Linda is one of the brightest Russian performers of the 90s era. She managed to break all the usual musical patterns. Her compositions were always extraordinary and original. They took fans into their special reality. A number of music critics called Linda a "phenomenon". To date, her career continues. True, there is no need to talk about its former colossal glory. Unfortunately, of course... Biography of the singer Linda, photos - all this is in the presented material.
Atmosphere of goodwill
In April 1977, in the town of Kentau, in Kazakhstan, the heroine of our article was born. The real name of the singer Linda is Svetlana Gaiman. The vast majority of music fans don't know this. Many people think that her stage name is her real name. It’s not so difficult to calculate how old singer Linda is. She's only 40.
The city in which she was born is located on the Kazakh and Chinese borders. They say that during the “era of resettlement,” the leader of nations Joseph Stalin specifically exiled the Greeks there.
The singer has repeatedly admitted that she has only vague memories of her immediate homeland. She remembered one thing: picturesque mountains, piercing winds and cold.
Representatives of a wide variety of states and nationalities lived in Kentau. There were Uighurs, Kazakhs, Greeks, Koreans, Russians, Uzbeks, Tajiks and Turks. An inimitable atmosphere of goodwill and mutual assistance reigned everywhere.
Little Sveta often recalled how early in the morning her grandmother would get her out of bed and take her granddaughter to watch the sunrise. By and large, she still remains her real ideal of worldly wisdom and femininity...
Rockstar
A few years later, when Linda and the group 4 Non Blondes became famous and were already touring, Linda was almost at the top of her career. However, she soon left the group for a solo career. She released her first solo album very hard, spending her money on promotion and getting nothing.
As a result, Linda, disillusioned with show business, created her own label, which should help her improve her career. She soon created the Rockstar label, which became popular with several groups of people in San Francisco.
The album After Hours, which became the second album, was released in 1999. That is, along with promoting the label, the girl was also pursuing a solo career. However, the producer's career still came first. The rest of the time she literally lived in the recording studio or office. And for the song Beautiful, Christina Aguilera became a nominee for “Song of the Year” and “Grammy”.
In Autograd
In the family, Sveta was called Leybla or simply Lina. From Hebrew this name can be translated as “sun”. Actually, much later this became the prototype for the current pseudonym - “Linda”.
At Sveta School, she mostly received top marks. Although she was considered a pugnacious girl. But at home she was always obedient and modest, because her parents tried to raise her in severity.
Linda's father was a major banker. At one time he worked in such well-known financial institutions as Lada Bank and Ipcombank. By the way, ten percent of the shares are owned by the singer.
Sveta never thought that she would pursue a musical career. She attended classes at an art school, trained in a gymnastics club, and also dreamed of the circus. True, this dream turned out to be completely unrealized, since at one time Linda suffered a serious injury. But she managed to find herself a completely new hobby. She became interested in music.
...As a second-grader, the Gaiman family moved to Togliatti, in the Samara province. Autograd seemed to her like a huge metropolis, in contrast to tiny Kentau. For the first time she got into the bus and was shocked. After all, in the Kazakh town there was no mechanical transport and instead of them donkeys walked the streets. There were cars, of course, but they were a real rarity.
When Linda finished seventh grade, the whole family moved again. This time - to Moscow.
Scary capital
The move to the capital, in fact, turned out to be impressive as well. The capital city scared Linda at first. She didn't like the constant noise and huge crowds of people. In a word, it was not easy for her to adapt to new realities.
In the meantime, she began attending classes in a folk art group that worked at the Hermitage Theater. There she received the basics of performing arts and even began to participate in theatrical productions. The leader was Yuri Galperin. According to Linda, he managed to instill in her a love of art.
However, according to the performer, she remained unsociable and lonely. It was very difficult to get to know someone. That is why she left Galperin’s team.
But by the age of sixteen she began to study music in earnest, which, in fact, finally determined her future fate.
Curriculum Vitae
An extraordinary girl was born in 1977 on the territory of the Kazakh SSR, where her parents were exiled during Stalin’s repressions. In the region where she grew up (the city of Kentau) there was a significant Greek diaspora. The future singer grew up in a multinational Russian-Jewish-Kazakh-Greek society, which affected her creativity and worldview.
The main events of the girl’s early years:
- As a teenager, she and her family moved to the capital, where she tried music for the first time;
- He goes to a theater group that operated on the stage of the Hermitage studio;
- Despite many cultural activities, the girl grew up lonely, unsociable, and found it difficult to work in a team. That's why she left the Hermitage;
- At the age of 16 he entered the famous “Gnesinka” in Moscow for the vocal department;
- From then on, her song career began to advance by leaps and bounds. She participates in international competitions and is noticed by prominent figures in the music industry.
