Gurtskaya Diana Gudayevna (born 1978) is a popular Russian pop singer, philanthropist, and public figure. With her life example, the singer proves that you can live fully, even when you see this world only through dark glasses. Having experienced the hardships of the disease, she tries to alleviate the suffering of sick children. On the initiative and with the active support of Gurtskaya, the White Cane festival is held, and the charity foundation “At the Call of the Heart” is successfully operating. During her solo career, Gurtskaya released 4 albums, in support of which ten video clips were shot. Popular composers collaborate with Diana: I. Nikolaev, I. Krutoy, A. Chelobanov, and I. Kobzon, T. Cutugno, D. Roussos and many others sang in duets with her.
Childhood and youth
Diana Gurtskaya was born on July 2, 1978 in the capital of Abkhazia, Sukhumi. Her father Guda worked as a miner, and her mother Zaira worked as a teacher. In very early childhood, the parents had no idea about their daughter’s congenital blindness, until she one day fell from the sofa and hurt her face until it bled. Unfortunately, the doctors' diagnosis turned out to be disappointing - the disease turned out to be incurable, and Diana remained blind.
But this did not break the future star, and she strived with all her might to fulfill her dream of becoming a singer. As an eight-year-old girl, she demonstrated an unbending will, convincing her teachers that she could master the piano. At the music school, no one made any special concessions for her, and she had to receive an education on the same basis as everyone else, relying on her memory and ear for music. In general, singing is in her blood. No matter what she did, Diana always sang as a child. The singer's first instrument was a small piano, on which the girl accompanied herself while singing children's songs.
It was not easy to study, because Diana simultaneously received secondary education at a boarding school for blind children and at a music school. She still cannot forget this time, because she had to leave her home 500 kilometers. Then it seemed like a great tragedy, and the girl, arriving at the boarding school, often cried, hiding behind her suitcase. Despite the care and love of the teachers, Gurtskaya never tires of repeating: “A piece of black bread at home is better than a festive lunch in a boarding school.” Today she thanks fate for this test, thanks to which she learned to be strong. My parents also helped with this, they always said: “Don’t be afraid of anything! You are like everyone else!
Diana took part in various music competitions, at one of which she was noticed by the popular Georgian singer I. Sakhadze. Thanks to her, the girl got the opportunity to sing on the stage of the Tbilisi Philharmonic. In 1995, Gurtskaya participated in the prestigious Yalta-Moscow-Transit competition, performing the song “Tbiliso” incomparably. And although she did not take any prizes, the girl was awarded a special prize. In addition, here her fate brought her together with I. Nikolaev, whom she met after the performance. The composer admitted that he was amazed by Diana’s voice and was ready to collaborate with her. Later he would write the hits “The Magic Glass of My Soul” and “You Are Here” for the singer. In general, Nikolaev played a significant role in the development of singer Gurtskaya, making her believe in herself and writing wonderful songs for her that touched the soul.
Height, weight, age. How old is Diana Gurtskaya
Diana Gurtskaya, who quickly burst into the world of show business, also quickly disappeared from the stage towards the end of the first decade of the 21st century. Despite this, interest in the creative work of this woman, who has long given her heart to politics, does not disappear today. Fans of the artist ask questions: What is Diana Gurtskaya’s height, weight, age, how old is Diana Gurtskaya, what is Gurtskaya doing today? If you believe the data on the World Wide Web, Diana Gurtskaya turned 40 this year. The artist's weight is 62 kg and her height is 168 cm.
Older brother
Even strong people need faith and support from loved ones, and Diana, fortunately, has such a person in her life. This is my beloved older brother Robert. It was he who sent the tape with his sister’s voice to the organizers of the Yalta-Moscow-Transit competition, which became fateful for Diana. When the news arrived that Diana had made it to the semi-finals, she, frightened, categorically refused to go to the capital. The brother had to grab his sister and take her to the competition.
After the start of the war in Abkhazia, the family was separated - Diana and her brothers went to Moscow, and her parents remained at home. There is no need to explain for a long time how difficult it was for the girl in an unfamiliar city, but Robert again provided her with comprehensive assistance. “My brother is an important part of my life,” the singer adds. It is interesting that Robert’s son was born almost at the same time as Kostya.
