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 came as a complete surprise to 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 a beautiful 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 Brezhnev's sonorous pseudonym 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 “freed.” 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 separated from Kostyuk, decided to dial completely new line-up. To do this, he organized the television show “I want to go to Meladze,” in which former participants became mentors and jury members.
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 an updated lineup: the place of Misha Romanova was taken by an unknown 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 a 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.
Thu, 17/04/2014 - 14:21
On January 1, 2013, the hottest female group under the provocative name “VIA Gra” broke up. Over the years of its existence on the Russian pop scene, the hottest group has changed many lineups. Among the members of the group, only the attractiveness of the girls who came to it remained unchanged. Let's remember all the members of the team and rank their sexuality.
Alena Vinnitskaya
Years in the group
2000–2003
Who was
She started writing poetry at the age of 5, and as a child she started a serious business - she made dolls with her own hands, and then sold tickets to relatives for puppet shows. She began her musical career in adolescence - after listening to the group “Kino”, she learned to play the guitar, sing her own songs and make rock in the full sense. Immediately before joining VIA Gra, she sewed handbags, worked as a secretary in an insurance company, and was a VJ and radio host. The first musical group created by Vinnitskaya was called equally delicious and romantic - “The Last Unicorn”. (6 points)
Role in the team
Vinnitskaya was the very first participant of VIA Gra, to which producer Dmitry Kostyuk chose two more girls at the casting - Yulia and Marina. However, with this composition, the project remained on paper, Yulia and Marina were left out, and Nadezhda Granovskaya was paired with Alena. This is where the legend actually begins. Alena was responsible for the vocal parts, Nadezhda was nice to watch - the classic division of labor in music production. The first album, “Attempt No. 5,” which seems from the perspective of 2014 to be a pure classic, is entirely the responsibility of this duo. Although it is generally accepted that Brezhneva, Sedokova and Granovskaya are the golden cast of “VIA Gra”, we would venture to argue: the pop singer was first given battle by these women and precisely on this album, there is not a single insignificant thing here, all the songs are like pearls in Cleopatra’s box - on selection! (7 points)
Who now
Already 11 years have passed since Vinnitskaya, who calls herself the only glam pop-rock performer in Ukraine, has nothing to do with the sex band that made her famous. And it’s worth saying that the artist’s solo career is developing very successfully: 8 albums, not bad (compared to the work of Anna Sedokova, absolutely gorgeous) singles, participation in the soundtrack to “The Hunt for Piranha”, not a single stain on her reputation, nothing to be ashamed of. IN lately Vinnitskaya has expanded in breadth: she creates a capsule collection for the Gwen Stefani brand, calls on Ukrainians to unite (while quoting Akhmatova: “But we lie down in it and become it, that’s why we call this land ours”), cancels tours in Crimea and participates in various charity programs. (6 points)
Sex factor
It is extremely rare to be naked so that the average man has time to check out all the charms, but certain conclusions can be drawn from what he sees. She knows how to present herself beautifully, but even if you crack it, Granovskaya clearly has a better situation with her data. Advocates of bodily purity may be confused by the tattoo on Alena’s shoulder, on the other hand, for some it is an extra positive argument. (6 points)
Nadezhda Granovskaya
Years in the group
2000–2002, 2002–2006, 2009–2011
Who was
A hot thing from the Ukrainian village of Zbruchovka, who in her youth sent her nude photographs to Konstantin Meladze and, naturally, passed the casting. We are all people, and who wouldn’t take it? Having moved to Kyiv, at first I only communicated with producers and Alena Vinnitskaya. Meladze Sr. would later call her Mowgli in female guise, since she could not really express herself in either Russian or Ukrainian at that time; she spoke Surzhik. (3 points)
Role in the team
Producer Kostyuk called Nadezhda Meikher “the main Viagra”, paying tribute to her seductive habit, Konstantin Meladze gave new surname Granovskaya for a successful combination with the name of the project - and it was she who was destined to eventually become the de facto face of the group, its mascot and long-liver. She is a three-time soloist of VIA Gra, although after each departure she said that this was for good. In total, Granovskaya, who spent about eight years on the Kyiv pop plantation, eventually outlived Vinnitskaya, Sedokova and other girls up to Bushmina. The situation for such a cynical conveyor belt of girls' souls as VIA Gra is truly unique: as they say, from Ilyich to Ilyich without a heart attack or paralysis. (10 points)
Who now
The author of the collection of intimate poems “Momentary Attraction” (“And in a pause over personal admiration, you won’t notice my departure; I look in the mirror with contempt and think what a freak you are...”) recently starred in a Ukrainian romantic comedy, and continues to participate in the transformation show “One to One”, where she gets used to the images of Gurchenko, Leontiev and prepares for a solo career - this will be, according to the artist, something “with retro motifs, in the spirit of the 60s and with elements of Italy.” (3 points)
Sex factor
One fact that immediately puts everything in its place: she has been wearing a bra since she was nine years old. (8 points)
Tatyana Naynik
Years in the group
2002
Who was
A native of St. Petersburg, a model and a graduate of a dog training school, who at one time dreamed of becoming a veterinarian. As a child, I did rhythmic gymnastics and ballet, was thin and considered myself ugly duckling. She got into the modeling business with the help of her grandmother, who noticed an advertisement for a beauty contest and sent her granddaughter there to show business - again thanks to photographs sent to Konstantin Meladze. Naynik claims that she was invited to the team twice: the first time she did not go, considering the name vulgar and the songs incomprehensible. (4 points)
