On 30 June 1986, Legkostupova received the second prize of the 1st All-Union Television Jurmala Young Pop Singer Competition, where she performed with the songs "The Shore of Happiness" (Vladimir Danilin, Senya Son — Ilya Reznik) and "I Still Hope" (Margarita Pushkina — Kris Kelmi). In the same year, she began collaborating with composer Raimonds Pauls ("Two", "In White Keys Birch" and other songs). From 1986 to 1992 she worked in the Tula Regional Philharmonic.