillic as , stylised in all caps), originally titled "Russkaya zhenshchina" (), is a song by Russian-Tajik singer Manizha, independently released as a single on 19 March 2021. The song represent ...

Early life and education

Manizha was born on 8 July 1991 in

Dushanbe Dushanbe is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Tajikistan. , Dushanbe had a population of 1,564,700, with this population being largely Tajiks, Tajik. Until 1929, the city was known in Russian as Dyushambe, and from 1929 to 1961 as St ...

to parents Najiba Usmanova, a psychologist and clothing designer, and a father who worked as a doctor. Her parents are divorced, and her father did not want Manizha to begin a singing career due to believing it was not a suitable career choice for a

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

woman. Manizha's grandfather was , a Tajik writer and journalist, with a monument dedicated to his honor in

Khujand Khujand, sometimes spelled Khodjent and formerly known as Leninabad from 1936 to 1991, is the second-largest city of Tajikistan and the capital of Tajikistan's northernmost Sughd province. Khujand is one of the oldest cities in Central Asia, d ...

. Her great-grandmother was one of the first women in Tajikistan to remove her

veil A veil is an article of clothing or hanging cloth that is intended to cover some part of the human head, head or face, or an object of some significance. Veiling has a long history in European, Asian, and African societies. The practice has be ...

and begin a career of her own; in response to this, she had her children removed from her care, although she later was able to return to them and begin working outside of the home. Manizha changed her surname from Khamrayeva to Sangin in order to honor her grandmother, who was one of the first people who encouraged her to pursue music. In 1994, Manizha and her family fled Tajikistan due to the

Tajikistani Civil War The Tajikistani Civil War,, group=pron also known as the Tajik Civil War, began in May 1992 and ended in June 1997. Regional groups from the Garm and Gorno-Badakhshan regions of Tajikistan rose up against the newly formed government of Preside ...

, subsequently settling in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

. After arriving in Moscow, Manizha began studying at a music school, where she studied

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

. She afterward left the school to begin training with private vocal coaches. Manizha studied psychology at the

Russian State University for the Humanities The Russian State University for the Humanities (RSUH; ), is a university in Moscow, Russia with over 25,000 students. It was created in 1991 as the result of the merger of the Moscow Urban University of the People (est. 1908) and the Moscow Sta ...

Career

2003–2015: Early career

Manizha began her career in 2003, performing as a child singer. She took part in a number of children's singing competitions, winning the Grand Prix of the Rainbow Stars competition in

Jūrmala Jūrmala (; "seaside") is a state city in the Vidzeme region of Latvia, about west of Riga. Jūrmala is a resort town stretching and is sandwiched between the Gulf of Riga and the Lielupe River. It has a stretch of white-sand beach and is the ...

, becoming a laureate of the Ray of Hope festival organized by

Mir ''Mir'' (, ; ) was a space station operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, first by the Soviet Union and later by the Russia, Russian Federation. ''Mir'' was the first modular space station and was assembled in orbit from 1986 to ...

, and becoming a laureate of the Kaunas Talent competition in

Kaunas Kaunas (; ) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius, the fourth largest List of cities in the Baltic states by population, city in the Baltic States and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaun ...

. She recorded a number of songs in both

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

and Tajik, before joining the music project Ru.Kola in 2007. That year, she became a finalist at the Five Stars music competition in

Sochi Sochi ( rus, Сочи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg, from – ''seaside'') is the largest Resort town, resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi (river), Sochi River, along the Black Sea in the North Caucasus of Souther ...

. Manizha later left the Ru.Kola project, and joined the Russian group Assai in 2011. She later left Assai to join Krip De Shin soon after, which was formed along with other former members of Assai. With Krip De Shin, she recorded an extended play and performed at various music festivals throughout Russia. Due to creative differences between herself and the band, she later opted to leave the group. After leaving the group, Manizha moved to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, and later began studying

gospel music Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music vary according to culture and social context. Gospel music is compo ...

in both London and

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

2016–2020: Independent breakthrough

In 2016, Manizha returned to her music career, with the release of several independently released singles. The singles were followed by the release of her debut studio album, ''Manuscript'', which was independently released in February 2017. Following the release of ''Manuscript'', Manizha began working on her second studio album, ''ЯIAM'', which was released in March 2018. Describing the album, Manizha stated that it was based on the "architecture of the personality" of a person. Her debut solo extended play ''Womanizha'' was released in April 2019.

