Manizha

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Manizha
Background information
Birth nameManizha Dalerovna Khamrayeva
Also known asManizha Sangin
Born (1991-07-08) 8 July 1991 (age 32)
Dushanbe, Tajik SSR, Soviet Union
OriginMoscow, Russia
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter
Years active2003–present
Spouse(s)
Lado Kvataniya
(m. 2022)

Manizha Dalerovna Sangin (Russian: Мани́жа Дале́ровна Санги́н; née Khamrayeva [Russian: Хамра́ева; Tajik: Ҳамроева]; born 8 July 1991), known professionally as simply Manizha, is a Russian-Tajik singer and songwriter, as well as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Beginning her career in 2003 as a child singer, Manizha went on to perform with the music groups Ru.Kola, Assai, and Krip De Shin, before later pursuing a solo career. She represented Russia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 with the song "Russian Woman".

Early life and education[edit]

Manizha was born on 8 July 1991 in Dushanbe to parents Najiba Usmanova, a psychologist and clothing designer, and a father who worked as a doctor.[1] Her parents are divorced, and her father did not want Manizha to begin a singing career due to believing it was not a suitable career choice for a Muslim woman.[2] Manizha's grandfather was Toji Usmon [tg; ru], a Tajik writer and journalist, with a monument dedicated to his honor in Khujand.[3] Her great-grandmother was one of the first women in Tajikistan to remove her veil and begin a career of her own; in response to this, she had her children removed from her care, although she later was able to return to them and begin working outside of the home.[4][5] Manizha changed her surname from Khamrayeva to Sangin in order to honor her grandmother, who was one of the first people who encouraged her to pursue music.[1]

In 1994, Manizha and her family fled Tajikistan due to the Tajikistani Civil War, subsequently settling in Moscow. After arriving in Moscow, Manizha began studying at a music school, where she studied piano. She afterward left the school to begin training with private vocal coaches.[3] Manizha studied psychology at the Russian State University for the Humanities.[1]

Career[edit]

2003–2015: Early career[edit]

Manizha began her career in 2003, performing as a child singer. She took part in a number of children's singing competitions, winning the Grand Prix of the Rainbow Stars competition in Jūrmala, becoming a laureate of the Ray of Hope festival organized by Mir, and becoming a laureate of the Kaunas Talent competition in Kaunas. She recorded a number of songs in both Russian and Tajik, before joining the music project Ru.Kola in 2007.[6][7][8][9] That year, she became a finalist at the Five Stars music competition in Sochi.[10][11][12]

Manizha later left the Ru.Kola project, and joined the Russian group Assai in 2011.[1] She later left Assai to join Krip De Shin soon after, which was formed along with other former members of Assai. With Krip De Shin, she recorded an extended play and performed at various music festivals throughout Russia.[13][14] Due to creative differences between herself and the band, she later opted to leave the group.[6] After leaving the group, Manizha moved to London, and later began studying gospel music in both London and New York City.[3][6][15]

2016–2020: Independent breakthrough[edit]

In 2016, Manizha returned to her music career, with the release of several independently released singles. The singles were followed by the release of her debut studio album, Manuscript, which was independently released in February 2017.[16][17] Following the release of Manuscript, Manizha began working on her second studio album, ЯIAM, which was released in March 2018. Describing the album, Manizha stated that it was based on the "architecture of the personality" of a person.[18] Her debut solo extended play Womanizha was released in April 2019.

2021–present: Eurovision Song Contest and subsequent releases[edit]

In March 2021, it was confirmed that Manizha would be taking part in the Russian national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 with the song "Russian Woman".[19] At the final, held in Moscow on 8 March 2021, Manizha was declared the winner after receiving 39.7% of the public vote. She represented Russia in the contest in Rotterdam,[20][21] where she placed ninth out of 26 countries, receiving 204 points.[22]

After Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022, Manizha stated her opposition to the invasion, referring to the Ukrainian backgrounds of her soon-to-be husband and daughter-in-law.[23] She released the single "Soldier" on 13 March in response to the invasion.[24][25]

As a consequence of the invasion, Russia was excluded from the Eurovision Song Contest 2022,[26] and was banned from entering future contests.[27][28][29][30] Due to this, Manizha remains the last Russian representative at the contest (penultimate in any Eurovision event, behind Tatyana Mezhentseva).

