Ruslana Stepanivna Lyzhychko (, ; born 24 May 1973),
[Руслана – Биография](_blank)
known
mononym
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 ...
ously as Ruslana, is a Ukrainian singer, songwriter, dancer, producer, activist, and former politician. She is a
World Music Award and
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest (), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international Music competition, song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) among its members since 1956. Each participating broadcaster ...
winning recording artist, holding the title of
People's Artist of Ukraine.
She is also a former
MP serving as deputy in the Ukrainian parliament (
Verkhovna Rada
The Verkhovna Rada ( ; VR), officially the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, is the unicameralism, unicameral parliament of Ukraine. It consists of 450 Deputy (legislator), deputies presided over by a speaker. The Verkhovna Rada meets in the Verkhovn ...
) for the
Our Ukraine Party. Ruslana was the
UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador
UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador is an official postnominal honorific title, title of authority, legal status, and job description assigned to those goodwill ambassadors and activists, advocates who are designated by the United Nations. The UNICEF, ...
in Ukraine in 2004–2005. She is recognized as the most successful Ukrainian female solo artist internationally
and was included in the top 10 most influential women of 2013 by the ''
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...
'' magazine. The
U.S. Secretary of State honored her with the
International Women of Courage Award
The International Women of Courage Award, also referred to as the U.S. Secretary of State's International Women of Courage Award, is an American award presented annually by the United States Department of State to women around the world who have ...
in March 2014.
She has been named an honorary citizen of her hometown
Lviv
Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...
and was nominated to receive the title
Hero of Ukraine.
Ruslana writes, composes and produces her own songs and music videos. Since 28 December 1995 she has been married to
Oleksandr Ksenofontov, a Ukrainian record producer.
Together they have run the company ''Luxen Studio'' since 1993, producing radio and film trailers.
Ruslana was the first artist from the former Soviet Union to officially receive a
platinum disc
Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...
, her ''
Dyki tantsi'' album selling more than 170,000 copies in the first 100 days after its release.
This album is the best selling Ukrainian album to date, together with its English version, more than 500,000 copies being sold solely in Ukraine.
She won the
2004 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "
Wild Dances" receiving 280 points, which at that time was a record of points. Following her victory, she rose to fame in Europe and became one of the biggest pop stars from the
Eastern part of the continent. Her winning song "Wild Dances" dominated the European charts for 97 weeks peaking at number one in Belgium for 10 consecutive weeks.
Her Eurovision winning song was included on the official compilation album called ''The Very Best of Eurovision'' celebrating the 60th anniversary of the contest.
Her repertoire includes songs performed mainly in Ukrainian and English, but she also recorded cover versions in Spanish and
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
languages.
Early life
Ruslana was born on 24 May 1973 in
Lviv
Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...
, Ukraine, then part of the Soviet Union. Her father, Stepan Lyzhychko, is a
Hutsul Ukrainian, and her mother, Nina Sapegina, is a Russian of
Polish-Lithuanian origin.
Encouraged by her mother, Ruslana studied from the age of four at an experimental musical school and sang in different bands, including in the vocal-instrumental band Horizon, the band Orion and the children's ensemble Usmishka (Smile). With Usmishka, Ruslana performed at a large concert in the
Druzhba Stadium in 1989. One of the headlining acts of that concert was
Vasyl Zinkevych, People's Artist of the Ukrainian SSR, who noticed her talent. At the end of the concert, Zinkevych asked her to come on stage and declared in front of an audience of 15,000 spectators: "Remember this young singer, your compatriot. You will see: she will definitely become a real star." Ruslana's parents divorced in 1991.
After finishing secondary school, Ruslana entered the
Lviv Conservatory where she graduated as a classical pianist and symphonic orchestra conductor in 1995.
Musical career
Early career
Ruslana started her career as the winner of the
Slavianski Bazaar song competition in Vitebsk, Belarus in 1996 with the song ''Oj, letili dyki husi''.
In the same year, she was among the nominees for the Ukrainian Singer of the Year award and the video for ''Dzvinkyi Viter'' (''Wind Bells'') was awarded Music Video of the Year. Since her early career, Ruslana's producer was Oleksandr Ksenofontov, whom she married in 1995.
In 1997, Ruslana began working on ''Christmas with Ruslana'' – the first
L'viv
Lviv ( or ; ; ; see below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of ...
Christmas television project of an All-Ukrainian scale including the video clip ''Ballad of a Princess'' which was the first animated music video made by a Ukrainian singer.
Her first album ''
Myt Vesny – Dzvinkyi Viter'' (''A Moment of Spring – Wind Bells''), released in 1998, received high praise from the critics.
Still, wider recognition did not come until 1998 with the song ''Svitanok'' (''Sunrise'') and the album ''Myt' Vesny – Dzvinkyj Viter Live''. ''Svitanok'' was the first Ukrainian big-budget music video. In 1998, Ruslana was awarded Person of the Year, the song ''Svitanok'' was awarded Song of the Year and its accompanying music video was awarded Music Video of the Year. In the second half of 1998, she organized a charity tour which had the aim of raising funds for the restoration of the old castles from Western Ukraine. The tour was a success and thanks to Ruslana's efforts, the
Zolochiv Castle was restored.
