Desi Slava

DESISLAVA is one of the most popular music stars of Bulgaria and always loved by the public. She has an enormous musical talent and a great potential to perform in diverse music styles.
Her career started when she was very young. She won her first award when she was 14 and was already participating in juvenile competitions of folkloric music. Having in mind her autodidactic education, she was complimented for her natural talent and interpretational merit when singing authentic Bulgarian folkloric songs. After she became part of the famous orchestra Radnevo and being its main singer, she attracted the attention of Valkana Stoyanova, a well recognized folkloric singer, who gave her classes for several months and taught her the technique of autochthon singing.
In 1996, when she was 17, Desi achieved her first big award participating in the festival/competition “Valkana Stoianova.” At that event, she won the first place with a unanimous vote although she had to compete along with representatives from the National Academy and the most prestigious folkloric schools.
When she was 18, the biggest recording company in Bulgaria, Payner, proposes a contract to her and in 1998, she gets her first solo album “Nyamam problemi" (“I have no problems”). Its style, popfolk, is the most popular and highly demanded style until nowadays in Bulgaria, and Desislava is the author of 5 of the 11 included themes. The big success comes the following year with her second album. Edited in 1999, “Ezi-Tura” (“Heads-Tales”) includes one of the most emblematic songs of the popfolk “Mazhete vsichko iskat” (“Men want everything”), but it also contains a variety of styles- comprising popfolk, pop, and dance-to be highlighted further in all her music.
Afterwards, there are series of prestigious festivals and another album in 2001 entitled “Za vinagi” (“Forever”), part of which is the super hit “Beli Noshti” (“White nights”), to be recognized some years later as the Hit of the Decade. After a professional break of one year, where she lives in the United States, in 2002 comes the album “Misteria” (“Mystery”) where Desi gets on the music lists and becomes one of the most prestigious artists in Bulgaria.
In these initial years of her career, Desi, called by the music media “the angel voice” already achieved all the awards and prizes that an artist ever wants to win on a national level, and was awarded as the Artist of the Year and a several times winner in categories such as Album of the Year, Video clip of the Year and others.
It is a period marked by unforgettable songs with number one hits such as "Mazhete vsichko iskat" (“Men want everything”), "Beli noshti" (“White nights”), "Ezi-tura" (“Heads – tales”), "Mila moya, mili moy" (“My kind girl, my kind boy” ), "Do tuk" (“That’s it”), "Za vinagi" (“Forever”), "Zhadni za lyubov" (“Thirsty for love”), "Ptitsa skitnitsa" (“Roaming bird”), "Misteria" (“Mystery”), "Mezhdu da i ne" (“Between yes and no”), "Shte te varna" (“I will make you come back”), "Dve sartsa" (“Two hearts”), "Samo edna" (“The only one”), "Ne vyarvam" (“I do not believe”), "Dumi dve" (“Two words”), etc.
In 2003, she decides to leave the big monopolist Payner that was limiting her musical and creative liberty. At the beginning of 2004, she founded her own recording company, NEW MUSIC STARS, gathering her own professional team headed by its musical producer Yovko Petrov, and edits a new album, where she is also a producer. The disc is called "Lyubovta e samo chuvstvo" (“Love is just a feeling”) and turns out to be very innovative since it contains all the styles that Desi likes: popfolk, dance, r&b, hip-hop, and even elements of soul and Latin music.
The pilot song “Prosto zabravi” (“Just forget it”) of the Greek author Angelos Saroglu, conqueres the music lists. From the album come also the pop ballad “Lazha” (“Lie”), which later on she makes in Spanish with the name of “Ficciуn” (“Fiction”), "Badi dobro momche" (“Be a good boy”), "Nyama te do men" (“You Ain't Next To Me”). It is the time when she can finally unleash her artistic creativity. In the photo sessions, Desi also reveals her ability to transform herself in front of the camera. DesiSlava is the one who dictates the vogue and the positive tendencies that many colleagues adopt following her example. The same year, she makes another album together with one of the most eccentric and provocative characters of the Bulgarian popfolk, Azis; the title is “Together” and the themes that head the lists are "Zhaduvam" (“I yearn”), "Znam, che boli" ("I know it hurts"), "Istinski shtastlivi” (“Truly happy”).
In 2005 DesiSlava edits a new album, again with innovative elements and a mixture of styles: "Goreshta sleda" ("Hot trail"), in which she launches a big challenge to the public with the hit “Ne si mi speshen” (“You are not urgent to me”) and some danceable themes such as “Lo lo love me”, “Bailar sin final", "Chudo" (“Miracle”). In 2006, she edits two independent singles that get on the dance floors: one is a popfolk song in duet with Azis "Kazvash, che me obichash" (“You say that you love me”) and the other one with the rapper Igrata "Neshto po-taka" (“Something more special”).
At the end of 2006 comes the album “Sladki sanishta” (“Sweet dreams”) which, according to the critics, is the best one she has done so far. It is a very fine work with a different style from any album done until then in Bulgaria. The themes are varied, the popfolk influences are stylized, and the interpretation is complex and diversified with oriental nuances, pop, r&b, reggaeton, rock and others.
The album brings superhits such as the balad “Nyakoi den" (“Some day”), "Nevazmozhno e da sprem" (“It’s impossible for us to stop”), "Zamalchi!" (Shut up!) and "No soy tal mujer" (“I am not this kind of woman”) with the Cuban Alfredo Torres, the very loved by the public “Ne e ilyuzia” (“It’s not an illusion”), "Podkozhno" (“Underskin”), “Kazhi mi” (“Tell me”) and the adored "Ludost e" (It’s madness) which includes rock/metal and is listened all of the following year.
In 2007, DesiSlava decides to accept an invitation to participate in the VIP version of The Big Brother in Bulgaria. She quickly becomes the favorite participant for the viewers, who daily admires her talent of musical improvisation and great personality, overcoming the day-to-day situations in the house of the Big Brother. The end creates polemics that appeared by the unexpected second place she was left at, so the disappointed media did not stop debating it a month after the end of the program.
The summer of the same year, she edits the single "Reggaeton i malko chalga" (“Reggaeton and a little chalga”) and joins the national tour of The Comics, an artistic group formed by the 5 most distinguished comic actors, in which besides signing, she also exhibits her sense of humor participating in the sketches. The tour turns out very successful and thousands of viewers have the opportunity of listening in live again Desi’s wonderful interpretations of autochthon folklore. In the fall, the musical channel MAD TV decides to introduce in Bulgaria the famous MAD SECRET CONCERTS which show the most distinguished artists in a new light.
Being the most popular singer, DesiSlava accepts the invitation to have her first concert where she gets to surprise everyone singing perfectly songs from the repertoire of Sade, Lenny Kravitz, Cristina Aguilera, Michael Jackson, Tina Turner, Aerosmith, and Madonna, as well as Latin and Russian classic songs. During the same period, she travels to London to record her first song with the famous producer John Themis, known for his work with world stars, with whom she initiates projects of international level. Before Christmas, she edits the single “100 mechti” (“100 dreams”) with r&b nuances showing again her polyvalence.
Currently, in 2008 DesiSlava combines her participation in the TV show of great success in Bulgaria, “Let’s Duet,” with the work on music projects for the market in Bulgaria, the UK and Spain.