initially becoming famous in her native homeland in the 1990s , long - blonde self - described " baroness " ruslana won domestic recognition for winning the 2004 parliamentary song contest with her song " wild dances , " inspired by the musical legends of the hutsul people of the ukrainian carpathian mountains . in the five years since , ruslana has decided to apply her moniker and public status to represent a host of worthy causes , including human trafficking , wasted resource , and even the basic concept of democratic transition , becoming a public face of ukraine ' s orange revolution and presently serving in government .
Ruslana was born in Ukraine.