Group " VIA Gra" - a real pop phenomenon. Its composition is constantly changing (in 17 years, 16 girls have appeared in the team), but this does not diminish its popularity!
IN initial composition“VIA Gra” had only two girls: blonde Alena and brunette Nadya.
Alena Vinnitskaya was the first to leave the group. According to the singer herself, she has outgrown the level of a girl group and decided to take up more serious music.
However, the skills to seduce men have not gone away. From time to time, Alena pampers her fans by publishing very racy pictures on Instagram.
Although now Nadezhda has nothing to do with VIA Groy, she still attracts the gaze of men like a magnet.
In April 2002, Nadezhda became pregnant and was forced to leave the team for a while. It was then that VIA Gra turned into a trio - red-haired Anna Sedokova appeared in the group.
It’s not for nothing that Anna Sedokova is considered a member of the “golden lineup” of the group; pictures from her Instagram confirm this.
The pregnant Nadya herself was temporarily replaced by Tatyana Naynik. Although Tanya stayed in the group for only a few months, she managed to be remembered by fans thanks to the video for the song “Stop! Stop! Stop!".
Tatyana’s Instagram is dominated by family photos, and piquant pictures appear only as rare exceptions.
In 2003, Vera Brezhneva replaced Alena Vinnitskaya at VIA Gro. Perhaps it was she who became the most famous of all the members of this group.
After 4 years, Vera left the group and successfully started solo career. However, her name is still associated with VIA Groi.
In 2004, Sedokova was replaced by Svetlana Loboda. She was unable to settle into the group and stayed there for only 4 months.
But Svetlana’s solo career turned out to be mega-successful, and now her songs are heard on all radio stations.
The next redhead was Albina Dzhanabaeva. A huge period of the group’s creativity is associated with her name. It's no joke, Albina stayed there for 9 years!
Fans of hot shots will find Albina's Instagram boring. Her modest image is not at all associated with that of VIA Gre.
When Nadezhda Granovskaya left the group for the second time, Christina Kots-Gottlieb took her place. The newcomer did not stay in the team and left after 3 months...
3 years after leaving VIA Gra, Christina took part in the Miss Universe 2009 competition and managed to win! On our own behalf, we will say that it is completely deserved.
Christina was replaced by Olga Koryagina. She also didn't stay long and only stayed on the team for a year.
Being part of the team was not in vain for Christina - her Instagram is very hot!
After Olga, the place of the brunette was taken by Meseda Bagaudinova.
Now Meseda is engaged in a solo career and skillfully uses social networks to attract attention.
It was not easy for Tatyana Kotova to replace everyone's favorite Vera Brezhneva, but she adequately coped with the task assigned to her.
After VIA Gra, Tanya pursued a solo career for some time, and in November 2016 she became one of the members of the Queens trio.
The fourth blonde was Eva Bushmina (her real name is Yana Shvets).
After parting with Konstantin's project, Meladze took up a solo career. For some time she performed under the familiar name Eva Bushmina, and then became the singer of LAYAH.
The last member of the pre-reform VIA Gra lineup was the sizzling brunette Santa Dimopoulos.
As befits a vamp, Santa Dimopoulos loves to drive men crazy!
At the end of 2013, the composition of VIA Gra was completely renewed. Erica Herceg, Anastasia Kozhevnikova and Misha Romanova became the new idols of millions.
The place of the new redhead went to Misha Romanova.
On her Instagram, the girl lives up to her image and regularly pampers her fans with hot pictures.
The new brunette is Anastasia Kozhevnikova.
Of the entire cast of the renewed VIA Gra, Anastasia behaves the most modestly of all.
The role of the blonde is played by the winner of the show “I Want V VIA Gru” Erica Herceg.
She is the most relaxed of the new group members!
Over its history, VIA Gra has changed 17 lineups. Since September 2000, when the once main female group of Russian show business appeared, 16 girls have been its participants. There were periods when teams broke up two months after their formation. Today's lineup - Anastasia Kozhevnikova, Misha Romanova and Erica Herceg - has not changed for two years now and is considered the longest-lived in the history of VIA Gra. Let's remember best years group and its hottest members.
