Diana Gudaevna Gurtskaya (Georgian: დიანა ღურწკაია, Russian: Диана Гудаевна Гурцкая, born 2 July 1978) is a famous Russian pop singer well-known in the countries of the former Soviet Union. Diana’s story is nothing short of a fairy tale about a blind girl, born in a remote village of Georgia on the outskirts of the former Soviet empire, whose unique personality brought her popularity and affection across large parts of Europe.

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Diana Gurtskaya დიანა ღურწკაია
Background information
Birth name	Diana Gudaevna Gurtskaya
Born	(1978-07-02) 2 July 1978 (age 44) Sukhumi, Abkhaz ASSR, Georgian SSR, USSR
Died	-
Genres	Pop, synthpop, pop rock
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter
Years active	2000–present

Diana was born July 2, 1978 in Abkhazia (ex-Soviet Georgia). She has been afflicted with visual impairment from the day she was born. Following the break-up of the Soviet Union and ensuing bloody conflict in Abkhazia (province of Georgia) in the early 1990s, her family was forced to endure the miseries of life in a refugee camp, which eventually led them to migrate to Russia. In 1995, she won an international junior song contest. From that moment on, Diana became widely popular in Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Israel and countries with substantial Russian-speaking minorities. After signing with a major Russian music label, Diana released a series of hit singles with a record-breaking number of copies sold.

She has recorded duets with various well-known foreign singers including Ray Charles, Toto Cutugno, and Demis Roussos.[1][2][3]

In 2006, President Putin presented Diana with “The Honored Artist of Russia” award – one of the highest state prizes in the Russian show business. In an online voting on March 1, 2008, residents of Georgia had voted for Diana to represent Georgia in the Eurovision song contest to be held in Belgrade this year. Diana competed with 12 finalists from Georgia and scored a landslide victory, after her inspiring performance of the hit

song “Peace will come”.

In 2009, on the International Paralympic Day, held for the first time in Moscow, the Organizing Committee of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games awarded Diana Gurtskaya the status of Sochi 2014 Ambassador as a person who promotes the ideas of the Olympic and Paralympic movement in Russia and the world.

Today Diana is not just a popular singer but she is a multitask public figure, an important voice for the physically challenged people who lobbies matters of great importance on various platforms. She is a member of the Public Council under Chairman of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation. Since 2011 Diana has served as a member of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation, Chairman of the Commission for Improving Accessible Environment and Inclusive practices. In 2013, Diana was appointed a member of the Commission under the President of the Russian Federation for Disabled People.

Diana is married to the Professor of Law from the Peoples’Friendship University of Russia, Doctor of Law Petr Kucherenko. In June 2007, Diana gave birth to a baby son, Constantine.

Diana is an example of the accomplishments that blind and visually impaired people can reach once integrated into wider society and the inspiration for many people in Russia and elsewhere.

In 2018 Diana launched yet another initiative - the "Centre for Social Integration” for people with disabilities under the Department of labor and social protection of the population of Moscow. This project aims to help people with disabilities better integrate into the society through various forms of art (vocal, theatrical and computer design) using inclusive methods.

In 2022, she is awarded with "People's Artist of the Russian Federation".[4]

Discography

Studio albums

• Ty zdess (2000)[5]
• Ty Znayesh mama (2002)[6]
• Utro (2003)[7]
• Nezhnaya (2004)[8]
• 9 Mesjacev (2007)
• Ja Ljublju vas vseh (2009)[9]

Compilation albums

• MP3 Collection (2006)
• Novoye i luchshyeye (2009)

Filmography

References

External links

Media related to Diana Gurtskaya at Wikimedia Commons

• Diana Gurtskaya Biography^{[permanent dead link]}

На других языках

[de] Diana Gurzkaia

[es] Diana Gurtskaya

[ru] Гурцкая, Диана Гудаевна