Role in the team
Against the general background, Naynik seems to be an actress of the second row - this is a figure completely lost among her companions. She only had the chance to stay in the zone of special male attention for six months: they hired Tatyana to replace Granovskaya, who had gone on maternity leave, and when she wanted to return, the replacement was asked to reel in her fishing rods. As part of the group, busty Daphne appeared in the videos for “Stop! Stop! Stop!" and “Good Morning, Dad!”, and in addition, she took part in the deluxe edition of the album “Attempt No. 5”. You can’t accomplish much in six months, of course, but in any case this cannot be called a full-fledged contribution to the development of VIA Gra. (4 points)
Who now
Immediately after VIA Gra, she spent a long time recovering her nerves with a psychotherapist and still complains about the bloody regime of the Georgian tyrant Meladze. In moments of peace of mind, she managed to finish her pedagogical education in St. Petersburg, and now she produces and at the same time sings in the girl group Maybe. He puts all his time, money and soul into this project. (3 points)
Sex factor
Tatyana has a lot of passion, but in six months you can try it by eye and feel her shape Russian men They hardly made it in time. The producers of the group probably liked the hairy-eyed dark woman (otherwise why the hell would they have hired her), but after filming for Maxim magazine they claimed that she was the only one in the group that had to be photoshopped. (5 points)
Anna Sedokova
Years in the group
2002–2004
Who was
In Sedokova’s case, her life path before joining the group is practically no different from her companions: she loves music since childhood, she’s a diligent student at school, she gets straight A’s, her mother couldn’t be happier. In later life, working as a model, TV presenter and VJ - Anna seemed to have decided to try all types of vacancies from the “Arts and Entertainment” section of recruiting sites. Even as a child, I firmly knew that I would grow up and certainly become an artist - and so it happened. (7 points)
Role in the team
I got into the group only the second time, without first passing the selection for minors. It’s hard to imagine the history of the team without the red-haired Sedokova - this meeting seemed to be organized in heaven, everything came together in the most correct way. Largely thanks to Sedokova, that same lineup with Granovskaya and Brezhneva was recognized as the strongest, golden, diamond and sexiest in the entire history of the project. To understand exactly what contribution Sedokova made, just listen to a couple of songs at random from the album “Stop! Removed,” which is celebrating its anniversary today, talents will be revealed wide open, take away those who are ready. (9 points)
Who now
The author of the book “The Art of Seduction” has a charming Twitter and a breathtaking Instagram, lives in Los Angeles, participates in Russian and Ukrainian TV shows, releases his own clothing line, records some songs and shoots some videos. She was married twice - to football player Belkevich and the main character of the show “The Bachelor” Maxim Chernyavsky. IN musically, alas, everything is extremely deplorable: the only more or less memorable composition can be called only the duet with Misha Krupin “Unsafe”, but otherwise it is inferior to almost all of its comrades in the group, who have gone on a solo binge. However, Anna herself is optimistic and encourages her ill-wishers on the microblog: “I (as you think) am just a stupid girl with boobs, which is why I got a red medal in school and a red diploma in music, higher education, several business projects that bring pleasure and income, a team of 20 people who loves me very much.” (5 points)
Sex factor
Anna Vladimirovna is not just the most vigorous woman among those who have ever exposed body parts in public, she, as they said in the legendary film, is sex itself. The virgin goddess has rounded features in all the grandeur of brilliant nakedness. At the same time, the singer is proud that all her filming took place in a bra and underwear - nowhere, nowhere will you see a completely naked Sedokova, dammit, sadly. (9 points)
Vera Brezhneva
Years in the group
2003–2007
Who was
Another story from the category of “invested in children from childhood and received a star at the end.” Gymnastics, karate, handball, music school, participation in school competitions and performances - development was comprehensive, Vera tried to succeed in everything. The “Miss Dnepropetrovsk” competition changed the situation in life - during the selections there, the producers of “VIA Gra” noticed the beauty, and as a result she took the place of Alena Vinnitskaya. (5 points)
Role in the team
Along with Granovskaya and Sedokova, she was the main creator of the group’s success and a member of its golden lineup. It is she who is considered to be a typical “Viagra”, which turns men on with half a turn with one flutter of her eyelashes: back then, in 2003, she gave a heart for a long memory, flew down like an autumn leaf. And there was no person who would tell her “Stop! Stop! Stop!". Over the 4 years of Vera’s presence in the group, the entire classical repertoire was created: something that no normal corporate party or bachelorette party could do without. From “Kill My Girlfriend” to “False, But Stay” through “Biology” and “Diamonds”. (7 points)
Who now
Not a career, but a wonderful miracle that everyone will envy: a horse dose of hits already in the debut album, one of the best songs of the new Russia “Love will save the world”, a super successful sentimental duet with Dan Balan, honor and respect from listeners and critics, advertising contracts, leadership in all kinds of tops and ratings. The bar was set very high after leaving the group, and it will be more and more difficult to meet it. The initial application was too strong, but it’s all the more interesting to jump through your own exploits. (9 points)
Sex factor
She has been repeatedly recognized as the sexiest woman in Russia, the most stylish actress and beauty icon. Art must penetrate deeply into life, therefore it is not surprising that the “Sexy Bambina” praised by Vera for Russian-speaking citizens is herself. Presumably, a very high percentage of sighted people officially support Vera, without fearing the devil, God, or Soviet power. (8 points)
Svetlana Loboda
Years in the group
2004
Who was