And here is one of Linda’s first videos for the song “Little Fire”, which made her popular:
Within the walls of "Gnesinka"
In 1993, Linda became a student at the famous Gnesinka. She studied there in the vocal department. There was a huge competition at the entrance exams, but the future singer was ready for this test of knowledge. Fortunately, the first teacher Galperin, as they said, taught her the basics of performing arts. In addition, she herself already knew very well what a “scene” was.
By the way, it was then that Linda first quarreled with her stern father. Her parents hoped that their daughter would become a lawyer in the future, especially since Svetlana’s older sister did just that. But Linda did not want such a career. Therefore, at first she generally hid her studies at the school from her father. But, as a result, the parents had to give in to the decision of their wayward daughter.
At Gnesinka, Linda’s mentor was the famous teacher and pedagogue V. Khachaturov. It was he who first suggested that she try herself at various music competitions. The singer decided to do so.
Choice of profession
But before Sveta Gaiman became a famous singer, the family moved first to Tolyatti and then to Moscow. The girl studied music, was fond of engraving and showed an aptitude for the exact sciences. Everyone in her family were lawyers or surgeons, and her parents hoped that their daughter would receive a “serious” profession. However, Svetlana was drawn to music.
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She entered Gnesinka, but was very afraid to tell dad about it. Only when the exam results became known, Svetlana and her mother gathered courage and went to meet the famous lawyer Gaiman at the airport from a business trip. There they admitted that Sveta became a student at a music school.
The father accepted his daughter’s choice and did not put pressure on her, only occasionally making fun of the future singer. Knowing her potential, Gaiman was sure that her teenage protest, which he considered her passion for music, would pass by the time she came of age, the girl would come to her senses and get a “serious” profession. But fate decreed otherwise.
First compositions and first success
But first she met the famous and extraordinary musician Andrei Misin. They recorded two songs together, including "Playing with Fire." With these compositions Linda went to the competition in Jurmala. She managed to reach the finals of the music competition. It was then that the venerable producer Yuri Aizenshpis noticed her. He offered her long-term cooperation and soon became closely involved with the talented singer.
Around the same period, the first video for the song “Playing with Fire” appeared. The director of the creation was Fyodor Bondarchuk. Essentially, this video laid the foundations for the performer's style. The clip itself gained popularity.
In addition, the now famous Maxim Fadeev was invited to the studio. At the same time, for some reasons, the relationship between Linda and Aizenshpis was finally terminated. As a result, a new collaboration arose - with Fadeev. Their project was destined to light two stars on the musical horizon at once - a singer and a producer.
Linda
In the charismatic student, the school teachers saw a real star early on. It was they who advised the girl to perform in Jurmala at the “Generation” competition. She won a prize and met Yuri Aizenshpis, who offered cooperation to the aspiring singer.
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First album
In February 1994, Linda began recording her debut disc. To promote the new creation to the market, a label was created called “Crystal Music”. He represented exclusively the interests of the singer.
While the release had not yet been released, the single “Little Fire” was released. A little later, a second video clip was shot for this composition.
In the middle of the same year, the first album “Songs of Tibetan Lamas” already appeared on the shelves of music stores. Note that the circulation sold 250 thousand copies. And this brought Linda great success.
Interestingly, Linda’s “debut” was also popular in Japan.
Singer Linda spoke candidly about her personal life
The bright singer Linda, who exploded onto the Russian stage many years ago, has always been known for her courage and extravagance. But when we meet in person, the singer amazes: modesty, incredible openness and humanity. You can talk to Linda about anything, and she gives a simple, yet wise answer to every question.
– Linda, a year ago you and Stefanos (Stefanos Korkolis – musician) got married in Greece. Was it love at first sight or did you give vent to your feelings only after getting to know each other well?
“Everything happened at once for us, it felt like we had known each other for many, many years. We met seven years ago and have never been apart. To all those who do not believe in love at first sight, I can say: it exists one hundred percent. Proven from personal experience (smiles).
– Tell me, what can’t you imagine a harmonious relationship without?
– Trust, understanding and respect for each other are the main thing for me. Well, of course, you can’t go anywhere without love. Stefanos and I are not at all alike - two completely different planets, and this, by the way, helps us. Stefanos likes my simplicity and humanity in me. And I love him for his honesty and incredibly kind attitude towards everything. There is no aggression or envy in him, he is a very pure person.
– Do you agree with the phrase that “relationships are work”?
