Alsou Ralifovna Abramova, known professionally as Alsou, is a Russian singer born in 1983. She represented Russia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2000, where her song "Solo" placed second, giving her recognition across Europe. She later hosted the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 in Moscow, and in 2018 she received the Merited Artist of the Russia award. Her debut Russian album sold well in Russia and became the first by a domestic artist signed to Universal Music Russia.
Early life
Alsou was born in Bugulma in the Tatar ASSR, Soviet Union. Her father is a former LUKoil executive and later a member of the Federal Council, and her mother is an architect. Her family moved to Siberia when she was a child, and she later lived in Moscow, New York and London. At a family wedding in 1998 she sang at a grand piano, and her relatives then encouraged her to pursue a professional singing career.
Musical career
Her debut Russian album, released in 1999, produced several hit singles. Her English-language single "Solo" came second at Eurovision in 2000 and became the best-selling single in Russia at that time, surpassed only by her later duet with Enrique Iglesias. She went on to release further Russian albums, including 19 in 2003, which sold around 500,000 copies by April of that year and earned her a Muz-TV award.
Personal life
Alsou married the businessman Yan Abramov in 2006 and has three children. In 2024 she filed for divorce, which was finalized in August of that year.