2021–present: Eurovision Song Contest and subsequent releases

In March 2021, it was confirmed that Manizha would be taking part in the Russian national final for the

with the song "

". At the final, held in Moscow on 8 March 2021, Manizha was declared the winner after receiving 39.7% of the public vote. She represented Russia in the contest in

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...

, where she placed ninth out of 26 countries, receiving 204 points. After Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022, Manizha stated her opposition to the invasion, referring to the Ukrainian backgrounds of her soon-to-be husband and daughter-in-law. She released the single "Soldier" on 13 March in response to the invasion. As a consequence of the invasion, Russia was excluded from the

Eurovision Song Contest 2022 The Eurovision Song Contest 2022 was the 66th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Turin, Italy, following the country's victory at the with the song "" by Måneskin. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and h ...

, and was banned from entering future contests. Due to this, Manizha remains the last Russian representative in the contest (penultimate in any Eurovision event, behind Tatyana Mezhentseva).

Social positions

In 2017, Manizha began posting unedited photos of herself with the hashtag #TheTraumaOfBeauty and captions discussing her struggles with her body image. At her concert on the roof of the Château de Fantomas in Moscow, Manizha took off her stage makeup and invited the public to join this manifesto. She distributed wet wipes to those who wanted to. Manizha supports various charitable foundations: she performed at the charity festival "Anton is here near" 2017, organised by the foundation helping autistic children; at the closing of the IX World Children's Games of the winners of 2018, organized by the "Give Life" Foundation helping children with cancer; took part in the "Star of Kindness" charity event in support of the "Children butterflies" and others. In February 2019, Manizha launched a social campaign against domestic violence. As part of this project, she released a free mobile application called Silsila (in Persian - "thread") to help victims of domestic violence. The app allows users to quickly call for help in an emergency using the panic button and offers a list of the nearest crisis centers and shelters in which to hide. Not all the centers that the team listed had been tested, only some of them can be contacted regardless of gender, nationality and documents. In support of the campaign, together with the director Lado Quatania ("HypeProduction"), a video was released for the song "Mama" (Russian and English versions). The video raises the problem of domestic violence against women and adolescents, as well as the problems of transformation from a child to an adult. The video provides statistics on the scale of the problem of violence in Russia. Manizha's team collects their own statistics. The project was created without the support of the state, third-party companies or funds. Manizha's mother sold her apartment to help pay for the app. Manizha also actively supports the LGBT community. In 2019, she starred in a video for the Russian online queer magazine "Otkritiye" ("Open") during Pride Month. After that, as the singer admits, about 10 thousand people unsubscribed from her Instagram. In 2020, she sang her version of Cher's song "Believe" during the Otkritiye's Digital Pride. In the autumn of the same year, she performed at the Queerfest in St. Petersburg. In October 2020, the

(UNHCR) announced Manizha as a Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR. On 9 December 2021, Manizha visited

Almaty Almaty, formerly Alma-Ata, is the List of most populous cities in Kazakhstan, largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population exceeding two million residents within its metropolitan area. Located in the foothills of the Trans-Ili Alatau mountains ...

, Kazakhstan in honour of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign. On 24 February 2022, Manizha stated her opposition to the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

via an Instagram post, referring to her husband and sister-in-law's Ukrainian background. Her opposition to the war led to her facing a campaign to have her blacklisted, leading to several promoters cancelling her performances after government supporters began posting personal information of concert organizers.

Personal life

On 6 September 2022, Manizha announced her marriage to film director Lado Kvataniya. Together they have a daughter, born in July 2023.