In 1999, she worked on the Christmas musical ''Ostanne rizdvo 90th'' (''The Last Christmas of the 90s''), which won the Ukrainian ''Movie of the Year'' award. With the video clip to the song ''Znaju ya'' (''I Know''), which is about the ancient people of the
Hutsuls
The Hutsuls (Hutsul/; ; ) are an East Slavic ethnic group spanning parts of western Ukraine and northern Romania (i.e. parts of Bukovina and Maramureș).
In Ukraine, they have often been officially and administratively designated a subgro ...
living in the Ukrainian
Carpathians
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians () are a range of mountains forming an arc across Central Europe and Southeast Europe. Roughly long, it is the third-longest European mountain range after the Urals at and the Scandinavian Mountains ...
, Ruslana set new standards for modern video clip filming.
Education

In 1995, Ruslana graduated from the
Lviv Conservatory as professional conductor and classical pianist. She was the student of one of the most prominent Ukrainian composers and conductors,
Mykola Kolessa who is regarded as 'the father of the Ukrainian conducting school'. She used to be a part of the student choir of the Lviv Music Academy.
2004: Wild Dances Project and Eurovision victory
Wild Dances Project
Ruslana's father is from the West-Ukrainian area of the
Hutsuls
The Hutsuls (Hutsul/; ; ) are an East Slavic ethnic group spanning parts of western Ukraine and northern Romania (i.e. parts of Bukovina and Maramureș).
In Ukraine, they have often been officially and administratively designated a subgro ...
, the dwellers of the Ukrainian Carpathian Mountains. They have a unique culture with an ancient and rich history that inspired Ruslana to create her concept album ''Wild Dances''. It combines powerful and permeating ethnic drums, trumpet sounds of the
trembita, an ancient
Hutsul
The Hutsuls (Rusyn language, Hutsul/; ; ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group spanning parts of western Ukraine and northern Romania (i.e. parts of Bukovina and Maramureș).
In Ukraine, they have often been officially and administra ...
music instrument, with modern dance beats. The album was composed by Ruslana after an expedition to the
Carpathian Mountains
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians () are a range of mountains forming an arc across Central Europe and Southeast Europe. Roughly long, it is the third-longest European mountain range after the Ural Mountains, Urals at and the Scandinav ...
in spring 2003.
The album ''Dyki Tantsi'' (''Wild Dances'') was released in June 2003 in Ukraine. The album sold more than 170,000 copies in the first 100 days after its release, even without a supporting tour.
Together with its English language counterpart it was the first album ever to be certified five times platinum in Ukraine, selling more than 500,000 copies, making it the most successful album in Ukraine ever.
Eurovision Song Contest 2004
Ruslana was internally selected by the
NTU to represent Ukraine at the
Eurovision Song Contest 2004. Before the contest, she was a hot favorite for victory by the bookmakers. At the
Eurovision Song Contest 2004, she performed her self-composed song, ''
Wild Dances'' and won the contest receiving 280 points. In the semifinal, the song received points from all other participating countries; in the final, Switzerland was the only country not giving any points to the song.
The single ''Wild Dances'' stayed a total of 97 weeks in various European single charts. It was certified gold in Belgium, Sweden, Russia, Greece, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. In Belgium, it topped the singles charts at #1 for 10 consecutive weeks. Also in Ukraine and Greece, the song peaked at #1.
The English language album ''Wild Dances'' was released in many European countries in the autumn of 2004. In
Las Vegas
Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
she received the
World Music Award as best selling Ukrainian artist.
After her victory Ruslana was appointed advisor to the Ukrainian prime minister, and the Ukrainian president bestowed upon her one of the country's highest honors when she received the title of
People's Artist of Ukraine.
In Belgium she was among the top 15 ranked performers with her singles "
Wild Dances" and "
Dance with the Wolves".
Ruslana was named the most popular person in Belgium,
the sexiest girl in Greece,
the most influential public person in Ukraine
and was the first foreigner to receive the award of the Federation of Journalists in Turkey.
2005

Ruslana had been initially chosen to host the semi-final and the grand final of the
Eurovision Song Contest 2005.
However, the singer had to decline the offer due to her involvement in the organization of a big charity concert dedicated to the victims of the
Chernobyl disaster
On 26 April 1986, the no. 4 reactor of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, located near Pripyat, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (now Ukraine), exploded. With dozens of direct casualties, it is one of only ...
. Therefore, Ruslana appeared at the event only as a guest star. She performed a medley of ''
Wild Dances'' and ''Heart on Fire'' at the opening ceremony being accompanied by the Zhyttia ballet and the Ukrainian drums ensemble ARS Nova. After interviewing the competitors in the
green room
In show business, the green room is the space in a theatre, or a similar venue, that functions as a waiting room and lounge for Performing arts, performers before, during, and after a performance or show when they are not engaged on Stage (thea ...
she also performed her latest single ''
The Same Star''. During this performance, Ruslana wore a red costume inspired by Ukrainian ethnic elements.