Having celebrated her 33rd birthday on December 16, she did not pass the age limit when she took part in the very first casting at Via Gro. She was 17 years old. Then Alena Vinnitskaya and Nadezhda Granovskaya were taken into the group. And only when in 2002 it was decided to turn the duo into a trio, Anna passed the casting and became the first red-haired member of the group. She spent 2 years and 1 month in the group, and all this time her voice was “ business card» team. That very time is considered the “golden composition” of the group. This means that he was the most popular and creatively fruitful. It is generally accepted that it included Vera Brezhneva, Nadezhda Granovskaya and Anna Sedokova.
The redhead, like Anna Sedokova, did not get into VIA Gro the first time. For some time she was a backing vocalist for Valery Meladze, and was familiar with his brother, the group’s producer Konstantin. After Anna left, they approached her with an offer to fill the vacant position. But Albina refused: at that time she had just given birth and was busy with related chores. Then they took Svetlana Loboda. But you can’t escape fate, and after 4 months she was again asked to sing in a group, which is what Albina did. In terms of “life expectancy” in the group, Albina is the undisputed leader - her experience at VIA Gre totals 8 years and 1 month. Also, some believe that the team had a second “golden line-up”, which included Dzhanabaeva, Brezhneva and Granovskaya. It existed for a year and a half, from September 2004 to January 2006.
After graduating from the choreographic school in the late 1990s, young Nadezhda Meikher got a job as a choreographer at a theater in Khmelnitsky, Ukraine. Fate gave her a lucky chance: Valery Meladze, who came on tour, performed in this theater. She asked for his autograph, and Valery advised her to send her photographs to her brother in Kyiv. He was then putting together a future group and was just looking for such spectacular girls. Nadezhda followed the advice, after which she received an invitation to audition. She was accepted on two conditions: to take her mother's last name - Granovskaya - and lose a few kilograms. In total, Nadezhda came and left the group 3 times and devoted 7 years and 10 months to VIA Gre. Now Meikher-Granovskaya is busy, first of all, with her family - she recently gave birth to her third child.
A native of Grozny, Meseda Bagaudinova has Dagestan and Ukrainian roots. The hot brunette joined the group in April 2007 and stayed there for a little over a year and a half. At the beginning of 2009, she had to give up her place so that Nadezhda Granovskaya could return to the team, the public’s interest in which had clearly fallen due to endless changes in the composition. Her further career in show business she went broke: she got married, gave birth to a child, gained a fair amount of kilograms, became interested in plastic surgery, and most importantly, she cut off her luxurious long hair and painted the remaining ones first chestnut, and then completely light brown.
Perhaps the most underrated member of VIA Gra, Alena Vinitskaya (real name Olga), spent the first two and a half years of its existence in the group. Many fans of the band's early songs note that it was Vinnitskaya's original voice timbre and manner of performance that made VIA Gre's first glory, after which the band's strategy changed to aggressive sexuality. After leaving the group at the beginning of 2003, Alena began a solo career, while also performing as a composer. Her songs are very popular in Ukraine.
In January 2006, Nadezhda Granovskaya left the group for the second time, and it seems that it was at this moment that a tendency began to constantly change members, whose faces and names became difficult to remember. Christina Kots-Gottlieb from Donetsk joins the group. She had the shortest career in the entire history of the team - 3 months. During this time, she managed to star in the video for the song “Deceive, but stay,” in which she has a reddish hair color, almost like Albina Dzhanabaeva. At that time, there were rumors about the complete collapse of the group, which were periodically denied. Perhaps the producers really did not understand what to do with their group, whose recognition was falling every day. After leaving the group, Christina complained to the press that she found out about her dismissal when she turned on the TV and saw another girl (Olga Karjakina) in her place. In 2009, she passed the Ukrainian stage of the qualifying round of the Miss Universe contest and represented the country at this beauty contest.
