Sofia Rotaru facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hero of Ukraine Sofia Rotaru OS
Rotaru in 2011
Background information
Native name	Софія Ротару
Birth name	Sofiia Mykhailivna Rotaru
Born	(1947-08-07) 7 August 1947 (age 77) Marshyntsi, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Genres	Pop folk dance Rock Pop-folk
Occupation(s)	Singer film producer dancer actress
Years active	1968–present

Sofiia Mykhailivna Yevdokymenko-Rotaru (Ukrainian: Софі́я Миха́йлівна Євдокименко-Рота́ру; Russian: Софи́я Миха́йловна Евдокименко-Рота́ру; née Rotaru; born 7 August 1947), known simply as Sofia Rotaru, is a famous Ukrainian singer. She is often called "Bukovinsky Solovey," which means "the Nightingale from Bukovina."

Sofia Rotaru became well-known in 1966. Her manager, who later became her husband, helped her change her music style from folk to pop. She released her first album in 1972, which was very popular and helped her become a big pop star in the countries that were once part of the Soviet Union.

She gained international fame after winning awards at music festivals in Bulgaria in 1968 and 1973, and in Poland in 1974. Sofia Rotaru has been performing for over 55 years. She is known for her many songs in different languages.

She has released more than 40 albums and recorded over 400 songs. Sofia Rotaru has received many important awards. These include "Meritorious Artist of the Ukrainian SSR" and "People's Artist of Ukraine." In 2002, she was given the high honor of Hero of Ukraine for her amazing work in art.

Her official last name is Yevdokymenko-Rotaru. Yevdokymenko was her late husband's last name. She lives mainly in Yalta, but also has homes in other cities.

Early Life and Musical Beginnings

Sofia Rotaru was born on August 7, 1947, in a village called Marshyntsi in Ukraine. Her family grew grapes and made wine. Marshyntsi is near the border with Moldova, and many people there speak Romanian. Sofia was the second of six children.

An interesting fact is that a passport office worker accidentally wrote her birthdate as August 9 instead of August 7. Because of this, Sofia sometimes celebrates her birthday twice!

Her older sister, Zina, was born in 1942. Zina became blind when she was young, but she had a perfect ear for music. She could easily remember new songs and taught many folk songs to Sofia. Sofia said that everyone in the family learned from Zina because of her amazing musical memory. Zina also listened to the radio a lot and learned Russian, which she then taught to her younger siblings. At home, the Rotaru family spoke only Romanian.

Sofia started singing in the school choir when she was in first grade. She also sang in the church choir, but this was not allowed by school officials. She was even threatened with being removed from the Young Pioneer organization. Sofia loved theater and practiced in drama classes. She also sang folk songs in vocal classes. She would often borrow the school's accordion and practice finding melodies for her favorite Moldavian songs. Sofia once said, "It is difficult to say, when and how did the music appear in my life. It seems that it has always lived in me."

Career Highlights

Starting Her Music Journey (1962–1964)

Sofia Rotaru's talent was noticed early on. She won a local singing competition, which led her to a regional contest in 1962. In 1963, she won a diploma at an art show in Chernivtsi. Then, in 1964, she won a big festival for talented performers in Kyiv. Her picture even appeared on the cover of Ukraine magazine in 1965.

After finishing high school, Sofia decided to become a professional singer. She studied music at the Chernivtsi Musical College. She also took lessons from a famous singer named Sidi Tal. In 1964, Sofia performed at the State Kremlin Palace. One of the first pop songs she sang was "Mama."

Becoming Known Worldwide (1968–1973)

In 1968, Sofia traveled to Sofia, Bulgaria, for the IX World Festival of Youth and Students. She won first prize in the folk song competition! Newspapers in Bulgaria wrote headlines like "21-year old Sofia has conquered Sofia." She sang Ukrainian and Moldavian folk songs, and a song called "Valentina," which was for the first female cosmonaut, Valentina Tereshkova.

In 1968, Sofia married Anatoliy Yevdokymenko. He was a university student and played the trumpet in a student band.

In 1971, a musical film called Chervona Ruta was made, starring Sofia. The movie was about a girl from the mountains and her love story. The film's name comes from an old legend about a magical flower. The movie was very successful. After the film, Sofia started working with the Chernivtsi Philharmonic Society and a band called Chervona Ruta. Her husband, Anatoliy, became the band's artistic director.

Working with composer Volodymyr Ivasyuk, Sofia created many popular songs. These songs made her very famous across the Soviet Union, especially in Ukraine. The Soviet government supported her because she was an ethnic Moldavian/Romanian who sang in Moldavian/Romanian, Ukrainian, and Russian. This helped her music be played often on radio and TV.

In 1972, Sofia and Chervona Ruta toured Poland. In 1973, she won first prize at the Golden Orpheus festival in Bulgaria. She also received the title "Meritorious Artist of the Ukrainian SSR."

New Songs and Styles (1974–1979)

In 1974, Sofia graduated from the Chişinău Art Institute. She also took part in the Sopot International Song Festival in Poland, where she won second prize for a Polish song. In 1976, she moved from Chernivtsi to Yalta.

After 1979, Sofia started working with new composers. Many of her songs from this time were created with famous composers and lyricists. She was the first to perform songs like "Swan Fidelity" and "Ballad About Mother."

Acting and New Connections (1980–1983)

In 1980, Sofia won first prize at a song festival in Tokyo. She also received the Order of the Badge of Honor. She was one of the first Soviet female singers to wear trousers on stage. She even performed a hip-hop style song called "Temp," which was used for the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.

