Anita Tsoy facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Anita Tsoy
Tsoy in 2021
Background information
Native name	Анита Цой
Birth name	Anna Sergeyevna Kim
Born	(1971-02-07) 7 February 1971 (age 54)
Origin	Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Died	Error: Need valid death date (first date): year, month, day
Genres	Pop, pop-rock, dance
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1997–present
Labels	Soyuz (1997) New Hollywood International (1998) Real Records (2003) Universal Music Russia (2005 – present)

Anna Sergeyevna "Anita" Tsoy (Russian: Анна Серге́евна "Анита" Цой; born Kim, Russian: Ким; 7 February 1971) is a famous Russian singer and songwriter. She is of Korean heritage. In 2021, she was given the special title of People's Artist of Russia.

Early Life and Education

Anita's grandfather moved from Korea to the Russian Far East to get a free education. Later, in 1937, he and his family, who were part of the Koryo-saram community, were moved to Central Asia. Anita's mother was born in 1944 in Tashkent, Uzbek SSR, Soviet Union. She later studied at Moscow State University and became a chemistry doctor.

Anita's mother wanted her daughter to learn many different arts. Anita loved music the most. She started violin lessons when she was very young. She also learned to play the piano, flute, and guitar.

When Anita was older, her mother faced difficulties because she spoke out for human rights in the 1970s. After finishing school, Anita went to a teacher training college. Then she studied law at Moscow State University. There, she met her husband, Sergey Tsoy.

Anita Tsoy's Music Career

After finishing her studies, Anita decided to become a singer instead of a teacher or lawyer. She saved money to start her music career. Her husband began working as a press secretary for the mayor of Moscow in 1994.

Her first album, Polyot (which means Flight), came out in 1997. She kept it a secret from her husband until she had already signed a contract with a music company.

Early Albums and Shows

In 1998, her second album, "Черный лебедь" (The Black Swan), was released. In 1999, she had a big concert show called "Черный лебедь или храм любви" (The Black Swan or a Love Palace) at the "Rossiya" concert hall. This show was named "Best Show of the Year," and Anita won an "Ovation" award.

In 2003, Anita went to the United States to record an English-language album. She worked with the famous composer Lee Holdridge. While there, she was offered a five-year job as a singer with the Cirque du Soleil. However, she decided to return to Russia to be with her family.

Later Albums and Big Concerts

Anita recorded her third Russian dance album, "1000000 минут" (1,000,000 Minutes), in 2003. It was introduced to the public at a club in Moscow. In 2005, a huge concert called "ANITA" took place at the "Rossiya" Concert Hall in Moscow. This show used cool technology like large LCD screens and fountains on the stage. It was one of the most successful shows in Russia and was released on DVD by Universal Music.

Tsoy recorded her fourth album, "На восток" (To The East), in 2007. She also changed her look a lot, moving towards a manga-anime style. In the autumn of 2007, she performed her "To The East" show, which attracted more than ten thousand people. A DVD recording of this live concert was also released.

Both the "ANITA" and "To The East" shows are thought to be some of the best live performances in Russia. Recordings of these concerts were shown on major Russian TV channels like Channel One and Muz-TV.

Anita has released 5 albums in total. She has won more than 10 major awards for her singing and her charity work during her career. She also appeared in the fourth season of the ice show contest Ice Age.

Changing Music Styles

Anita Tsoy is known for often changing her music style and image. She started as a rock artist in 1997. Later, she moved to dance music. After 2006, her songs included different styles like Viktor Tsoi's rock, blues, R&B, and Eastern-style pop.

1997: Early Rock Style

Her first album, "Полет" (Flight), was recorded in 1997. It was named after her first hit song, "Полет." Most songs on this album were in a rock style, similar to the Kino band, where the acoustic guitar was very important. Anita was a big fan of Kino when she was young. Another hit song, "Мама" (Mother), was written for children who had lost their parents.

