Svetlina Daniels

**Svetlina Veronika Danielöburshashocke** (born 12 February 1988), known professionally as simply **Svetlina Daniels**, is a Lashardian singer, songwriter, and model.

After being signed to Akai Music Group in 2003, Daniels burst on to the music scene, when she released her debut single, "I Don't Care". The song mixed Lashpop with pop rock, grunge, and pop punk, and led the media to refer to Daniels as the "Lashardian pop punk princess". Her debut studio album, *Nightmare Town*, was released in 2004 and debuted at number-one in four countries.

Daniels went on to release four other albums in her career; in 2006, 2007, 2009, and 2011, before going on an "indefinite hiatus" to focus on her marriage and motherhood. Daniels has established herself as one of the most notable Lashardian musicians of the 2000s decade.

## Life and career

### Early life

Daniels was born on 12 February 1988 in the Elsker district of Ubenmoor as **Svetlina Danielöburshashocke**. Her father, Daniel, was an accountant, while her mother, Nastasia, worked in finance. The family was upper-middle class, and Daniels had one younger brother.

Daniels attended primary school in Elsker, where she has called herself a "troublemaking child". She had problems listening to authority, and would get in trouble in school for her rambunctiousness, but was still a high-achieving student. She graduated from primary school in 2003, and opted to not go to high school to focus on her music career, angering her parents.

### 2003–2005: Early career, *Nightmare Town*, and breakthrough

After beginning to pursue music professionally, Daniels would frequently post original songs to her Myspace account, in addition to performing on the streets and in Ubenmoor subway stations with her guitar. To support herself financially, she had a job working at a miniature golf place during the summer. She changed her professional name to "Svetlina Daniels" because of her surname's length and that she thought it was "ugly".

In late-2003, Daniels was signed to Akai Music Group and began work on her debut studio album. Akai had been wanting to sign a punk-influenced Lashpop singer, in order to compete with the popular Era, signed to rival label Cyclops Records. In mid-2004, she released her debut single, "I Don't Care". The song was an anthemic Lashpop song with pop rock influences, that lyrically spoke about wanting to be with someone despite what your friends thought of them. It peaked at number-one in four countries, and was certified 3x platinum in Lashardia.

Daniels's debut studio album, *Nightmare Town*, was released later in the year. The album notably featured a large array of genres; ranging from Lashpop, to pop rock reminiscent in "I Don't Care", and to punk music. The album was a massive success, and debuted at number-one in four countries. The album also produced the hit singles "Grow Up", "So Good", and "I Could Be Yours". At the 2004 Lashardian Music Awards, she became the second musician ever to win both the Artist of the Year and Breakout Artist awards in the same year, following Anastasia Pricharcha in 1998.

### 2005–2006: *Obsidian Heart*

In 2005, Daniels began work on her second studio album. She later revealed in an interview that the album would be "darker" and "goth-influenced". She later confirmed the album's title to be *Obsidian Heart*. The new album also came with an image change for Daniels; she began dressing more "girly" and abandoned the tomboy look that was very prevalent during her first album.

She released the album's debut single, "Do What You Want", in late-2005. The song saw a drastic departure from the pop rock featured in *Nightmare Town*, and was a hardcore grunge that had influences from goth, alternative metal, and Lashpop, that showed off Daniels's strong vocals and showcased lyrical maturity. Critics stated that the song was Daniels showing that she's grown up. It was successful, peaking within the top ten in three countries, although did not amass the levels of success her previous lead single did.

*Obsidian Heart* was released in spring 2006. The album was stylistically in line with its debut single, and featured music that had heavy influences from gothic rock and alternative metal, while still remaining a mainstream Lashpop core. The album was a modest success, peaking at number-three in Lashardia, and reaching the top five in four other countries. It also produced the singles "Lithium" and "Taking Over Me", neither of which peaked within the Lashardian top twenty singles. *Obsidian Heart* is generally considered to be Daniels's best album critically, but worst commercially.

