Drag Queen and just a funny Hero

Ukrainian Cinderella

She comes of social bottom stock and used to work as a conductor. Then, she took part in creative competitions and organized own talk show where she invited famous people including singers. Afterwards, Verka Serduchka desired to become a singer herself and became one. She won the hearts in her native country Ukraine and neighbouring Russia. In Moscow, Serduchka gathered two Luzhniki Sports Palaces where her concerts were visited by around 20 thousand people


By EVGENIYA DONCHENKO
from Kiev, UKRAINE


Verka Serduchka is Ukrainian Cinderella and Ukrainian dream. She comes of social bottom stock and used to work as a conductor. Then, she took part in creative competitions and organized own talk show where she invited famous people including singers. Afterwards, Verka Serduchka desired to become a singer herself and became one. She won the hearts in her native country Ukraine and neighbouring Russia. In Moscow, Serduchka gathered two Luzhniki Sports Palaces where her concerts were visited by around 20 thousand people. And the disks of the star circulate in millions. Verka Serduchka became popular in all CIS and Baltic countries. In addition, her songs are rehashed in Poland, Germany, Israel and even India… What's next? Certainly the Eurovision. Since Verka Serduchka is a dove of peace, her arch object is to amuse and grant only positive emotions to people around.

Andrey Danilko - creator of the stage image of Verka Serduchka, was born on 2nd of October 1973 in Poltava. During school was studying in theater studion "Grotesk". After graduation from school tries to enter music collage and institute, but is rejected everywhere. Goes to professional technical college, where studies profession "cashier-seller of foodstuffs". At spring 1992 demonstrates for the first time two short numbers: "Dining Room" and "Train Conductor", official date of birth of Verka Serduchka is 8th of March 1993, when "Train conductor" portraiting ordinary Ukrainian woman working as conductor, was shown at "Humourina" festival in Poltava. Tries to enter musical college again, being rejected for two more times, thus deciding to start "performing career", performs with his mini-theater, staging Verka Serduchka numbers and performing parodies on well-known Russian stars: Allegrova, Pugachova, Kazachenko. In 1995 finally enters estrada-circus college, but after studying just for 2 years instead of 5 leaves it and is accepted in Institute of Culture.

In 1997 records first songs "Prosto Vera", "Abrikosy". Later appear "Ya rozhdena dlya lyubvi", "Ya vyshla na perron", "Vaza i pion", "Controler", "Po chut-chut", and records some music videos. TV shows brought huge popularity to the comical artist.

Issued music albums as Verka Serduchka "Ha-ra-sho!", "Zheniha hotyela", "The Best. Neizdannoe", "Tralli-valli" and also instumental album "Posle tebya" as Danilko. Took part in various musicals of Russian/Ukrainian co-production, mostly as Verka Serduchka, but in "Figaro" as Andrey Danilko.

And finally... Verka Serduchka (Andrey Danilko) participated with her (his) the most ridiculous song called 'Dancing lasha tumbai' in the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest in Helsinki! where he ranked second.

The drag queen, played by comedian Andriy Danylkohas, as she was called, was one of the more energetic stage routines, and had been driving the crowd crazy during dress rehearsals. Serduchka, who performed in a silver costume and hat topped with a metallic star, sang her song "Dancing Lasha Tumbai" before the audience in Helsinki. The bouncy pop song is a jumble of German, English and Ukrainian, featuring lyrics such as: "One-two-three! Ukraine is super! Ukraine loves to dance!"

By the way, speaking about the Serduchka's song and its' words, as usual appeared some scandals and conflicts…but before, we would turn to the latest news there were some misunderstandings even before the Eurovision Song Contest.

The first scandals were connected with the selection period for Eurovision 2007, scandalized Ukrainians such as Vasyl Popovych, who took part in a recent protest in Kiev against the choice. "Verka Serduchka shows the post-imperial inferiority complex that some Ukrainians still suffer," said Popovych, a member of a nationalist Ukrainian youth group.It was a mild assessment next to that of pro-Russian parliamentary deputy Taras Chornovil, who attacked Serduchka as "a national shame" and "a hermaphrodite." But it was clearly the minority view, since Ukrainians overwhelmingly chose Serduchka in an interactive Eurovision ballot. And Danylko, 33, who created the character over a decade ago to poke fun at rural Ukrainian women, went into the competition sounding like a true entertainer.

"It's all the same to me what place I get," he told the Ukrainian weekly Focus. "The important thing for me is that the public likes the show. Serduchka is our dream. She's a Ukrainian Cinderella who lived in a hut with her mother" until she began to sing and "became a star," he said.

But…even after quite a huge popularity during the Eurovision 2007 and being the favourite…evidently appeared another scandal…

For the representatives of the Russian Federation and some of the so-called "anti-Serduchkas" from Ukraine, it seemed clear that Verka Serduchka sang 'Russia goodbye' during the performance of the Ukrainian song during last night's Eurovision Song Contest, instead of 'Lusha Tumbai'. In the third repetition of what should be 'Lusha Tumbai' it seemed very clear, even with a rolling 'r' when pronouncing 'Russia' on the way to a second place finish in the event.

The act prompted severe political reaction when it won the national final in Ukraine in March, with reports of rioting against the song. The words had to be changed to conform to the Eurovision Song Contest rules, which do not allow political lyrics that name specific organisations, countries or people.

If the EBU investigates this and finds that Serduchka did break the rules of the competition, they may decide to fine the Ukrainian broadcaster or remove points from the Ukraine, which could result in them dropping into the semi final. The words did not seem to effect the Russian viewers, who awarded the strange celebrity 8 points, behind Armenia with 10 and the Russian Star Academy winner, Koldun with 12 points.

As Serduchka said at the beginning of the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest: "The main goal for me, is not to win, but to share with all my possitive emotions, to unite people from all over the world by singing and dancing"!