Also in 2005, Ruslana designed the cover for
Jonathan Safran Foer
Jonathan Safran Foer (; born February 21, 1977) is an American novelist. He is known for his novels '' Everything Is Illuminated'' (2002), '' Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close'' (2005), '' Here I Am'' (2016), and for his non-fiction works '' Eat ...
's ''The Unabridged Pocket Book of Lightning'' which was produced as part of
Penguin Books
Penguin Books Limited is a Germany, German-owned English publishing, publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers the Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the ...
' 70th birthday celebrations.
2006
In 2006, Ruslana's song "
Wild Dances" was named Germany's all-time favorite Eurovision entry in an internet poll arranged by the German public television broadcaster
NDR. During the television program , "Wild Dances" was presented as the winner, ahead of well-known classics, such as "
Waterloo" and Germany's only winner (at the time), "", which finished in sixth and twelfth place respectively. The programme was viewed by a television audience of approximately six million people in Germany.
For the
FIFA World Cup 2006 Ruslana went on tour in Germany to support the
Ukraine national football team. She performed in Hamburg, Cologne, Berlin, Leipzig, and
Nuremberg
Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...
.
2008: Wild Energy and ''Grand Theft Auto IV''
Ruslana's project ''Wild Energy'' was based on the science fiction novel by Maryna and Sergij Diachenko ''
Wild Energy. Lana''. In a future city which experiences a global energy crisis, far more threatening than lack of oil and gas, people are lacking their will to live, their energy of the heart – the "fuel for people". Lana, one of the synthetic inhabitants, sets out to find the mystical energy source. After many adventures, she discovers that the wild energy comes from her own heart.
Wild Energy Wild Energy may refer to:
* ''Wild Energy'' (album), an album by Ruslana
* "Wild Energy" (song) or "Dyka Enerhiya", a song by Ruslana
*'' Wild Energy. Lana'', a novel by Maryna and Serhiy Dyachenko
See also
*'' Wild Energy. Amazon. Wild Dances' ...
combines the art of music and video production, literature and social commitment in an extraordinary way. In June 2006 Ruslana presented the new single and video ''
Wild Energy Wild Energy may refer to:
* ''Wild Energy'' (album), an album by Ruslana
* "Wild Energy" (song) or "Dyka Enerhiya", a song by Ruslana
*'' Wild Energy. Lana'', a novel by Maryna and Serhiy Dyachenko
See also
*'' Wild Energy. Amazon. Wild Dances' ...
'' in a unique fantasy style. In this video clip, the singer develops from a synthetic blonde girl into her wild image.
In March 2008 Ruslana's Ukrainian album ''
Amazonka'' was released in Ukraine, Czech Republic and Slovakia. The English album ''
Wild Energy Wild Energy may refer to:
* ''Wild Energy'' (album), an album by Ruslana
* "Wild Energy" (song) or "Dyka Enerhiya", a song by Ruslana
*'' Wild Energy. Lana'', a novel by Maryna and Serhiy Dyachenko
See also
*'' Wild Energy. Amazon. Wild Dances' ...
'' was released by
Warner Music
Warner Music Group Corp., commonly abbreviated as WMG, is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and the third-largest in the gl ...
in Canada and several European countries in autumn 2008.
The album was recorded at the
Hit Factory Studio in Miami and contains two collaborations with American Urban superstars
T-Pain
Faheem Rashad Najm (born September 30, 1984), known professionally as T-Pain, is an American singer and rapper. He is known for popularizing creative use of Auto-Tune pitch correction, often used with extreme parameter settings to create electro ...
and
Missy Elliott
Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott (born July 1, 1971), also known as Misdemeanor, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She began her musical career as a member of the Contemporary R&B, R&B girl group 4 All the Sistas Arou ...
. On this release Ruslana creates her own distinctive technique of incorporating ancient ethnic styles of the
Carpathian Mountain people with modern popular music.
In ''
Grand Theft Auto IV
''Grand Theft Auto IV'' is a 2008 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the sixth main entry in the Grand Theft Auto, ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, following 2004's ''Grand Theft Auto: San And ...
'', Ruslana lends her voice as the host of
Vladivostok FM. Her song "
Wild Dances" is featured as one of the songs on Vladivostok. On 13 May 2008, ''Grand Theft Auto IV'' broke the
Guinness World Records
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, list ...
for "Highest grossing video game in 24 hours" and "Highest Revenue Generated by an Entertainment Product in 24 Hours". It sold 3.6 million copies on day one generating $310 million in revenue.
2009–2010: Asia Song Festival & new album recordings

In 2009, she was invited to attend the sixth
Asia Song Festival
Asia Song Festival, A-Song-Fe or ASF, is an annual Asian pop music festival held in South Korea, since 2004. It is hosted by Korea Foundation for International Culture Exchange (KOFICE) and features artists from Asian countries. Participating a ...
which took place in Seoul, Korea. The event was held at the
Seoul World Cup Stadium
The Seoul World Cup Stadium (), the Sangam Stadium, is a stadium used mostly for association football matches. The venue is located in 240, World Cup-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea. It was built for the 2002 FIFA World Cup and opened on Nov ...
where Ruslana sung in front of an audience of 60,000 people. Together with the ''Zhyttia'' ballet, she performed three songs from her first international album: "
Wild Dances", "
Dance with the Wolves" and a bilingual version of "Play, Musician!". Her act was met with great enthusiasm by the Asian public who didn't know her until that moment. Even if she was supposed to receive only an award for her contribution to the cultural exchange between Ukraine and Asia in music, in the end she also won the main award of the festival, receiving the golden statue for the best artist of the Asia Song Festival 2009.
