What happened to Katya chili. Katya chilly: the mermaid has grown up

The recent performance of Katerina Kondratenko, known throughout the music industry not only in Ukraine, but also in Europe and the former CIS countries under the stage name Katya Chilly, plunged the public into a state of total emotional shock. The video with her performance in a day gained more than 600 thousand views on the YouTube channel. Music critics vied with each other about the enchanting “return” of ethno, folk, rock, trance performers after some absence from the music arena.

For the first time, Katya got on television at the age of eight, when in 1986 the concert "Children of Chernobyl", held in one of the pioneer camps, was broadcast on one of the national channels. Katya performed with a song from the musical about Mary Poppins “Thirty-three cows”.

Throughout her studies in high school, Katya carefully attended the folklore vocal school, sang in the Orel choir, studied piano and cello, and later added a folklore art school to her professional hobbies.

Having received the Grand Prix of the Fant-Lotto Nadezhda competition in 1992, fate brought Katya together with the talented composer Sergei Ivanovich Smetanin, who supports the work of talented performers, and this is how her full-scale musical career started, which on May 30, 1996 resulted in a meaningful and clear pop avant-garde project under the name of Katya Chilly with an unforgettable debut album “Mermaids In Da House”.

Then came a series of festival performances and participation in music competitions, from “Song Opening Day” to “Yalta”, “Chervona Ruta”, and a tour of Eastern Europe with performances in Poland, Germany, Sweden, and also in the USA.

Prepared and successfully presented in 40 cities of Great Britain and Russia, the second album of the performer “Dream”, unfortunately, was never published due to the desire of the performer to finish her education at the Taras Shevchenko University and continue her studies in graduate school. However, a clip from Katya's live performances, filmed by the BBC television company, was rotated on the channel for another year.

In 2006, the long-awaited second album “I am Young” was released, which became a unique and daring combination of folklore and electronic music for that time. The year 2007 is spent for Katya in an experimental project with the famous Ukrainian jazz band Solominband, and 2008 a completely new acoustic program crystallizes without a single hint of electronics with a completely renewed line-up of the Katya Chilly group, which includes pianist Maxim Sidorenko, violinist Ksenia Zadorskaya, rhythm section - Alik Fantaeev, double bass player Yuri Galinin and Valentin Bogdanov on darbuk.

At the moment, the performer is working on new material, in the formed stylistic sound, which distinguishes Katya Chilly from the general monotony of the Ukrainian stage. The release date of the new album, as well as its title, has not yet been disclosed, however, the appearance of Katya on the stage of the talent show “Voice of the Country” gives hope for very soon official announcements.

Text: Tatyana Savlyeva

A sweet-voiced elf, a politically correct non-conformist of Ukrainian music, a singer who destroys all ideas about the format. The voice of a siren, which makes you forget about everything in the world, the gingerbread face of a fairy tale character and pure childish immediacy. All this is about her - Katya Chilly.

Even if we discard all enthusiastic definitions, we still cannot avoid stating: Katya is one of the brightest phenomena in Ukrainian music. Arguments in favor of this assertion? Firstly, the originality of the genre in which the singer works. Vocal data and stage image give full right to consider her an unprecedented phenomenon in Ukrainian music. Yes, probably in the world as well. Secondly, this singer cannot be confused with anyone, and even cannot be compared with anyone. She is unique and there are no analogues to her work.

If we still talk about existing patterns, then the work of Katya Chilly can be classified as "world music". But this is only a conditional definition. Because her songs go beyond any musical direction. Katya's music is something much more than any definitions. This is a kind of mantras, framed by virtuoso electronic arrangements.

In the summer of 2005, together with Ukrainian Records, the singer released the maxi-single "Pivni", which included the first single from the new album and remixes of it. Famous Russian and Ukrainian DJs worked on the creation of remixes: Tka4 (Kyiv), Evgeny Arsentiev (Moscow), DJ Lemon (Kyiv), Professor Moriarti (Moscow), LP (Kaliningrad). As a bonus, the disc features a new version of the track "Ponad gloomy", which Katya Chilly performed with Sashk Polozhinsky, and a video clip "Pivni", created in 3D-graphics technology. The video was directed by the famous Ukrainian artist Ivan Tsyupka. The appearance of Katya with new material marked a new stage in her work, another step in her musical evolution...