Social positions[edit]

In 2017, Manizha began posting unedited photos of herself with the hashtag #TheTraumaOfBeauty and captions discussing her struggles with her body image.[31][32] At her concert on the roof of the Château de Fantomas in Moscow, Manizha took off her stage makeup and invited the public to join this manifesto. She distributed wet wipes to those who wanted to.[citation needed]

Manizha supports various charitable foundations: she performed at the charity festival "Anton is here near" 2017, organised by the foundation helping autistic children; at the closing of the IX World Children's Games of the winners of 2018, organized by the "Give Life" Foundation helping children with cancer; took part in the "Star of Kindness" charity event in support of the "Children butterflies" and others.

In February 2019, Manizha launched a social campaign against domestic violence. As part of this project, she released a free mobile application called Silsila (in Persian - "thread") to help victims of domestic violence.[32] The app allows users to quickly call for help in an emergency using the panic button and offers a list of the nearest crisis centers and shelters in which to hide. Not all the centers that the team listed had been tested, only some of them can be contacted regardless of gender, nationality and documents. In support of the campaign, together with the director Lado Quatania ("HypeProduction"), a video was released for the song "Mama" (Russian and English versions). The video raises the problem of domestic violence against women and adolescents, as well as the problems of transformation from a child to an adult. The video provides statistics on the scale of the problem of violence in Russia. Manizha's team collects their own statistics. The project was created without the support of the state, third-party companies or funds.[citation needed] Manizha's mother sold her apartment to help pay for the app.[32]

Manizha also actively supports the LGBT community. In 2019, she starred in a video for the Russian online queer magazine "Otkritiye" ("Open") during Pride Month.[citation needed] [33] After that, as the singer admits, about 10 thousand people unsubscribed from her Instagram. In 2020, she sang her version of Cher's song "Believe" during the Otkritiye's Digital Pride.[34] In the autumn of the same year, she performed at the Queerfest in St. Petersburg.

In October 2020, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced Manizha as a Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR.[35]

On 9 December 2021, Manizha visited Almaty, Kazakhstan in honour of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign.[36]

On 24 February 2022, Manizha stated her opposition to the Russian invasion of Ukraine via an Instagram post, referring to her husband and sister-in-law's Ukrainian background.[23] Her opposition to the war led to her facing a campaign to have her blacklisted, leading to several promoters cancelling her performances after government supporters began posting personal information of concert organizers.[37]

Personal life[edit]

On 6 September 2022, Manizha announced her marriage to film director Lado Kvataniya. Together they have a daughter, born in July 2023.[38]

Awards and nominations[edit]

Award Year Nominee(s) Category Result Ref.
Berlin Music Video Awards 2019 "Мама" Best Concept Nominated [39]
2020 "Недославянка" 3rd Place [40]

Discography[edit]

Studio albums[edit]

Title Details
Manuscript
  • Released: 17 February 2017
  • Label: Independent
  • Format: Digital download
ЯIAM
  • Released: 23 March 2018
  • Label: Independent
  • Format: Digital download

Extended plays[edit]

Title Details
Womanizha
  • Released: 26 April 2019
  • Label: Independent
  • Format: Digital download

Singles[edit]