2011–2012: The Voice of Ukraine and Ukrainian album ''Ey-fori-YA''
In 2011, Ruslana was appointed as one of the judges of the Ukrainian version of ''
The Voice'' show. Her involvement in the project was featured on the Dutch TV where the original show of the series kicked off. Eventually, Ruslana's alumni, Tonya Matvienko, placed 2nd in the grand final of the Ukrainian show.
Also in 2011, her song ''
Wild Dances'' was used by the American gymnast
Jordyn Wieber
Jordyn Marie Wieber Brooks ( Wieber; born July 12, 1995) is an American former artistic gymnast and current gymnastics coach. Since April 2019, she has been the head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks gymnastics team.
Wieber began competing in ...
as the soundtrack for her floor exercise.
Wieber eventually became the 2011
World Women's All-Around Champion and won the golden medal at the
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
performing her floor exercise on Ruslana's song.
In April 2012 the new Ukrainian language album ''ЕЙ-форі-Я'' (''EY-fori-YA'') was released in Ukraine. The album on which Ruslana had worked for four years was produced in the US, Sweden and Ukraine produced by
Vlad Debriansky and Ruslana and features musicians such as Rusty Allen, Victor Little, George Benson, Brian Coller and others.
Despite its intercontinental rock and pop nature, the album ''EY-fori-YA'' and the three songs taken from it previously is based on Slavic rhythms. Ruslana integrated old Slavic circle dances, liturgies and elements of classic pieces of Russian composers including
Glinka,
Tschaikowsky,
Mussorgsky, and
Rachmaninow.
The album is designed for flash mob type synchronous dances. In April/May 2012 she toured 11 Ukrainian cities with a unique show concept called ''OGO Show''. During these open-air events Ruslana appeared as lead dancer teaching the audience the moves. The audience doesn't consume passively, but is integrated into the show. More concept concerts followed within the framework of the ''EURO 2012'' public fan events.
2013: International album ''My Boo! (Together!)'' & ''Clash of the Choirs''
Her third international album was set to be released in 2013 under the title ''
My Boo! (Together!)''. The new material shows how versatile Ruslana is as an artist as she completely changed her style since the ''
Wild Energy Wild Energy may refer to:
* ''Wild Energy'' (album), an album by Ruslana
* "Wild Energy" (song) or "Dyka Enerhiya", a song by Ruslana
*'' Wild Energy. Lana'', a novel by Maryna and Serhiy Dyachenko
See also
*'' Wild Energy. Amazon. Wild Dances' ...
'' project, from a wild
Amazon
Amazon most often refers to:
* Amazon River, in South America
* Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin
* Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company
* Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...
to an Urban pop princess.
Most of the album was produced by
Vlad DeBriansky in Los Angeles and includes the names of American top musicians such as
Rusty Allen
Rustee Allen (born March 3, 1951) is an American musician best known as the bass guitar player for the influential funk band Sly and the Family Stone from 1972 to 1975. Allen replaced founding Family Stone member Larry Graham, who was forced out ...
, Victor Little,
Oscar Seaton, Brian Coller as well as
Stefan Örn from Sweden who won the
Eurovision Song Contest 2011 as a songwriter.
Goran Bregovich, the legendary
Balkan
The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...
musician from Serbia produced the song ''Kray''
At the same time of the release of the new English album Ruslana's Ukrainian album ''ЕЙ-форі-Я'' (''EY-fori-YA'', ''Euphoria'') was re-released under the new title ''Мій Брат! (разом)'' (''Miy Brat! (razom!)'', ''My Brother! (together!)''). The renaming of the album had become necessary because of the coincidental same name of the winning song of the
Eurovision Song Contest 2012
The Eurovision Song Contest 2012 was the 57th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Baku, Azerbaijan, following the country's victory at the with the song "Running Scared (Ell & Nikki song), Running Scared" by Ell & Nikki, El ...
. The Swedish singer
Loreen
Lorine Zineb Nora Talhaoui (born 16 October 1983), known professionally as Loreen (), is a Swedish singer and songwriter. Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest, Representing Sweden, she won the Eurovision Song Contest in Eurovision Song Conte ...
won the event with the song ''Euphoria'', one month after Ruslana had released her Ukrainian album and song of the same name. In order to avoid misunderstandings Ruslana's renamed not only her album but also her English song ''Euphoria'' into ''This Is Euphoria''.
In August 2013 Ruslana globally released the single ''This Is Euphoria'' digitally. The track was composed and produced by Ruslana and the Swedish musician
Stefan Örn.
She was invited to perform at the
Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2013 which took place in her country's capital Kyiv. Nevertheless, she withdrew her act from the show considering the violence shown by the Ukrainian authorities against
those who were peacefully protesting in the country's capital.
