In May 2018, the 63rd Eurovision Song Contest was held in Lisbon. The Russian Federation in the Portuguese capital was represented by the performer Yulia Samoilova. Despite the fact that she did not have a chance to perform in the final, the fragile girl immediately won the love of the audience.
The first steps
Julia Olegovna was born in 1989 in the Komi Republic. She spent her childhood and youth in the city of Ukhta. Samoilova's parents came to the North from different parts of the country, in this region they met and started a family. In addition to Yulia, they had a son, Zhenya, and a daughter, Oksana. The head of the family worked as a miner, the mother changed many professions in search of earnings. Today the family is successfully engaged in the construction business.
Baby photos show that Julia was born a healthy child. But an unsuccessful vaccination brought the girl into a wheelchair. The diagnosis "Spinal muscular atrophy" made her an invalid of the 1st group. But this did not prevent her from developing as a creative person and practicing vocals with the teacher of the House of Pioneers. Little Julia's favorite performer was Tatyana Bulanova, she confidently sang her songs at home. Before the townspeople, she first demonstrated her talent at the age of 10. Valeria's hit "Airplane" was chosen for the performance. The young singer willingly participated in various competitions and often won. At the age of 14 she was awarded a diploma of the laureate of the festival "On the wings of a dream", then followed by victories at the competitions "Spring drops" and "Shlyager-2005".
Unrecognized talent
Despite numerous victories, the girl could not get into Russian show business. But she continued to sing, using every opportunity. At one time she created a rock group and performed with the team for two years, but her solo career attracted her more. Julia began to sing in restaurants where music lovers gathered all over the city. The singer's repertoire was very diverse: from works by Vladimir Vysotsky to compositions in the chanson style of Mikhail Krug. At one time, the vocalist decided to break with music and go into business. Together with a friend, she opened an advertising company and entered the university at the Faculty of Psychology. But she did not receive an education, she was expelled from the academy without receiving a diploma. She returned to music, which became a part of her life.
Long-awaited success
In 2012, the Russia-1 TV channel invited the girl to the Factor A project. The jury met the soulful sounding of the song "Prayer" while standing. In the final, the vocalist became the second and received the Alla Gold Star award from the Variety Prima Donna. A well-deserved victory and the attention of famous Russian performers became a turning point in the biography of Samoilova. Julia stayed in the capital and became a frequent guest at Moscow concert venues, toured the country. The biggest award and recognition was her participation in the opening of the Winter Paralympics in Sochi. During the performance of the song "We Are Together" millions of spectators cried. At the show "The Voice" Julia appeared with her new producer Alexander Yakovlev and presented the video "Live". The singer was warmly received by her colleagues in the music department. Olga Kormukhina gave her great support, and Gosha Kutsenko offered to record the song “Don't look back”.
Eurovision
It was planned that Samoilova will represent Russia at Eurovision 2017 with the touching song Burning Fire. Initially, the clip appeared on the Internet and caused a mixed reaction. Some considered the participation of a girl with disabilities in the competition as speculation, in their opinion, this should have caused pity on the part of the jury and the audience, but most admired the strength of the spirit and talent of the singer. However, the Kiev authorities did not allow Julia to enter the country. Russia refused to offer to broadcast Samoilova's speech from Moscow.
Yulia got to Eurovision in 2018. Her performance in Lisbon in the semifinals of the competition was not very successful, apparently, the excitement at the time of such a crucial event affected. In the same year, the singer released her solo album "Sleep".
Personal life
Julia met her soulmate Alexei Taran 8 years ago on a social network. After a long correspondence, at the first meeting, they immediately felt a kinship. During this period, the singer's common-law husband took over the administrative work and helps her in her work. Sometimes it is difficult for Lesha because of the difficult nature of his wife, but despite this, the couple is happy and are increasingly thinking about getting married.
