Biography
Natasha Korolyova, born Nataliya Vladimirovna Poryvay on May 31, 1973, in Kiev, comes from a musical family. Her father, Vladimir Arkhipovich Poryvay (February 10, 1940 – September 1, 1993), was a lifelong choirmaster of an academic choir, while her mother, Lyudmila Ivanovna Poryvay (born February 12, 1946), served as the conductor of the Svetoch choir, earning the title of Honored Artist of Ukraine and a professorship. Natasha's older sister, Irina Vladimirovna Osaulenko (born June 9, 1968), also performs on stage under the pseudonym Rusya, primarily singing in Ukrainian.
Natasha made her stage debut in 1976 at just three years old as a member of the Big Children's Choir of Radio and Television of the Ukrainian SSR. Alongside attending regular school, she enrolled in a music school for piano and trained in folk dance at the choreographic studio of the Grigory Verevka choir.
In 1985, at a children's song festival, Natasha met renowned Kiev composer Vladimir Bystryakov, who recognized her talent. Together, they recorded two of his songs, "The World Without Miracles" and "Where the Circus Left." Her popularity grew rapidly, leading her to perform at major congresses, government concerts, New Year celebrations, city day events, and other significant republic-level occasions.
In early 1987, Natasha won a diploma at the Golden Tuning Fork competition, performing as a soloist with the Kiev group Mirage. Inspired by her, composer Alexander Sparinsky created a children's musical titled In the Country of Children especially for her. That spring, she made her first appearance on Central Television USSR in the program "Shire Krug." Later that summer, at a song festival in Evpatoria, Natasha met Marta Mogilevskaya, music editor of Central Television USSR, to whom she presented an audio cassette of her recordings.
In 1988, Natasha hosted the concert program for the Kiev Beauty International Rhythmic Gymnastics Championship and enrolled in the Kiev Variety and Circus School, specializing in Variety Vocal, graduating in 1991. From 1999 to 2003, she studied at GITIS in the Faculty of Dramatic Art under V. Andreev. Despite her busy schedule of touring, recording, and filming videos, her dedication impressed both students and teachers.
In 1989, Natasha toured the USA as the lead soloist in the children's rock opera Peace Child. The project was a major success, and she was offered a place at the University of Rochester, which she declined to audition for the already famous composer Igor Nikolaev in Moscow. Although Nikolaev initially was not particularly impressed, he ultimately chose her over two other candidates and created the stage name Korolyov for her.