- Certainly! There are times when we are in a bad mood, there are difficulties, and sometimes we let go of our thorns. You need to be attentive to the person, feel him, talk to each other. After meeting Stefanos, I changed for the better: I became more free and open. Even after meeting him, I began to understand music in a completely different way: listening to the works that Stefanos wrote, I understand them better than reading a book. He sometimes tells me: just listen to this piece, I said everything I wanted there.
– Linda, when you are sad, what gives you strength and helps?
– I like to leave the house and take long walks, for several hours. This is how I free myself from sadness and melancholy. And also, when I feel bad, I start writing: I paint both pictures - I really like to draw - and various texts. I even love such moments of sadness: I start to think a lot, create something new.
– Tell me, did you have a nickname as a child?
– I had a lot of nicknames. My loved ones often called me “carnation.” Stefanos jokes and says, yes (smiles). He's just not happy when I make unnecessary noise. For example: he loves watching Russian films, and when I start translating an episode for him, I almost always get ahead of myself and tell everything to the very end, and he starts to get angry, because he himself is interested in watching (smiles). Stefanos says: “That’s why I still don’t speak Russian.” He understands the language, but has not yet learned to really speak Russian. I also remember being called Chaplin as a child. Maybe because the gait was funny.
– Linda, why do you think your fans love you?
– I think because we speak the same language with them. These are the stories that concern them and that happen in my life. They feel an inner connection with me, because I sing about the life that they live. And in this regard we are the same.
– Tell us, what are you doing at the moment?
– Today we are completely immersed in the work of our group (Bloody Faeries. – Author’s note). We have a lot of different music and interesting stories ahead. We took the classic works of Bulgakov, Oscar Wilde, the Brothers Grimm, William Shakespeare and interpreted it in our own way.
– Linda, would you say that you are a good judge of people?
– At the moment, yes, I can quickly understand who is who, and I understand who may be next to me.
– Do you easily forgive insults and is there something that you are not ready to forgive?
– Of course, it is very difficult to be able to forgive insults. I forgive a loved one absolutely everything, but a close person is only close because he cannot commit meanness, and I don’t pay attention to little things. Of course, if you are betrayed, you no longer have a choice, you need to take it for granted. Most likely I will not erase this person from my life, but I may remain indifferent to him. Of course, people have touched me and hurt me, and the first feeling you experience is to shut down and bury yourself deeper, but it goes away quickly. The more difficulties in life, the more art, in my opinion. If there were absolute harmony in life, people would not have the need to create something and search for meaning. The world would be balanced and ideal. We would have lived a wonderful life, this is what was given to us by God, but we moved away from it. And everyone is now trying to get out of this in their own way. Through art as well.
– Linda, you are an open person and speak very openly about yourself and your relationship with Stefanos. Aren't you afraid of the envy of people whose lives were less successful?
– We know that we are with God. I always feel his presence, so I’m not afraid of anything.
Our dossier
Svetlana Lvovna Gaiman (born April 29, 1979, Kentau, Chimkent region), better known under the pseudonym Linda, is a Russian singer whose work is classified by musicologists as trip-hop and ethno-rock. At first, the author of music for Linda was composer Maxim Fadeev. After breaking up with him, Linda began writing songs on her own, and also collaborated with such authors as Evgeny Pozdnyakov, Mara and Lyubasha. During her career, the singer sold more than 3 million albums in Russia, including “Songs of Tibetan Lamas” - 250 thousand, “Crow” - 1.5 million, “Crow. Remake & Remix” – 500 thousand.
First tour
Since 1995, singer Linda, a biography whose personal life has already become interesting to the public, began giving concerts. Preparation for them took almost a year. The fact is that the program involved a large ensemble, where, in addition to standard keys, guitars and drums, there were also instruments from Eastern countries.
In addition, Linda had not often performed songs live in front of a large audience before. So she began to rehearse carefully.
At the end of summer, an active advertising campaign began, which lasted three months.
And after that, at the very end of the year, Linda presented her program at one of the stadiums in the northern capital.
When the concert in St. Petersburg ended, the singer went on her first tour. By the way, during the tour she also visited the city of her childhood - Tolyatti.
But Linda became a truly popular performer only after the release of her second studio album. It was called "Crow".
Best-seller
Work on the album began in 1996. As with the previous album, amazing musicians were involved who play rare instruments. In addition, the producer invited a Scottish women's choir to record.
The first video clip from the record was “North Wind,” which later became a hit. The same thing happened with the song “Crow”. The composition became not only very popular. It remains to this day the performer’s “calling card”.