Awards and nominations

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Berlin Music Video Awards The Berlin Music Video Awards is an annual international festival held in Berlin, Germany to celebrate the art of music videos. The festival brings together music video enthusiasts, directors, producers, and musicians worldwide to showcase their ...

, 2019 , "Мама" , rowspan=3, Best Concept , , , - , 2020 , "Недославянка" , , , - , 2024 , "Standing Between Two Walls" , , , - !scope="row" rowspan=2,

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, rowspan=2, 2025 , rowspan=2, "Gun" , Music Video , , rowspan=2, , - , Cinematography ,

Discography

Studio albums

{, class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" , - ! scope="col", Title ! scope="col", Details , - ! scope="row", ''Manuscript'' , * Released: 17 February 2017 * Label: Independent * Format: Digital download , - ! scope="row", ''ЯIAM'' , * Released: 23 March 2018 * Label: Independent * Format: Digital download

Extended plays

{, class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" , - ! scope="col", Title ! scope="col", Details , - ! scope="row", ''Womanizha'' , * Released: 26 April 2019 * Label: Independent * Format: Digital download

Singles

{, class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" , - ! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:16em;", Title ! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:1em;", Year ! scope="col" colspan="2", Peak chart positions ! scope="col" rowspan="2", Album , - ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;", NLD
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;", SWE
, - ! scope="row", "I Love Too Much" , rowspan="3", 2016 , — , , — , rowspan="2", ''Manuscript'' , - ! scope="row", "Little Lady" , — , , — , - ! scope="row", "Sleepy Song"
, — , , — , , - ! scope="row", "Устал" (I Got Tired) , rowspan="3", 2017 , — , , — , ''ЯIAM'' , - ! scope="row", "Hear What I Feel" , — , , — , , - ! scope="row", "Изумруд" (Emerald) , — , , — , ''ЯIAM'' , - ! scope="row", "Любил, как мог" (I Loved as Much as I Could) , rowspan="3", 2018 , — , , — , rowspan="9" , - ! scope="row", "Мне легко" (It's Easy for Me) , — , , — , - ! scope="row", "Black Swan"
, — , , — , - ! scope="row", "Завтрак" (Breakfast) , rowspan="4", 2019 , — , , — , - ! scope="row", "Сейчас дважды не случится" (Now Will Not Happen Twice) , — , , — , - ! scope="row", "Недославянка" (Not Slavic Enough) , — , , — , - ! scope="row", "Vanya" , — , , — , - ! scope="row", "Человеку нужен человек" (A Human Needs a Human) , rowspan="4", 2020 , — , , — , - ! scope="row", "Начало" (The Beginning) , — , , — , - ! scope="row", "На путь воина встаю" (I'm Getting on the Way of Warrior) , — , , — , '' Mulan (Official Motion Picture Soundtrack – Russian Dub)'' , - ! scope="row", "Город солнца" (The City of Sun) , — , , — , rowspan="8" , - ! scope="row", "Про тебя" (About You) , rowspan="4", 2021 , — , , — , - ! scope="row", "Akkulista"
, — , , — , - ! scope="row", "

" , 81 , , 84 , - ! scope="row", "Держи Меня Земля" (Hold Me Mother Earth) , — , , — , - ! scope="row", "Soldier" , 2022 , — , , — , - ! scope="row", "Standing Between Two Walls" , rowspan="2", 2023 , — , , — , - ! scope="row", "Tummy" , — , , —

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1991 births 21st-century Russian women singers 21st-century Tajikistani women singers Living people Naturalized citizens of Russia Musicians from Moscow People from Dushanbe Russian feminists Russian people of Tajikistani descent Russian pop singers Russian State University for the Humanities alumni Tajik-language singers of Russia Tajikistani emigrants to Russia Russian women's rights activists Russian LGBTQ rights activists Russian human rights activists Russian activists against the Russian invasion of Ukraine Women human rights activists Women civil rights activists Tajikistani Civil War refugees Eurovision Song Contest entrants