1998: Pop-Rock Sounds

In 1998, Anita's second album, "Черный лебедь" (The Black Swan), was released. Important songs from this album include "Far Away" ("Далеко") and "Return" ("Возвращайтесь"). "Return" was remixed in 2009 and became a key song for her "To Remember so that Life Continues" ("Помнить, чтобы жизнь продолжалась") charity concert tour. On this album, you can hear a lot of guitar, electronic sounds, and percussion instruments. Most songs are in a pop-rock style.

2003: Moving to Dance Music

In 2003, Anita recorded her third Russian album, "1000000 минут" (1,000,000 Minutes). This album was very different from her first two. Almost all the songs were in a Dance style. This album had four hit songs that were very popular on the radio: the title song "1000000 Minutes" ("Миллион минут"), "Only for You" ("Одному тебе"), "Is that Love?" ("Это ли любовь?"), and "Christmas Toys" ("Новогодние игрушки").

2007: "To The East" Album

From 2003 to 2007, no new recordings were released because of problems with music piracy in Russia.

The album "На восток" (To The East) was recorded in 2007 by Universal Music. It was full of hit songs. Seven out of eleven tracks were played on radios, and two of them, the title song "To The East" ("На восток") and "The Sky" ("Небо"), became very popular among Russian people. Anita won two "Golden Gramophone" awards for these songs: one in 2006 and another in 2007. The "To The East" song was actually written a year before the album came out.

The songs on this album combined guitar, percussion instruments, and electronic music. This made them sound very unique compared to other artists' songs. Anita and Universal Music announced that all the money from the album sales would go to orphanages.

Charity Work

Besides singing, Anita Tsoy is well-known for her active charity work. In 2001, she started a charity foundation called "Anita." This foundation has helped many children with disabilities [1]. She also works with big charity organizations like Save the Children and UNICEF.

In 2009, she organized a concert tour. All the money raised from these concerts went to families whose relatives had been affected by difficult events. The concerts were held in cities like Grozny, Beslan, and Budyonnovsk, located in the Caucasian and Siberian areas. The tour was called "To Remember so that Life Continues" ("Помнить, чтобы жизнь продолжалась").

Several months before this tour, a large concert was held in the Barvikha Hall in Moscow. Many business people and celebrities were invited. About €160,000 was raised, and this money was given to more than 50 children who had been affected by a tragic event in Beslan.

Current Activities

In 2004, during his visit to Russia, South Korean president Roh Moo-hyun named Anita Tsoy an "Ambassador of Korean Culture and Tourism" between Russia and South Korea.

It was announced on the singer's official website that a new album, called "Глубина" (Depth), is going to be recorded. The release date has not been mentioned. Anita Tsoy was also scheduled to perform in the French musical "Michael Strogoff" in 2010–2011.

In April and May 2022, Tsoy took part in a series of concerts. In January 2023, Ukraine placed restrictions on Anita.

Albums

• "Полет" ("Flight") – 1997
• "Черный лебедь" ("The Black Swan") – 1998
• "I'll remember you" (Recorded in the USA) – 2000
• "1000000 минут" ("1000000 minutes") – 2003
• "На восток" ("To The East") – 2007
• "Твоя А" ("Your A") – 2011

Live Concerts

• "Полет к новым мирам" ("A Flight to New Worlds") – 1998
• "Черный лебедь или храм любви" ("The Black Swan or a Love Palace") – 1999, 2000 (symphonic version)
• "1000000 минут" ("1000000 Minutes") – 2003
• "ANITA" – 2005
• "На восток" ("To The East") – 2007
• "Помнить, чтобы жизнь продолжалась" ("To Remember so that Life Continues") – 2009 (Charity Concert Tour)
• "THE BEST" – 2010

Awards and Recognition

• "Honoured Worker of Kuzbass" for active participation in charity, 2009
• "Golden Gramophone", 2007
• "Golden Gramophone", 2006
• "A True Professional of Russia", 2005
• "Mezenat" for active participation in charity, 2004
• "Pillar" for the artist's talent, 2004
• "For Russia's renewal", 2004
• Meritorious Artist of Russia, 2003
• "Olympia" for active participation in charity, 2002
• National Musical Prize "Ovation" – Best Show of the Year, 1999
• National Musical Prize "Ovation" – A Discovery of the Year, 1998

See also

In Spanish: Anita Tsoy para niños