Verka Serduchka – Ukrainian Cinderella

Verka Serduchka nowadays is an extremely popular artist not only in Ukraine but also in Europe and Russia. The tracks of Serduchka get to the top of ratings, straight away after getting on the radio. Verka is on tour most of the lifetime; journalists of the best media stand in a queue to get a possibility of an interview with Andrey Danilko (the author and performer of Verka Serduchka). But all this is not the main point.
Andrey Danilko was born in Poltava on October 2nd,1973, and he could never imagine his future success studying for a sales clerk. And he never strived to become famous or popular. But the success caught him up itself.
While studying at school, Andrei takes part in different comic contests where he presents the image of the train conductor Verka Serduchka for the first time. These performances get a huge success among the audience, so being a student Andrei starts his first tour in Stavropol Kray.
During first few years Danilko receives a number of comic festivals awards and becomes a TV host at Kharkov TV channel “Privat TV”.
His comic performances “Provodnitsa”(The Conductor) and “Stolovaya” (Dining Room) where Andrei copies simple habits of the post-Soviet Union residents bring him a huge success and make Verka Serduchka a truly national hero. All of his sketches are taken by phrases which become popular quotations straight away. In 1995 Verka Serduchka becomes a hero of a few advertising campaigns and starts a tour followed by sold out venues and national recognition.
In 1996 Serduchka becomes an Artists of “Nova Management” team (“Mamamusic” nowadays) and starts an ongoing effective cooperation with music producer Yurii Nikitin.
In 1997 Serduchka becomes a singer and releases the first single “Prosto Vera” (Just Vera). Verka also starts author’s TV show “SV show” on the national channel “1+1″. The show becomes a real breakthrough in media and brings Ukrainian entertainment TV up to a new quality level.
In 2001 Verka goes on a tour cross Russia and CIS countries where all shows are full audiences again. The songs «Pirozhok» (The Patty), «Kontrolior» (The Ticket Collector), «Chita-Drita», «Hop-Hop» become hits and bring to Serduchka even more of national love and fame.
In 2003 Andrei Danilko gets a title of People’s Artist of Ukraine and his album “Ha-ra-sho!” becomes a “diamond album” having been sold in a number of 500 000 copies.
Verka takes part in New Year’s musicals «Vechera na Hutore bliz Dikanki”(Evenings in a Homestead Near Dikanka), «Zolushka» (Cinderella), «Prikluchenia Verki Serduchki» (Adventures of Verka Serduchka), «Sorochinskaya Yarmarka» (Sorochin’s Fair) for Russian TV channels. These shows have become very popular in CIS countries.
In 2005 Andrey Danilko releases his instrumental album “Posle Tebia” (When You Are Gone) and in 2006 the pop album “Trali-Vali“.
In 2007 the idol of the audience Verka Serduchka goes to present Ukraine at the International song contest “Eurovision” where he causes a real furor. And in spite of the fact that Verka takes only 2nd place, for the audience and media this artist from Ukraine has become a true sensation. 372 TV cameras attended the press-conference with the Ukrainian star – this is a record quantity for Eurovision. The fever around the non-standard artist grew extremely fast.
So Verka Serduchka comes back to Ukraine as a winner and continues active work, releasing new hits and new album “DOREMI“.
These days Verka is permanently touring in Ukraine, Russia, Germany, the USA, Israel, Spain and Italy.