Anjelina

**Anjelina Omarina Dartömartik** (born 22 September 1954), better known as simply **Anjelina**, is a Lashardian singer, songwriter, actress, and former model, known for her deep contralto voice and hard rock-influenced Lashpop sound. Anjelina is often credited as being the first Lashardian performer to sing in English.

After graduating primary school in 1970, she moved to Ubenmoor to pursue a music career. She was signed to Akai Music Group and released her mildly successful self-titled debut album in 1973. The album produced one top forty single, "Bang Bang".

Anjelina released two more albums in the 1970s to minor success, but did not achieve major recognition until the 1983 release of her single "Queen of the Underworld". The song reached number-one in six countries and was certified diamond in Lashardia.

## Life and career

### Early life

Anjelina was born as Anjelina Dartömartik on 22 September 1954 in Vershando, Mortasland. Her father, Dart Ögömartik (1920–2009), was an emergency medical technician, while her mother, Izabella Mönköverkon (1925–), was a secretary. She has two older brothers, while the family was working class. The family were stanch Social Democrats, who had hosted Pesan and Zakharian refugees in their house. Anjelina has called her parents "a bunch of gay-loving, pro-choice, anti-corruption liberals".

Anjelina attended primary school in Vershando where she excelled academically but was shunned by her peers for being deemed "too theatrical" and "weird". She was active in her school's theatre program and at one point wished to become a theatre actress. After graduating from school in 1970, she moved to Ubenmoor to pursue a career in music.

### 1970s: Career beginnings

After arriving in Ubenmoor at the age of 16, Anjelina settled in Breż where she lived among "drug dealers, prostitutes, and gangsters". She stated that moving out at an early age helped her grow up and become acclimated to the real world quickly. She began performing in clubs to support herself where she would network with other performers, agents, and managers. In 1971, she met record producer Albert Trapöeld, and was later hired to be a live-in nanny for his three children. Anjelina went on to become his mistress and they began a romantic relationship, with Trapöeld securing her a recording contract with Akai Music Group.

In 1973, she released her debut single "Bang Bang". The song was a hard rock ballad written and produced by Trapöeld. It peaked at number-22 on the Lashardian singles chart and did not achieve much international success. Her debut self-titled album was released later in the same year, and was also mildly successful. She released two further albums in the 1970s, *In the Night* in 1977 and *Discotheque* in 1979, both considered hard rock albums. The albums were both mild successes, peaking at number-8 and 5, respectively, on the Lashardian albums chart.

### 1980s: Career peak and *Queen of the Underworld*

After filing for divorce from Trapöeld in 1979, he attempted to get her dismissed from Akai Music Group, but the label resisted his pleads and kept her as a signed artist. Recalling this time, Anjelina has said that this was "the most afraid [she's] ever been". Following the divorce, needing a home, Anjelina moved to a bungalow in Santa Anastasia, Pesa. While living abroad, she began to connect with her home country's culture and traditions much more, and decided to incorporate Lashpop into her hard rock sound.

After four years of writing and recording new music in Pesa, she released the single "Queen of the Underworld" in 1983, calling the song her "first pop release". The song was a massive success, reaching number-one in six countries and being certified diamond in her home country for selling over one million copies. Her fourth studio album, also titled *Queen of the Underworld*, was released the following year and achieved similar levels of success, establishing her as a pop icon. It also contained the hit singles "River Flow", "Undress Me", and "Isobella".

Anjelina went on to release two other albums in the 1980s, *Lashardian Woman* in 1986, and *Dance for Me* in 1988. *Lashardian Woman* saw a resurgence in Anjelina's hard rock roots, while also maintaining a Lashpop sound. It was preceded by the hit lead single "Ooh La La", and also contained the hit singles "Leather and Lace" and "Scorpion". *Dance for Me*, on the other hand, saw Anjelina experimenting with synthpop and dance-pop more than rock music. The album was preceded by the single "Lighter", which along with "Queen of the Underworld", has went on to become one of her signature songs. It also produced the hit songs "Tangerine", "Lilac Skies", and "Happy".

### 1990s: Continued success

In 1992, Anjelina revealed that her upcoming studio album would be "entirely Lashpop and dance music", effectively abandoning her hard rock roots. While this initially sparked slight backlash from fans, she went on to say "I think the true fans will understand that if I'm changing my style like this it means that this is what I'm most confident in and what I want to show off to my fans. I wouldn't give them shitty music. It's much better this way".

She later released her seventh studio album's lead single, "Release Me", in summer 1994. The song was a smash hit, reaching number-one in Lashardia, Pesa, and Adoriam. Confirming what she said two years prior, the song was a complete departure from her hard rock sound, instead being a 90s dance song in the style of Lashpop music. The album, titled *The Sisters Grimm* was released in winter 1994. It also produced the hit singles "Wanna Go", "Nightlife", and "Wow".