At the beginning of December 1996, the new record was ready. The album became a real bestseller. He was very popular, and unusual, and scandalous at the same time.
The one and a half million circulation was quickly sold out.
Breaking up with the producer
Over the next two years, Linda toured intensively. As a result, in the summer of 1998 her concert album was released. It was simply called "Concert". To be honest, the singer herself did not accept her own disc. According to her, he had no real energy and drive...
Meanwhile, Fadeev moved to Germany. He practically stopped working on the upcoming material. The album “Placenta” was supposed to appear in the spring of 1998, but due to the economic crisis, the release was postponed.
When the situation in the country returned to normal and the record appeared in stores, “Placenta” faced a complete commercial fiasco. As a result, the relationship between Linda and Fadeev completely fell apart, and the once fruitful cooperation was curtailed.
The producer began to work closely on another project, and Linda, despite everything, continued to engage in solo work.
Fadeev
Her first video, “Playing with Fire,” was shot by a very young Fyodor Bondarchuk. But it was not such a hit work as the subsequent ones would become. They will appear when Linda moves from Aizenshpis to Maxim Fadeev.
In later interviews, she explains: Fadeev is a talented PR man, but he was not the main producer. A whole team of 12 people worked on the concept, content, arrangements, and everything that the “Linda” project represented. They did real experiments. In the famous "Crow", for example, a children's choir was used.
New breath
Linda's new authors are E. Pozdnyakov, Lyubasha and Mara. Thanks to their support, the singer was able to record five more studio records. To be honest, it’s hard to call them successful and popular, but some of them were very successful. In this regard, the album “AtakA” stands out, selling 500 thousand copies. Large-scale promotion began in support of Linda's creation. In addition, the performer went to South Africa. It was there that work began on the new video “Agony”.
The album was released in the late autumn of 2004 and a little later it began to pop up in chats. This was followed by another tour and performances at numerous festivals. She had not had such success in four years.
Greek producer
The biography of singer Linda contains information that in the mid-2000s she met with Greek producer Stefanos Korkolis. He was widely known in musical circles. He specialized in classical and ethnic music. In addition, at one time he collaborated with such world celebrities as Metallica, Mylene Farmer, Peter Gabriel and many others.
As a result, Linda and Korkolis began recording a new album. It was called "AleAda". The singer dedicated the record to her mothers and Korkolis’s. The name combined two mothers' names, the initial syllables.
The presentation of the album took place in October 2006. The singer appeared completely different in it. She changed and became more open. Despite this, some fans did not take the new work at all. Although others were truly delighted. Be that as it may, the disc once again entered the Greek charts. In addition, the record was destined to receive “gold” status.
Thus, the first joint work of Linda and Korkolis, in fact, turned out to be very successful. Success inspired them. And after the tour, the musicians went back to Greece. They started recording a new studio disc. The work process lasted a year and a half. Recording took place in Greece, France and even New York. By the way, the musicians expressed special gratitude and recognition to Hollywood actors Bill Crystal and Robert De Niro in recording the album. The fact is that while working on the release, the project participants watched the famous comedy “Analyze That”.
In the early spring of 2008, in the Russian capital, Linda and Stefanos already presented an album called “Skop-Peonies”. If we compare it with previous works, the record turned out to be more dynamic, powerful and heavy in sound.
Pink
Linda Perry also collaborated with Pink (singer). Pink helped the girl produce one of the albums. For 2-3 months, the two of them lived in Perry's apartment, where almost daily they created songs and experimented with voiceovers and sound. Scott Scorch and Dallas Austin helped them with this. As a result, in 2001 an album called Missundaztood appeared. After its release, Linda began to receive many offers.
Discord with Korkolis
After the last release, Linda lived in Greece. Four years later, she decided to resume her concert activities, performing in a duet with Korkolis. Their joint project was called Bloody Faeries. Then their record appeared. In addition, during the same period, singer Linda’s personal life finally improved - she got married to her favorite producer and musician.
In late autumn 2013, the eighth studio album was released. She received many positive reviews. This work also became the best among new releases by Russian performers.
Despite the obvious success, Korkolis and Linda went their separate ways. According to her, she decided to move on. It was 2014 then.
Biography of singer Linda now
The singer Linda's latest album is dated 2015. It's called "Pencils and Matches." The presentation of the new program took place in the Russian capital. The album was produced by Haydn Bendall. Just in case, he is a man of world renown. At one time he worked with such musicians as David Gilmour, Gary Moore, A-ha, Kate Bush, Pet Shop Boys, Camel, Chris Botti, Tina Turner, Massive Attack and even, eventually, Paul McCartney...
