Luba (singer)
| Luba | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Lubomyra Kowalchyk |
| Also known as | Luba, Lubomyra |
| Born | 24 April 1958 Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Genres | pop, rock, poprock, soul, R&B, Caribbean calypso |
| Occupation(s) | musician, singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | piano, guitar, flute |
| Years active | 1978–1990, 2000–2001, 2007–present |
| Labels | Capitol-EMI of Canada, Azure Music (Maple Music distribution), Universal Music |
| Associated acts | Luba (band) |
| Website | philfogel |
Luba (born Lubomyra Kowalchyk (Ukrainian: Любомира Ковальчук), 1958, Montreal, Quebec, Canada) is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter and recording artist from Ukrainian descent. She was commercially active from 1980 to 1990, 2000 to 2001 and is active again from 2007 to present. She was initially the vocalist for a band named Luba before signing as a solo artist under that name. She has released five full-length albums and two EPs as a solo artist. (Two albums were released as a member of a band – 1973's Zorya, (Via Zorya) and 1980's "Chain Reaction" – with a band named "Luba".) Two of her albums are certified platinum by the Canadian music industry (sales in excess of 100,000 units). She has nine top-40 hits on the Canadian pop charts. Her signature song is "Everytime I See Your Picture" (1983). Her most successful song is a cover of Percy Sledge's "When a Man Loves a Woman" which reached No. 6 on the Canadian pop chart and No. 3 on the Canadian adult contemporary chart (1987). She is a three-time winner of the Canadian music industry Juno Award for Female Vocalist of the Year (1985–1987). Her success is limited to her native Canada as she has never charted in the US or elsewhere. In addition to her Juno Awards, Luba has also received CASBY and Félix Awards, and a Black Music Association Award for "Female Entertainer of the Year". Most recently, her music has been featured on Canadian Idol. She continues to record music under her own independent label.
Luba Kowalchyk was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in 1958 to Ukrainian immigrant parents. Growing up she studied piano, guitar, flute and voice. During her teens she traveled across Canada to perform traditional Ukrainian folk songs at weddings and festivals.
In the 70s, then known as Lubomyra Kowalchyk, Luba released her debut LP with a musical ensemble "Via Zorya". The LP (Виа Зоря – "...Любомира") was released by the label Yeshvan and featured traditional Ukrainian folk songs in new arrangements. It Two years later, Luba released her first full-length solo LP, called "Lubomyra" via SAGE Promotions. It featured again Ukrainian folk songs, but this time mixed with elements of jazz, blues and rock. Both Ukrainian LPs featured her future drummer Peter Marunzak. With significantly higher production values than the typical standard Ukrainian music albums of the time, Luba's landmark Ukrainian recordings raised the bar for this music genre in the diaspora, setting the gold standard that was subsequently met by Kvitka Cisyk and Darka & Slavko. Luba released a single in French in 1979 called "Le Doux Rendez-vous" with the Label Bobinason. A year before the release of "Le Doux Rendez-vous, she formed a band under her first name Luba. Their debut album Chain Reaction was released on an independent label in 1980 and received only minimal interest outside of their native Montreal.
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