Russia wins the eurovision song contest

With his unique talent and exceptional abilities, vocal sensation Dima Bilan attracted the world’s attention in May 2006 when he represented Russia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 in Athens.

Dima was the hunk who took the honorable second place, conceding only to Finland, with a remarkable stage performance of his songNever Let You Go. After that, the Forbes magazine couldn’t but settle Bilan on the top of the rating of most popular Russian celebrities. Since launching his first single in Russia in 2003. Dima Bilan emerged in less than three years to one of the most popular and widely acclaimed talents from Russia, being recognized with the most prestigious accolades in the industry.

Dima Bilan got classical scholarship at the famous Gnesin Academy of Music. Being a student, he got acquainted with top Russian manager in show-business, the late Yuriy Aizenshpis, who became Dima’s manager and added a lot to Dima’s successful career in Russia. In 2003 Dima graduated from Gnesin Academy and received his diploma from the hands of the highly respected Russian artist losif Kobzon, and having decided to obtain even more vocal skills, Dima became the student of GITIS (The State Institute of Theatrical Art).

One of the first steps in Bilan's career was his participation in the Jurmala contest, the most important music contest in Eastern Europe. Dima came in at number 4 in this contest and the whole country loved his performances there! Dima Bilan released three platinum albums: Ia Nochnoy Hooligan (The Night Hooligan, 2003), Na Beregu Neba (Between the Sky and Heaven, 2004), on which Dima collaborated with world-famous songwriter Diane Warren, who penned Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go Оn, Tony Braxton's Unbreak My Heart and Aerosmith’s I Don't Want To Miss A Thing, and Vremya-Reka (Time Is a River, 2006), which sold over 2,000,000 copies in Russia and in the CIS countries. Dima's Eurovision Song Contest hit single Never Let You Go catapulted Dima to superstar status and placed him on top or all Russian radio and TV-charts in May 2006.

In September 2005 Dima received two big awards at MTV Russia Music Awards for 'Best Performer' and 'Artist Оf Тhe Year'. The same year Bilan went to Lisbon to represent Russia at the MTV Europe Music Awards. In July 2006 Dima Bilan was one of the four artists who took part in the biggest musical event in Russia of 2006 - The Red Summer - on the Red Square in Moscow, where he performed on stage with Shakira, The Black Eyed Peas and t.A.T.u. In September 2006, for the second year in a row, Dima Bilan won the 'Artist of the Year' and 'Song of the Year' trophies at the MTV Russia Music Awards.

In February-March 2007 Dima Bilan recorded his first international album in English in Los Angeles and in Philadelphia in collaboration with producer Timbaland and his production team: Danjahandz, Jim Beanz and Ryan Tedder. One of the new tracks will be a duet with one of Timbaland's most successful artists: Nelly Furtado! The new album is due to be released in 2008, and the first single from it was the Jim Beanz-penned song Number 1 Fan, with a video which was shot in London by famous British director Trudy Bellinger (who made videos for e.g. Girls Aloud, Sugababes and Sophie Ellis Bextor). According to Russian and Eastern Europe radio airplay chart TopHit.ru, Number 1 Fan topped the charts for 8 weeks. On October 4th, 2007 Dima Bilan premiered his second single from the upcoming album, Amnesia, at the MTV Russia Music Awards 2007. During this show, Dima won three most prestigious awards for 'Best Performer', 'Best Song' and – for the third time in three years - 'Best Artist'.Dima’s first international album in English will be released in the United States later this year, and its Spanish version will be released in Latin America in 2008 as well. Currently, Dima Bilan is recording it with top Latin music market producer and songwriter Rudy Perez, world-famous for his work with Julio Iglesias, Christina Aguilera and Beyonce.