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Diana Gurtskaya
Diana Gurtskaya in 2009
Background information
Birth name	Diana Gurtskaya
Born	July 2, 1979 (1979-07-02) (age 30) Sukhumi, Abkhazia, Georgia
Origin	Georgia
Genres	Pop
Occupations	Singer, songwriter
Years active	2000–present

Diana Gudaevna Gurtskaya (Georgian: დიანა ღურწკაია, born July 2, 1979 in Sukhumi, Abkhazia) is a blind Georgian singer residing in Moscow, Russia. On March 1, 2008 Diana won the Georgian national final with 39.4% of the vote, therefore she represented Georgia at the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest in Belgrade, Serbia. She won a place in the final at the second semi-final on May 22 and finished 11th.

Gurtskaya has a number of awards to her credit. Most notably, a 2007 Russian Honorable Artist award given to her by president Vladimir Putin, a Medal of Honor given to her by Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili, and the Award of Saint Barbara in Ukraine amongst others.^[1]

She has recorded duets with various well-known foreign singers including Ray Charles, Toto Cutugno, and Demis Roussos.^[1][2][3]

In 2009, Gurtskaya received significant media attention after failing to obtain a visa from the British embassy due to her blindness. However, after a much publicised campaign, a visa was granted and the rules were changed. ^[4]

Gurtskaya is married to Pyotr Kucherenko, who is a sighted lawyer in Moscow, and they have one son, Konstantin (b. June 2007).

External links

• Diana Gurtskaya Biography

References