Katya Chilly's star lit up in 1996, when the artist first appeared on concert stages and presented her, without exaggeration, revolutionary material. Her appearance caused a real stir in the media and a storm of delight among fans. Katya has become a symbol of new Ukrainian music, a new musical alternative. The ethnic material in the interpretation of the singer fascinated even those who were far from folklore. Completely different people gathered under the flags of Katya Chilly's fans: representatives of the X generation who were waiting for unconventional music, adult fans of Ukrainian folklore and admirers of the world music phenomenon. It took less than a year for a talented girl to gain a confident star status. Numerous interviews, participation in TV programs, performances at the largest and most prestigious concert venues in the country, victories at festivals (including the Chervona Ruta festival). The singer's work aroused keen interest from the Western community. So, for example, in 1997, MTV President Bill Rowdy invited the singer to participate in the programs of this channel. Creativity Katya Chilly noted at various international festivals. Among them is the Fringe festival, which was held in the Scottish city of Edinburgh. In March 2001, Katya gave a concert program in London, where she gave more than 40 concerts. Katya's performance was broadcast live by the BBC. This company also shot a video (live) of the singer, which was broadcast on the channel for a year.

In 1998, Katya Chilly released her debut album "Mermaids in da House", the appearance of which became a landmark event for the development of Ukrainian musical culture. Representatives of the mass media dubbed the manner of the singer's performance "the singing of a beautiful elf." During her performances, Katya Chilly really reincarnates as a representative of another world: she seems to fall into a whirlwind of vibrations, becomes a medium of the ancient inhabitants of the Slavic land. Katya knows firsthand about the history of the ancient world. After all, the study that Katya is working on as a postgraduate student at the Kyiv National University reveals the secrets of the worldview of pra-civilizations...

Restoring archaic ethnic material, Katya Chilly gives it a unique modern interpretation. Thus, the musical soul of the people acquires a new incarnation.

At the beginning of the new millennium, the revolutionary Ukrainian show business will release a new album

Katya, more than a year has passed since your successful performance at the Edinburgh International Arts Festival. Then everyone was talking about the real prospect of performing abroad, that the BBC producers filmed one of your performances and edited a video. Did it go no further than talk?

Speaking to a very serious audience in England - leading producers, critics, musicians come to the festival - I felt how much more needs to be done to look worthy on the European stage. Preliminary arrangements - not appointed date of the concert. And I also graduated from the university, and these are state exams, a diploma.

Few of your listeners know the name of your specialty

I graduated from the Faculty of Philology. My specialization is the culture of the civilization of the ancient Slavs. The thesis is devoted to the same topic. Now I continue to study in graduate school, doing scientific work. But a lot of work had to be done on vocals and other stage sciences.

But what about the music?

In parallel with my studies, I was recording my new album. It will be called "Dream", and was created in collaboration with composers and arrangers Leonid Beley and Alexander Yurchenko at the Asteroid studio. The very one where the Mandry group "lives".

Is it somehow different from the previous one - "Mermaids in da house"?

The album of 1997 was quite revolutionary and even provocative. The new work is distinguished by grace and delicacy. Stylistically, it is a synthesis of ancient Ukrainian chants and modern musical culture. And the mermaid has grown up.

Is the album ready?

Fully. Now the edition is being prepared for release. But I haven't announced a release date yet. I can only say that it will be already in the new millennium.

And when will we see you with a new program on stage? ..

Since the New Year, I have a busy schedule of rehearsals and performances, scheduled for six months in advance. But in order not to reveal all the secrets at once, I will say that in the near future I will have an official website on the Internet. There will be all the detailed information about my plans, dates of concerts and a lot of news.