Title Year Peak chart positions Album
NLD
[41]
SWE
[42]
"I Love Too Much" 2016 Manuscript
"Little Lady"
"Sleepy Song"
(with Dima Ustinov)
Non-album single
"Устал" (I Got Tired) 2017 ЯIAM
"Hear What I Feel" Non-album single
"Изумруд" (Emerald) ЯIAM
"Любил, как мог" (I Loved as Much as I Could) 2018 Non-album singles
"Мне легко" (It's Easy for Me)
"Black Swan"
(with Anya Chipovskaya)
"Завтрак" (Breakfast) 2019
"Сейчас дважды не случится" (Now Will Not Happen Twice)
"Недославянка" (Not Slavic Enough)
"Vanya"
"Человеку нужен человек" (A Human Needs a Human) 2020
"Начало" (The Beginning)
"На путь воина встаю" (I'm Getting on the Way of Warrior) Mulan (Official Motion Picture Soundtrack – Russian Dub)
"Город солнца" (The City of Sun) Non-album singles
"Про тебя" (About You) 2021
"Akkulista"
(featuring Everthe8)
"Russian Woman" 81 84
"Держи Меня Земля" (Hold Me Mother Earth)
"Soldier" 2022
"Standing Between Two Walls"[43] 2023
"Tummy"[44]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Михаил Стацюк. "Манижа Сангин: "Сейчас невозможно стать знаменитым, используя только один свой талант"". Собака.ru. Archived from the original on 2018-09-09. Retrieved 2018-09-08.
  2. ^ "Manizha: С 15-секундных роликов в Instagram началась моя новая жизнь". PEOPLETALK (in Russian). 2017-05-19. Archived from the original on 2018-09-11. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
  3. ^ a b c "Манижа Сангин: Вся моя жизнь — это арт-проект моей мамы". Новости Таджикистана ASIA-Plus (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2018-09-09. Retrieved 2018-09-08.
  4. ^ Михаил Рубцов (27 March 2017). "Певица Манижа: "Моя прабабушка скинула паранджу и заявила, что будет работать"". Леди Mail.Ru (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2018-09-09. Retrieved 2018-09-08.
  5. ^ ""Слово "певица" надо уничтожить": Манижа о свободе, бьюти-терроре и домашнем насилии". currenttime.tv. 2019-03-10. Archived from the original on 2019-03-25. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
  6. ^ a b c "Manizha о проекте с Аней Чиповской, сексизме в профессии и философии своего тела" (in Russian). HELLO.RU. 12 April 2018. Archived from the original on 2018-12-05. Retrieved 2018-12-05.
  7. ^ ""Навои Дил" состоится в феврале". Новости Таджикистана ASIA-Plus (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2018-09-09. Retrieved 2018-09-08.
  8. ^ "У Руколы появился свой сайт в Интернете". Новости Таджикистана ASIA-Plus (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2018-07-23. Retrieved 2018-09-08.
  9. ^ "РуКола". Русское радио (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2017-02-16. Retrieved 2017-02-16.
  10. ^ ""Пять звезд": вкус свежей крови" (in Russian). Взгляд. Archived from the original on 2016-04-25. Retrieved 2017-02-16.
  11. ^ "Таджикская певица, покорившая Москву, вырвалась в десятку финалистов конкурса "Пять звезд" в Сочи". Новости Таджикистана ASIA-Plus (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2018-07-24. Retrieved 2018-09-08.
  12. ^ Алена Снежинская (2008-01-30). "РуКола". DailyShow (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2018-08-25. Retrieved 2018-09-08.
  13. ^ Радиф Кашапов. "Стереолето: прогнозы оправдались". Звуки.ру (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2017-02-19. Retrieved 2017-02-18.
  14. ^ "RedRocksTour - Рязань". МедиаРязань. Archived from the original on 2018-09-09. Retrieved 2018-09-08.
  15. ^ Анжелика Кубряк. ""Независимый артист": певица Manizha рассказала о том, как музыканту сделать себя самому". kgd.ru (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2018-09-11. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
  16. ^ "Певица Манижа о своем первом альбоме Manuscript, песнях из детства и поколении миллениалов". Собака.ru. Archived from the original on 2018-09-09. Retrieved 2018-09-08.