A music school, a circus academy, the first Ukrainian musical about Miklouho-Maclay “Equator” - by all indications, the traditional story of gradual entry into show business with an understanding of one’s own prospects in childhood is being hatched here. And Svetlana’s family is simple: her father works at a factory, her mother is an energy supplier, her grandmother is an opera singer, and her grandfather is a KGB officer who developed a plan to overthrow the dictator Batista in the Cuban jungle. “VIA Gra” was not the first serious experience in Loboda’s career - before that she sang as part of the “Cappuccino” trio and the self-created group “Ketch”. Loboda can be called the most prepared artist at the time of joining VIA Gra - take it and mold it without extra expenses. (7 points)
Role in the team
Now Svetlana is rarely remembered in the context of the group - she did not last so long as VIA Gra, only 4 months. In such a period of time you won’t be able to expand, you won’t be able to show off your product, you won’t even be able to make a loud scandal. So it turns out that all that can be presented in the face of eternity is the clip “Biology” and the filming of the musical “Sorochinskaya Fair”, where Valery Meladze was a devil, and the parodist Galtsev was a priest. (2 points)
Who now
Just as quickly as she was ready to immediately jump into the VIA Gra lineup, she just as quickly freed herself from her previous shackles and recorded her first solo single - less than a month has passed! Svetlana walked to real successes, for which even Lady Gaga would not be ashamed, long and hard, while simultaneously doing ordinary things: she participated in Eurovision 2009, organized social events and fought against domestic violence, coached children on the Ukrainian show “The Voice” , released her own clothing line. There were many worthy songs, but one was truly stellar - “40 degrees” released in 2012. Absolutely bomb level, jewelry precision and hand-crafted piece. Only Brezhneva can beat this; the others have nothing in their repertoire to beat. (8 points)
Sex factor
The habit is outstanding, prominent, raking hands will clearly appreciate the scale and volume. But somehow everything about Svetlana is too much - sometimes it’s scary. It was as if a golem had been brought to life by using random lines from a women's glossy magazine instead of magical formulas. (4 points)
Albina Dzhanabaeva
Years in the group
2004–2012
Who was
As a child, I wanted to become a doctor and one day I put a couple of drops of cologne in the nose of one boy, my first love, for a runny nose. We couldn’t do without a music school and a music college either. Having moved to Moscow at the age of 17, she studied at Gnesinka and acted in commercials and films. Albina joined the famous group straight from Korea - she was pulled out of the musical about Snow White, in which she performed main role, and in Korean. (5 points)
Role in the team
Tatyana Kotova, after leaving the group, stated that Albina was in a privileged position there because of her connection with Valery Meladze. As a matter of fact, all of Dzhanabaeva’s activities as part of VIA Gra for millions of housewives passed precisely under this sign - they took her because of Valera, they say, but she would never have made it into life. She started out as a backing vocalist, then became a full-fledged replacement for Svetlana Loboda, and made her debut in a new status in the video for “The World I Didn’t Know About Before You.” (6 points)
Who now
On at the moment This is an actress who starred with Kirill Serebrennikov, a solo singer, a TV presenter, an independent person with her own point of view on the events taking place. Dzhanabaeva worked in the group for about eight years until its official closure in January 2013 - only Nadezhda Granovskaya has comparable experience. (5 points)
Sex factor
As the yellow headlines say, which contain only the naked truth, before VIA Gra, Dzhanabaeva did not have a nose, chest or figure. In this form, even the status of the beloved woman of pop mechanic Meladze Jr. would not help him get into the group - such are the cruel laws of effective show business. In her current state, Albina Borisovna is quite willing, but her soul does not begin to sing at the sight of her. (6 points)
Christina Kotz-Gottlieb
Years in the group
2006
Who was
Master of Sports in rhythmic gymnastics, a model from a family of Volga Germans, a regular participant in Ukrainian beauty contests, “Miss Donbass 2003”, a person of flexible views and the same body. The short “Viagrazation” experience was just a stunning blip on Christina’s life’s path, but it didn’t really affect anything. (5 points)
Role in the team
She lasted in the group for about 3 months - this is the shortest shift in the entire long history of the sexploitation band. Even Loboda, who was going to win a red convertible on a bet when she reached six months of experience, worked longer than Kots-Gottlieb - 4 months! They hired the German after Granovskaya left and the contract was signed for 5 years, but after the release of the video for the song “Deceive, but stay,” she was turned away. As Christina herself says, the producers simply stopped answering her phone calls. Dmitry Kostyuk would later state that the singer was blown away after the first concert and she began asking for five-figure sums: “I want to get paid like Britney Spears.” (1 point)
Who now
After leaving the group she rarely appeared in public, information about her future fate extremely scarce. In 2009, she represented Ukraine in the finals of Miss Universe 2009; at the beginning of this year, the media blockade was interrupted by the release of her debut single “Trust Your Heart”. (2 points)
Sex factor
Hair below my butt, legs from my ears, a model background - I was torn out of life by cramped, inevitable beauty. Here the picture is clear, Odessa is red: magazines with Christina on the cover should be sold under the counter in limited quantities at Soyuzpechat kiosks. (6 points)
Olga Koryagina
Years in the group
2006–2007
Who was
“Miss Black Sea Region 2001” had never been involved in singing before participating in “VIA Gra”. Born in the Ukrainian city of Nikolaev, she was as far from musical affairs as the Decembrists were from the people, worked as a model for fashion shows and photo sessions. (3 points)
Role in the team
She competed for the place of Nadezhda Granovskaya with the blonde Christina Kots-Gottlieb, after a long casting, she lost to her and, upset, went home. But Christina was never able to fully enjoy the success: after two months, the producers kicked out the proud daughter of a coal magnate and accepted the brunette Koryagina into the team. Olga, by the way, also turned out to be too temporary a phenomenon: she managed to star in the videos of “L. M. L." and “The Flower and the Knife”, and then left the group for the standard female reason - she became pregnant. It was she who was then paid the largest maternity benefits in the history of VIA Gra - $10,000. (3 points)