She was one of the coaches of the first season of the
Clash of the Choirs
''Clash of the Choirs'' is a reality talent contest miniseries that debuted on NBC in the United States on December 17, 2007. There were four episodes scheduled in the “quick competition”. Maria Menounos is the host of the program, which w ...
TV show in Ukraine. Ruslana and her alumni from the city of
Lviv
Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...
have won the grand final of the project on 5 January 2014, receiving 78% of the tele voting.
2014–2016: Eurovision juror
In January 2014 her international album ''
My Boo! (Together!)'' was released digitally. For her subsequent album Ruslana intended to study again
ethnic
An ethnicity or ethnic group is a group of people with shared attributes, which they collectively believe to have, and long-term endogamy. Ethnicities share attributes like language, culture, common sets of ancestry, traditions, society, re ...
motifs as she regarded the
Wild Dances project as her most creative work. Due to her active involvement in the
Euromaidan
Euromaidan ( ; , , ), or the Maidan Uprising, was a wave of Political demonstration, demonstrations and civil unrest in Ukraine, which began on 21 November 2013 with large protests in Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) in Kyiv. The p ...
in Ukraine, Ruslana had to postpone her musical plans.
Ruslana was invited as music expert for Eurosong, the
Belgian selection for the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest in order to choose the best candidate to represent Belgium at the
Eurovision Song Contest 2014
The Eurovision Song Contest 2014 was the 59th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Copenhagen, Denmark, following the country's victory at the with the song "Only Teardrops" by Emmelie de Forest. Organised by the European B ...
.
On 9 and 10 October Ruslana held two concerts at the Manchester Ukrainian Cultural Centre 'Dnipro'. She originally planned on performing only one show however as the tickets sold out within hours, it was decided that she would perform a second concert the next day. Tickets for that show were also almost sold out.
On 24 October, Ruslana performed a concert along with the
Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus in
Massey Hall
Massey Hall is a performing arts auditorium in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Opened in 1894, it is known for its outstanding acoustics and was the long-time hall of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. Although original ...
in Toronto. The purpose of the concert was to showcase the beauty and the importance of the
Bandura in Ukrainian music and culture. For her final song, Ruslana performed along with the Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus as well as the Zoloti Struny Youth Bandura Ensemble based in Toronto. She was a judge at
Vidbir, Ukraine's National Selection for the
Eurovision Song Contest 2016. Out of the three jury members, she was the only one who supported the singer
Jamala
Susana Alimivna Jamaladinova. (born 27 August 1983), known professionally as Jamala,. is a Ukrainian singer. She represented and won the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with her song "1944 (song), 1944". In 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023 and 2024 ...
who later on became the second Eurovision winner from Ukraine.
In late 2016, after Jamala's victory at Eurovision in Stockholm, Ruslana played 3 concerts in Western Europe. In October she played in London, in November she played in Paris and in December she played in Hanover (Hannover). In all of these concerts she spoke about the victory that Jamala brought for Ukraine, and how Ukraine would be opening up to the world again in May 2017.
2017: It's Magical / Ya lyublyu
After her long-lasting creative break, which was caused by the dramatic and stormy events in Ukraine, Ruslana presented her new single "It's Magical / Я люблю" at the
Eurovision Grand Finale in Kyiv on 13 May 2017. The new music style combines tender cradle songs with brisk exotic melodies and rhythms. The original, exotic manner of singing which forms the basis of the soundtrack Ruslana acquired on sometimes extreme expeditions into the Carpathian Mountains. The song was released in an English ("It's Magical") and a Ukrainian version ("Я люблю" / "Ya lyublyu" / "I Love").
The film production took place in a unique place, the Basalt quarry in the
Rivne
Rivne ( ; , ) is a city in western Ukraine. The city is the administrative center of Rivne Oblast (province), as well as the Rivne Raion (district) within the oblast. region. Director
Oles Sanin created a thunderstorm in a realistic way for the video clip. The image of Ruslana in the chainmail in which she appears in the clip resembles her internal state. After all the events in her country and her extreme expeditions into the mountains, Ruslana feels like a kind of warrioress who is called to protect the most valuable: Love. In her song, video Ruslana wants to draw attention to the widespread deforestation in the Carpathians. Her aim is the preservation of the Carpathian primeval forests, their unique wildlife, and exceptional culture.
Political activities
2004: Orange Revolution
In autumn 2004 Ruslana actively supported the democratic processes in Ukraine known as the
Orange Revolution
The Orange Revolution () was a series of protests that led to political upheaval in Ukraine from late November 2004 to January 2005. It gained momentum primarily due to the initiative of the general population, sparked by the aftermath of the ...
, to which her song "
Dance with the Wolves" was devoted. She declared her support for
Viktor Yushchenko
Viktor Andriiovych Yushchenko (, ; born 23 February 1954) is a Ukrainian politician who was the third president of Ukraine from 23 January 2005 to 25 February 2010. He aimed to orient Ukraine towards Western world, the West, European Union, and N ...
during the disputed
Ukrainian presidential elections. She became one of the prominent figures that addressed the mass crowds rallying in support of Yushchenko's demand that his original defeat be declared fraudulent.
