Lili Ivanova facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lili Ivanova
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Lilyana Ivanova Petrova |
| Born | April 24, 1939 Kubrat, Bulgaria |
| Genres | Pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Years active | 1961–present |
Lilyana Ivanova Petrova (Bulgarian: Лиляна Иванова Петрова), born on April 24, 1939, is a famous Bulgarian singer. She is best known as Lili Ivanova (Bulgarian: Лили Иванова). People often call her the "Prima of Bulgarian popular music" because of her huge impact on the country's culture. Since 1961, she has been singing in concerts, recording many songs and albums, and appearing on TV. In 2023, BG Radio gave her a special award, calling her "The greatest Bulgarian pop singer of all times".
Contents
Who is Lili Ivanova?
Lili Ivanova was born in a small town called Kubrat in Bulgaria. She studied to be a nurse in Varna and worked for a very short time. Her singing career began in the early 1960s.
Early Career and First Albums
Lili Ivanova became well-known in 1963. She sang in a variety show at the Ambassador Hotel and the Constantin Tanase Music Hall Theatre in Bucharest, Romania. People there loved her, and local TV even showed four of her live performances. Her first album, "Amore Twist," was recorded that same year. In 1967, she recorded her second album, "Sea of Youth," in Bulgaria, which had 11 songs. Her third album was recorded in Moscow in 1968. One of her most famous albums, "Camino," was released in 1968 by the Bulgarian company Balkanton. Lili Ivanova still sings the song "Camino" today because it really shows off her amazing voice.
Winning Awards and International Fame
Lili Ivanova won her first big award, the "Golden Key," in 1966 in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia. After that, she received more than 10 international awards and many honors in Bulgaria. In 1997, a group called the International Women Association named her one of the most famous women of the 20th century. In 1999, she received Bulgaria's highest state award, the "Stara Planina" medal, for her contributions to Bulgarian pop music.
Singing in Germany and the 1990s
From 1981 to 1987, Lili Ivanova lived and performed mostly in Germany. During this time, she recorded several albums, including "Warning" and the German album "Kein Film War Schoner" in 1981. Other albums from this period include "A Cricket" (1982) and "The Heart Chose You" (1983), which was a duet with Asen Gargov. Her double album "I Want You" came out in 1984, followed by "Lili 86" in 1986 and "A big Wedding" in 1989. Even during the challenging 1990s, Lili Ivanova kept her career strong. She released three more albums: "Gambling" (1993), "Are you Ready for Love" (1995), and "Private Matter" (1998).
Big Hits and Famous Stages
In 2000, Lili Ivanova had one of the biggest hits of her career with the song "Winds." In the years that followed, she performed in Bulgaria's largest concert halls, like the National Palace of Culture. On January 9, 2009, she achieved a dream for many singers: performing at the famous Olympia Hall in Paris, France. Lili Ivanova continues to show that she can sing in many different musical styles. She has also formed her own bands throughout her long career, often changing her style to try new things.
Lili Ivanova's Music Style
How Her Music Sounds
When Lili Ivanova first started, she sang popular songs from Italy, France, and Russia. Her own music style is very special, with strong, meaningful lyrics and catchy tunes. In the 1960s and 1970s, her songs often had big, rich musical arrangements. They would have dramatic changes between quiet and loud parts, often with a brass band, string orchestra, electric guitars, and accents from a piano or Hammond organ. She also used backing vocals and a special echo effect on her voice.
Later, as music styles changed, she started using electronic musical instruments. Since 2000, Lili Ivanova has performed live with a few musicians, usually a pianist, violinist, guitarist, and a saxophonist. She often says that the words of her songs and the message they send to her audience are very important. Throughout her career, she has loved trying new sounds and has sung songs in styles like rock, soul, rhythm and blues, Balkan folk music, and jazz.
Her Albums and Sales
Lili Ivanova has recorded and released 35 albums and 29 singles. These were released in Bulgaria, the USSR (now Russia and other countries), Romania, Turkey, Germany, Spain, and other places. It's hard to know the exact number of albums she has sold. However, the former director of Balkanton (a Bulgarian record company) said that her albums sold over 1 million copies in the Soviet Union. An Italian magazine, L'Europeo, even said she sold more than 10 million copies there. But because of the way things worked in Bulgaria at the time, she never received money from these sales, only a monthly salary like other famous singers.
Concerts and Tours Around the World
Lili Ivanova has performed in over 11,000 concerts and gone on many tours abroad. She has sung in countries like Germany, Cuba, Japan, Turkey, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Greece, Portugal, and Brazil. She has also toured the US and Canada, singing for Bulgarian people living there.
Lili Ivanova was the first singer from the Eastern Bloc (countries in Eastern Europe during the Cold War) to have a concert at the famous music hall Olympia in Paris. She was also the first Bulgarian performer to have a concert in the new Armeets Arena in Sofia, Bulgaria, where 15,000 people came to see her in 2012. In 2015, she was the very first person to perform in the brand new Bulstrad Arena sports hall in Ruse, Bulgaria.
Awards and Honors
Lili Ivanova has received many awards and honors throughout her career. Here are some of them:
- 1966 – Slovakia – Bratislava – First prize for her song "Adagio" at the "Golden Key" Festival.
- 1967 – Poland – Warsaw – First Prize at the Estrada music festival.
- 1968 – Spain – Barcelona – First award for her song "Shall I believe" at the Estrada music festival.
- 1969 – France – Cannes – "Golden Plate" for selling over 1 million albums in one year, from the "Trophy MIDEM" festival.
- 1970 – Brazil – Rio de Janeiro – Third Prize at the Pop Song Festival. This was special because a European singer rarely won a prize there.
- 1970 – Greece – Athens – "Golden Plate" at the Olimpiada de Musica Pop festival.
- 1973 – Japan – Tokyo – Third prize for her song "Панаири" at the Yamaha World Popular Song Festival.
- 1973 – France – Paris – First award "Grand Prix" for her song "Стъпки" at a Pop Music Festival.
- 1974 – Bulgaria – Sunny Beach – First award at Golden Orpheus.
- 1982 – Bulgaria – Sunny Beach – First award at Golden Orpheus.
- She won "Melody of the Year" awards in 1968, 1970, 1974, and 1977.
- 1996 – Bulgaria – Sunny Beach – "Golden Orpheus" prize for her Lifetime Achievement.
- 1999 – Bulgaria – "Stara Planina" Honour, given by the President of Bulgaria for her achievements in Bulgarian culture and music.
- 2006 – She received a star on the Bulgarian Walk of Fame.
Lili Ivanova also received a golden vinyl plate from Balkanton for selling 2 million albums in a year. There are only five such golden plates in Bulgaria. She publicly returned it in protest when Balkanton made it easier to get such an award in 1990.
See also
In Spanish: Lili Ivanova para niños
