Zara

Zarifa Pashaevna Mgoyan (Зарифа́ Паша́евна Мгоя́н; born 26 July 1983), known as Zara (За́ра), is a Russian pop singer, actress, and social activist.

In 1995, at the age of 12, Zara met musician and composer Oleg Kvasha, and in 1996, they recorded the songs "The Heart of Juliette", "Just Today", "Right Now…" and "Lullaby (Bye-Bye-Bye)", which got rotations on radio stations, and brought the first fame to the singer.

In 1997, at the age of 14, Zara became a finalist of the Morning Star TV contest (Moscow) with "The Heart of Juliette", and won the Grand Prix of the Let the Children Laugh International Festival (Cairo and Port Said, Egypt).

In 1998, she won the Grand Prix of The Hopes of Siberia contest (Omsk), the Birthday open contest for new children's song performers, and The Hit of the Year International TV Contest (both in Saint Petersburg).

For two years running, Zara received the First Class Diploma and the Grand Prix at The Hopes of Europe contest (Sochi); in 1999, at the Voices-1999 festival in Sochi she got the "People's Choice Award".

In 2000, she graduated from Gymnasium No. 56 in Saint Petersburg with a silver medal.

Alongside her secondary school studies, she graduated from a children's music school with honors, specializing in piano.

As an actress, Zara is known for her roles in the "Streets of Broken Lights" (2001), "Spetsnaz 2" (2004), and "Favorsky" (2005) TV series, and the feature films "Pushkin. The Last Duel" (2006), and "White Sand" (2011).

She was born in Leningrad to a Yezidi-Kurdish family.

Her father, Pasha Binbashievich Mgoyan, a Candidate of Sciences in Physics and Mathematics, is employed in the machine building industry, and her mother, Nadi Djamаlovna Mgoyan, is a housewife.

Her parents were born in Leninakan, Armenia.

Zara also has an elder sister Liana and a younger brother Roman.

Zara attended secondary school No. 2 in Otradnoye, Kirovsky District, Leningrad Oblast.

In 2004, she graduated from the Russian State Institute of Performing Arts.

During her studies, Zara acted in "The Voices of the Age Gone By", "The Idiot", and "Heavenly Swallows" plays on the stage of the Student Theater on Mokhovaya Street.

In 2006, the singer made it to the final of the Fabrika Zvyozd on Channel One Russia, which was produced by Victor Drobysh, and in 2009 she was a finalist of the Two Stars project, where her duet with the Honored Artist of Russia, actor Dmitry Pevtsov, won second place.

In 2010, Zara took part in the Ice and Fire ice show (Channel One Russia) together with the Olympic champion in figure skating Anton Sikharulidze.

In March 2011, she took part in the ''Star Factory.

Return project''.

In 2014, she received the Union State Award for Artistic Presentation of the Idea of Friendship between the People Of Belarus and Russia.

Since early 2015, Zara is a permanent judge on the New Star all-Russian TV song contest which is held on TV channel Zvezda with the support of the Ministry of Defence (Russia).

In late December 2015, the singer visited Latakia with a solo concert at the Khmeimim (air base) to support the Russian troops fighting against ISIL (banned in Russia), and to boost the morale of the Russian Air Force group.

She was awarded the title of Merited Artist of the Russian Federation in 2016.

She has recorded ten studio albums, and received several Golden Gramophone Award, and diplomas of the Pesnya goda Russian TV festival.

On 24 November 2016, she held a solo concert at the State Kremlin Palace in Moscow dedicated to the 20th anniversary of her artistic career.

She sang: war songs, classical romances, folk songs, international and Russian pop hits.

Nikolay Baskov, Stas Mikhailov, Dmitry Pevtsov, Victor Drobysh, and Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, with whom Zara sang La Grande Storia duet, also took part in the event.

The new "Millimeters" album was released for this concert.

For the first time, Zara and Mireille Mathieu sang together at the Spasskaya Tower Military Music Festival and Tattoo in 2016 and 2017.

On 28 February 2016, she visited Syria for the second time with another solo concert at the Khmeimim (air base) for the Russian troops.

On 25 March 2016, Zara received a Participant of the Military Operation in Syria medal for support for the operation of the Russian Armed Forces in Syria.

On 5 December 2016, Zara was designated a UNESCO Artist for Peace for her commitment to the values and ideals of the organization, and shaping and strengthening the idea of peace and understanding between people.

The designation ceremony took place at the UN Headquarters in Paris.

On 9 June 2017, Zara and Andrea Bocelli received a special award of MUZ-TV Music Awards – "The best international duet".

Very soon the singer invited by Bocelli, performed at his annual concert "Il canto della terra" on the stage of Teatro del Silenzio in Toskana, where she sang "Dle Yaman", and then she took part in Bocelli's Gala concert Celebrity Fight Night in the Roman Colosseum.

At Zara's solo concert in the State Kremlin Palace on 14 October 2017, French singer Mireille Mathieu performed; together they sang a song "Under the Paris sky".

Also, they performed at the Zara's solo concert in the UNESCO headquarters in Paris on 4 December 2017.

Zara takes part annually in the International Festival of Arts Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk.

On 9 September 2017, Zara directed the first International ethnic festival Music of our Hearts in Kolomenskoye.

On 27 December 2017, Zara arrived in Syria for the third time to the Khmeimim (air base), where she performed for Russian officers with the group of artists.