Ekaterina Petrovna Kondratenko is a Ukrainian singer who performs under the pseudonym Katya Chili, was born in Kyiv on July 12, 1978. Her parents sent her to a music school, noticing the girl's ability to sing. Katya entered the piano and string instruments at the same time, showed perseverance and determination from the first grades of the decade.

The girl was enrolled in a folk singing school called "Orelya" and soon she was chosen as a soloist of the choir. Thanks to her versatile talents, at the age of eight, Katya made a very loud statement about herself.

The broadcast of the concert "Children of Chernobyl" did not go unnoticed and all thanks to Ekaterina, who performed that day with the song "33 cows".

A beautiful girl with big eyes instantly captivated the audience. Six years later, she was awarded an award at the Fant Lotto Nadezhda competition, where composer Sergei Smetanin drew attention to her. The fruitful collaboration between the aspiring singer and the producer brought long-awaited results - the first album, called "Mermaids In Da House".

Then the girl decided to change her stage name and called herself Katya Chili. Stage employment did not allow the artist to pay much attention to her studies, but Kondratenko still did not forget about her. Katya Chili's personal life was marked by a new stage in her life, as a teenager she entered the lyceum at the National University, and then she received a diploma in folklore philology at one of the country's prestigious universities.

Since the beginning of 1996, Chilly's work has been completely focused on a pop avant-garde project, based on ritual singing combined with modern arrangements. Such an unusual direction became the subject of discussion in the media and caused crazy enthusiasm among fans.

Now the name Katya Chilly is associated with a new musical alternative, which has become a symbol of Ukrainian music. Unusual ethnic material attracted the attention of even those people who did not consider themselves fans of folklore.

There is little information about Katya Chili's personal life on Wikipedia. It is known that the singer had an army of fans who were completely different people.

Adult fans of Ukrainian music, representatives of generation X and lovers of unconventional compositions are happy to attend her concerts. Katya took less than a year to become a star, and she confidently continues to defend her status. She gives interviews, takes an active part in various TV shows and performs at the largest venues in the city of Kyiv and the country. One of the main victories of Chile was a prize-winning place at the Chervona Ruta festival.

The Western community became interested in the work of a fragile and unusually tiny girl, and in 1997 Bill Rowdy (MTV president) invited her to take part in one of the channel's programs. Photos from the personal life of Katya Chili can be found in the internship in young and mature years. In the arsenal of awards, the girl has an honorable first place from the Fringe festival, which took place on the territory of the Scottish town of Edinburgh.

Numerous viewers compare Ekaterina's style of performance with the "singing of a beautiful elf", during her performances she creates unique vibrations that are more like a whirlwind. From the outside, it seems that Chile is plunging into a state of nirvana, becoming a medium that tells the story of the ancient world.

Archaic material allows her to present unique works to the public in a modern way, here it is a new embodiment of the spirit of the people.

Life after injury

She does not like to tell details about Katya Chili's personal life and health. At one of the performances, the singer fell off the stage and received serious injuries to the brain and spine. First aid was provided by a colleague Alexander Polozhinsky, who helped Ekaterina throughout her rehabilitation.

For some time, the artist disappears from the TV screens, her condition worsens, and Chile begins to fall into a state of depression, which is accompanied by despair.

Despite the experiences and mixed emotions, the girl continued her work on the album, called "Dream". With him, she traveled to forty cities in the UK. After a concert in London, she was offered to shoot a video for the BBC channel. In 2000, the singer collaborated with many composers, then she recorded an album called "Dream".

It was never published, even though the program became successful abroad. In 2005, the maxi-single "Pivni" was born, on the creation of which famous Ukrainian and Russian DJs worked. A nice bonus for Katya's numerous fans was the track "Ponad gloomy", which she performed together with Alexander Polozhinsky and the work was presented to the public in 3D technology. A new stage of creativity has become another stepping stone for Catherine.

Albums by Katya Chili

2006 presented the album "I'm Young", which included the well-known tracks of the performer, the video of the same name was presented on the air of the music channel in 2006. The songs of Katya Chili and her personal life are of interest to many people.