VIA Gra- Ukrainian Russian-language musical women's team. One of the most popular groups 2000s. In total, the girls recorded 5 studio albums and more than 30 singles, won many music awards, including “Golden Disc”, “Golden Gramophone”, “Muz-TV Award” and many others. Music producer - Konstantin Meladze, general producer - Dmitry Kostyuk.The idea of making a girl pop trio came to Dmitry Kostyuk in the late 90s. He, together with Konstantin Meladze, selected three girls - Yulia Miroshnichenko and Marina Kashchin, who became the first composition of VIA Gra. However, the first attempt was not successful. Soon after the start of work, the producers decided to close the project for a number of reasons.
A little later they returned to work, leaving Alena Vinnitskaya in the group. Nadezhda Granovskaya was chosen as her partner during the casting. The duo recorded a number of songs and shot their debut video for the song "". It was at that time that the name “VIA Gra” appeared. There are several versions of the origin of the name. According to one of them it is “Vocal and instrumental ensemble game”, according to another - VI Nnitskaya A Lena and GRA Novskaya (Nadezhda).
The debut video clip was presented to the public on September 3, 2000. The video was liked by TV viewers and soon became the calling card of the group. The song soon began to collect popular music awards one after another - Golden Gramophone, Stopudovy Hit, Golden Firebird, Golden Weight. By the end of the same year, the first concert of VIA Gra took place, which was attended by about four thousand spectators. Soon the musical baggage was replenished with three more clips - “”, “” and “”, and the performers were talked about not only in Ukraine, but also in Russia. The girls took part in the filming of the New Year's film "Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka."
In 2002, Nadezhda Granovskaya was forced to temporarily leave the team due to pregnancy, and in her place a new soloist was found during the casting - Tatyana Naynik. However, the producers decided to expand the lineup to three participants and invited another girl - Anna Sedakova. In May of the same year, a new video clip “Stop! Stop! Stop!” was released. The success of the song showed that the decision about the trio was justified and with this composition the audience liked the band even more.
On September 12, 2002, Nadezhda returned to the group, so the lineup unexpectedly began to consist of four members. The situation within the team gradually became tense and soon Tatyana Naynik was forced to leave the group. Subsequently, she more than once spoke in negative terms about the producers and the internal structure of VIA Gra.
Another line-up change occurred in January 2003, when Alena Vinnitskaya left and began a solo career. Another casting was announced, in which she joined the team. Anna, Vera and Nadezhda became "golden" composition of VIA Gra, who distinguished himself with fruitful work and enormous success on the pop scene.
Already in February, another video for the song “!” will be released. This composition, according to many critics, has become best job throughout the history of the group. It stayed on the charts for 7 months and later, in 2009, was awarded the title of best Russian video of the decade. In April 2003, the second album “Stop! Removed!” appeared. The disc was commercially successful and soon won gold status, selling over half a million copies.
In 2007, Koryagina left the team, and Vera Brezhneva soon followed her. Olga was replaced by Meseda Bagaudinova. The new duet composition shoots the video "", and a little later - "". The next soloist became Tatyana Kotova. For her sake, the ending of the video “I’m not afraid” was re-shot and viewers were able to see with their own eyes new member. In October 2008, the band recorded the soundtrack for the film Hipsters.
In January 2009, Nadezhda Granovskaya returned to VIA Gro, and Meseda Bagaudinova had to leave the group. The first work of the updated composition was the composition "Geisha". In August of the same year, Konstantin Meladze created another song for the group called "". In March 2010, Tatyana Kotova left the group. She is replaced by Eva Bushmina. The updated lineup shoots the video “!”, which premiered on April 11, 2010. The song “Without You” is released in March.
In 2010, the “Golden” lineup unites to perform at a major anniversary concert, dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the team.
Since the beginning of 2011, rumors about the imminent collapse of VIA Gra have been circulating in the press again. Main reason such rumors mean a decline in the band's popularity. Of the 80 planned concerts, only 15 took place; for the rest, it was simply not possible to sell enough tickets.
In December 2011, Nadezhda once again leaves the team due to pregnancy. She is replaced by a participant of the Ukrainian “Star Factory” - Santa Dimopoulos. In February 2012, the single “Hello, Mom!” was released. Immediately after the release of the video for this composition, Dimopoulos leaves the team. At the end of 2013, Konstantin Meladze announced the closure of the project, but this turned out to be a PR stunt in support of the reality show “I want to join VIA-Gru.” During this show, the composition of the team will be completely renewed. The start of the program is scheduled for March 8, 2013.
