Anita Tsoi

Infobox musical artist

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Name = Anita Sergeyevna Tsoi
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Background = solo_singer
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Born = birth date and age|1971|2|7
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Origin = Moscow, Russia
Instrument = Vocals, Violin, Piano, Flute, Guitar
Genre = Pop
Occupation = Singer
Years_active = 1997 - Present
Label = Soyuz
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URL = [http://anitatsoy.ru AnitaTsoy.RU]
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Anita "Anna" Sergeyevna Tsoi ( _ru. Анита "Анна" Сергеевна Цой; born 7 February, 1971, Moscow) is a Russian singer of Korean descent.cite news|title=Анита Цой: «Под мой гимн люди танцуют»|last=Morozov|first=Andrey|date=2005-05-27|accessdate=2006-06-21|work=Nov'ie Izvestiya|url=http://www.newizv.ru/news/2005-05-27/25072/|language=Russian] Her grandparents emigrated from Korea to the Russian Far East, and were later caught up in the 1937 deportation of the "Koryo-saram" to Central Asia. [cite news|url=http://www.kbs.co.kr/end_program/1tv/sisa/sunspecial/vod/1248974_3366.html|work=KBS News|publisher=Korean Broadcasting System|date=1999-07-04|accessdate=2007-06-21|title=아니타 최 - 어머니에게 바치는 노래 (Anita Tsoi: A Song For My Mother)|language=Korean] Like her sisters, she began violin lessons at a young age; she later studied piano, flute, and guitar.cite web|publisher=MTV Russia|accessdate=2007-06-21|url=http://www.mtv.ru/idols/_a/anita_tsoy|title=Анита Цой (Anita Tsoi)|language=Russian] Her mother was branded a "class enemy" in the 1970s in response to her record of speaking out in support of Nobel Peace Prize-winning dissident Andrei Sakharov, for which she was briefly committed to a mental institution. She attended the teacher training college, then law school at Moscow State University, where she met her husband Sergey Petrovich Tsoi. After graduation, rather than becoming a teacher or lawyer, she began saving up money in order to launch a singing career, while her husband began working as a press secretary for Moscow mayor Yury Luzhkov in 1994. Her first album "Polyot" (Полёт; "Flight") was released in 1997; she kept it a secret from her husband until after she had already signed the contract with her production company.cite web|publisher=Arirang.RU|accessdate=2006-01-23|url=http://arirang.ru/biografy/choi_sp.htm|title=Цой Сергей Петрович (Tsoy Sergey Petrovich)|language=Russian] She went to the United States in 2003 to record an English-language album, where she worked with cinematic composer Lee Holdridge; while there, she was offered a five-year contract as a solo vocalist in the Cirque du Soleil, but turned it down in order to return to Russia and be near her family. She was appointed as "tourism ambassador" between Russia and South Korea by South Korean president Roh Moo-hyun during his official visit to Russia in 2004. [cite news|url=http://sports.kbs.co.kr/ispecial/ps00204.php?id=1113|date=2004-09-23|accessdate=2007-06-21|work=KBS News|publisher=Korean Broadcasting System|title=아니타 최, 러 관광 홍보 대사 위촉 (Anita Tsoi appointed Russian tourism and publicity ambassador)|language=Korean] In April 2007, Sergey made statements in his capacity as Luzhkov's press secretary about the banning of a planned Moscow gay pride parade condemning "aggressive" behaviour by Russian LGBT activists, which sparked a media controversy; Anita, in response, commented that she might attend the planned parade despite the ban, and stated that she enjoys singing in gay nightclubs. [cite news|url=http://www.sfbaytimes.com/index.php?sec=article&article_id=6287|title=Moscow Spokesman Charges: "Aggressive" Gays "Play With Fire"|last=Wockner|first=Rex|work=San Francisco Bay Times|date=2007-04-12|accessdate=2007-06-21] Aside from singing, she also works with international charity Save the Children.

References

External links

*ru icon [http://blogs.mail.ru/mail/anita-tsoy Blog]
*ru icon [http://anitacoy.ru AnitaCoy.RU]
*ru icon [http://anita-coy.ru A fan site]