According to the performer, the name of the new creation carries a rather deep meaning. Namely, pencils represent the opportunity to paint the life of any person with bright colors, and matches represent “the desire to ignite human hearts.” singer Linda (photo without makeup above) is sure that everyone can find something for themselves in the disc.
After the release of the album, the performer, as always, went on tour.
Now the singer Linda (photo in the article) is not working so actively. Over the next two years, she managed to release one video clip and two singles. The text of one of them was written by the famous and now deceased poet Ilya Kormiltsev. The composition is called “Torture Chamber”...
A lot of fire: how the outrageous singer Linda blew up the 90s and what she is doing now
Linda
Today, April 29, celebrates the birthday of singer Linda. She turns 43 years old. Fame came to her in the mid-1990s, and Linda herself, of course, became one of the most prominent performers in Russian show business. Provocative song lyrics and a spectacular image brought fame. In our material today, we invite you to remember how the singer achieved success and find out what she is doing now.
Origin and family
Svetlana Gaiman, which is Linda’s real name, was born in the small town of Kentau, located at the foot of the Karatau ridge in Kazakhstan. The city is known mainly for its lead mines.
Linda as a child
The population of the city in Soviet times was mainly made up of immigrants from the European part of the USSR - descendants of the repressed. And the Gaiman family was no exception - her grandmother (on her father’s side) Anna Ilyinichna was exiled to Kentau along with four children. Anna Ilyinichna's husband was repressed in 1937.
My grandfather had a workshop for the production of typewriters, my grandfather improved them, introduced his inventions, and traveled from Vitebsk to Moscow for the necessary parts. The business was developing successfully, but someone became jealous and wrote a denunciation against him. My grandfather was arrested in 1937, my grandmother was left alone with four small children. In fact, the grandfather was immediately shot, but the grandmother did not know about this for a long time and kept waiting for her husband to be released. In 1941, she and her children were sent into exile. The train they were traveling on was bombed. Only one carriage survived - in which the grandmother and children were. This is the situation they survived!
— Linda told the story of her family in one of her interviews.
It should be noted that the grandmother took an active part in raising her granddaughter and it was to her that Svetlana owes her pseudonym Linda. The stage name was inspired by the names Anna Ilyinichna called her as a child. The grandmother was against the name Svetlana, and called the girl Lina, Lei and Leina.
Linda (bottom left) with grandmother Anna Ilyinichna, sister Elena, uncle Mark Veniaminovich, mother Alexandra Vasilievna and father Lev Isaakovich (right)
She came up with such variations on the name Label, which she wanted to name her granddaughter - translated from Hebrew it means “sun”. The name Sveta to the future celebrity was eventually given by her older sister Lena - the parents could not agree on what to name the child, and in the end they gave the choice to their eldest daughter.
The sisters were not alike in character - and the parents themselves began to notice this early. Linda was completely wild.
As a child, I had more energy than a nuclear bomb! She was running around at breakneck speed, it was impossible to sit her down for even five minutes,
- Linda recalled.
Such activity once cost her dearly - she severely injured her leg, so the doctors even talked about disability, but in the end everything worked out. Linda was injured during acrobatics training - she landed past the trampoline. As a child, she was seriously involved in gymnastics and even took part in circus performances.
I was in the hospital for a year, the probability that I would walk again was only ten percent. I couldn't even sit down. I didn’t want to see my family and friends, or have any contact with the outside world at all. I immersed myself in my feelings, wrote a lot, drew half-sitting and endlessly listened to music,
— the singer admitted in one of the interviews.
In addition, by her own admission, she always had problems with sleep - the girl slept only a few hours a day.
My wife and I were worried about this, we took our daughter to doctors, but most of them said: “If this is enough for her, if she feels normal, there is no need to do anything. The child just has such a unique organism.” And we calmed down a little. Our eldest daughter Lena is completely different, she is absolutely normal. And Sveta... not absolutely,
— recalled Linda’s father Lev Isaakovich.
When Linda was 15 years old, the whole family moved to Moscow (before that they still managed to live in Togliatti), and here the girl continued her creative pursuits.
In many ways, this became a way to somehow get used to the big city. Linda admitted that the capital shocked her and it was not easy to find friends.
Then for the first time I saw that my friends the same age were smoking, drinking beer, swearing... It made a terrible impression on me. For a long time I could not find friends - people with whom I could communicate,
- Linda recalled.
Secret admission to Gnesinka and the beginning of a musical career
The family hoped that Linda would become an economist: the father noted that his youngest daughter had good mathematical abilities and insisted that she continue his work. Gaiman himself was a financier and banker, he was the owner of Lada Bank, and later Ipokombank. Linda obediently attended courses at the Plekhanov Academy, but her fate, as often happens, was decided by chance.
