Biography
Who is Zara?
Early life and background
Zarifa Pashaevna Mgoyan was born in Leningrad to a Yezidi-Kurdish family. Her father, Pasha Binbashievich Mgoyan, works in machine building and holds a degree in physics and mathematics. Her mother, Nadi Dzhamalovna Mgoyan, is a housewife. Both parents were originally from Leninakan, Armenia.
The singer attended secondary school No. 2 in Otradnoye. In 2000, she graduated from Gymnasium No. 56 in Saint Petersburg, earning a silver medal. During her school years, she also studied piano at a music school and graduated with honors.
Musical and acting career
Zara began her musical path in 1995 after meeting composer Oleg Kvasha. They recorded several songs in 1996, including The Heart of Juliette, which helped her gain initial recognition. Throughout the late 1990s, she won various competitions such as the Grand Prix at the Let the Children Laugh International Festival in Egypt and the Hopes of Siberia contest in Omsk.
She graduated from the Russian State Institute of Performing Arts in 2004. Her acting credits include roles in the TV series Streets of Broken Lights, Spetsnaz 2, and Favorsky. She also appeared in feature films like White Sand and Pushkin. The singer participated in the Fabrika Zvyozd competition in 2006 and the Two Stars project in 2009.
Social and humanitarian work
The performer is active in several social causes and holds various titles. She was named a UNESCO Artist for Peace in 2016 at the UN Headquarters in Paris. She has also served as an ambassador for the FIFA World Cup 2018 and the orphan football competition Future depends on you.
Her charity involvement includes being a member of the supervisory board for the Step Towards Charity Foundation. She also supports the Answering the Call of the Heart Foundation, which assists children with visual impairments. Since 2010, she has participated in the White Cane Annual Charity Festival to aid the rehabilitation of young people with vision loss.
Personal life and honors
Zara has been married twice. In 2004, she married Sergei Matvienko, but they divorced in 2006. She later married Sergei Ivanov in 2010, with whom she had two sons, Daniil and Maxim, before their divorce in 2016. She is also a Merited Artist of the Russian Federation, a title she received in 2016.
She has received several military and state decorations. These include the Medal to Participant in Military Operations in Syria and the Prize of the Federal Security Service of Russia. She also performed several solo concerts at the Khmeimim air base to support Russian troops in Syria.
Birthday and age
Zara was born on July 26, 1983, which makes Zara 43 years old today. That birthday falls under the Leo sign. Zara shares the date with 50 other famous people.
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