Nadia Oleksandrivna Meikher-Granovskaya, also known as Nadia Meikher and Nadezhda Granovskaya, is a Ukrainian singer-songwriter, actress, poet, television personality and fashion designer. Meikher came to regional media attention as a member of the girl group Nu Virgos, being a member on three occasions, including in its "golden era" period from 2003 and 2004. Following her departure from the group in 2006, Meikher began working as a television host on STB. In 2014, she participated in the Russian version of Your FaceSounds Familiar and launched her solo musical career releasing the single "Delo ne v tele".
Early life
Meikher was born Nadia Oleksandrovna Meikher in Zbruchivka village, Volochysk Raion, to father Oleksandr Pavlovich Meikher and mother Galina Anatoliivna Schirba. She is of Jewish and German descent through her father, and of Ukrainian descent through her mother. When Meikher was in school, her mother left for Italy to work there, while Meikher stayed with her father. Her family then moved to Khmelnytskyi, where she studied music and dance. Meikher then moved to Kyiv to study English at the Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University, and also began performing in a local theatre. In 2000, while performing in a theatre in Khmelnytskyi, she was noticed by Valery Meladze, who introduced her to producers Konstantin Meladze and Dmitriy Kostyuk, who invited her to move to Kyiv and join the girl group Nu Virgos.
Career
Nu Virgos: 2000–02, 2002–06, 2009–11
Meikher was a member of the original line-up of Nu Virgos, along with Alena Vinnitskaya. Their debut single "Popytka No. 5" was released in 2000 and became a huge hit, and was eventually named as one of the 99 biggest hits of Russian pop music in the period 1991–2011. The group's first studio album, also titled Popytka No. 5, sold over 700,000 units and earned Golden certification. In April 2002, Meikher temporarily left the group due to her pregnancy. Meikher rejoined Nu Virgos, now consisting of Vinnitskaya, Meikher, Anna Sedokova and Tatiana Naynik, in September 2002. Vinnitskaya and Naynik left the group shortly after, and were replaced by Vera Brezhneva. The period between January 2003 and September 2004, during which Nu Virgos consisted of Meikher, Sedokova and Brezhneva, has been considered "golden era" of the group. In January 2006, Meikher left Nu Virgos once again in order to focus on her solo projects. She rejoined the group for the third time in 2009, replacing Meseda Bagaudinova, but left it once again in November 2011 due to pregnancy.
Solo career: 2006–present
From 2006 to 2008, Meikher hosted the STB television showNeymovirni istorii khohannya She co-hosted the 1+1 2007 New Year programme along with Svetlana Loboda and Ruslana Pysanka. In 2011, Meikher hosted the STB show Neymovirna pravda pro zirok. She participated in the 1+1 show Zvezda + Zvezda in 2006 and in Odin v odin!, the Russian version of Your Face Sounds Familiar in 2014. Meikher was also a jury on the reality showHochy do VIA Gri, which was created to find new members of Nu Virgos, in 2013, and on the talent showSpivay yak zirka in 2015. Meikher released her debut solo single, "Delo ne v tele", in May 2014. Her second single, "Tango vozvrasheniya", was released via iTunes in October the same year. Meikher has since released two more singles, "Ostansya" and "Historia de un amor". Meikher's first collection of poems Siyuminutnoe vlechenie was published in 2009. In 2016, Meikher opened the boutique Meikher by Meikher at the Gulliver centre in Kyiv, which sells her own designs.
Personal life
Meikher has three children: son Igor with her then-partner Oleksandr Lishenko, who was then the Deputy of the Kiev City Council; and daughters Anna and Maria with Russian businessman Mikhail Urzhumtsev, whom she married in 2014.