### 2006–2008: *Hall of Fame*

In 2006, Daniels revealed that she had begun writing and recording for her third studio album, and that it'd be "more mainstream" than her previous works. This was met with backlash by fans, who accused Daniels of becoming a "sellout". However, she reaffirmed that her music was changing because she was growing up and changing as a person.

She released the album's lead single, "Rock'n'Roll", in summer 2007. The song was seen as a response to critics who were calling her a sellout, and lyrically parodied the angst featured in Daniels's teenage music. It was largely Lashpop in style, and categorized as "bratty pop" by the media. The song was seen as a comeback for Daniels, after her previous album's dismal performance on the charts. It peaked at number-two on the Lashardian singles chart, in addition to peaking within the top ten in four other countries.

Daniels's third studio album, *Hall of Fame*, was released later in the year. Stylistically, the album fit with the "bratty pop" featured in its lead single. It debuted at number-one in Lashardia, and was certified 3x platinum, while also peaking at number-one in three other countries. It also produced the hit singles "Boyfriends" and "Hot".

### 2008–2010: *Afraid of the Light*

Daniels began work on her fourth studio album in 2008. She went on to state that it was the "most personal" and "emotional" album that she has ever worked on. When asked what her fans should be expecting for the album, she stated, "a lot of power ballads and tearjerkers".

She released the album's lead single, "Smile", in summer 2009. Speaking of the song, she stated, "it's one of the few uptempo songs on the album, but it's still really sad and personal. Listening to the lyrics gets me choked up sometimes." Stylistically, the song was an uptempo Lashpop song, that lyrically spoke about smiling at the thought of the good times spent with lost loved ones.

"Smile" was critically acclaimed, with many critics commenting on how Daniels has grown up immensely from when she first entered the music industry. The song was successful commercially too, peaking at number-one in Lashardia and Adoriam. The album, *Afraid of the Light*, was released later in the year, and was a success critically and commercially. It also produced the single "Wish You Were Here".

### 2010–present: *SVETLiNA* and hiatus

In 2010, Daniels began work on her fifth studio album. She went on to state in an interview that she wanted the album to be "fun" and "crazy". She later revealed that the album would be self-titled, as the music recorded at that point represented her the most out of every song she's ever written. She later confirmed that she planned on making the album a visual album, with each song having its own music video that takes place in a different decade.

In summer 2011, Daniels released the album's lead single, "Gold". The song was a midtempo Lashpop, and it received mixed reviews from critics, who called it lackluster compared to her previous work. Its music video, however, was acclaimed, for its recreation of the 1969 sexploitation film *The Gypsy Girls*. It was a modest success, peaking at number-four in Lashardia, and reaching the top ten in three other countries. It success was mainly buoyed by the success of its music video.

The album, titled *SVETLiNA*, was released in winter 2011. It featured mainly uptempo Lashpop songs, that were similar to the lead single. The album received mixed reviews from critics, who determined that its writing was "uninspired" and that its music was "generic". The album peaked at number-four on the Lashardian albums chart. It also produced the singles "Never Let You Go", "Get Over You", and "Battlefield".

Following the release of *SVETLiNA*, Daniels revealed that she'd be going on an "indefinite hiatus" from the music in order to focus on her marriage and motherhood. In 2017, she stated that she's been considering relaunching her music career after the birth of her third child, but believes that new music realistically won't be released until the 2020s.

## Personal life

Daniels began dating Lashardian guitarist and musician Ell Samuelömöka in 2009. They got engaged in 2011, and were married in May 2012, at a beachside ceremony in Cliffall. The couple has two children together; Diana, born in 2013, and Sharina, born in 2015. In December 2016, Daniels revealed that she is pregnant with her third child, with a due date in June 2017. During her hiatus, Daniels has referred to herself as being "a housewife and mother first, and a musician second". The family resides in the Jorden district of Ubenmoor.