Tina Karol

Born on 25 January 1985 to a Ukrainian mother and Ukrainian Jewish father in Orotukan, Magadan Oblast, Russian Far East.[1][2] Karol moved to Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine at the age of six. Her father, Hryhoriy Liberman was from Vashkivtsi, Ukraine. Karol confessed in 2006 she often felt discriminated against in school because of her Jewish last name.[2] She is fluent in both Ukrainian and Russian. As a teenager Karol (under her real name Tetiana Liberman) performed for four years with the dancing ensemble at the Kyiv branch of the Jewish Agency, and her repertoire included songs in Hebrew and in Yiddish.[2] In 2000 she with this ensemble travelled to the United States, where the group's appearances raised money for Jewish Agency for Israel programs in Ukraine.[2]

In her fourth year, she was awarded a scholarship by Ukraine's parliament. Karol has participated in numerous youth, regional, international and Jewish singing contests as well as musicals and theatrical shows. Karol became the soloist of the Ensemble of Song and Dance of the Ukrainian Armed Forces as well as a television personality. In 2005 she took a less Jewish stage name after producers of New Wave had suggested that to her.[2] In 2006 she commented on this "It was a part of my agreement with the producers, but, to be honest, I am glad I changed my name. I felt like it hindered me in my life."[2]

Karol performing at the Eurovision Song Contest, 2006

In 2006 Karol won at the casting for the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with the song "I Am Your Queen" and therefore represented Ukraine at the event finishing 7th, scoring 145 points, with a revised version of the song entitled "Show Me Your Love".[1] In 2006, Tina Karol released her debut album Show Me Your Love, and another album entitled Nochenka, with some of the songs of the first album in Russian and Ukrainian. Also in 2006, she started studying by correspondence at the National Aviation University in Kyiv.[1][3] In 2006, she also participated in the United Nations's Unite for Children, Unite Against AIDS campaign against HIV/AIDS in Ukraine.[4]

In 2007, she released her new album Polyus prityazheniya and wrote a fairy tale "Pautinka", a story about a caterpillar, portraying the show business as Tina has experienced it. Philipp Kirkorov, Alla Pugacheva and Verka Serduchka all have "parts" in the story.

On 16 January 2009, President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko awarded Karol the title of Honored Artist of Ukraine.[5] In October 2009 she was ranked 92nd in a Top 100 Most Successful Women in Ukraine compiled by experts for the Ukrainian magazine Focus.[1][6]

In February 2009, she received the Most Beautiful Singer of Ukraine of 2008 award from the organizers of the beauty contest Miss Ukraine Universe-2009. In February 2009, for the second time, she received the title The Most Beautiful Woman of Ukraine according to the readers of the glossy edition Viva!. The premiere of a new song "Ne boysya, malchik" was also held there. In March 2009, two songs – "U neba poprosim" from the album Polyus prityazheniya and a new composition "Lyubol" – became soundtracks for two television series.

In the spring of 2011, together with Sergey Lazarev and the duo Alibi became the host of the music TV show Maidan's.

In the fall of 2012, she served as a contestant coach on Ukrainian reality talent show The Voice Kids,[7] and in the spring of 2013 she went on the 3rd season of The Voice of Ukraine as a coach.

On November 24, 2013, Tina Karol's all-Ukrainian tour kicked off with the solo tour Sila lyubvi i golosa, which ended in late February 2014.[8]

On February 6, 2014, the fifth album Pomnyu was released.[9] On February 14 the premiere of the film The Power of Love and the Voice was held, based on the show of the same name [10]

March 26, 2014, won the Yuna Music Award in the nomination Best Singer Of The Year. June 1, 2014 opened a charity fund to help cancer patients Polyus prityazheniya.[11] In 2014, the release of the single "#MNOD" was released, in the same year a music video for this song was released. In 2015, a video for the song "Ya vse yesche lyublyu" appeared on the screens, in the same year she went on a tour with her team in the cities of Ukraine with the performance "Ya vse yesche lyublyu."

In the winter of 2015, Karol came back as a coach on the second season of The Voice Kids the winner of that season was on her team. On the show, she released "Ukraina – tse ty", which she wrote inspired by children on her team. Latter a video with contestants from the show was released. In spring 2015, she came back as a coach on the fifth season of The Voice of Ukraine. March 25, 2015, won Yuna Music Award in the nomination Best Performer. April 28, 2015, on the anniversary of the death of her husband Yevhen Ohir, released a single "Spasibo" [12]

November 26, 2015, won the M1 Music Awards in the category Best Singer. In winter 2015, she became a star coach in the 6th season of The Voice of Ukraine. In autumn 2016 she became a star coach in the 3rd season of The Voice Kids.

January 22, 2017, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko awarded Tina Karol the title of People's Artist of Ukraine.[13]

In winter 2017 she became the star coach in the 7th season of The Voice of Ukraine.

On 15 June 2008 Tina married her producer Yevhen Ohir (1980—2013).[18][19] On 18 November 2008[20] Karol gave birth to their only child, a son named Veniamin Ohir.[21][lower-alpha 4]

Tina's husband Ohir died on 28 April 2013 from stomach cancer at the age of 32.[23]

When asked by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency in 2006 whether she identifies as a Jew she replied "I don't like talking about self-identifications, I feel simply a human being, who came to this world to make a change. There was a period in my life when I was deciding on my religious beliefs, but now I think I've found my stand on this. I believe in God, but I don't identify with any particular religion."[2]

• "Ya Budu Tebya Tselovat" (with B.Stone)
• "Posvyashchenie v Albom"
• "Misyats'"
• "Letniy Roman" (with B.Stone)
• "Dusha" (with О.Gavriluk)
• "Heal the World" (Ukrainian Stars, in memory of Michael Jackson)
• "Kartina Lubvi" ("New Wave" festival 2005, Latvia)

• Ukraine in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tina Karol.

• Official website (in Russian)