Solo career
After moving to the capital, Diana enters the variety department of the Gnessin School. At the same time, the girl mastered the basics of acting at GITIS. The singer received another education at Moscow State University, graduating from the Faculty of Arts.
After graduating from Gnesinka in 1999, she takes her first steps in show business. Her first hit was the song “You Are Here,” but few listeners knew what was going on in the soul of the performer, who learned that her mother had been diagnosed with a terrible cancer. In 2000, the singer’s first album, “You Are Here,” was released. It included 13 compositions written by S. Chelobanov and I. Nikolaev.
In the future, they will collaborate with Diana more than once. Two years later, the album “You Know, Mom” was released, followed by “Tender” (2004) and “Nine Months” (2007). In addition, 10 videos were filmed, in one of them, filmed for the song “Family People,” she sings a duet with I. Kobzon. There were many creative duets in the singer’s career. At different times she sang with Al Bano, Demis Roussos, Toto Cutugno. In one of the last video clips for the song “I’m Losing You,” Diana was not afraid to appear before the general public without her usual dark glasses.
Each composition by Gurtskaya is imbued with deep personal experiences. This is probably why any song sung to her is inspired by incredible sincerity and honesty. In collaboration with Igor Krutoy, the song “You Know, Mom” was born. At first it was supposed to sound a little different, but Diana introduced the composer to the story of her mother, and three days later he brought the revised version. During the recording of the song, the singer burst into tears, and her tears ended up in the final version of the performance.
Fate tested the tenacious girl’s strength more than once. She experienced a new shock after her brother Dzhambul was brutally beaten on the streets of the capital and died from his injuries. But Diana managed to survive this nightmare with honor and, in memory of her mother and brother, plunged headlong into work.
Diana Gurtskaya photo without glasses with open eyes
Stylish black glasses have been an invariable attribute of Diana Gurtskaya’s image from her very first appearance on stage. For a long time, the tabloid press claimed that blindness was just a PR stunt for the aspiring artist, but Diana steadfastly endured such accusations, remaining devoted to art and fans. Nevertheless, individuals are still trying to “bring the singer out into the open.” Occasionally, fake news appears online under the headline: “Diana Gurtskaya photo without glasses with open eyes.” Nothing special awaits sensation hunters in this regard; on the Internet you can only find photos from Gurtskaya’s childhood. They show that the girl’s eyes are slightly slanted; photos without glasses are now unavailable to fans and “well-wishers.” However, in 2014, the singer decided on a bold experiment, which for a long time excited those who were looking for some kind of sensation during Diana’s illness. In the video for the song “Losing You,” she starred without the usual glasses for the public, the artist’s eyes were covered with a bandage, a lace ribbon, in some scenes of the video there is no protection at all on her eyes, they are closed, and the singer’s eyelids are made up in the style of smoky eyes, which looks very bold and eccentric.
New frontiers
In 2008, Diana took part in Eurovision, representing Georgia at the competition. She became the first blind performer from Eastern Europe to participate in this competition. Gurtskaya sang the song “Peace well come” in English. Before entering the prestigious competition, Diana passed a tough national selection. Some critics, for example A. Mikheev, called the song one of the best in the repertoire and predicted success for it. As a result, the singer managed to make it to the finals, where she took 11th place.
Gurtskaya is always elegant on stage and is a definite standard of style. “I love to look beautiful,” says the singer. She collaborates with famous fashion designers I. Chepurin and A. Tolkacheva, and more recently she has been dressed by the Starbans atelier.
In 2011, Gurtskaya was invited to the popular television project “Dancing with the Stars,” where she performed together with S. Balashov. Dancing and fitness are still the singer’s hobbies, which she always tries to devote time to in her busy schedule.
Social activity
Diana Gurtskaya, like no one on our stage, does a lot to help other people. Having studied at a boarding school for the blind, she is well aware of how important support is for children with disabilities. On her initiative, the White Cane International Vocal Festival was organized, where accomplished stars are invited. They not only judge little performers, but also sing in duets with them. The first event took place in October 2010. Over the past four years, the festival has been held as part of the Sochi 2014 Cultural Olympics.