From spring 2006 to summer 2007 she was a Member of the
Ukrainian Parliament
The Verkhovna Rada ( ; VR), officially the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, is the unicameral parliament of Ukraine. It consists of 450 deputies presided over by a speaker. The Verkhovna Rada meets in the Verkhovna Rada building in Ukraine's capi ...
for the party
Our Ukraine.
Ruslana endorsed
Yulia Tymoshenko
Yulia Volodymyrivna Tymoshenko ( Hrihyan born 27 November 1960) is a Ukrainian politician, who served as Prime Minister of Ukraine in 2005, and again from 2007 until 2010; the first and only woman in Ukraine to hold that position. She has been ...
during the
2010 Ukrainian presidential election and actively supported her candidature during the
election campaign.
2012: Campaign against judicial arbitrariness
In December 2012 Ruslana launched the human rights campaign ''Не мовчи'' (''Don't keep silent'') which challenges the juridical system of Ukraine. In particular she supports the case of Dmytro and Sergiy Pavlichenko who claim to have been forced to admit a murder they have not committed. The father and son were convicted of killing a judge of a district court in Kyiv and sentenced to life imprisonment and 13 years in prison respectively. The verdict was widely criticized mainly by football fans. Ruslana dedicated her song and video ''Це – Ей-форі-Я'' (''This is Euphoria'') to the case of the Pavlichenkos who according to her are victims of a misjudgement.
2013–2014: Euromaidan

Ruslana was one of the leading figures of the pro-EU protests known as
Euromaidan
Euromaidan ( ; , , ), or the Maidan Uprising, was a wave of Political demonstration, demonstrations and civil unrest in Ukraine, which began on 21 November 2013 with large protests in Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) in Kyiv. The p ...
.
[Musicians liven up EuroMaidan stage](_blank)
''Kyiv Post
The ''Kyiv Post'' is Ukraine’s first and most prominent English-language newspaper. It was founded in 1995 in Kyiv by American businessman Jed Sunden.
In 2018, the publication was acquired by prominent Ukrainian businessman Adnan Kivan, foun ...
'' (29 November 2013) On 22 November 2013, Ukrainian citizens started spontaneous protests in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, after the Ukrainian government had suspended preparations for signing an
Association Agreement
A European Union Association Agreement or simply Association Agreement (AA) is a treaty between the European Union (EU, or its predecessors), its Member States and a non-EU country or bloc of countries that governs bilateral relations. Areas fre ...
with the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
.
From the first day of the protests she stayed on Kyiv's
Maidan Nezalezhnosti virtually all night, up to ten hours a night. In an interview with ''
The Daily Beast
''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. Founded in 2008, the website is owned by IAC Inc.
It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief ...
'' on 11 December 2013 she explained her role in the opposition as "charging Maidan with freedom-loving energy", insisted she "hates" politics
[Meet Ruslana Lyzhychko, the Soul of Ukraine's Revolution](_blank)
, The Daily Beast
''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. Founded in 2008, the website is owned by IAC Inc.
It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief ...
(11 December 2013) and denied supporting any single leader.
[Eurovision winner sings for revolution in Ukraine]
, Yahoo News
Yahoo News (stylized as Yahoo! News) is a news website that originated as an internet-based news aggregator by Yahoo. The site was created by Yahoo software engineer Brad Clawsie in August 1996. Articles originally came from news services such ...
(13 December 2013)
In total Ruslana spent at least 100 days and 100 nights on the Maidan stage during the cold winter inspiring the crowds, giving speeches and singing the Ukraine national anthem every hour day after day and night after and night, often sleeping just a couple of hours on the floor of the Trade Union building occupied by the protesters. As a symbol of people power, peace and freedom she established holding up flashlights while singing the Ukraine national anthem.
When during the night of 30 November 2013 the riot police wanted to clear the occupied Maidan and started beating up peacefully sleeping activists, Ruslana rushed for help and managed to seek shelter with about 100 students, some of them wounded, in a nearby monastery. During another night in December 2013, when riot police advanced again towards the square, Ruslana did her utmost to deescalate the situation by talking to them from the stage repeating over and over again "Quiet! No violence!". The 2,000+ riot police eventually retreated.
Her commitment in the pro-European movement was featured in many international publications. While the American press regarded her as the 'true heroine of Ukraine', the German magazine ''
Spiegel'' called her 'Kyiv's queen of the night', and the Spanish newspaper ''
El Mundo'' compared her to
Jeanne d'Arc
Joan of Arc ( ; ; – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the Coronation of the French monarch, coronation of Charles VII o ...
. The media even compared her to
Katniss Everdeen, the heroine of ''
The Hunger Games
''The Hunger Games'' are a series of Young adult fiction, young adult Dystopian fiction, dystopian novels written by American author Suzanne Collins. The series consists of a trilogy that follows teenage protagonist Katniss Everdeen, and two ...
'' trilogy. The Russian ''
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...
'' magazine included her in the top 10 of the most influential women of 2013 and the ''Business Ukraine'' magazine named her 'person of the year'.