Who now
Fashion designer, boutique owner and author of evening dresses for finalists of Ukrainian beauty contests. She now performs on stage under the name Olga Romanovskaya, and solo career just launched last fall. Although Max Fadeev was going to take it on six years ago, give her songs written by his brother’s wife (singer Monokini) and thus explode the music market. Didn't take it, didn't blow it up. And it didn’t work out for Olga herself either. (4 points)
Sex factor
Olga’s size, of course, is completely fine - the man will gasp, the child will grunt. She looks like Parker Posey or a grown-up version of singer Elvira Tee - this, albeit a small one, is a plus; The sight of Olga does not take your breath away - this is a minus. (5 points)
Meseda Bagaudinova
Years in the group
2007–2009
Who was
She was born in Grozny, grew up in Kislovodsk, studied in Rostov-on-Don, performed at corporate events in the Rostov Municipal Department of Internal Affairs as part of the local group “Dreams”. In short, Mrs. Bagaudinova had serious musical experience even before joining VIA Gra. (5 points)
Role in the team
The return of Granovskaya first knocked Tatyana Naynik out of the saddle, then Meseda Bagaudinova. However, the year and a half that Meseda spent in Viagra status is a very good period for the soloists of the second half of the 2000s. Meseda herself at one time came to replace Olga Koryagina, who had gone on maternity leave, and successfully closed the gap of the little black participant in the team. In her presence, VIA Gra recorded the brilliant “Kisses”, “Emancipation” and several songs of a less catchy nature. If Meseda was destined in heaven to sing “The higher the love, the lower the kisses,” together with Dzhanabaeva, and to disgrace herself no longer with any reasonable activity, then it is worth recognizing that the mission has been accomplished. (5 points)
Who now
Working in the group became a stage in Meseda’s life and allowed her to launch solo project immediately after dismissal. The new songs of the Avar Angelina Jolie did not bring any success, but she does not despair and believes that she has exactly the same chance to shoot as Brezhneva had in her time. Indeed, all that remains is to find an author who will write a bomb on the level of “Love will save the world” as quickly as possible. As Vadim Baykov sang in a similar situation: “I don’t have a hit, this place is vacant.” (3 points)
Sex factor
Eastern roughness, sweet curves - Meseda is capable of bringing anyone to the fall. Breathing heavily from passion, I undress, rustling. (6 points)
Tatyana Kotova
Years in the group
2008–2010
Who was
According to the diploma, she is an economist and anti-crisis manager, in fact, she is “Miss Russia 2006” from a miner’s family, who has participated in beauty contests since childhood (the first title was “Miss Autumn 98” at the age of thirteen). Unlike her group companions, she never considered herself an ugly duckling, and even in her school years she signed autographs to excited boys. (4 points)
Role in the team
In March 2008, she replaced Vera Brezhneva and immediately got involved in the shooting of the video “I’m not afraid.” Next were “Emancipation”, “Antigeisha” and “Crazy” - not the last things in the work of “VIA Gra”. The passionate blonde Kotova looked next to the partners who were on her watch not like a lost sheep, but extremely dignified, which is why she spent two whole years. Even if it was impossible to see her singing even the word “mu” on the screen, you also need to be able to perform decorative and applied functions well. She left the group because of the desire to fully realize her creative abilities. (3 points)
Who now
She is on a protein diet, acts in utilitarian Russian films with titles like “What Men Do,” and began her solo career with the song “He” written by Irina Dubtsova in 2010. Four years passed, Tatyana did not stand still, other songs were performed, but you know exactly as much about them as about the mentioned composition “He”. (3 points)
Sex factor
Beautiful woman Tatyana, very beautiful. Consider that there was no one more beautiful than her at VIA Gra. Your figure is built like church candles, your gaze is like a piercing gaze of swords. In general, no complaints, just admiration. (8 points)
Eva Bushmina
Years in the group
2010–2012
Who was
The shot sparrow is not one of the shy ones; Yana Shvets decided to connect her fate with music long before VIA Gra. A native of the Lugansk region had her own solo project Lucky, and participation in the Ukrainian “Star Factory-3” under the supervision of Konstantin Meladze, and dancing in the ballet The Best, and working as a TV presenter. However, in order to make a big statement about myself, it was necessary to slightly change the name and break into VIA Gra. By this time, childhood friend Nastya Kamenskikh had already made waves throughout the EurAsEC Customs Union along with Potap - Eva urgently needed to catch up to this level. (4 points)
Role in the team
Right while participating in the TV show “Star Factory. Super final." announced an early exit from the project and moved to VIA Gra, replacing Tatyana Kotova there. Things were approaching the end of the once glorious all-girl team, and Bushmina managed to participate in only three releases: “Get Out,” “A Day Without You” and “Hello, Mom!” It didn’t make any difference to the weather, but it didn’t spoil the overall performance either - given that the group existed in the mode of a fading sine wave, it would have been blasphemy to demand more. (5 points)
Who now
Less than two months after leaving the group, Bushmina introduced new song and itself as an independent pop unit. The most fashionable people of new Ukrainian music were involved in the debut: singer Dmitry Monatik became the author of the song “Soboy”, and the lead singer of The Maneken project Evgeniy Filatov became the sound producer. In addition to promoting her own creativity, she participated in the show “Yak dvi krapli”, where she impersonated Rihanna and Christina Aguilera. (5 points)
Sex factor
Something at the level of Kate Hudson or even higher, that is, not for everyone. However, headlines like “Eva Bushmina flashed something” flash on the Internet quite often, which means that such amateurs definitely exist in nature, there is no doubt about it. (6 points)
Santa Dimopoulos
Years in the group
