Viktoria Modesta

Viktoria Modesta (born on 25 February 1988 as Viktorija Moskaļova in Daugavpils, Latvia) is a Latvian-born British singer-songwriter, performance artist, and model.

Viktoria Modesta
Background information
Birth nameViktorija Moskaļova
Born (1988-02-25) 25 February 1988
Daugavpils, Latvian SSR, USSR
OriginUnited Kingdom
GenresElectronic, pop, dance
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, performance artist, model, actress
Websitewww.viktoriamodesta.com

Early life

Modesta was born in Daugavpils in 1988 where she learned singing aged six at a local music school.[1] Moskaļova moved with her family from Latvia to the United Kingdom when she was 12 years old.[2] Due to a doctor's negligence at her birth, Moskalova spent most of her childhood in and out of hospitals.[1] This accident led to a lasting problem with her left leg. In 2007, she had a voluntary below-the-knee leg amputation to improve her mobility and safeguard her future health. Her physicality has become known for challenging the modern perception of altered beauty.[3]

Career

Modeling

Moskalova began modeling at the age of fifteen. She has appeared on subculture magazine covers such as Bizarre[4][5] and Skin Two.[6]

On 10 January 2015, Modesta signed with IMG Models worldwide.

Music

Moskalova attended a performance art school from the age of 6 in Daugavpils, Latvia studying piano, vocal performance and sheet music. In 2009, she launched her first musical writing collaborative project with musician/producer Nik Hodges. Their first written track "Jane Bond" was featured in Music Week Playlist.[7] In May 2010, Moskalova was selected as one of the six best unsigned artists in the UK by Evo Music Rooms presented by Edith Bowman. The show was broadcast on Channel 4.[8]

On 19 March 2010 Moskalova released her first EP titled EP1.[9]

On 28 May 2012 Moskalova put out a digital, independent release of her debut single "Only You".[10] which was featured by iD,[11] Wonderland[12] and Notion[13] magazines.

On 12 December 2014, she launched a collaboration with Channel 4 for the campaign Born Risky,[14] branding her as the world's first "Bionic Pop Artist" supported by the track "Prototype" released on Spotify for streaming. The video for the campaign was directed by Saam Farahmand. The video has received global attention, with over 12 million views on YouTube as of June 2019[15] and over 16 million on Channel 4's Facebook page. The story was publicised worldwide throughout news networks publications such as i-D Magazine, Upworthy, Forbes and Elle Magazine USA. The video for "Prototype" received a Silver Lion Award at the Cannes Film Festival.

In June 2019 Moskalova is to star as "the Bionic Showgirl" in cabaret at the Crazy Horse in Paris.[15]. She is a European Young Leader (EYL40) alumni.

MIT Media Lab

Moskalova has joined the MIT Media Lab as a Director's Fellow.[16]

2012 Summer Paralympics closing ceremony

Moskalova performed as the 'Snow Queen' to a live performance of "42" by Coldplay at the 2012 Summer Paralympics closing ceremony in London directed by Kim Gavin in a 'Winter' section together with 6 warrior skaters from Dancing On Ice. Her performance wearing a Swarovski crystal-covered prosthetic leg was written about in The Times,[17] Grazia[18] and Look[19] magazines.

Acting

In 2017, Moskalova appeared in the second episode of the third season of the SyFy Network's "Killjoys" as a "Hackmod" named Niko, featuring several of her iconic prosthetic legs. The soundtrack for the episode featured multiple occurrences of Moskalova's "Prototype" single.[20][21]

Discography

Extended plays

  • EP1 (2010)[9]
  • Counterflow (2016)[22]

Singles

gollark: Someone noticed your cc.cc forums post.
gollark: Ħı.
gollark: Um, I *might* also be able to try, don't know if I actually have a CB guardian.
gollark: No offense, I just really don't like brush-y fonts for whatever reason.
gollark: I mean, it's in giant turqoisey brush font, and not a spreadsheet or something.

References
  1. Viktoria Modesta Moskalova: The Modern Perception Of Altered Beauty, 5election, Retrieved 26 November 2016
  2. "Modesta kāju zaudējusi Latvijas ārstu nolaidības dēļ" (in Latvian). Delfi.lv. 16 December 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  4. "'Christmas Issue' 2009". Bizarremag.com. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  5. "June issue 2008". Bizarremag.com. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  6. "Skin Two | Sexy Latex Fashion". Skintwo.co.uk. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  7. "Music Week playlist 20 July 2009". Musicweek.com. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  8. "Channel 4 listing". Channel4.com. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  10. "Only You (Radio Edit) – Single by Viktoria Modesta". Music.apple.com. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  11. iD magazine article Archived 25 January 2013 at Archive.today
  12. "The Rise and Rise ... Viktoria Modesta". Wonderland (interview). 27 April 2012. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  13. Blankson, Alix (15 March 2012). "New Music—The gorgeous Viktoria Modesta". Planet Notion. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  15. "Bionic Showgirl shakes up cabaret" (with video, 1 min, 45 secs). BBC News. 9 June 2019.
  16. "Announcement". Medium.com. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  17. "VIKTORIA MODESTA : NEWS". Archive.today. Archived from the original on 20 July 2020.
  18. "VIKTORIA MODESTA". Facebook.com. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  19. "Look Magazine article". Archived from the original on 3 April 2013. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  20. Viktoria Modesta blog post regarding her appearance on Killjoys, Viktoriamodesta.com 12 May 2017, Retrieved 9 July 2017
  21. Tv-Eh Article 6 July 2017, Retrieved 9 July 2017
  22. "Counterflow – EP by Viktoria Modesta". iTunes. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
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