“VIA GRA” – VARIABLE LIKE THE HEART OF A BEAUTIFUL WOMEN
Over more than a decade of existence, the group changed its composition, but did not change its idea. And it was to create something fundamentally new.
One can of course argue whether there was such a thing new idea assemble a female group of girls with a fantastically sexy appearance. Anyway, first appearance "VIA Gra" did not go unnoticed, popularity grew every day, and now no one doubts the success of the idea. A group with such a plan was simply doomed to success: the male half of the audience cannot help but admire the plasticity of the perfect women's bodies, well, the female half has someone to look up to.
Attempt number two or number five?
Dmitry Kostyuk, the producer of the group, wanted to put together a female group, the participants of which should have a stunning sexy appearance to demonstrate shocking performances and, as KVN members like to joke, if these conditions are met, no one will pay attention to their vocal abilities. After the first casting, three girls were selected. We recorded the first song and even started filming a video. But the team did not work well and the team was disbanded. But the idea did not leave the producers.
After some time, “attempt number two” took place. This time the choice was made of two vocalists. They became and. Alena at that time worked at the television company Biz-TV, where Dmitry Kostyuk noticed her and invited her to participate in the team. When he and the second producer of the group, Konstantin Meladze, received a photo shoot of Nadezhda, they invited her to the casting, which confirmed that the girl met all the requirements. To "VIA Gra" By the way, Granovskaya had no vocal experience.
The group received the name, which, as it turned out, means not only an allusion to a well-known drug. Although many believe that this is not an allusion, but the meaning of the name, because the group’s performance has no less effect on the male half of humanity than a well-known medical drug.
In fact, there are several versions explaining the name of the group. One of them: VIA is an abbreviation for “vocal-instrumental ensemble”, and “gra” is translated from Ukrainian language like "game". According to another version, the name is the initial letters of the vocalists’ surnames: “VI” - from “Vinnitskaya”, and “Gra” - from “Granovskaya”. Another version: “Gra” is the first letters of the words “Voice, Joy, Artistry.” Latest version, most likely, far-fetched. The external image of sexy vocalists is more likely associated with pills that improve sexual potency in men. Probably everyone can decipher the name as they like.
First steps and immediate success
Nadya and Alena (2000)
So, the group was formed, the name was invented. The debut of the first video for the song “Attempt No. 5” took place on the Biz-TV channel in 2000. This date is considered the beginning creative activity team. The clip created a certain sensation, the group was not only noticed, they started talking about it as a new bright phenomenon on the domestic pop scene. A successful song with a corresponding video clip became an excellent application and even, in some way, the “calling card” of the group. Thus, with the song “Attempt No. 5”, on the second attempt the group hit the top of various music charts. The song was liked not only by listeners, but was also noticed music critics and producers. At the end of the year, the group received several music awards for this song alone: “Stopudovy Hit”, “Golden Gramophone”, “Golden Firebird”, and the video was awarded the “Golden Weight” award.
The debut video became the starting point on the path to popularity. Moreover, this song is still popular; the group regularly performs it during concert performances, reminding the audience of how it all began. The successful debut was followed by months of hard work. Following “Attempt No. 5,” the composition “Meet My Mom” was released. The filming of the video, however, was not completed. The plot of the video for the song “Hug Me” is in many ways similar to the plot of the unfinished video; the directors even used some fragments of the video for the song “Meet My Mom.”
The path to the top
Tatyana, Alena, Anna (2002)
For a whole year the group worked hard on their repertoire, and by the end of 2000 seven songs had already been recorded. And in December the debut first concert took place. The band's fame grew every day. Increasingly, they are welcome guests on various television shows; they are bombarded with offers to participate in national concerts. Two more videos delight fans - “I won’t come back” and “Bomb”. Every new song, album, video, appearance in a television program or on the pages of magazines (photographs of the group are carried out by “Playboy”, “Maxim”, “7 Days”) - contributes to the growing popularity of the group, which successfully tours throughout the country. The same time was marked by another event - the group was invited to take part in the filming of the musical.
