Rotaru, nicknamed "Bukovinsky Solovey" ("the Nightingale from Bukovina"),[1] emerged in 1966 as a pop folk star in the movie Solovei iz sela Marshyntsi (Nightingale from Marshyntsi) in the Romanian and Moldovian-speaking world after her manager and future husband Anatoliy Yevdokymenko made her change her music style from folk to pop music[2] with Chervona Ruta.

album Sofia Rotaru, re-released three times and covered by numerous singers, establishing herself as a viable pop artist in the countries of the former Soviet Union.

[19] Sofia Rotaru, who comes from the Romanian minority in Ukraine, was born in Marshyntsi (Marșenița), Chernivtsi Oblast to a family of brigadiers and wine-growers.

Zina spent hours listening to the radio and learned numerous songs, as well as the Russian language, which she later taught to her brothers and sisters.

I grew up among music, it was playing everywhere: at a wedding table, at klatches, at girls' winter evening gatherings, on the dance floor..."[24]Rotaru's victory at a vocal competition of amateur performers opened the door to a regional review in 1962.

After graduation from high school, Rotaru decided to become a singer and entered the vocal and conductor department of the Chernivtsi Musical College.

[25] In 1968, after graduation from college, Rotaru performed as a delegate of the IX World Festival of Youth and Students in the capital of Bulgaria, as a member of an artistic group.

The plot was about the tender and pure love of a girl from the mountains (played by Rotaru) and her relationship with a man from the industrial city of Donetsk.

After the film was released, Rotaru received an offer to work in the Chernivtsi Philharmonic Society and with a backing ensemble called Chervona Ruta.

[26] As a result of collaborating with Volodymyr Ivasyuk, a cycle of songs was written based on the roots revival material in an orchestration characteristic of the 1960s and the 1970s in Continental Europe.

In 1972, Rotaru and Chervona Ruta participated in a tour in Poland with the programme Pesni i tantsy Strany Sovetov (Songs and Dances of the Country of Soviets).

In the same year Sofia Rotaru collaborated with Don Backy, performing the Ukrainian version of his hit from the 60s L'immensità - "Syzokrylyi ptakh".

[27] In 1974, Rotaru graduated from the Chişinău Art Institute of Gavriil Musicescu in the choral conducting class with professor Lydia Axionova and participated in the Sopot International Song Festival in Poland, performing "Vospominaniye" (Remembrance) by B. Rychkov, and "Vodohrai" by Ivasjuk.

[26] Rotaru's songs of the period were created in collaboration with the following composers and lyricists: Arno Babajanian wrote "Verni mne muzyku" (Bring Me the Music Back); Aleksey Mazhukov – "A muzyka zvuchit" (But the Music Plays) and "Krasnaya strela" (Red Arrow); Pavel Aedonitskiy – "Dlya tekh, kto zhdyot" (For Those Who Wait); Oscar Feltsman - "Only For You"; David Tukhmanov – "Aist na kryshe" (Stork on the Roof), "V dome moyom" (At My Home), and "Val's" (Waltz); Yury Saulsky – "A Usual Story" and "Osennyaya melodiya" (Autumn Melody); Aleksandra Pakhmutova – "Temp" (Tempo); Raimonds Pauls – "Tanets na barabane" (Dance on the Drum); Aleksandr Zatsepin – "Sovsem kak na Zemle" (Just like on Earth); Vladimir Migulya – "Zhyzn'" (Life), and others.

[26] She was the first performer of Eugene Martyunov's songs, including "Lebedinaya vernost" ("Swan Fidelity"), "Yabloni v tsvetu" ("Blossoming Apples"), and "Ballada o materi" ("Ballad About Mother").

While doing this, she performed a hip-hop style song "Temp" (Tempo)[26] with music composed by Aleksandra Pakhmutova and lyrics written by Nikolay Dobronravov.

According to the autobiographic plot, a village teacher is invited to join an ensemble and wins the Grand Prix at an international festival with the song "Gde ty, lyubov'?".

The film Dusha (Soul) with Rotaru's new rock band Mashina Vremeni was released in 1981, including songs by Aleksandr Zatsepin and Andrey Makarevich.

After having seen the new rewritten scenario and new songs, written in a completely new style, Rotaru agreed to star in the movie and decided to temporarily forego all concert performances.

The concerts were supported by the issue of an LP, titled Canadian Tour 1983 and released by Cansov Exchange Inc.[29] The mid-1980s evolved into a turning point in the creation of the singer's image.

[27] Only one song, "Techët voda" (Water Flows) by Ihor Poklad, carried on the folk music theme, presenting an image of a farm girl who became a star.

He managed the transition of Rotaru to a Europop style ("Bylo no proshlo" (Once It Was But Now It's Over), "Luna" (Moon)), including elements of hard rock "Moya vremya" (My Time), "Tol'ko etogo malo" (That's Not Enough).

Rare exceptions included the songs of Mykola Mozghovyi, "Krai, myi ridnyi krai" (Homeland), "Minaie den'" (Day Passes); Blizniuk, "Vidlunnia virnosti" (Echo of Fidelity); Rybchinskyi, "Bal razluchennykh serdets" (Ball of Separate Hearts); and Kvinta, "Chekai" (Wait), "Odna kalyna" (Lone Guelder-Rose), "Tuman" (Fog).

After the collapse of the USSR[32] and commercialisation of post-Soviet music, Rotaru has kept her top position in the market and has a stable public, including the Russian speaking diaspora in Europe, USA, Australia and Israel.

[33] Following several months of mourning, Rotaru resumed her concert and recording activities and topped the Russian, Ukrainian and Moldavian charts again.

Composers working with Rotaru included Ruslan Kvinta ("Odna kalyna"), Oleg Makarevič ("Bely tanets") and Konstantin Meladze ("Ya zhe yego lyubila" and "Odin na svete"), as well as lyricist Vitalij Kurovskij.

Celebrations for her birthday continued into September in Sochi, where one of the young performers' music festival days, called "Five Stars", was dedicated to Rotaru.

In October 2007, more birthday concerts took place in Moscow, at the State Grand Kremlin Palace, featuring Russian singers performing her songs.

Another TV musical show, Krasota Trebuet (Beauty Requires), with Rotaru singing the song "Lavanda" ("Lavender"), premiered on 8 March 2008.

After recording "L'immensità" (Immensity) in Italian, and "Wer Liebe sucht" (Who's Looking for Love) ("Deine Zärtlichkeit" (Your Tenderness), "Es muss nicht sein" (It Mustn't Be), and "Nachts, wenn die Nebel ziehen" (At Night When the Fog Spreads) in German, Ariola proposed releasing a larger studio album with these and other songs in French and English, and launching a concert tour in Western Europe.