Kristina Edmundovna Orbakaitė (Russian: Кристина Эдмундовна Орбакайте; born 25 May 1971) is a Russian-Lithuanian singer and actress. Her parents are Russian pop star Alla Pugacheva and Lithuanian circus performer Mykolas Orbakas.
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Biography
Kristina Orbakaite was born in Moscow and spent much of her childhood between Šventoji, Lithuania, the home of her paternal grandparents, and Moscow, the home of her maternal grandparents.
At the age of 7, she debuted in the Soviet children's television program "Veseliye Notki" (Happy Musical Notes) with the song "Solnyshko Smeyotsya" (The Sun Laughs). In 1982, she was cast in the leading role of "Lena Bessoltseva" in Scarecrow, a film by Rolan Bykov based on the Vladimir Zheleznikov play of the same name. Production began in 1982 and the film premiered in 1984. It became a critical success, not only in Russia but also overseas, and turned Orbakaite into a child star.
Having met with success in film and music, Orbakaite tried her hand at theater, appearing in 1995 as Helen Keller in an adaptation of William Gibson's The Miracle Worker on the stage of the Moscow Art Theatre. She subsequently received an award from the Russian Ministry of Culture for best female theatrical performance.
In 1996, Orbakaite and her partner, singer Vladimir Presnyakov, joined her mother, Alla Pugacheva, and her mother's then husband, singer Philipp Kirkorov, on a family performance tour through the United States titled "Zvezdnoye Leto" (Starry Summer). During this tour, she performed for the first time at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
In 2000, Orbakaite won World Music Awards in Monte Carlo as the best-selling Russian singer. Later that year, she released her fourth album May.
In 2002, she released her fifth album, Ver v chudesa (Believe in miracles) and appeared in the television series Moscow Saga. In 2003, she released her sixth album, Pereletnaya ptitsa (Wandering bird) and in 2005, she released her seventh album, My life. On 17 January 2004, Kristina met her husband, American businessman Mikhail Zemtsov in Miami. They married in a private ceremony on 9 March 2005 in Miami Beach city hall.
In 2006, Orbakaite appeared in the comedy Lyubov-morkov (Love-carrot) together with Gosha Kutsenko. In 2013, received the title Merited Artist of the Russian Federation from Russian president Vladimir Putin.
In December 2016, her "Insomnia" world tour was presented with two shows in State Kremlin Palace. In 2017, the tour was presented in Russia, Israel, France, Kazakhstan, the United Kingdom, Germany and all Baltic states.
In 2022, she opposed the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Personal life
Orbakaite is married to Russian-American businessman Mikhail Zemtsov. They have a daughter, born on 30 March 2012. Orbakaite also has two sons from previous marriages to singer Vladimir Presnyakov Jr. (m. 1991–1996) and businessman Ruslan Baisarov, born in 1991 and 1998.
In one interview, she stated that she was descended from the German von Orbach family, but during World War II her grandfather, who married a Polish woman and fought the Nazis, had to change his German surname to the Lithuanian Orbakas. Arriving in Lithuania in autumn 2001, Orbakaitė however stated that she had said nothing of the sort. In February 2002, as the granddaughter of Lithuanian citizens, she was granted Lithuanian citizenship at her request.
As of October 2018 Orbakaite likes to spend time at her residence in the Miami, Florida area.
Discography
1994 – Верность "Fidelity"
1996 – Ноль Часов, Ноль Минут "Zero Hours, Zero Minutes"
1998 – Ты "You"
1999 – Той Женщине, Которая... "To That Woman, Who.."
2000 – Май "May"
2001 – The Best
2001 – Remixes
2002 – Верь В Чудеса "Believe in Miracles"
2002 – Океан Любви "Ocean of Love"
2003 – Перелётная птица "Wandering Bird"
2005 – My Life
2008 – Слышишь.. это я "Listen...it's me"
2009 – The Best Part 1 and Part 2
2011 – Поцелуй на бис "Encore Kiss"
2013 – Маски "Masks"
2016 – Бессонница "Insomnia"
2021 – Svoboda "Freedom"
Filmography
1983 - Scarecrow (Lena Bessoltseva)
1991 - Viva Gardes-Marines! (Princess "Fiquet", future Empress Catherine the Great)
1992 - Gardes-Marines III (Princess "Fiquet", future Empress Catherine the Great)
1993 - Charity ball (Shirli)
1995 - Limit (Katya)
1997 - Dunno on the Moon (Zvyozdochka Voice)
1999 - Fara (Neznakomka (unknown woman))
1999 - Dunno on the Moon 2 (Zvyozdochka Voice)
2003 - The Snow Queen (Gerda)
2004 - Moscow Saga (Vera Gorda) TV-series
2007 - Lyubov-Morkov (Marina Golubeva) "Любовь-морковь" is the Russian idiom which literally translates as "Love-carrot". The English phrase "Lovey-dovey" has a close meaning.
2007 - Kingdom of Crooked Mirrors (Indian Woman)
2008 - Lyubov-Morkov 2 (Marina Golubeva)
2010 - Lyubov-Morkov 3 (Marina Golubeva)
2014 - The mystery of the four princesses (Queen Gurunda)
2018 - Cinderella (Socialite)
2022 - Midshipmen 1787. World (Catherine the Great)
2022 - Pregnancy test 3
Theater
1995 – Ponedelnik posle chuda ("Igroki" theater) in the role Helen Keller
1997—2000 – Barishnia-krestianka (Yermolova Theatre) in the role Elizaveta Berestova
2001 – Dannaya (Théâtre de l'Estrade) in the role Frina
2018 - current – Dvoe na kocheliah ("Sovremennik Theater") in the role Gitel Moska