The trio of Brezhnev, Granovskaya and Sedokova is often called the “golden line-up” by fans, because in this composition the group was more productive than ever. A video for the song “Don’t leave me, darling!” was released, followed by the second album, “Stop! Removed! In the summer, the video “Kill My Girlfriend” appears.
Having conquered the domestic stage, she is ready to show herself to the countries of Europe and Asia. The English-language video “Stop! Stop! Stop!”, as well as the band’s English-language album of the same name. The first release took place in Japan, where she performed in the capital with great success. And already in the fall of the same year the album “Biology” was released. Valery Meladze recorded together with "VIA Groy" compositions “Ocean and Three Rivers” and “There is No More Attraction”.
Diamond composition "VIA Gra"
Svetlana, Nadezhda, Vera (2004)
Quite unexpectedly, in May 2004, Anna Sedokova shocked not only fans, but also producers - she left the group due to her pregnancy. Producers are urgently looking for a replacement for Sedokova, this time the choice fell on Svetlana Loboda. Svetlana is a sexy and attractive girl, the owner of an unusual jazz voice with a range of 2.5 octaves. But for some reason the fans “didn’t accept” the replacement.
2004 was awarded the Muz-TV 2004 award. In the same year, the pan-European release of the album “Stop! Stop! Stop! The vocalists took part in the filming of another musical “Sorochinskaya Fair”. It should be noted that this musical gave birth to one of the group’s hits, “Oh, the clear water spoke.”
Nadezhda, Albina, Vera
The group maintained its popularity and was active on stage and in the studio. But dissatisfaction with Svetlana grew, conflicts arose between the vocalists, and as a result, the decision was made to part with Loboda. Instead, they took Albina Dzhanabaeva, who had already worked for a long time with Valery Meladze as a backing vocalist. Fans nicknamed this lineup “diamond” after the release of the video for the song “Diamonds.” Everyone loved the composition due to its lightness and jazz motif. Diamond composition recorded working together with the popular Ukrainian rap team “TNMK”, “There is nothing worse than being like everyone else.”
In 2006, two vocalists at once, Vera Brezhneva and Nadezhda Granovskaya, announced their desire to leave the group. Brezhnev wanted to start solo career, and Granovskaya decided to try something new. This statement caused confusion among the group's fans and took producers Konstantin Meladze and Dmitry Kostyuk by surprise.
Creative crisis or another line-up change
The departure of two soloists at once did not bode well. The producers had two options: close the project or try to find a replacement. Moreover, both options had their weaknesses. What it means to close a well-promoted, extremely popular project is not worth explaining. But finding vocalists for the well-coordinated work of the team is also not an easy task. Fans have almost come to terms with the collapse of the team. Although rumors that the “farewell” to the group was only a successful PR move, they warmed the hope that the girls would still please with new songs and tours. But no one knew whether it would be a completely new line-up or whether some of the old ones would remain.
Christina Kots-Gottlieb joined the group instead of Granovskaya. With the new lineup, the group released a new lyrical song, “Deceive, but Stay,” in which many listeners saw a parallel with the current events in the team. But the new format did not last long, the relationship between the soloists did not work out right away, and instead of Christina, the producers invited Olga Koryagina.
It seemed that the appearance of a new soloist would allow us to continue working calmly, and all the problems would be behind us. It looks as if the group had no plans to stop. continued to delight her fans with new releases and give concerts. In May 2006 there was a big solo concert in St. Petersburg, dedicated to the fifth anniversary of the team.
Meseda and Albina (2007)
Despite the confusion in the lineup, she recorded new songs: “L. M. L.”, which became a hit in the summer of 2006, “Bomb”, released in September, “Flower and Knife”, released in November. Moreover, the songs were recorded in two languages - Russian and English, which predetermined the release of the second English-language album, the name of which coincided with the title of the song “L. M.L." This song by that time was already a real hit and was heard in all music programs, taking first place in musical tops and chats. However, the second English-language album was not successful. According to the already established tradition, the group starred in the New Year's musical of Channel One, with the Russian version of the song “It’s raining man”.
