Performing at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 with Jerry Heil
Aliona Olehivna Savranenko (Ukrainian: Альо́на Олегівна Савране́нко; born 14 June 1991), better known by her stage name Alyona Alyona (Ukrainian pronunciation:[ɐˈlʲɔnɐɐˈlʲɔnɐ]; stylized in all lowercase), is a Ukrainian rapper, singer, and songwriter. She released her debut album, Pushka (Пушка), in 2019, followed by an extended play the same year, V khati MA (В хаті МА).
Alyona has been dubbed "the new rap star of Ukraine" and "the sensation of Ukrainian rap" by Ukrainian media.[2][3] In an article titled "15 European Pop Acts Who Matter Right Now", The New York Times likened her to Azealia Banks.[4][5]
Aliona Savranenko was born in the urban-type settlement of Kapitanivka, Novomyrhorod Raion, Kirovohrad Oblast.[6] She holds two bachelor's degrees,[7] one of which comes from the Gregory Skovoroda Pedagogical State University of Pereiaslav. Before doing rap, she worked as a teacher at "Teremok" kindergarten of Baryshivka, Kyiv Oblast.[8][9] She then headed the kindergarten of the neighboring village of Dernivka.[10] In total, Savranenko worked for four years in kindergartens, and left the job once she gained popularity.
Alyona started writing rap music in the middle of the 2000s, with multiple attempts to reach a wider audience. Her initial stage name was Alyona Al.kaida.
Under her current alias, Alyona Alyona released her first videoclip in October 2018, for the song called "Rybky" ("Рибки").[2][3] On 24 October, she released the second videoclip of the same track, this time with professional directing. On 12 November, she released the videoclip of "Holovy" ("Голови"), which garnered one million views on YouTube in the first month.[11] This was followed by two more videoclips: "Vidchyniai" ("Відчиняй") on November 30, and "Zalyshaiu svii dim" ("Залишаю свій дім") in December. The latter symbolically depicts the artist leaving Baryshivka, her home town.
In January 2019, in the midst of a political scandal involving President Poroshenko,[12] alyona alyona released a new song, titled "Obitsianky" ("Обіцянки", "Promises").[13] Later that year, on 8 April, Alyona Alyona released her first album, Pushka (Пушка), as well as the videoclip of the homonymous main track.[14] The album features four previously released songs, as well as nine new ones, including "Padlo" ("Падло"), in a duo with Alina Pash.[15][16] Alyona was praised in the Vogue issue of that month as "Ukraine's most unlikely rap star".[17][18]
Alyona Alyona performed at the Sziget Festival in Budapest in August 2019.[19] In December 2019, she wrote the lyrics of "Vilna" ("Вільна"), a song performed by Tina Karol and Julia Sanina and included in the soundtrack of the Ukrainian feature film Viddana.[20] On 7 February 2020, she signed with the Polish label Def Jam Polska.[1] On 15 January 2021, Alyona Alyona won the Public Choice Award at Music Moves Europe Talent Awards contest.[21]
Alyona Alyona was part of the Ukrainian jury for the Eurovision Song Contest 2021. She and Jerry Heil were selected among the finalists of Ukrainian preselection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 with the song "Teresa & Maria";[22] they went on to win the selection on 4 February 2024, earning the right to represent the country.[23] At Eurovision, Alyona and Heil were drawn to compete in the first semi-final, where they placed second out of 15 with 173 points, qualifying to the final, where they placed third out of 26 with 453 points.[24][25]
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