Valeriya Andreyevna Engalycheva (russian: Валерия Андреевна Енгалычева,

Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditional ...

: Valeria Engalîceva; born 7 April 1999), known professionally as Lerika (russian: Лерика), is a Moldovan-Russian singer and songwriter. She represented Moldova in the

Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2011 The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2011 was the ninth edition of the annual Junior Eurovision Song Contest, and took place in Yerevan, Armenia at the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concerts Complex. It was the first time in history of the Junior Euro ...

with the song "No-No", and Russia in the 2012 contest with "Sensatsiya". This made her the second Junior Eurovision Song Contest entrant to compete twice (the first being Russia in 2009 and 2011 with Ekaterina Ryabova), and the first to represent two different countries.

Life and work

Engalycheva was born in Olomouc, in the Czech Republic, to a Russian family. She first began singing at the age of four. She moved to

Moldova Moldova ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Moldova ( ro, Republica Moldova), is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. The List of states ...

at a young age, where her grandmother lived, and then moved to Russia with her family at age 13, settling in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

. Throughout her childhood, Engalycheva participated in a number of European singing competitions, including

Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk The International Festival of Arts “Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk” ( be, Міжнародны фестываль мастацтваў «Славянскі базар у Віцебску», uk, Міжнародний фестиваль мист ...

, Orpheus in Italy, New Wave Junior, and Kinotavrik. At age 12, Engalycheva was selected to represent Moldova at the

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Y ...

, with the song "No-No". She ultimately placed sixth, earning 78 points; this became Moldova's most successful participation in the contest to date. After moving to Russia in 2012, Engalycheva competed in the Russian national final for the

Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2012 The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2012 was the tenth edition of the annual Junior Eurovision Song Contest. It took place at the AFAS Live, Heineken Music Hall in Amsterdam, Netherlands on 1 December 2012. Dutch broadcaster AVRO (broadcaster), AV ...

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

, with the song "Sensatsiya". She went on to win the competition, earning the right to represent Russia; this made Engalycheva the second artist to compete at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest twice, and the first to represent two different countries. She ultimately placed fourth, receiving 88 points. Engalycheva is a student at Moscow Art Theatre School, where she is set to graduate in 2023. She speaks Russian,

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, and

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

, and has released music in Russian, English, and Romanian. In 2022, Engalycheva was a contestant on the tenth season of '' Vocea României'' (The Voice of Romania). As part of Irina Rimes's team, she got to the Battles round, before being eliminated.

Discography

Singles

References

External links

Unofficial website
{{authority control 1999 births 21st-century Russian women singers Child pop musicians Junior Eurovision Song Contest entrants for Russia Living people Moldovan child singers Moldovan emigrants to Russia Moldovan expatriates in the Czech Republic 21st-century Moldovan women singers Moldovan people of Russian descent Musicians from Moscow Musicians from Olomouc Russian child singers Russian expatriates in the Czech Republic Russian pop singers