On the stage of the Hermitage Theater, where she studied in a folk art group, music school professor Vladimir Khristoforovich Khachaturov saw her and offered to enroll in his course, which he was recruiting that year.
Without telling her parents anything, Linda took a chance and in 1993 became a student in the vocal department of the Gnessin State Music College. It also played into her hands that the father at that moment went on a business trip to Switzerland and could not control where his daughter was taking the exams.
She graduated from music school, but had more “home” education. Her practical “universities” gave her a lot - she very quickly, within three years, began working on her project. More than once in our class we listened to famous “Soviet” composers and outstanding producers who offered her collaboration. She felt that all this was not hers. And she refused. But there were guarantees that she would be promoted... And yet she found herself,
- Khachaturov recalled about his student.
Most people associate Linda’s early work and rise with her tandem with Maxim Fadeev. But in fact, the first producer Linda started working with was Yuri Aizenshpis.
They met at the “Generation” music competition in Jurmala, where the singer performed in the finals. At the same time, she began working with composers and songwriters Vitaly Okorokov and Vladimir Matetsky - Linda did not write her hits herself; she first appeared as the author of a song only in 1999, writing “White on White.”
With Aizenshpis, Linda released her first hit - the song “Playing with Fire”, the video for which will be directed by Fyodor Bondarchuk. While working on the song in the studio, she met Maxim Fadeev, who was invited to rework the arrangement of this composition.
By the end of 1993, cooperation with Aizenshpis ceased, and Linda began working with Fadeev.
Linda and Maxim Fadeev
An ordinary modest guy in a jacket came who needed money. He didn’t impress me at all then, but Linda liked the arrangement that Fadeev made for Andrei Misin’s song “Playing with Fire”
— the singer’s father recalled about their acquaintance.
Until 1998, when the crisis broke out, Lev Isaakovich took a financial part in Linda’s work, sponsoring her work with musicians. With his money, the Crystal Music studio was created, where Linda recorded.
Maxim Fadeev and Linda
By the way, this fact was often used in the press to criticize the singer, but she calmly reacted to attempts to offend her.
I don't see anything wrong with my father helping me. In my opinion, parents should help children find their way, and I am grateful for that. Now I’m back on my feet and can earn money myself. As for people, they will always find a reason to condemn someone who is luckier than them,
— she explained in a later interview.
The singer’s permanent group was the group “Convoy”, where Stas Savichev played drums at that time. His daughter Yulia, a future singer and participant in the “Star Factory” project, at the age of seven took part in the recording of Linda’s debut studio album “Songs of Tibetan Lamas” - her voice can be heard in the song “Do It So”.
The album received platinum status, and the then influential OM magazine named it the best album of 1995, and Linda herself - the best singer.
The album received mixed reviews: some critics pointed out the performer’s weak vocal abilities, but almost everyone was unanimously impressed by the charisma, bright image, as well as the sound, unusual for the Russian scene of those years - it was a wild mixture of trip-hop, grunge, electronics and ethnic music.
Crow and more
From her very first public appearances, Linda relied on a spectacular image, which distinguished her favorably from the string of pop singers who dominated the stage at that time, from Chernikova to Apina.
Her first stylist was Alexander Shevchuk - he developed the image in which Linda starred in the video “Playing with Fire.” This image was inspired by the style of Madonna's videos in the early 1990s.
Linda/Madonna
In the video, she appeared in male and female guises, posing either with slicked hair in a striped gangster suit, or with curls, in silk dresses and feather boas.
Already by the release of her debut album, the singer’s image had changed dramatically - Maxim Fadeev’s wife Natalya was responsible for the new image.
At this time, Linda’s signature beauty features were pale skin, lined eyes, bright lips, a bob with a middle parting and strands of hair braided in pigtails—this is the look she appears in in the video for the song “Little Fire.” Smoky shadows and dark lip pencil also become recognizable touches of the look.
By the release of the next album, “The Crow,” which also included a hit of the same name, which became the singer’s calling card, Linda went even deeper into the gothic. In the video for this song, she appears with a short bob with torn strands and a wet styling effect, casually shaded eyeliner and black lipstick.
Now her image was less reminiscent of Madonna-style sexuality than of Brian Molko's androgyny.
Linda/Brian Molko
At the same time, not without Fadeev’s initiative, they began to mold Linda’s image into what is called “heroin chic.” The singer’s image emphasized exhaustion and a certain detachment; dark circles were drawn under her eyes.