Duet, trio, duet again
Meseda, Tatyana, Albina (2008)
But here, for a reason already familiar to the group - pregnancy, Olga Koryagina leaves the team. The producers allow her to leave the team without fulfilling obligations, but also without the opportunity to return. And after Koryagina, Vera Brezhneva still leaves the group. The next casting brought Meseda Bagaudinova into the group. The duo recorded the songs “Kisses” and “I’m Not Afraid.” The video for the latter was filmed at a time when the producers decided to return the trio format to the team. In the new video for the song “I'm not afraid” fans "VIA Gra" we saw the new soloist of the project - Tatyana Kotova.
The next year for the group was more productive than 2007. New songs and new successes appeared. Already in the summer at the Muz-TV Awards they were named “Best Pop Group of the Year”, and their video for the song “Kisses” won in the category “ Best Video" In the fall, the team shot the video “American Wife” for the soundtrack to the film “Hipsters,” released a third collection of songs, “Emancipation,” participated in a creative evening with Konstantin Meladze, and, of course, in New Year’s concerts.
"Old Love Never Rusts"
Tatyana, Nadezhda, Albina (2009)
Fans of the group are already accustomed to the fact that every year there are changes in the composition of the group. 2009 was no exception, but the change in composition surprised everyone - Nadezhda Granovskaya returned to the group. In this regard, Meseda Bagaudinova had to leave; there was no place for two brunettes on the same team. The girls immediately went on tour around Europe and North America with the program “My emancipation”, and Meseda Bagaudinova was still on many posters.
A presentation of a new song called “Antigeisha” took place on Russian Radio. At the end of the video filmed for this composition, the group's lead singers played real anti-geishas: no chic outfits, no voluminous hairstyles - an unexpected image for the group. at the "Russia Movie Awards 2009" ceremony they presented the award for the best male role and received an award for best soundtrack - “American Wife”, and 2009 - the group received a Golden Gramophone statuette for the song “Antigeisha”.
In mid-March 2010, Tatyana Kotova left the group “for certain reasons.” Her place was taken by Eva Bushmina (Yana Shvets). The premiere of the new trio was the song “Get Out!” But already in 2011 it was announced that Nadezhda Meikher-Granovskaya was leaving the group, and Santa Dimopoulos would take her place.
The end of VIA Gra or the beginning of modern history?
Eva, Nadezhda, Albina (2010)
Since September 2012, the group again became a duet, consisting of Albina Dzhanabaeva and Eva Bushmina. And again rumors are swirling that the group is now really on the verge of collapse. Konstantin Meladze officially confirmed that Santa left the team due to “professional unsuitability.” He also stated that the group will soon record new song and remove new clip with a new soloist. Who it will be is not yet known.
Thus, over the eleven years of its existence, the composition of the group changed more than ten times. And everything looks like this is not the last, or even the penultimate composition "VIA Gra". But one thing can be said with confidence: the group is a phenomenon in many respects. They have achieved enormous popularity, won many awards, and are still ready to conquer new heights, able to amaze and amaze with their songs. IN creative plans There are still a lot of plans and ideas, but for now we can safely say that it continues to successfully win the hearts of viewers and even listeners.
Santa, Eva, Albina (2011)
FACTS
Song "Don't leave me, darling!" became one of the most significant singles in the group's history. It stayed on the charts for almost 7 months, becoming a mega-hit in 2003.
The “Emancipation” video is the most expensive that Alan Badoev has made in his entire directorial career. Newfangled erotic video went well "VIA Gre" almost $120,000 – “women’s emancipation” is expensive!
Abroad, the group cannot use its name due to the threat of a lawsuit from the manufacturer of the same name. medicinal product, therefore appears under the name NU VIRGOS.
Eva and Albina (2012)
Almost all ex-soloists "VIA Gra" After leaving the group, they continued their career in show business. Vera Brezhneva can rightfully be considered the most successful. The song “Love will save the world” brought the singer unprecedented fame, and at the moment its popularity is even higher than the popularity of the group itself. Following Vera is Svetlana Loboda, a participant. Svetlana is already mega-popular in Ukraine and is now trying to break through to the top of Olympus in Russia. Alena Vinnitskaya is not far behind Vera and Svetlana, followed by Ana Sedokova.