2011–2012
Who was
World fitness champion from a Greek-Assyrian-Ukrainian family, law school graduate, event manager, dance teacher, model and TV presenter. In short, a multi-talented personality with an outstanding appearance. And without VIA Gra it would not have been lost, the basic parameters are too good. (7 points)
Role in the team
A graduate of the third season of the Ukrainian “Star Factory” came a year before the project was closed, replaced Nadezhda Granovskaya and took part only in the song “Hello, Mom!” (1 point)
Who now
She didn’t want to be either “one of” or “the little black one on the right” and left VIA Gra two months before the official closure of the group. At the moment, only one single “When We Move” has been released, which has not received any acclaim. special success(except for the status of “Ukrainian Nicole Scherzinger” in the comments to the clip posted on the Internet). So you have to kiss dolphins, get married for the third time and post erotic photos on Instagram, simultaneously quarreling with Anna Sedokova and sharing men with her. (2 points)
Sex factor
A dark and pumped-up athlete, a toned figure, elastic forms - Monsieur Meladze knew a lot about increments. Oriental flavor, as in the case of Meseda Bagaudinova, is a barrel organ! (7 points)
“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 the idea of putting together an all-female group of girls with fantastically sexy looks was such a new idea. 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 perfect female bodies, but the female half has someone to look up to.
Attempt number two or number five?
Dmitry Kostyuk, the group's producer, wanted to put together a women's group, the participants of which should have a stunning sexy appearance to demonstrate outrageous 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 “ business card» team. 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 by 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”. Each 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. The Diamond lineup recorded a collaboration 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. Brezhneva wanted to start a 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, a large solo concert took place in St. Petersburg, dedicated to the fifth anniversary of the group.
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 music 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 “Best Video” category. 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 has again become 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 a new song and film 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 drug of the same name, so it performs 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
Official website version
“The history of the VIA Gra group is vast and multifaceted; it includes many events that in one way or another influenced the fate of this musical group.
Over time, the release of new songs and albums, the appearance of unusual video clips, participation in the filming of various television programs and magazines, the VIA Gra group continues to steadily move upward, improving itself and improving the quality of its creativity, adding more and more new touches to it.
Each subsequent action of the group is not similar to the previous one, it carries a certain palette of emotions and feelings, thoughts and impressions that are unique to VIA Gre and allow it to differ from most other post-Soviet pop groups working in a similar musical genre.
However, VIA Gra did not immediately reach its current heights. As you know, the path to the top is never smooth; there are many flaws and twists of fate, which in an instant can cancel out all efforts and efforts. It is worth noting that in the history of the group there are no failures of a global scale, only changes in the composition of the participants, which entailed a “change of generations” and left their unique mark on the life of the group. Therefore, we will try to talk about the main events that have occurred since the founding of the group and that continue to occur today.
What will happen next will only be known over time, but for now we can only analyze what has already happened - the history of the VIA Gra group in all its manifestations. Of course, we should start from the very beginning - the birth of the group, which occurred in 2000. On musical stage there was a lack of something new, unusual, capable of attracting the attention of the listener with its novelty and difference from others. What was needed was a team that could equally successfully win the hearts of the most diverse audience, that could surprise with something new, create a positive mood and, at the same time, awaken in a person a variety of spiritual and lyrical feelings.
The idea of creating such a project came to the mind of the future producer, Dmitry Kostyuk. The starting lineup of the group, the one from which it all began, was two Ukrainian girls, Alena Vinnitskaya and Nadezhda Granovskaya. The story of their arrival in the group turned out to be different. Alena, at that time working for the Ukrainian television company Biz-TV, was invited to participate in the group by Dmitry Kostyuk himself. Another producer was Konstantin Meladze. It was he, together with Dmitry, who was lucky enough to open Nadezhda for the group. The starting point that persuaded him to decide to accept Nadezhda into the team was her amateur photo shoot.
Next came the casting, which Nadya passed brilliantly and the producers did not have the slightest doubt that she was needed to pair with Alena. All that remained was to come up with a name for the new team. “VIA Gra” - that’s what this project was called. There are several versions about why the group was named that way. On the one hand, VIA is an abbreviation that stands for “Vocal-Instrumental Ensemble”, and “Gra” is translated from Ukrainian as “game”. On the other hand, many believe that the name is a derivative of the surnames of the vocalists, in which “VI” is the beginning of the surname “Vinnitskaya”, “A” is the first letter of Alena’s name, and “Gra” is, accordingly, the beginning of the surname of Alena’s partner in group, Nadezhda Granovskaya. There is also a version that “Gra” stands for “Voice, Joy, Artistry.” But the real reason was that all sorts of decodings somehow formed the word “VIA Gra”, which has the same name as pills that increase sexual potency in men, which was fully facilitated by the external image and sex appeal of the vocalists. It is not known for certain how the name of the group is deciphered. It doesn’t matter, everyone can see what they like in the title.
