Russya

She was a two-time winner in Best Female Artist of Ukraine in 1990 and 1991.

• Name — Russya • Alias — Russya Irina Ossaoulenko • Birth Name — Iryna Volodymyrivna Poryvai • Born — 9 June 1968 • Occupation — Singer, musician, choral conductor, artist • Origin — Kyiv, Ukraine • Instrument — Piano, accordion, organ • Years Active — 1989–1999, 2007–present • Genre — Pop, dance, disco

Iryna Poryvai was born on 9 June 1968 in Kyiv. Her sister is the Russian pop singer Natasha Korolyova, and her husband, K. Ossaoulenko, is a composer. After graduating as a choir conductor from the Kyiv Musical School, in 1989-1991 she engaged in numerous tours around Ukraine, achieving great popularity. In 1992 Russya and her husband emigrated to Canada, where she continued her career as pop singer, cooperating with the "Yevshan" music company in Montreal. She also worked as a conductor at St. Andrew's Orthodox church in Toronto. Russya performed most of her songs in Ukrainian, along with some compositions in Russian. She made a number of records on Ukrainian Radio and television. She retired from recording pop music in 1997, but continued to tour (sometimes with her sister, Natasha Korolyova) until 1999. During the 2000s she worked as a private music teacher at a college in the United States. In 2007, she returned to recording with an album "The Best of Russya".

• Russya's official website.Офіційна українська веб-сторінка Русі • Natasha Koroleva's web site • http: kmstudio.com.ua/index.php?nma=cherem&fla=stat&nm=rusia