Journalists' speculations about whether Linda was taking drugs were in no way refuted, and songs like “Marijuana” only added fire to this smoldering intrigue.
In later interviews, the singer emphasized that it was Fadeev who initiated this image, but she had to face negativity because of this image and accusations of promoting drugs.
It was fashionable then: drugs and all this depression. I could smoke something like marijuana, but when I tried it, I didn’t understand why everyone was so excited and high. I said that this is absolutely not mine. Just like cigarettes. I couldn't stand cigarette smoke at all. I was a raw foodist. I ate only raw vegetables, nuts, and cereals. I washed it all down with water, kefir, fermented baked milk. I did yoga. It wasn't fashionable then
— Linda spoke about her lifestyle in an interview with Irina Shikhman in 2020.
The third album “Placenta”, which was released in 1999, again marked a change in the singer’s appearance. This time Linda appeared before the public with bright red, almost red hair. Fans were able to appreciate the artist’s new image in the video for the song “A View from the Inside.”
In the video, the singer starred in the image of a mentally ill person, posing in front of the camera in a straitjacket, as well as with colored lenses in her eyes - the image was immediately compared to Marilyn Manson, whom, according to many, Linda completely copied in this video.
Linda/Marilyn Manson
I am very proud of this work, because “Placenta” became a breath of fresh air for me and for the listeners. It has completely different music, rhythm, a different life in general... This is a kind of mixture and interweaving of inexplicable savagery, tenderness, aggression, love. Here, through music, life will be shown from all sides,
- this is how Linda described her new album.
Either in response to criticism, or from a thirst for new changes, the singer soon reincarnated herself into a new image - this time she became a blonde.
For the next album, “Sight,” Linda changes her image again, returning to black hair, but now she looks more like a gypsy, as she appeared in the “Chocolate and Tear” video. The musical style also changed again - Linda went into harder guitar music, although the already familiar electronic touches remained. The album was compared to the works of Bjork and Massive Attack, but Linda's creative development was highly appreciated.
It’s time to stop lamenting that Linda is “Max Fadeev’s former project” and treat her as a living resonator, wrote critic Ekaterina Karinina on the Zvuki.ru website.
The singer’s arsenal of looks also included dreadlocks, bushy ponytails in the style of Japanese anime heroines, and African braids.
However, the singer’s image was not only made up of bright makeup and complex hairstyles - Linda’s outfits also matched them, which she changed as often as her images. Her wardrobe included rocker leather jackets, gothic black dresses, raver neon jackets, and layered shamanic outfits.
Linda named Comme Des Garçons and Alexander McQueen among her favorite brands. And the singer came up with some of her stage outfits herself.
It’s not that I create all my stage costumes and dresses myself from start to finish (although there are such models too), I make some sketches, and then I select the one that is as similar in appearance or mood as possible from what I have in stock designers. So, for example, it happened with the costumes for the “Cracks” video. My stylist and I came to several shows in the fall at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, and I just saw the finished embodiment of my ideas. Sometimes there are such coincidences
— Linda said in an interview in 2020.
The cooperation with Russian fashion did not end there. In the same year, the singer took part as a model in a show for students of the Moscow Art and Industry Institute.
Linda at the fashion week show
By the way, Linda does not rule out that someday she will organize an exhibition of her outfits.
There are interesting models that could be shown. While they are all stored at my house,
- said the singer.
Parting with Fadeev, mother's death, love and life abroad
Even during the recording of the album “Placenta” in 1998, the relationship between the singer and her producer began to deteriorate. According to her, the reason for this was financial difficulties - due to the crisis, her father stopped financing her work and invited Fadeev to reorganize the studio for himself, after which the producer began to move away from Linda - literally.
Linda and Maxim Fadeev
Fadeev moved to Germany and, according to Linda, simply disappeared - the conversation that the cooperation was ending never took place between them.
I called Fadeev and said: “Max, you will now have to work on self-support, I won’t be able to support you anymore.” After a while he simply disappeared. I went abroad and that was it. The guys began to work without my support and without Max. Without him, excellent albums were released: “Vision” and “Attaka”. And a few years later - “AleAda”, “Skop-Peonies”, “Lai, @!”
— Linda’s father spoke about Fadeev’s departure.
The singer doesn’t seem to hold any grudge against the producer.
During these four years that we communicated tightly and closely, I went through such a school of human relationships, for which I am very grateful to him,
- Linda admitted.
