Zara was born on July 26, 1983. This carries with it the numerological influence of number 8 which suggests these people are children of fate: Noble, devoted and hard working people who are nevertheless influenced by a pronounced fatalistic vibration, reserved and shy, yet with a deep inner strength. The compound birth number 26 suggests the person should follow their own intuition and not be led by others. The name Zara resonates to the number 11, which suggests two forces or two desires stand apart and must ultimately unite for happiness.
Q: When did your career as a singer begin?
A: When I was 12, I already had my first single, “The Heart of Juliet”. In 1997, I won the Grand Prix in the May Children Laugh international festival in Egypt. The next two years, I took part in the competition The Hopes of Europe in Sochi, and was rewarded with first prize and a Grand Prix. In 2000, I became a laureate in The Spring of Romance, a competition for young singers in St. Petersburg. There were many other prizes and rewards as well – The Star of Prometheus, the Golden Gramophone. My first solo concert in the Oktyabrsky Grand Concert Hall in March 2002 sold out with a full hall. And this second concert, on Novenber 9 2003, at the Oktyabrsky, demonstrated that I already have my own audience in St. Petersburg, which is a satisfying achievement because the audience of St. Petersburg is very selective.
Q: Who are your favorite singers or paragons to follow?
A: Alla Pugachyova, the queen of Russian variety, a great actress – her every song is a real performance. Ofra Haza, Celine Dion, Witney Houston, Natasha Atlas, Bjork, Tory Amos, Bel Canto and some others. I also like many actors and actresses including Meriyll Streep. As a singer I really dream of bringing back to life the wonderful songs of Ofra Haza. Today, we see a lack of good songs in show business. Many old splendid songs are forgotten. I think they need modern arrangements.
Q: Your various repertoire and multifarious styles, from Eastern exotic to pop songs, to classic romances, to ballades, is not an ordinary choice for a young singer.
A: I don’t want to be a pop star for a short time. I have been asked many times to sing pop melodies, but they could be only flash songs that bring fame for one moment, no longer. I choose songs of high quality, because I want to be a professional singer.
Q: How do you, a shy, modest girl in life, manage to transform to different personalities and characters on the stage, whose temperaments are often absolutely opposite to yours? You really surprise the public with your metamorphoses and contrasts on the stage.
A: Yes, many people have told me that on the stage I change into different personages. I really try to feel what they could have felt, but I always remain myself. I don’t like any theatre though in everyday life.
Q: But you study at the St. Petersburg Theatre Academy and act in a few films.
A: Yes, I’m in my last, fifth year at the Theatre Academy. Recently, we have been preparing our performance about Dostoevsky’s novel “The Idiot”, where I play the central heroine, Nastasya Filipovna. I also acted in the movie “Demon”, where I played Tsarina Tamara and worked on the television serial “Spetsnaz” in Russian, where my role is a counterspy, something like a Russian Nikita.
Q: Are your future plans more with cinema or with music?
A: I’ve got some proposals and plans for theatre, but my life is certainly music.
