[advertising]

By MELISSA WISEMAN
Staff Writer

A group normally consists of two or more members, often there to give support whenever needed. But to be a Solo vocalist, out there alone in the spotlight, this person has to take everything alone, whether it is good or bad, admiration or extreme criticism. These are the things that Yulia has to face.

Yulia is a solo vocalist with a Pop/Classical Crossover. She hails from New Zealand and released her first album, entitled "Into the West", in 2004. This album went on to being number one and earned many awards in NZ. Her second album, "Montage", was released in 2006. This album officially went two times platinum in NZ.

From learning about Yulia’s background and her determination, she has greatly deserved each achievement she has reached. Yulia was born in Volgograd, Russia in 1986, but it wasn’t until she moved to NZ that she was discovered. One amazing thing about her is that she only learned the English language in 2002, after her move to New Zealand. Her voice has been described as “a lovely contralto voice that has wonderful maturity and dulcit tones.” Another amazing thing is that she sings fluently in six languages; English, Russian, French, Italian, Spanish and Maori. This is a great accomplishment for a 22 year old vocalist.

Yulia has songs such as "We’re Not Alone" that she sings with such feeling and passion as to draw the listener into the music. It is almost as if she is standing right before us, singing the song directly to us, no matter what the situation is. The same feelings are discovered within the song "Into the West".

Yulia is sure to gain some true fans that will follow her during the years to come. She has a very distinctive voice which will draw audiences both present and in the future. Their attention will be focused solely on her as she sings songs that remind them of lullabies and each person begins to feel relaxed.

Yulia has taken both well known songs, such as Sarah McLaughlin’s "Angel", and her own songs to amaze the public. She is expected to release another album sometime this year, as well as release music within the United States. This is certainly an artist we will be hearing again in the near future.