From January 2014, Ruslana started to meet with key EU and U.S. politicians asking for support for Ukraine. Her first appearance in this role at the 495th Plenary Session of the
European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and a meeting with
José Manuel Barroso
José Manuel Durão Barroso (; born 23 March 1956) is a Portuguese politician and law professor. He previously served from 2002 to 2004 as the List of Prime Ministers of Portugal, 114th prime minister of Portugal and from 2004–2014 as the 11 ...
, President of the European Commission, resulted in a resolution of the EESC to support the Ukrainian civil society and its democratic rights. In the following months Ruslana travelled to Stockholm, Paris, Warsaw, Brussels, Vienna, Strasbourg, Berlin, Munich, São Paulo, Washington, D.C., and New York speaking to leading government officials calling for international support, and giving interviews to press about the situation in Ukraine.
Her activism put herself in serious danger. She received numerous death threats on her phone, her car was followed and she couldn't live in her house for several weeks because it was constantly observed. Snipers aimed at her while she was standing on the Maidan stage. The threats started after she started demanding sanctions from the EU governments against the
Yanukovych government. Ruslana had also noted the presence of paid provocateurs who have instigated fights in the otherwise peaceful protests. After President
Viktor Yanukovych
Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych (born 9 July 1950) is a Ukrainian politician who served as the fourth president of Ukraine from 2010 to 2014. He also served as the prime minister of Ukraine several times between 2002 and 2007 and was a member of t ...
had fled the country in late February 2014 and the fights in Ukraine escalated Ruslana targeted Russian President
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...
as aggressor and demanded sanctions against him and his government. In Washington, D.C., she stated: "Putin's propaganda is a machine against the truth. Putin started his terrorist operation in Eastern Ukraine and is preparing his way to Kyiv. Russia's special forces, terrorist, are invading Ukraine ... Tomorrow we will wake up and see that Putin took away everything he wanted."
For her extraordinary courage, commitment and dedication Ruslana was honoured with several awards including the International Woman of Courage Award, awarded by First Lady
Michelle Obama
Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama ( Robinson; born January 17, 1964) is an American attorney and author who served as the first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017, being married to Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United Stat ...
at the
Woman in the World Summit in New York and the 2014
Distinguished Humanitarian Leadership Award from at the
Atlantic Council
The Atlantic Council is an American think tank in the field of international affairs, favoring Atlanticism, founded in 1961. It manages sixteen regional centers and functional programs related to international security and global economic prosp ...
in Washington, D.C.
On 24 May 2014, the day before the presidential election in Ukraine which happened to be also her birthday, Ruslana organized a global joint prayer which involved one million people in several countries highlighting the unity of Ukrainians across the world and the global support for Ukraine. Ruslana herself read the prayer "For Ukraine, for peace and quiet" and performed the
Ukraine national anthem in 12 languages on Mount
Khomyak in the
Carpathian Mountains
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians () are a range of mountains forming an arc across Central Europe and Southeast Europe. Roughly long, it is the third-longest European mountain range after the Ural Mountains, Urals at and the Scandinav ...
.
Social commitment
In 2004 to 2005 Ruslana was appointed Good Will Ambassador of Ukraine by the
UNICEF
UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...
and combats
trafficking in human beings
Human trafficking is the act of recruiting, transporting, transferring, harboring, or receiving individuals through force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of exploitation. This exploitation may include forced labor, sexual slavery, or oth ...
. She released two video clips which aim to make potential victims aware of the dangers of
human trafficking
Human trafficking is the act of recruiting, transporting, transferring, harboring, or receiving individuals through force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of exploitation. This exploitation may include forced labor, sexual slavery, or oth ...
. In February 2008 Ruslana performed at an anti-human trafficking event in Vienna, Austria, organized by
UN.GIFT (The United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking) in front of 117 international delegations. Her song ''Not for Sale'' became the anthem of the anti-trafficking campaign.
Within the frames of the
Eurovision Song Contest 2005 in Kyiv she gave a charity concert for children suffering from the consequences of the
Chernobyl tragedy. For another charity project Ruslana joined forces with German rock star
Peter Maffay
Peter Alexander Makkay (born 30 August 1949), known as Peter Maffay (), is a Romanian-born German musician, singer, and composer. Being a veteran musician, he is often credited for motivating audiences with his emotional lyrics and powerful mel ...
. In April/May 2007 they went together with artists from 14 countries on a four weeks tour through Germany. The funds gathered benefited children in need.
Ruslana has also staged numerous charity concerts benefiting Children's hospitals in Kyiv,
Lviv
Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...
and
Dnipropetrovsk
Dnipro is Ukraine's fourth-largest city, with about one million inhabitants. It is located in the eastern part of Ukraine, southeast of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the Dnieper River, Dnipro River, from which it takes its name. Dnipro is t ...
.
With her project Wild Energy Ruslana supports the use of
renewable energy
Renewable energy (also called green energy) is energy made from renewable resource, renewable natural resources that are replenished on a human lifetime, human timescale. The most widely used renewable energy types are solar energy, wind pow ...
. She regards the energy of the sun, the water and the wind as an energy independence. The project gradually developed into this bigger meaning. Ruslana wants to make people aware of the dangers of
global climate change. In September 2018, she was appointed as global ambassador for renewable energy by
Global100RE.