In 1980, Sofia starred in a film called Gde ty, lyubov'? (Where are you, love?). She performed many songs in the movie and even rode a motorcycle without a stunt double! The film was very popular, with over 25 million people watching it.

In 1981, Sofia starred in another film called Dusha (Soul). This movie featured her new rock band. She was actually ill during filming, but the story was changed to be about a singer losing her voice, which fit her situation. In 1983, Sofia went on a concert tour in Canada.

Changing Her Music Style (1985–1989)

The mid-1980s brought a big change in Sofia's music. She started working with a new songwriter, Vladimir Matetskiy. He helped her move towards a Europop style with songs like "Lavanda" (Lavender). She also added elements of hard rock to her music. For the next 15 years, Matetskiy and his co-writer, Mikhail Shabrov, created many of her most famous songs.

Across Different Cultures (1990–1991)

When Sofia started singing more songs in Russian, some people in Ukraine were not happy. They felt she was forgetting her national culture. However, this was partly because it was hard to find high-quality songs in Ukrainian at the time.

In 1991, during a concert in Lviv, some people in the audience held up a poster with a threatening message. Because of this, Sofia did not perform in Ukraine for several years. She only returned after a special request from the president of Ukraine.

New Era (1991–2004)

After the Soviet Union ended, Sofia Rotaru remained a top artist. She continued to be popular with Russian-speaking people around the world. In 2000, she was named the Best Ukrainian Pop Singer of the Twentieth Century.

In 2001, Sofia performed a new solo concert called Zhyzn' moya – moya lyubov' (My Life Is My Love). In 2002, she was awarded the title "Hero of Ukraine."

After her husband passed away in 2002, Sofia stopped touring for a while. She took time to mourn. But after several months, she returned to performing and recording, topping the music charts again in Russia, Ukraine, and Moldova.

In 2003, a statue of Sofia Rotaru was placed in front of a concert hall in Moscow. She released new albums dedicated to her late husband, including Yedynomu (For the Only One, 2003) and "Ya zhe yego lyubila" (Didn't I Love Him, 2005).

Celebrating Her 60th Birthday (2007–2016)

In 2007, Sofia Rotaru celebrated her 60th birthday. Many fans, artists, and politicians came to Yalta to congratulate her. The President of Ukraine gave her the II Degree Order for Merits. Her birthday party was held at the Livadia Palace in Yalta, with the presidents of Russia, Ukraine, and Moldova attending. This event was shown live on TV.

More birthday celebrations took place in Sochi and Moscow, where other singers performed her songs. In 2006 and 2007, Sofia released three albums: Tuman (Fog) in Eastern Europe, and two albums for the German market. She also appeared in many TV shows and went on a Russian Anniversary Tour.

Recent Years (2017–Present)

In 2022, Sofia Rotaru spoke out against the Russian Invasion of Ukraine.

Personal Life

Sofia's younger sister, Aurica, also had a singing career. She sang solo and as a backup vocalist, and sometimes performed duets with her sisters Lidia and Eugenia. Aurica stopped singing professionally in 1992.

Sofia's husband, Anatoliy Kyrylovich Yevdokymenko, was a People's Artist of Ukraine. He first saw Sofia on the cover of Ukraine magazine in 1965 and was immediately smitten. He was serving in the military at the time. After his service, he found Sofia. Anatoliy had studied music and played the trumpet. He helped Sofia start her pop music career.

Sofia once said, "I rather owe my coming into being as a singer and, probably, my personality, to those women with whom I worked in the village. It is really from them that I learned to understand the meaning of life."

Because Sofia sings in different languages, people sometimes debate which culture she belongs to: Moldavian/Romanian, Ukrainian, or Russian. She has always embraced her multicultural background.

Discography

• 1972 Chervona Ruta
• 1973 Poet Sofia Rotaru
• 1974 Sofia Rotaru (also known as Ballada o skripkakh)
• 1976 Sofia Rotaru (also known as Lebedinaya vernost)
• 1977 Sofia Rotaru poet pesni Vladimira Ivasyuka
• 1978 Sofia Rotaru (also known as Rodina moya)
• 1979 Tolko tebe
• 1981 Where Has Love Gone?
• 1981 Sofia Rotaru and Chervona Ruta
• 1985 Tender Melody
• 1987 Monologue of Love
• 1987 Lavanda
• 1988 Heart of Gold
• 1991 Caravan of Love
• 1995 Khutoryanka
• 1998 Lyubi menya
• 2002 Ya tebya po-prezhnemu lyublyu
• 2004 Nebo – eto ya
• 2005 Ya zhe yego lyubila
• 2008 Ya – tvoya lybov'!
• 2010 Ya ne oglyanus

Awards and Honors

Sofia Rotaru is an honored citizen of Crimea and Yalta. She has received many awards for her contributions to music. These include:

• Meritorious Artist of the Ukrainian SSR
• People's Artist of Ukraine
• People's Artist of Moldavian SSR
• People's Artist of USSR
• Laureate of the Young Communist League Prize
• Hero of Moldova
• Cavalier of the Republican Order of Moldova

In August 2002, on her 55th birthday, the presidents of Ukraine and Russia honored Sofia Rotaru. The President of Ukraine gave her the high title of Hero of Ukraine for her "outstanding personal merits in the sphere of art." The Russian president gave her the Russian order, "For merits before the Nation."

She is also an Honorary Citizen of Chișinău, Moldova.

See also

In Spanish: Sofia Rotaru para niños

• Russian pop music
• Pop music in Ukraine
• Melancolie, Moldavian/Romanian song