History
After "Popytka No. 5" more videos were out on the screens: "Obnimi menya" (Hold me closer), "Bomba" (Bomb), "Ya ne vernus" (I won’t be back). By the end of the year VIA Gra's repertoire comprised 7 songs that were enough to embark on a tour. The group’s first live performance ever took place in Dnipropetrovsk on the stage of the city’s Ledoviy Palace in front of 4,000 spectators. The group’s management decided to release the first full-length VIA Gra's effort which was entitled after their major hit Popytka No. 5.
Within 2001 VIA Gra collected some of their first awards: “A Hundred Pood Hit” from HIT FM Radio, “Golden Gramophone” from “Russian Radio”, and the “Golden Firebird” prize at the Ukrainian annual festival “Tavriyski Igry”.
2002 saw the group becoming a trio instead of being a duet and changing their musical direction. In spring the group appeared in the new video "Stop! Stop! Stop!" (Russian) whose success enabled VIA Gra to take part in the “Ovation” Music Award Ceremony held at the Moscow’s State Central Concert Hall “Rossiya”. In September a new video “Good morning, papa!” was released, and close to that year’s end the group's members played the roles of crowned heads in a TV musical called "Zolushka" (Cinderella).
In the beginning of 2003 VIA Gra released "Ne ostavlyay menya, lyubimiy" (“Don’t leave me, beloved”), complete with an eponymously titled video tape containing a collection of VIA Gra's videos. They released Stop! Snyato! (Stop! That’s a wrap!) which included five new songs along with seven remixes. They attended the Russian MUZ TV awards and the “Soundtrack” award all won by VIA Gra. In May the group released the new video "Ubey moyu podrugu" (Kill my girlfriend). The end of 2003 having completed their new Biologiya (Biology) album, they entered international music scene. Their first English-language album Stop! Stop! Stop! saw the daylight in Israel, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia and Scandinavian countries. More videos appeared on TV – melodically and lyrically strong "Okean i tri reki" (Ocean and three rivers) and “Prityazhenya bolshe net” (“No attraction anymore”) (both in duet with singer Valeriy Meladze) shortly followed by "Biologiya" (last two videos released in 2004). In the summer of 2004, VIA Gra were awarded with the Russian music award “MUZ TV 2004” and completed a world tour spanning the territories including South East Asia, Israel and America. In November group released two more videos - "Mir, o kotorom ja ne znala do tebya" and English version of this clip - "Take you back".
The year 2005 was marked by the launch of the Russian version of VIA Gra's official website as well as by the release of three new videos: "Net nichego khuzhe", "I don’t want a man" (English version of "Net nichego khuzhe") and "Brillianty" (Diamonds). Additionally the group picked up their second in a row MUZ TV’s “The Best Pop Act” award.
Read more about this topic: Nu Virgos
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