The unique combination of modern electronic music and folklore is the diamond of her work. The soulful voice of the singer literally penetrates to the depths of the soul. Since 2007, Katya has been performing with a group called Solominbend, which includes famous musicians: Viktor Solomin, Konstantin Ionenko, Alik Fataev and Alexei Bogolyubov.

The new program is a combination of jazz and folklore in a modern, unusual arrangement. The audience warmly welcomes the team, which becomes the headliners of numerous festivals that take place throughout Ukraine.

2008 - the presentation of an acoustic program in which there is not a drop of electronic music. Since 2010, work has continued on a new album, completely acoustic. Katya Chili continues to draw attention to her person, the audience is delighted with her unique voice.

At the end of 2016, the singer took part in the program “People. Hard Talk", shared her plans for the future, talked about the sources of inspiration and once again surprised her fans. More than once, the artist admitted that she herself writes poetry for songs that are born in the process of deep shocks and experiences, which are sometimes impossible to cope with.

Katya Chili in the show "Voice"

On January 2, 2017, the 1+1 TV channel began broadcasting the seventh season of the popular show Voice. The jury included: Tina Karol, Potap, Jamala and Sergey Babkin. Katya Chili came to the blind auditions and stunned not only all the spectators, but also the jury, all four people turned to her. The musical composition "Svetlitsa", a combination of folk motifs, was performed.

Chili chose Tina Karol as a mentor, who was very happy. The artist, who sings with her soul, has managed to win millions of hearts and will fight for the main prize - victory in the Voice show.

She said that she came just to sing and did not even hope that she would pass such a tough selection, but she stayed. A talented, sincere and incredibly charismatic singer who sings with her soul.

Katya Chili returned to the stage last week. Someone has known her since the distant 90s, someone heard her voice just now. What kind of singer is this and what made her return to the big stage - see the following facts.

The beginning of creativity

Ekaterina Kondratenko, later - Katya Chilly, appeared on stage quite by accident, at the age of 8, when she performed and got on television in 1986 during one concert. As the singer said: "All this was accidentally filmed by television, and I felt like a stage virus got into my blood, which, in principle, cannot be removed."

Later in 1992, Katya received the Grand Prix in a song contest. There the singer found her future composer and mentor Sergei Smetanin.

Concerts and albums of the singer

Katya's success in show business made itself felt. In 1997-1999, the singer released her first album "Mermaids In Da House" and declared itself in Germany, Poland, Sweden, Egypt, the USA and other countries. And already in March 2001, Katya Chilly performed with a concert program in London, where she gave more than 40 concerts. The artist's performances were broadcast live on the BBC channel.

In the early 2000s, Katya, together with other band members, created a joint album "Dream", but it was never published.

In 2003, the hit "Ponad Khmarami" was released, recorded together with the leader of the Tartak group Sashko Polozhinsky. In 2005 he presents a new single "Pivni", and already in 2006 he releases another studio album "I am young".

Beginning of "Calm"

In 2008, Katya decides to create a group Katya Chilly with other musicians. Since in 2007-2009 the singer was the headliner of the festivals "Jazz Koktebel", "Golden Gate", "Chervona Ruta", "Rozhanitsa", "Antonych-fest", "Junior Eurovision", there was a slight lull in her work.

Since 2010, the singer has delved into work on solo acoustic material and began to appear in public less and less. However, the singer did not "disappear" and remained well-known. Only in March 2016, in the studio of the M2 channel with Sashko Polozhinsky, the singer performed the old hit "Ponad khmarami".

Return to the big stage

It became a real sensation. According to the singer, she did not plan to stay on the project, as she only came as a guest. But the judges convinced her to choose one of her mentors and continue to sing on the show. Katya unexpectedly changed her choice and chose Tina Karol. The singer was amazed by Katya's choice and touchingly commented on this event: "How Ukraine needs you."

Despite the vast experience in the Ukrainian show business, Katya Chilly appeared on the stage again and perhaps this time she will again win the attention of her faithful listeners.