After large regions in Western Ukraine were hit by a flood in July 2008 Ruslana set up the co-ordinating and relief centre ''Carpathians. Flood. SOS! 2008''. The aim of the centre is to create a database of the people in need, to provide emergency humanitarian help and to collect and distribute donations both from the public and from other Ukrainian artists and sportsmen to support the victims of the flood.
Discography
Ukrainian-language studio albums
* 1998: ''
Myt' Vesny – Dzvinkyj Viter''
* 1999: ''
Ostannie rizdvo 90-kh''
* 2001: ''
Najkrashche''
* 2002: ''
Dobryi vechir, tobi...''
* 2003: ''
Dyki Tantsi''
* 2006: ''
Tance s vlky''
* 2008: ''
Amazonka''
* 2012: ''
Eyforiya''
* 2013: ''
Miy Brat! (razom!)''
English-language studio albums
* 2004: ''
Wild Dances''
* 2005: ''
Wild. Club'in''
* 2008: ''
Wild Energy Wild Energy may refer to:
* ''Wild Energy'' (album), an album by Ruslana
* "Wild Energy" (song) or "Dyka Enerhiya", a song by Ruslana
*'' Wild Energy. Lana'', a novel by Maryna and Serhiy Dyachenko
See also
*'' Wild Energy. Amazon. Wild Dances' ...
''
* 2013: ''
My Boo (Together!)''
DVDs
* 1998: ''Rizdvo z Ruslanoju'' (Christmas With Ruslana)
* 1999: ''Ostannje Rizdvo 90-h'' (Last Christmas of the 90's)
* 2002: ''Rizdvjani Legendy'' (Christmas Legends)
* 2003: ''Na Rizdvo do L'vivs'kogo'' (Christmas with L'vivians)
* 2008: ''
Wild Energy. Amazon. Wild Dances''
International Singles
Awards and nominations
Music videos
* ''Ty'' (1998)
* ''
Myt' Vesny'' (1998)
* ''Svitanok'' (1998)
* ''
Balada pro princessu'' (1998)
* ''Kolyskova'' (1998)
* ''
Znaju Ja'' (2000)
* ''Proschannya z disko'' (2001)
* ''
Dobryi vechir, tobi...'' (2002)
* ''
Kolomyjka'' (2003)
* ''
Oj, Zagraimy, Muzychenku'' (2003)
* ''
Wild Dances'' (2004)
* ''
Dance with the Wolves'' (2004)
* ''
Ring Dance with the Wolves'' (2005)
* ''
The Same Star'' (2005)
* ''V rytme serdtsa'' (2005)
* ''
Dyka Enerhija'' (2006)
* ''Moon of Dreams (feat.
T-Pain
Faheem Rashad Najm (born September 30, 1984), known professionally as T-Pain, is an American singer and rapper. He is known for popularizing creative use of Auto-Tune pitch correction, often used with extreme parameter settings to create electro ...
)'' (2008)
* ''
Vohon' chy lid (Vse ne te)''(2008)
* ''Silent Angel'' (2008)
* ''Wow'' (2011)
* ''Sha-la-la'' (2011)
* ''Davaj hraj'' (2012)
* ''Tse – Ey-phori-Ya'' (2012)
* ''Rachmaninov'' (2013)
* ''It's Magical'' (2017)
* ''My viter'' (2020)
* ''Lirnytsia'' (2023)
* ''Iron Beat'' (2024)
Filmography
Television
Film
Video Games
See also
*
Eurovision Song Contest 2004
*
Ukraine in the Eurovision Song Contest
*
Ruslana's Charity Concert
* ''
Wild Energy. Lana'' (book)
*
Ultratop 50 number-one hits of 2004
References
External links
Ruslana's official websiteRuslana's official Facebook pageOfficial YouTube channel
Listening
Ruslana interviewfrom NPR ''All Things Considered'' program, 7 April 2008
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruslana
1973 births
Living people
21st-century Ukrainian conductors (music)
21st-century Ukrainian women politicians
21st-century Ukrainian women singers
Actresses from Lviv
Censorship in Russia
Dancers from Lviv
English-language singers from Ukraine
Eurovision Song Contest winners
Eurovision Song Contest-winning songwriters
Fifth convocation members of the Verkhovna Rada
Hutsuls
Independent politicians of Our Ukraine Bloc
Lviv Conservatory alumni
MAD Video Music Awards winners
Musicians from Lviv
People of the Euromaidan
Politicians from Lviv
Recipients of the International Women of Courage Award
Recipients of the title of Merited Artist of Ukraine
Recipients of the title of People's Artists of Ukraine
Slavianski Bazaar winners
Tambourine players
Ukrainian drummers
Ukrainian folk-pop singers
Ukrainian guitarists
Ukrainian keyboardists
Ukrainian people of Russian descent
Ukrainian pianists
Ukrainian pop singers
Ukrainian voice actresses
Ukrainian women conductors (music)
Ukrainian women guitarists
Ukrainian women pianists
Ukrainian women pop singers
Warner Music Group artists
Women drummers
Women keyboardists
Women members of the Verkhovna Rada
World Music Awards winners