In 2005, a tragic event occurred in the singer’s life - due to an undiagnosed infection, her mother died literally a few days after her birthday. The death of a loved one unsettled Linda and temporarily made her forget about her creative plans - shortly before that, she signed a contract with Universal Music, and she was offered collaboration with the Greek composer Stefanos Korkolis.
The trip to Athens had to be postponed, but Linda soon returned to work - after one almost mystical incident. On the ninth day after her death, Mom came to Linda in a dream.
In my dream, I was riding on a bus, at the bus stop the doors opened, and my mother was standing there. Young, about twenty-five. I wanted to go out to her, but for some reason I couldn’t, and she waved her hand at me with a smile and said: “What kind of panic, what kind of decadent mood? Take a break, go to Greece!”
- Linda recalled.
The singer followed her mother’s advice and still went to meet Korkolis. This meeting turned out to be fateful, giving rise to a new stage not only in the singer’s work, but also in her personal life. A working relationship with the Greek composer soon turned into a romance. Linda lived in Greece for the next nine years.
Stefanos Korkolis and Linda
During this time, the couple recorded the album “AleAda”, dedicating it to their mothers (their names are encrypted in the title - Alexandra and Adenula). In addition, Linda and Stefanos wrote music for Greek theater productions and films, composed the anthem for the Paralympic Games, and experimented with classical music. But the singer still failed to fully adapt to Greece.
At first I had a blast, but then it became difficult - probably due to the language barrier and different traditions. You understand that you communicate superficially. I want to go deeper, liberate myself, dissolve more deeply in this life - but I can’t. On the contrary, you feel more and more like a stranger,
- Linda explained.
After this, the couple came to Russia, but Stefanos already felt like a stranger. As a result, in 2014 the couple decided to separate, but, according to Linda, they remained on good terms. There were also reports in the press that Linda and Stefanos managed to legitimize their relationship before this, but the singer’s father denied these rumors.
Not only music
In 2005, an exhibition of Linda's paintings was held in Moscow. According to the singer, she did not take her artistic work seriously, although she had been drawing since childhood, but the interest of fans and the support of friends gave her confidence in the decision to organize an exhibition.
Linda's painting
Among those who supported the singer was Mark Levin, a member of the Moscow Union of Artists.
Linda is incredibly original. Her paintings reflect the spirit of postmodernism in which we live. Complex painting technique, heterogeneity of textures, expressiveness, intuitive thinking - all this is characteristic of the author’s painting style,
— Levin described her paintings.
In 2020, after returning to Russia, Linda also collaborated with Kirill Serebrennikov, working on one performance.
Kirill Serebrennikov and Linda
In addition, in 2020, Linda took part in a special Gucci project for The Blueprint. In the photo shoot, the singer tried on looks from the new Gucci Cruise 2020 collection.
What now?
Linda’s latest, ninth, studio album was released in 2015 - it’s called “Pencils and Matches.” But since then, the singer has also released new works: the already mentioned video for “Cracks” and a video for the song “Put Me Next.”
Linda in 2018
Linda also returned to the media space: last year she took part in the recording of the program “Margulis’ Apartment House”, and also gave several interviews.
In addition, Linda continues her concert activities - however, today she no longer performs in stadiums, but in small clubs, but loyal fans always ensure that her concerts are sold out and closely follow the singer’s work on social networks.
More than 55 thousand network users are subscribed to Linda’s Instagram. The celebrity does not spoil his audience with news every day, but he blogs quite regularly: he announces his concerts, shares selfies and invites his subscribers to discuss rather philosophical questions.
By the way, like many artists today, Linda pleases her subscribers with online concerts, while regular tours are banned due to coronavirus. In addition, in March the singer announced that she was working on a new video.
The singer actively expresses her civic position. For example, a few years ago Linda sharply condemned the bans on rappers' concerts.
To what extent can legal structures interfere with creative life? Who are they to decide what we should listen to and what we shouldn’t? Are they judges? We don't adjust their protocols,
— she wrote then on her Instagram.
Linda also spoke negatively about any attempts to interfere with the creative process.
Bans do not solve any problems. Music and creative people in general, art are much broader than the laws of the state. Art is a reflection of the processes that arise in life, a reflection of the reality of the world. If topics arise, people come out and talk about them. If these topics are not particularly perceived by our authorities, then this is what we need to think about,
- she said in an interview with Komsomolskaya Pravda.
But the singer is in no hurry to become the heroine of gossip columns.
The main topics of these parties are to discuss outfits. And what's the interest? It seems to me that this is just a waste of personal time. Just walking around to show off one more time is not my thing at all. You see, I'm not chasing this. I don't have to walk around and smile at everyone,
— she said in an interview with the Metro newspaper.
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