Updated: November 25, 2017 by: Elena
Ukrainian pop trio “VIA Gra” is the brightest music project 2000s, the success of which could not be surpassed by any women's group, which subsequently appeared in domestic show business.History of creation
The idea of creating the group belongs to the Ukrainian businessman, owner of the Biz-TV music channel, Dmitry Kostyuk. Inspired by the success of the Spice Girls, he invited composer Konstantin Meladze, well known for creative union with his brother Valery, to launch their own women's project.The first participant was Alena Vinnitskaya, who then worked as a presenter at Biz-TV. They picked up two more girls for her and filmed a test clip. But the result did not impress the producers, and they continued to search for new participants.
During a tour in Zhitomir, Valery Meladze met Nadezhda Granovskaya and recommended his brother to pay attention to her. The girl was approved immediately after the first viewing, and work began to boil. Initially, the group was supposed to be called “Silver”, but, looking at the sexy Nadya, the producers decided to call the group “VIA Gra”.
Another version says that the name of the group is made up of the names of the first line-up. “VI” is the first letters of the surname “Vinnitskaya”, “A” is from “Alena”, “Gra” is from Granovskaya. "Gra" can also mean "Voice, Joy, Artistry."
The main stages of creativity
In the summer of 2000, a video was shot for the song “Attempt No. 5,” which created an incredible sensation. Having recorded six more songs and filmed a video for the song “Hug Me,” the producers and band began touring.VIA Gra – Attempt No. 5
On December 20, 2000, the first concert of the newly formed group took place in Dnepropetrovsk, which was a resounding success. Girls began to be invited to television and radio, and their performances were invariably accompanied by an enthusiastic reaction from the public. In the fall of 2001, the group’s first album, “Attempt No. 5,” was released and a contract was signed with Sony Music to record five more. Alena and Nadya starred in the New Year's musical for the Inter channel with the participation of leading show business stars, which further added to their popularity.
At the peak of success, Nadezhda unexpectedly found out that she was pregnant and decided to leave the group. This event became a complete surprise for Kostyuk and Meladze. They urgently began to look for a similar participant, and soon Granovskaya’s place was taken by St. Petersburg model Tatyana Naynik. She lacked Nadya’s charisma and vocal abilities, so it was decided to strengthen the lineup with the young and charming Anya Sedokova, who had in a wonderful voice and a luxurious figure. The public favorably accepted the video for the song “Stop. Stop. Stop" with new soloists, and the group successfully continued its existence.
However, six months later, Granovskaya, having barely recovered from giving birth, came to Meladze and tearfully asked to take her back. For some time they performed as a foursome, but later Naynik took up a solo career.
VIA Gra - Stop! Stop! Stop!
Soon it was Alena Vinnitskaya’s turn to leave the group. The girl was much older than the other participants and felt uncomfortable. And the singer’s husband, musician Sergei Bolshoi, was not happy with her participation in ViaGra.
Alena quickly found a replacement in the person of Dneprodzerzhinsk resident Vera Galushko, who was ready to do anything to escape poverty. In record time, the girl turned from a simple provincial girl into a luxurious, sexy beauty, capable of turning the head of any man. Vera came up with a sonorous pseudonym for Brezhnev and shot a video with her participation for the song “Don’t leave me, beloved,” which became an undisputed hit in 2003.
In the same year, the group’s second album “Stop! Filmed”, in support of which a grandiose tour was organized. The success of the album exceeded all the producers' expectations, and it was decided to go global. Having released the English version of the album “Stop! Stop! Stop!”, the group went on a tour of the countries of the East (Japan, China, Thailand, Hong Kong), which was a resounding success.
The group entered the Western market under the name “Nu Virgos” (which means “Naked Virgins”) in order to avoid lawsuits from the manufacturer of the drug “Viagra”.