So, the group was named, formed and ready to begin its creative activity. The first step on the path to the current heights was the group's debut video, which marked the beginning of a triumphant march up the ladder of fame. The video was made for the song “Attempt No. 5”. Its first show took place on September 3, 2000 on the Biz-TV channel. After this, interest in the group began to grow sharply; it was necessary to expand the repertoire to reach new positions. “Attempt No. 5” created a slight sensation, immediately became a kind of “calling card” of the group, it was replicated on pirated discs, it occupied the top positions of various music charts, immediately competing on an equal footing with the hits of that time. When compiling collections of the best songs, the compilers also did not ignore the debut work of the group “VIA Gra”. The song “Attempt No. 5” was included in the music collections of the radio “Hit FM”, “Auto Hit”, “ Greatest Hits Biz-TV" and many others. For the video itself, VIA Gra became the winner of the Golden Weight Award. For example, in 2001, on November 18, the team won the Golden Gramophone award for the same “Attempt No. 5”. As an example, even these two awards are enough to understand that the group’s debut was a success. The composition still leaves its mark on the group - it is regularly performed during concert performances, continuing to remind listeners of the times when everything was just beginning. Without stopping there, instantly consolidating the success, a second video clip appears, filmed for the song “Hug Me.” Together with “Attempt No. 5,” it provides the group with a certain springboard, one might say, ground under its feet, for further actions.
Throughout 2000, the group formed its repertoire and by mid-December it included seven songs. The time has come to organize your own concerts. The debut performance was in Dnepropetrovsk, on the stage of the local Ice Palace, which took place on December 20, 2000. About four thousand spectators attended the concert.
Having made a very bright debut, demonstrating part of its enormous potential, in 2001 the VIA Gra group carried out more diversified activities, winning over an increasing number of fans. She is invited to participate in awards, concert programs, and filming in reputable media publications. mass media. The video series is replenished with two more clips - “I won’t return” and “Bomb”. The rapid breakthrough of 2000, from which VIA Gra took off, is ending; it is systematically moving forward into rational progress, covering more and more new areas of activity in which a musical project can be affected.
The group gains nationwide fame and popularity.
From the beginning of spring to the end of summer, the team receives various awards, including a prize from the radio “Hit FM”, as part of the “Stopudovy Hit” ceremony; “Golden Feather” at the “Golden Firebird” ceremony, in the nominations “Best Song” and “Discovery of the Year”, as well as “Golden Weight” and “Golden Gramophone”, received by the group for their first hit - “Attempt No. 5”.
The group took part in the filming of the musical “The Night Before Christmas”.
On August 31, 2001, VIA Gra entered into a contract with Sony Music for the release of five albums. At the same time, the group continued to successfully tour with its solo concerts throughout the CIS countries.
The following year, 2002, the VIA Gra group was shocked by some changes. Started new stage in its evolutionary development. The structure was changed - from a duet the team turned into a trio. It all started with the fact that Nadezhda Granovskaya was preparing to become a mother, and accordingly, it was necessary to put an end to her busy touring activities for a while. In order to make up for the temporary loss of Nadezhda, a casting was urgently announced. The producers decided to increase the number of participants to three people, which was successfully done. Ex-TV presenter Anna Sedokova, who worked on the O-TV and " New channel", as well as a model from St. Petersburg - Tatyana Naynik. Without allowing the updates to “take root,” the group continued “right off the bat.” A magnificent video was shot for the song “Stop! Stop! Stop!". He showed that the group was moving in the right direction and the fact that Anna Sedokova was in the group was extremely beneficial.
On May 23, at the Moscow Rossiya concert hall, the group was awarded the Ovation Prize. There was no point in stopping at the achieved milestones; everyone was looking forward to the continuation.
On September 12, 2002, filming of the video for the song “Good Morning, Dad!” ended. This event was marked by the return to duty of Nadezhda Granovskaya, who less than a month ago gave birth to a son, who was named Igor. Some time after filming the video, Tatyana leaves the group. The team continues to successfully act in various television programs ah, for example, in “The Domino Principle” and “Total Show”. Previously, on the MTV channel alone, “VIA Gra” took part in the programs “VIP-Caprice”, “Banzai!”, “12 Evil Spectators”, “Stilissimo”, “Paparazzi”. It is impossible not to note their participation in the second musical - “Cinderella”, in which the participants played three princesses and sang together with Verka Serduchka.
In 2003 there were changes again. Alena Vinnitskaya decided to start her own solo career. Accordingly, there is another casting, painful elections, as a result of which Vera Brezhneva ends up in the group. The next “era” is being formed, a line-up that is often called the golden line-up among fans of the group. Indeed, such a definition in relation to Vera, Anna and Nadezhda is quite reasonable. This year is becoming very fruitful in terms of the team’s creativity. At the beginning, a video clip for the song “Don’t leave me, darling!” is shot. This is followed by the release of the group's second album, Stop! Removed!
Events continue to pour in as if from a cornucopia.
In the summer, the video “Kill My Girlfriend” appears. The group rose to the pinnacle of fame, where it remains to this day. She is already ready to conquer the countries of Europe and Asia with her creativity. The English-language video “Stop! Stop! Stop!”, as well as the English-language album of the band with the same name. The first release took place in Japan. “VIA Gra” sweeps through the land of the rising sun like a hurricane, performing in Tokyo, taking part in various programs on the channel “MTV Asia” and “Fuji TV”. Filming for the Japanese magazine “Play Boy” is underway. In the fall of the same year, the album “Biology” was released. A magnificent duet is being formed - “VIA Gra” and Valery Meladze. Collaboration, at the end of 2003 - beginning of 2004, which bore fruit in the form of the songs “Ocean and Three Rivers” and “There is No More Gravity,” as well as video clips shot on them.