In 1996, Anjelina recorded the theme song to the epic drama film *Izemblusta*, "Twilight Sky". The song was a large departure from the dance-pop featured in her previous album and instead combined world music, adult contemporary, and 90s R&B. It was a large success, peaking at number-three in Lashardia and largely increasing interest in the film. After the success of the song, Anjelina decided to include it as a bonus track on her eighth studio album. The song won a Lashardian Movie Award for Best Original Song.

Her eighth studio album, titled *Moonrise*, was released in May 1997 and was preceded by the release of its lead single "Fluid". Similarly to "Twilight Sky", the song incorporated adult contemporary and 90s R&B heavily. However, Anjelina went on to state, "*Moonrise* is not an adult contemporary album and I'm not becoming an adult contemporary artist. It just so happened my last two releases had elements of the genre". The album also contained the hit singles "Breakthrough", "Drive", and "Cosmica". The album was largely eclectic in style, containing elements of Lashpop, rock, jazz, electronic, alternative, folk, and dance.

### 2000s–2010s: Ventures into acting

In 2002, Anjelina was cast in her debut film, starring in the musical drama *Superstar*. The film, set in the 1980s, was about a girl from a low-income family who was destined to become a Lashpop star. Anjelina portrayed Madam Luka, the film's main antagonist and a money-hungry manager bent on exploiting the main character's talent for her own gain. The film was successful, and Anjelina earned herself a Lashardian Movie Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

After the success of *Superstar*, Anjelina revealed that she'd be taking some time off of music in order to pursue her newly found passion for acting. She had a supporting role in the 2004 anthology comedy film *RomCom*. From 2005 to 2011, she was a recurring character on the LRT comedy-drama *Porotskitants*, playing Miss Hankögröben.

In 2006, Anjelina revealed that work on her ninth studio album was almost complete. The lead single, "Lipstick", was released in January 2007. The song was a modest success, reaching number-22 on the Lashardian singles chart. The album, titled *Isla Air*, was later released in June of that year, and also spawned the single "Before You Forget Me". That year, she was inducted into the Lashardian Music Hall of Fame.

Following the completion of the album's tour, Anjelina revealed that she'd be returning to her acting career. In 2009, she co-starred in the film *Burleska*, where she played the madam of a brothel and went on to win a Lashardian Movie Award for Best Leading Actress. In 2012, she played the role of a grieving mother whose son was killed in the War of Independence in the epic historical drama film *Mama Lasda*. She won a Lashardian Movie Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance.

Anjelina's tenth studio album was released in 2013. The album, titled *40*, was released to commemorate the 40-year anniversary of her debut self-titled album in 1973. She released a greatest hits album in 2015, which also included the brand new single "Good Life", a midtempo electropop song. The song was very successful, peaking at number-four on the Lashardian singles chart.

## Personal life

Anjelina is openly bisexual, having come out to her parents at age 14. She stated that after moving to Ubenmoor, she had several relationships with women, and was once in love with a female tattoo artist. Anjelina has jokingly called herself a high-functioning alcoholic and in 2004 had a brand of vodka named after.

### Family

Anjelina began a secret relationship with married record producer Albert Trapöeld in 1971 after she was hired to be his live-in nanny at age 17. The following year, he divorced his wife to continue the relationship with Anjelina. They were married in 1975 and lived together in his Tenichi apartment, before divorcing in 1979.

In 1982, she began dating Pesan folk musician Greg Pavelchi after moving to Santa Anastasia in 1980. The two married in 1985 on a private beach in Pesa, and later moved into a beachside mansion outside of Santa Anastasia. They have one child together, Erik Pavelchi, who was born in 1989. Pavelchi, who was raised entirely in Pesa, works as a veterinarian in Santa Anastasia. In 1999, Anjelina filed for divorce from Pavelchi and kicked him out of their home. In a 2011 interview, Anjelina revealed that he became physically and sexually abusive to her after developing an alcohol addiction in 1998. Pavelchi went on to die of a heroin overdose in 2001.

In 2007, after returning to Lashardia, Anjelina began dating lawyer Draak Henriköför. She's called the relationship "love at first sight". They married the next year and Anjelina adopted his two daughters from a previous marriage as step-daughters. The family resides in the Hoffmann district of Ubenmoor.

### Politics

Anjelina grew up in a very liberal household with both of her parents being staunch supporters of the Lashardian Social Democratic Party. Over the years, Anjelina has become known for her outspoken political views and strong opposition to the Conservative and Lasdö political parties. In a 2012 interview, she openly expressed her distrust of Anastasia Karlöpög, stating "having [Karlöpög] as president would make me shoot myself". She went on to call Karlöpög a "racist, homophobic, xenophobic, and anti-feminist she-devil", stating that anyone who wasn't an ethnic Lashardian straight male living in the country should not vote for her. After Olla Ottöfrenz's election as president, she held a party both celebrating Ottöfrenz's success and Karlöpög's failure.

## Filmography

### Film

 2004
 2009
 2012