Tela Deva

**Kristela Printepova Taldeva** (Mulgarian: *Кристела Принтепова Талдева*; 11 March 1961 – 18 December 1989), known professionally as **Tela Deva**, was a Mulgarian-Lungarian singer, songwriter, and keyboardist. Beginning her career as the keyboardist, backing singer, and main songwriter of the all-female rock band The Loveboats, Deva became the band's lead singer in 1985, before embarking on a short-lived solo career in 1987.

Deva was born in Dofiya, and immigrated with her family to Lungary in 1973, aged 12, where they settled in Munbach. While still a full-time secondary school student, Deva formed The Loveboats with her friends Yvette Bayer and Nicola Drümpen in 1978, aged 17. The band later incorporated acquaintances Katerina Christelis and Louise Pflemming, and began to make a name for themselves in the Munbach punk rock scene of the late-1970s. By 1980, Deva had emerged as the band's lead songwriter, and took the group into a new musical direction, instead mainly writing pop and rock songs. The band was signed to G&K Records in 1981, before going to release the internationally successful hit singles "We Won't Tell a Lie" and "Get on Your Feet," followed by their debut studio album *Beauty and a Beat* (1982). The band followed up the album with their equally successful sophomore release *Nip and Tuck* (1984), although the album's release and promotion was marred by tabloid rumors of a feud between Bayer and other members of the band. The following year, Bayer left the group to pursue a solo career, and Deva stepped in as the band's new lead singer.

After emerging as the new lead singer of The Loveboats in 1985, Deva took complete creative control over the album's songwriting process, and began writing all of the band's new material on their own. Their third studio album *Introducing... The Loveboats* (1986) was a moderate commercial success but was critically acclaimed, particularly for Deva's songwriting. Following the completion of the album's promotion in 1987, the band amicably split up, and Deva signed a solo recording contract with G&K. She released her debut single "Sugar Rush" the following year, which became an international hit. The single was followed by the release of the commercially successful studio album *Candy Pink* (1989).

On 18 December 1989, aged 28, Deva died in an automobile accident in Hesh Amed, Bisael, while she was embarking on her world tour to promote *Candy Pink*. Early in the morning, Deva's tour bus was hit by an oil delivery truck driven by an intoxicated driver, creating a widespread explosion on the highway and killing 14 people. Deva's family subsequently filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the oil company, which was settled outside of court.

## Early life and education

Deva was born on 11 March 1961 in Dofiya to parents Printep Taldev (born 1933) and Kristalina Taldeva (née *Petrova*; born 1936). Her father was a professor of literature at Dofiya University and an anti-fascism activist, while her mother was a homemaker. Deva's birth name was Kristela Printepova Taldeva, but began using the nickname Tela as a child, in order to further differentiate herself between herself and her mother Kristalina. Deva was raised in a middle-class family, as the elder of two daughters; her younger sister is Lena (born 1964).

Deva began her education in 1967, attending public primary schooling in Dofiya. While in primary school, Deva was not interested in music, and instead aspired to become a scientist. In 1973, aged 12, the family fled Mulgaria and were granted political asylum and refugee status Munbach, West Lungary, after Deva's father became a target of the Mulgarian Secret Police due to his activism. After settling in Munbach, Deva's father became a professor at King's University Munbach, and Deva learned to speak Lungarian.