Polina Smolova

Polina Petrovna Smolova (born 3 September 1980 in Minsk) is a Belarusian pop singer who began performing in childhood folk ensembles. She pursued formal music training, graduating from the Glinka Music College in Minsk and later the Belarusian State University of Culture and Arts. Early in her career, Smolova won several youth music contests – notably receiving the First Prize at the international Voices of Europe festival in 2003. In 2004, she made her first attempt to reach Eurovision by competing in Belarus’s national selection with the song “Pesnya o lyubvi” (“Song of Love”), finishing 8th out of 15 entries. Her breakthrough year came in 2005 when she clinched the Grand Prix at the Slavonic Bazaar music festival in Vitebsk, along with a special prize for audience sympathy. The same year, she was honored as an “Honorary Citizen of Minsk” and won the Expression of the Year award at Belarus’s Teleportation music awards, cementing her status as a rising star in her country.

Building on her 2005 successes, Smolova was selected to represent Belarus at the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 in Athens. She won the Belarusian national final (EuroFest 2006) with the pop song “Mama,” which was later retitled “Mum” for the international contest. In the Eurovision semi-final on 18 May 2006, Polina Smolova performed 5th in the running order. Despite the lively presentation, Belarus did not advance to the final – “Mum” placed 22nd out of 23 in the semi-final. This result meant Smolova’s Eurovision journey ended in the semi-final.

After Eurovision, Polina Smolova continued to build her musical career through international competitions and new projects. In July 2007 she participated in the prestigious New Wave contest in Jūrmala, Latvia – an annual festival often dubbed the “Eurovision of the CIS countries.” Smolova reached the finals of New Wave 2007 and achieved a strong result, taking fourth place overall among a field of international contestants. By 2008, she had relocated to Moscow to expand her career in the Russian music industry. That year, Smolova entered Russia’s national Eurovision selection with the song “Na rasstoyanii dykhanya” (“A Breath Away”). Competing against many well-known Russian artists, she finished 16th in the 2008 Russian national final.

Throughout the late 2000s, Smolova remained an active performer in concerts and festivals across Belarus and neighboring countries. She also released new music during this period, including her debut album Smile in 2005 and other pop songs that gained airplay on Belarusian radio (such as “Rain,” “Song of Love,” and “Ptitselov”). In 2010, Smolova explored collaborations outside of Belarus; for example, press reports indicated she spent time in London working on music with international producers.

In the 2010s, Polina Smolova made two more notable attempts to return to the Eurovision stage, this time representing Russia. She took part in Russia’s Eurovision 2012 national selection (Evrovidenie 2012) with a self-penned tribute to Michael Jackson titled “Michael.” Her entry placed 7th in the Russian final held in March 2012. Two years later, Smolova submitted the song “Sometimes” to Russia’s internal selection for Eurovision 2014. Although the song was not chosen by the Russian broadcaster (the Tolmachevy Sisters were selected that year), Smolova did premiere “Sometimes” as a guest performer during the Belarusian EuroFest 2014 show, showcasing her enduring ties to the Eurovision community.

After 2014, Polina Smolova gradually shifted her focus from competitive performances to other endeavors in music. She established herself as an entrepreneur in the entertainment industry by founding the Polina Smolova Production Center in late 2015. The following year, in 2016, she opened a pop vocal school called “Golosa,” aimed at training young singers. These ventures marked a new direction in Smolova’s career, as she took on roles as a music producer and vocal coach in addition to performing. In November 2017, Smolova gave birth to a son, Savely, which led to a brief hiatus from the stage.

Despite focusing on family and business, Smolova has continued to record and release music. She has periodically put out new singles (for instance, the ballad “Padayut listya” in 2022) and staged solo concerts for her fanbase in Belarus and Russia. In 2021, amid political changes in Belarus, Polina Smolova was reportedly included on a government list of artists banned from receiving airplay on state media, alongside several other former Belarusian Eurovision entrants.