MakSim Russian Singer Born 1983 in Kazan

Early life

MakSim, the stage name of a Russian singer and songwriter, was born on 10 June 1983 in Kazan. She is said to have taken her nickname from her older brother Maksim, with whom she was close as a child. She studied vocals and piano at a local music school, and she also practised karate, reaching the level of red belt. Later she attended Kazan State Technical University named after A. N. Tupolev.

Career

At fifteen she decided to build a life around music and became the lead singer of Pro-Z, a Kazan group that performed at local events and gained a regional following but no national attention. In 2003 she recorded "Trudnyi vozrast" with the band, which received little radio play; the next single, "Santimetry dykhaniya", reached number 34 on the TopHit radio chart. She then moved to Moscow in search of a wider audience. With no home waiting for her, she spent eight days sleeping in a railway station before meeting the roommate with whom she later rented an apartment for six years.

In 2005 she signed with Gala Records and re-released "Trudnyi vozrast". A debut album of the same name followed in 2006, and she filmed her first videos, for that song and for "Nezhnost'", before setting out on her first tour across the country. The single "Otpuskayu", released in late 2006, became her first number one in Russia, and "Znayesh' li ty" also topped the TopHit chart. Her second album, Moy ray, came out in November 2007.

On 22 March 2008 she gave a solo concert at the Olympic Stadium in Moscow, which was ranked the fourth best-selling concert in Russia that year with more than 12,000 tickets sold. In August 2008 she released "Luchshaya noch'", which led the TopHit general chart, and its follow-up "Ne otdam" did the same and became her most frequently played song on Russian radio. Her third album, Odinochka, was released in December 2009.

Her output slowed after 2010, when the single "Dozhd'" was the first lead single in several years not to top the general chart. She released her fourth album, Drugaya real'nost', in mid-2013 and afterwards parted ways with Gala Records. Her fifth album, Khorosho, appeared in 2015, and her sixth, Poligamnost', in 2018. In late 2020 she returned to the stage with the song "Zabyvay". Her catalogue on this site also lists the singles "Moy Ray" (2007) and "God" (2015), and she is credited as a guitarist. Her recordings are classed as pop rock and pop music, and her label of record is SBA Production.

Recognition

MakSim's first nominations at the MTV Russia Music Awards came in 2007, and she won in both categories she was entered in, Best Female Singer and Best Pop Project. That year she was also named Discovery of the Year at the Muz-TV Awards and won Best Ringtone for "Nezhnost'". In 2008 she took Best Female Singer, Best Song for "Moy ray" and Best Album at Muz-TV, and she won the Best Female Singer prize there again in June 2009. She was also nominated for the MTV Europe Music Award for Best MTV Russia Act in 2007. Other honours include a Golden Gramophone Award and a ZD Award. In late 2016 she received the title Merited Stage Artist of the Republic of Tatarstan, honouring her work in her home region. The records used for this profile count five award wins and one nomination in total.