Everything developed rapidly, VIA Gra put up more and more masterpieces for judgement. And then an event happened that plunged the ranks of fans into a slight shock.
In 2004, Anna Sedokova left the group. They urgently look for a replacement for her, who is found in the person of Svetlana Loboda, but the replacement turned out to be a little unequal, despite the fact that on June 4, 2004, VIA Gra won the Muz-TV 2004 award, a video clip for the song “Biology” was shot. . Still, Svetlana is not “accepted” by fans who immediately draw analogies between her and Anna Sedokova. The group continues to perform in various television programs, in particular in the “Total Show”, as well as in the third musical with their participation, called “Sorochinskaya Fair”. By the way, this musical also gave birth to one of the group’s potential hits, “Oh Spoke Pure Water,” which conveys a unique Ukrainian flavor during Russian performances.
In the same year, the pan-European release of the album “Stop! Stop! Stop! Despite this, slight dissatisfaction with Svetlana grew and the decision was made to break up with her. Currently, Svetlana is engaged in a solo career. In Loboda's place they take Albina Dzhanabaeva, who worked for a long time as backing vocals for Valery Meladze and got into the group on his recommendation. The team still works with this composition, Vera, Nadezhda, Albina.
The current lineup, like the previous ones, started off very sharply, immediately receiving an award at the RMA-04 ceremony for the song “There is No More Attraction,” performed with Valery Meladze. A magnificent, soulful video “The World I Didn’t Know About Before You” is released.
The year 2005 started with trouble. Vera Brezhneva suffered a spinal injury while skiing. Fortunately, the fans' fears did not materialize. Vera had no complications. Another duet work is being presented to the public - with the popular rap team “TNMK” in Ukraine. The clip is called “There is nothing worse than being like everyone else.” As before, programs with the participation of VIA Gra are being released. For example, “Raffle” with Vera, shown on ORT in 2005, “Saturday evening”, “ Full contact", at which the group "Brilliant", the Big Premiere" and many, many others were defeated with a huge advantage in the musical battle. “VIA Gra” continues to excite the media: filming in the magazines “Maxim”, “7 days”, publications in “Molotok” and “ Komsomolskaya Pravda" The list is updated regularly, so there is no need to list everything. We can safely say one thing - the VIA Gra group is a phenomenon with a lot of positive aspects, distinguishing it from others musical groups. It is able to conquer new heights, amaze and amaze with its novelty. There are still a lot of ideas and ideas in our creative plans, so we can safely say that subsequent pages of the group’s history will be no worse than the previous ones.
After all, there is no limit to perfection."
Another version of the history of the Viagra group (version: http://persona.rin.ru)
It all started with the fact that on September 3, the premiere of the group’s debut video, the video “Attempt? 5,” took place on the air of the BIZ-TV television company. After this, events began to develop with maximum speed, which exceeded even the wildest expectations of the team’s producers Dmitry Kostyuk and Konstantin Meladze. Already on September 12 (!), the first pirated recording of the band’s debut song appeared. And by the end of the first month of the group’s existence, a lot of “yellow” materials appeared in the press, and on music layouts - cassettes with the illegally published composition “Attempt? 5”. The calm Ukrainian show business was excited by the “Riddle named VIA GRA” (quote from the title of one of the publications about the group).
The team's first hit quickly won the top positions on the charts and was published in many popular Russian and Ukrainian collections. “Attempt? 5” was released on the compilations Hit FM (Moscow), XXL “Dance”, Auto HIT, “Best hits of BIZ-TV. Part 2” and others.
Refuting rumors that this will all end, by the beginning of winter another video for a bright dance composition"Hold me." Interest in the group concentrates, thickens and almost materializes. She is invited to concerts and interviews. The sufferers are still being turned away. The intrigued public is generating countless assumptions about the girls, producers and the future of the team.
By the end of 2000, the group’s repertoire already included 7 songs, with which VIA GRA began touring. The first concert of the group took place on December 20 in Dnepropetrovsk on the stage of the Ice Palace in the presence of 4 thousand spectators. To date, the group has given more than 70 concerts in Ukraine, Russia, Moldova, Belarus, and Kazakhstan.
2001
During the first year of its existence, VIA GRA received several prestigious awards. The group took part in the “Stop-Blowing Hit” award ceremony from HIT FM radio (Moscow), which took place on June 2, 2001 in the Kremlin, and won the prestigious “golden weight” for the hit “Attempt N5”.
The team performed at the 10th anniversary of the annual all-Ukrainian festival "Tavria Games" and received a "golden feather" at the "Golden Firebird" award ceremony in the categories "Discovery of the Year" and "Best Song".
On April 14, 2001, VIA GRA performed in St. Petersburg in big concert"MUZ-TV Hit Parade" The show was broadcast in 250 cities of Russia.
On April 23, the group became a nominee for the “Ukrainian Pop Star” project, held as part of the “Star of Ukraine” campaign, and received the corresponding diploma.
On November 17 and 18, the group "VIA GRA" became the first Ukrainian group to be awarded the prestigious Golden Gramophone award. The team received it for the hit “Attempt N5”.