  17. ^ "Manizha - Manuscript". discogs.com. 17 February 2017. Archived from the original on 2018-09-09. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  18. ^ "Manizha выпустила второй альбом" [Manizha released her second album]. intermedia.ru. 2018-03-23. Archived from the original on 2018-09-09. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  19. ^ Granger, Anthony (8 March 2021). "Russia: Manizha, Therr Maitz and 2Mashi Competing in National Selection". Eurovoix. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  20. ^ Farren, Neil (8 March 2021). "Russia: Manizha to Eurovision 2021". Eurovoix. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  21. ^ "Manizha's 'Russian Woman' wins on International Women's Day". European Broadcasting Union. 8 March 2021. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  22. ^ "Grand Final of Rotterdam 2021 - Eurovision Song Contest". Eurovision Official Website. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  23. ^ a b Blistein, Jon (2022-02-25). "Russia Booted From Eurovision Song Contest After Ukraine Invasion". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
  24. ^ "Zangeres Manizha over 'Soldier': 'Het is eng om je mening te uiten'". nos.nl (in Dutch). 2022-04-02. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
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  27. ^ "EBU Statement on RTR, Channel One and Radio House Ostankino membership". ebu.ch. EBU. 26 February 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
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  29. ^ Vidal, Fernando Nicolás (2022-05-26). "La UER hace efectiva la suspensión indefinida a sus miembros rusos". ESCplus España (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-05-26.
  30. ^ "Європейська мовна спілка призупинила членство російських ЗМІ" [The European Broadcasting Union has suspended membership of the Russian media]. suspilne.media (Press release) (in Ukrainian). UA:PBC. Retrieved 2022-05-27.
  31. ^ Raspopina, Sasha (2017-09-26). "Beauty trauma: Tajik singer Manizha starts campaign against toxic beauty standards". The Calvert Journal. Retrieved 2021-05-24.
  32. ^ a b c Roth, Andrew (2021-04-09). "'I won't allow myself to be broken': Russia's Eurovision candidate Manizha takes on 'the haters'". The Guardian. Retrieved 2021-05-24.
  33. ^ "Manizha Sanghin on Instagram: "Я женщина, но не только это определяет меня, как личность. Я таджичка и рождена в мусульманской среде, но не только это определяет меня, как личность. Я ем мясо, ругаюсь матом и совершаю ошибки, но не только это определяет меня, как личность. Я за мир, где сексуальная ориентация, пол, религия и раса - не являются определяющими нас ярлыками. Мы больше, чем это. _____________________________________________________________ Я приняла участие в проекте @ozine.ru, потому что хочу, чтобы мои ЛГБТ друзья могли держать за руку любимого человека без стеснения и страха. ——————————————————————————— Мы разные, но мы все равные. Мы сильнее, как общество, когда мы #открытые. Ведь тогда, мы видим не ярлыки, а людей. ——————————————————————————— DOP @kitachernikov Director @arsenyjabiev MUAH @irenmake Sound @mityakru Producer @allsmirnova"". Archived from the original on 2021-03-25. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  34. ^ "MANIZHA on Instagram: "Новая версия песни Cher - Believe. Специально в месяц любви для первого диджитал-прайда @ozine.ru ❤️ Любите друг друга. Ну блин, это же…"". Archived from the original on 2021-03-25. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  35. ^ Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "Manizha". UNHCR. Retrieved 2021-06-27.
  36. ^ December 2021, Staff Report in Nation on 10 (2021-12-10). "UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Manizha Visits Almaty to Promote Initiatives Against Gender-Based Violence". The Astana Times. Retrieved 2021-12-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  37. ^ "Eurovision star faces Russian hate campaign". BBC News. 2022-08-25. Retrieved 2022-10-12.
  38. ^ "«Всю беременность я злилась»: недавно родившая певица Манижа пожаловалась на трудности". The Voice (in Russian). Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  39. ^ "Berlin Music Video Awards 2019 Nominees". April 2019.
  40. ^ "Winners of the Berlin Music Video Awards 2020". 31 May 2020.
  41. ^ "Discografie Manizha". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  42. ^ "Discography Manizha". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  43. ^ "New music this week (part 1)". 30 April 2023. 30 April 2023. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  44. ^ "New music this week (part 1): Songs from Chanel, Manizha, Cláudia Pascoal and more". Wiwibloggs. 21 May 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2023.

External links[edit]

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Russia in the Eurovision Song Contest
2021
Succeeded by
None