In addition, the Call of the Heart Foundation provides support to visually impaired and blind children. Its main task is to provide medical assistance and support in the development of creative abilities to blind children. With the support of the organization, several successful operations were carried out that helped overcome serious illnesses. But they don’t forget about the pupils of specialized boarding schools and social centers, because these children do not have parental care.
In 2010, the singer became a member of the Public Council of the Volga Federal District for the development of civil society institutions, and since 2013 she has been a member of the Presidential Commission on Disabled People. On the eve of the Sochi Olympics, Diana was one of its ambassadors.
There are no barriers to creativity
The parents were very happy about their daughter’s success and tried in every possible way to develop her musical abilities. Diana could listen to music of different genres for hours. Possessing a wonderful voice, in addition to everything, she sang beautifully with a Georgian accent.
At the age of 8, the girl was sent to study in a specialized institution for children with visual impairments. Her dream was to receive a music education. Diana impressed teachers with her desire to learn, hard work and excellent vocal abilities, and very soon she mastered playing the piano.
The father and mother, who supported their daughter in everything, decided to give Diana the opportunity to take part in a music competition. At the age of ten, the talented young performer began to be invited to perform at the Tbilisi Philharmonic.
Diana’s participation in a children’s vocal competition was fateful, where she met composer Igor Nikolaev, who was fascinated by the gentle voice of the young Georgian and offered her cooperation.
The parents, realizing that their daughter had a unique chance, unanimously decided that they should create all the conditions for Diana for the further development of her singing talent. They decided to move to the capital of Russia. In Moscow, our heroine, having coped well with the entrance exams, becomes a student in the vocal department of the Russian Academy of Music. Gnesins.
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Inspired by her successes, diligent and diligent student Diana Gurtskaya, in parallel with her main studies, studied acting at the Institute of Contemporary Art. Since 2003, she studied art history at Moscow State University. M.V. Lomonosov, has a master's degree.
Personal life
Diana was introduced to her husband, lawyer Peter Kucherenko, by Irina Khakamada to participate in a joint political project. At first, it was exclusively a business union between a successful lawyer and a famous singer. Two years after they met, Peter proposed marriage to Diana, but she responded evasively, wishing for a star from the sky. Nothing is impossible for a person in love, and in 2004 a new star discovered by astronomers was named “Diana Gurtskaya”. In 2005, Diana and Peter got married. In their family, roles are clearly distributed: the husband is the breadwinner and breadwinner, and the wife is the keeper of the family hearth.
Today the couple has a wonderful son, Kostya, to whom his mother pays a lot of attention. In his early childhood, they watched TV together, read books and chatted happily. And let this not surprise anyone - Gurtskaya believes that her son should not feel her blindness. The singer says that she dreams of a second child and wants it to be a daughter. But he tries to rely on God’s providence in this matter.
In general, she is like that in everything - she really wants the people around her to feel joy, not regret, when they look at her. The singer has a magic watch that she carries with her and tells the time with her finger. In her house they don’t like to say “people with disabilities,” and Diana wants to prove to everyone that her capabilities are not so limited.
Diana Gurtskaya now
In recent years, Diana's work has been experimental in nature. Gurtskaya is rebooting her performing career, trying new musical genres. New duet compositions appeared in her repertoire. These are the songs “Promise me love” and “It was love”, which the star performed together with Gleb Matveychuk.
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Diana Gurtskaya in 2021
In 2021, the artist became a guest on Daria Dontsova’s program “I really want to live,” which was shown on the Spas TV channel. Together with the pupils of a boarding school near Moscow for deaf-blind children, she presented the song “Overcome Yourself” to the public.
Earlier, Gurtskaya told viewers of Elena Malysheva’s program “Live Healthy!” about how she once faced the threat of cancer. During a routine examination, doctors discovered a tumor on the singer that could be cancerous. After the examination, an operation was performed to remove it, but the terrible diagnosis was not confirmed. The singer was frightened by the news, since her mother and cousin died of cancer in her family.
