Natalya Viktorivna Shmarenkova, known professionally as Kamaliya, was born on 18 May 1977 in Zabaikallye, Soviet Union, and later relocated to Lviv where she studied violin and opera before entering the popular music scene. Her breakthrough came in 1993 when she won the Chervona Ruta festival, followed by the release of her first video Techno Style in 1997 and the single "Love You" in 2000, which earned the National Hit Parade’s “Song of the Year” award. Kamaliya’s debut album From Dusk Till Dawn was issued on 20 October 2010, with its sequel a day later; subsequent releases included "Crazy In My Heart"(2012), "Rising Up" (2012), "Arrhythmia" (2012), "Butterflies" (2012), the self‑titled Kamaliya (2012), "I'm Alive" (2013), Club Opera (2013) and "Never Wanna Hurt You (Bad Love, Baby)" (2014). Her single "Aphrodite" (2017) reached number two on German and Spanish charts and number one in Austria and the Netherlands, while "Timeless" (2017) topped Austrian and Dutch charts for eight weeks. Kamaliya also performed internationally, headlining the Mr. Gay World 2012 pageant in Johannesburg and supporting the STEPS reunion tour across the United Kingdom. She was honoured as an Honored Artist of Ukraine in 2004.