The group members took part in photo shoots for many magazines. Among them are “XXL” (Moscow), “OM” (Moscow), “Afisha” (Moscow), “Women’s Magazine” (Kyiv), etc. The producers of the group decided to refuse photography for the magazine “PlayBoy” (Moscow). Alena and Nadezhda took part in the filming of the popular television programs "V.I.P. - Caprice", "Banzai!", "12 Evil Spectators", "Stilissimo", "Papaprazzi" (MTV); SV-show (1+1); project "Evenings on a farm near Dikanka"
2002
For the sexiest group in the entire post-Soviet space, the Year of the Horse became a year of great changes and transformations. In the spring the duo turned into a trio. The impetus for changes in the composition was the desire of Nadezhda Granovskaya to become a mother and temporarily leave the group. To fill the vacancy that appeared, the producers of the team - Dmitry Kostyuk and Konstantin Meladze - organized a strict selection of applicants, as a result of which two reached the finals: ex-TV presenter Anya and St. Petersburg model Tanya.
The newly-minted trio immediately got to work, recording a new song called “Stop! Stop! Stop!” and starred in a memorable video for it. On May 23, at the Moscow State Central Concert Hall "Russia" the girls took part in the Ovation award ceremony.
On August 15, Nadya gave birth to a cute boy. The boy, very similar to his mother, was born with a weight of 2700 grams and a height of 52 centimeters. The child was named Igor. On September 12, filming of the group’s new video for the song “Good morning, dad!” ended. The main sensation of the new work was the participation of Nadezhda Granovskaya in the filming! The return of the sexy brunette to the team was highly anticipated by the group's fans, its producers, and the executives of Sony Music, with which the group signed a five-year contract a year ago. Some time after filming the video, Tanya left the team to take part in a large-scale television project.
In the fall, Alena, Nadya and Anya took part in the filming of a new screensaver for one of the highest-rated charts on Russian MTV - “Ukrainian Twenty”. Girls in “second skin” overalls, according to the script, robbed a bank, rode around on huge motorcycles, used firearms, a power saw and charm for personal gain.
This year, VIA GRA soloists Anya, Nadya and Alena played the roles of crowned heads for the musical "Cinderella", the next New Year's project of the all-Ukrainian TV channel "Inter". The girls reincarnated as foreign princesses, seducing Baskov’s character to the best of their ability and mentality.
Last year, Anya, Nadya and Alena took part in several television projects. They became the heroines of the programs “Cossacks-Robbers”, “The Domino Principle”, “Total Show” and others. The beauties appeared on the covers of the super popular men's magazines "XXL", "Maxim" and once again refused to undress for "Playboy".
2003
New Year is the best reason to start new life. Our favorite women's team took advantage of this and at the beginning of January they immediately amazed the public with a wholesale portion of super news. First and most importantly, Vera appeared in the group. No religious fanaticism, it’s just the name of the stunning blonde who recently became the soloist of VIA Gra. In addition to her extraordinary appearance, stage talent and beautiful name, the young star has the intriguing surname Brezhnev. Vera replaced Alena Vinnitskaya, who left the trio for a solo career.
The renewed and even brighter VIA GRa has thousands of grandiose plans. Some of them have already been implemented. With the participation of Vera, the debut album of the group “Attempt? 5” was rewritten, and work on a new record is almost finished.
Signing a contract with Sony Music:
On August 31, 2001, a contract was signed in Moscow between Sony Music and the VIA GRA group. This is the first international contract of Sony Music Entertainment (RUS), since the charming group is a completely Ukrainian product: all its members are citizens of Ukraine and live in its capital - Kyiv. Thus, in the Sony Music catalog you can now find 5 Russian-speaking artists.
September 27 on the Columbia label, which releases albums by such famous performers like: Ricky Martin, Celine Dion, Destiny's Child, Aerosmith, Jessica Simpson and many others, their debut album was released VIA group GRA called "Attempt?5". It included 11 songs: “Spell”, “Attempt?5”, a comic description of adventures main character in a love hexahedron, which by the end of the song is replenished with friend Masha and her several clones, “I won’t return”, a very lyrical, sad and unusual composition in melody, “Meet my mother, they say that the biggest stupidities in the world are done with serious expressions faces. If you listen to this thing seriously, it will really be a big mistake. Because it is superLight. And in general, a range of positive emotions from a slight smile to a cheerful laugh is guaranteed, “What have I done,” “Bomb,” a protest song, which in itself is already interesting because such feelings are not typical for the post-Soviet stage. Let’s blow up this world with music and fresh energy before it dies of boredom “Would you let me go”, a sensual declaration of love In love! No matter what they say, “Now or never,” in this song there is absolute freedom, as in a dream. So why not take advantage of it, if now you can change everything around, why wait? Let’s urgently begin the positive deconstruction of objective reality,” Hug me,” another confirmation of the rapidly advancing matriarchy and no less inevitably approaching female polygamy. “Thank you for the summer,” autumn inspires not only Pushkin, especially if the summer was spent in the good company of your own dreams, “Every day,” with a creative approach, everyday life becomes no less romantic than the day of the first kiss.
By mid-March 2003, Sony Music Entertainment (RUS) plans to release the group's second album. The future long-play does not yet have a name, but several songs from it have already become super hits. The new material has a more serious theme and is intended for a more adult audience than the previous one. This is evidenced by those compositions from the disc that have already become super hits, “Good morning, dad!”, “Don’t leave me,” “Stop! Stop! Stop!”.
VIA Gra- Ukrainian Russian-speaking female musical group. One of the most popular groups of the 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, became the best work in the entire 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 was Tatyana Kotova. For her sake, the ending of the “I’m not afraid” video was re-shot and viewers were able to see the new participant with their own eyes. 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.