Lena Vasilek Biography
Poet and composer Lena Vasilek has been performing songs in the pop-folk genre throughout her entire creative biography.
Her poems are harmoniously intertwined with music; the blonde’s bright appearance has also become one of the factors of popularity.
Lena Vasilek Childhood and youth
Lena Vasilek was born on March 29, 1970 in Moscow into the family of a design engineer who worked in the defense industry. Cornflower is the performer’s creative pseudonym, taken in honor of the song of the same name. Her real name is Verkhovskaya. According to another version, the singer took the surname of her paternal relatives who had Belarusian roots.
Elena spent her childhood in the village. Her grandfather Ivan instilled in the girl a love of music; he played the balalaika masterfully, and his repertoire included hundreds of folk songs. The man was often invited to weddings, and sometimes he took his granddaughter with him. Lena wrote her first poem dedicated to her grandmother at the age of eight. The woman happily talks about this period of her biography in an interview:
- “I was born in Moscow, but until school I practically lived with my grandparents in the village of Kondrashovka, Voronezh region, so I consider myself a native of those places. Later, while studying in the city, I still visited them every summer. When people ask me why I chose the genre of folk music, I answer that it is the merit of my grandfather Ivan.”
The gifted girl sang in the Big Children’s Choir of Central Television and All-Union Radio; the ability of the owner of a gorgeous voice was highly appreciated by conductor Viktor Popov. Vasilek, as part of the group, performed concerts in cities of the Soviet Union and visited other countries. During his career, the teacher prepared many programs and won international competitions in Italy and Poland.
After graduating from school, Elena entered the Moscow Music College named after M. M. Ippolitov-Ivanov. Within the walls of the educational institution she met her future husband Valery Semin. A graduate of Gnesinka in accordion class, he founded the group “White Day” in 1990 and invited the girl to play the role of a soloist.
Lena Vasilek Group “White Day”
The repertoire of the group “White Day” consisted of folk songs with modern interpretation. The team performed on tour; the collapse of the Soviet Union did not in any way affect the work of the tandem of Semin and Vasilek. They were often invited to foreign countries, young people became laureates of international competitions in China, Italy and Germany. An important work in the discography of the performers, thanks to which the compositions appeared in the rotation of radio stations, is the album “Balalaika in Rock”. The musicians covered songs of such world-famous groups as Deep Purple, The Beatles and Metallica.
Vasilek continued to write songs, and gradually they began to be performed at the group’s concerts. Together with her husband, the girl became a frequent guest on television talk shows; the creative tandem hosted the “Guests” program on the “Chanson” radio station. In addition, the couple collaborated with Honored Artist of the Russian Federation Mikhail Evdokimov. The calling card of the group was the song “Galina” from the album “Sing It Up, Countrymen!”
Lena Vasilek’s solo career
In 2012, Semin stopped collaborating with Vasilek, and the performer began a full-fledged solo career. At first, she performed under the “White Day” brand, until her ex-husband patented the group’s name. The singer toured with the program “I Love You, Mom!”, composed mainly of original compositions. Problems in her personal life did not in any way affect the work of Elena, who found solace in art.
A native of Moscow registered an account on the YouTube platform in December 2012, she posts clips, rare videos from performances and recordings of broadcasts of the author’s program “Gathering Friends!” into the public domain. On social networks, Vasilek publishes information about upcoming concerts; fans can see photographs from the family archive and clips from television talk shows with the participation of the performer. She also has her own official website.
Lena Vasilek Personal life
The creative and marital union of Verkhovskaya and Semin helped both artists develop; the public did not immediately learn about the shaken idyll in the family. The accordion virtuoso cited the pile of unresolved everyday problems that had accumulated over twenty years of marriage as the reason for the divorce, and in an interview he spoke about the complex character of his ex-wife. Vasilek had the opposite point of view – she hinted at betrayal; rumors circulated among the group’s fans about the man’s possible infidelities.
The divorce process dragged on for several years. The former spouses divided their property for a long time; Semin demanded through the court that Elena be prohibited from performing compositions by the group “White Day”. The divorce negatively affected the relationship between the man and his son Ivan, who chose his mother’s side. Now the young man prefers to communicate not with his father, but with Vasilek’s second husband, Grigory Morozov.
He worked as a concert director. According to Elena, for a long time she did not pay attention to him as a potential partner. Now the singer is happily married and is glad that Morozov has found a common language with her son.
Cornflower leads a healthy lifestyle and adheres to a monotrophic raw food diet. She also practices yoga and enjoys skiing and swimming. The singer’s favorite book is “The Count of Monte Cristo” by Alexandre Dumas.
Lena Vasilek Now
Now Vasilek continues to actively tour, her concerts invariably attract crowds of enthusiastic fans of folk music.
In October 2023, on the air of the talk show “Hello, Andrey!”, in an episode dedicated to the birthday of pop singer Yaroslav Sumishevsky, the creative tandem of Elena and her ex-husband Semin were reunited. The musicians performed the composition “Galina”.
Lena Vasilek Discography
1991 — “Russian songs”
1995 – Around the world
1996 — “Balalaika in Rock”
1999 — “I cooked fish soup”
2000 — “Songs of Love”
2001 — “Ay-ay-ay”
2001 — “Village”
2002 – “Ay-ay-ay in a new way”
2002 — “Flowers of the field”
2002 — “Favorite Songs”
2003 — “Tractor Driver”
2005 — “Sing, fellow countrymen!”
2009 – “Bitter!”
2011 — “Galina”
2013 — “I love you, mom”
2015 — “Barefoot in Russia”
Lena Vasilek Interesting Facts
1. Verkhovskaya has loved bright outfits since childhood. At concerts, she often changes dresses between songs.
A woman writes lyrics while driving a car.
2. The song “Galina” is dedicated to Mikhail Evdokimov’s wife Galina Nikolaevna.
3. Vasilek gave the composition to pop artist Nikolai Gnatyuk, and they performed it together at the Slavic Bazaar festival.
4. Verkhovskaya’s son Ivan was named in honor of the performer’s grandfather.
5. Vasilek performs on stage barefoot. The singer believes that when she sings on stage without shoes, she better feels the energy coming from the audience. Sometimes after concerts in small, wooden venues, her feet bleed.
Lena Vasilek Instagram
Why did Semin and Lena Vasilek divorce?
For more than 20 years, Valery Semin lived in marriage with singer Elena Verkhovskaya. In 2001, their son Ivan was born, and in 2012 the couple announced their divorce. The artist explained the reason for the divorce by saying that over decades of family life they had accumulated a lot of negativity, mutual grievances and fatigue from each other.
What is Lena Vasilek’s real name?
Elena Verkhovskaya (Lena Vasilek) – actress – biography – actresses – celebrities in cinema – Cinema-Theater
Why did White Day break up?
In the fall of 2012, Valery Semin stopped collaborating with Lena Vasilek. The founders of “White Day” actually began solo careers. The group was transformed into the accompanying musical groups Semin and Vasilek (in 2013-2016, Valentina Ryazanova was also the soloist of Semin’s “White Day”).
Who is Grigory Morozov, Lena Vasilek’s husband?
Grigory Iosifovich Morozov (1921-2001) – Soviet and Russian lawyer, Honored Scientist of Russia, Doctor of Law, professor, honorary president of the World Federation of United Nations Associations. First husband of daughter I.V.