Satisfied producers were already making plans to conquer Europe and America, when in April 2004 Sedokova unexpectedly announced her pregnancy and left the group a month later. Her departure cost the producers several tens of millions of dollars. A casting was urgently announced, and Anya’s place was soon taken by the wayward Svetlana Loboda, who was never able to find common language neither with the participants nor with the producers. 
Four months later, the girl left the group, and she was replaced by Valery Meladze’s protégé Albina Dzhanabaeva (as it turned out later, his mother illegitimate son Bones). The girl was much inferior to the other participants in appearance and notorious sex appeal, but, having enlisted the support of Valery, she began to restore order in the group.
VIA Gra – Biology
In 2005, serious problems began in the team. His popularity sharply declined with Sedakova’s departure, and soon Vera and Nadya asked to be released. Konstantin Meladze did not interfere with them, and he himself was already thinking about closing the project.
Kostyuk still managed to persuade his colleague to continue working, and soon a real leapfrog of participants began. Over the next seven years, six soloists changed: Granovskaya was replaced first by Christina Kots-Gottlieb, then by Olga Koryagina, and finally by Meseda Bagaudinova. They were looking for a girl to replace Brezhneva for almost a year, all this time “VIA Gra” was a duet. Finally, in March 2008, singer Tatyana Kotova joined the group, then Granovskaya returned to the group to replace the departed Bagaudinova. In March 2010, Kotova’s place was taken by Eva Bushmina, and a year and a half later, Nadezhda, who again expressed a desire to leave the group, was replaced by Santa Dimopoulos.
After a year of being in the team, Santa got married. "VIA Gra" again turned into a duet. At the end of 2012, the group's producer announced the closure of the project. But, as it turned out, the news was a carefully planned PR campaign. Meladze, who by that time had already parted ways with Kostyuk, decided to recruit a completely new team. For this he organized television show“I want to go to Meladze,” whose mentors and jury members were former participants.
Winners of the show “I want to go to VIA Gro”
Three girls reached the finals - Misha Romanova, Erica Herceg and Nastya Kozhevnikova, who became the new “VIA Groy”. At first, the girls loudly announced themselves with the songs “Truce” and “I have someone else,” but over time, interest in them faded. They never managed to repeat the phenomenal success of the “golden” line-up of ViaGra, which shone on the stage in the mid-2000s.
Collaborations with other artists
- “I didn’t understand” – VIA Gra ft. Verka Serduchka
- “Ocean and Three Rivers” – VIA Gra ft. Valery Meladze
- “There is no more attraction” – VIA Gra ft. Valery Meladze
- “There is nothing worse” - VIA Gra ft. TNMK
- “I don’t want a man” – VIA Gra ft. TNMK
- “I got another one” – VIA Gra ft. Vakhtang
- “Oxygen” – VIA Gra ft. Mot
VIA Gra and Mot - Oxygen
Scandals
After Meladze’s decision to reform the group and recruit new participants in the TV show, a black cat ran between the group’s producers. They could not agree on the rights to the brand. Dmitry Kostyuk decided to open his own project with the same name, since in Russia the rights to the name belonged to him, and in Ukraine the VIA Gra brand was registered with Meladze. As a result, Kostyuk recruited a new cast, which included Dasha Medovaya, Dasha Rostova and Aina Wilber. In 2015, the group ceased to exist, as Rospatent prematurely stopped the protection of Kostyuk’s trademark.Discography
- Attempt No. 5 (2001)
- Stop! Cut! (2003)
- Stop! Stop! Stop! (2003)
- Biology (2003)
- L.M.L. (2007)
Group "VIA Gra" now
Personnel turnover has not spared the updated version of VIA Gra. On March 24, 2018, the group performed with a renewed lineup: Misha Romanova’s place was taken by no one famous singer from St. Petersburg Olga Meganskaya. The replacement became known 2 days before the concert. The previous soloist left the band for personal reasons. 
In September 2018, Anastasia Kozhevnikova left the group - her 5-year contract with Meladze expired, and shortly before that she married a businessman who, after the wedding, decided to help Nastya with producing solo project. She was replaced by a graduate " New factory stars" Ulyana Sinetskaya. The group with its new lineup continues to tour and receive applause from the audience.