Velvetina

**Valentina Omarina** "**Valen**" **Marxina** (born 22 July 1987), better known by her stage name **Velvetina**, is a Zakharian-Lashardian singer, songwriter, model, and dancer, best known for being the frontwoman of Dreamers / Believers.

Velvetina first came to prominence in 2007 after starting Dreamers / Believers. The idea behind the band was to have her performing the songs with a rotating band so members were able to pursue other projects if they'd like.

In 2011, she began pursuing a solo career which did not achieve the levels of success that was expected of it. She is known for her sexually-charged image and performances, unique look, and powerful vocals.

## Life and career

### Early life

Velvetina was born on 22 July 1987 as Valentina Marxina in Malikana, Zakharia. Her single mother, Anastasija, worked as a waitress, providing for Velvetina and her younger half-sister, while the family was poor. In 1994, her mother married a Lashardian man and the family moved to Basya, Nortensland, where Velvetina was raised.

Velvetina faced difficulties in school. She did not speak a word of Lashardian at first, and was often teased by her classmates due to Lashardia's troublesome relationship with Zakharia. She took to music and performing because of this.

Velvetina graduated primary school in 2002, and moved to Ubenmoor to attend Queen Maria's School for the Performing Arts where she specialized in vocal performance. She graduated from Queen Maria's in 2005, calling her times there "the best experiences of my life". After her graduation, she began to pursue music professionally.

### Music career

After graduating from high school, Velvetina attempted to establish herself as a solo artist under her birth name. However, she achieved little success. In early-2007, she was introduced to music producer Liiza Perdövikk, who went on to become one of Velvetina's closest friends and most-frequent collaborators. The two later formed Dreamers / Believers, a rotating band which allowed members to come and go as they pursued other projects. They released their debut album, *Mindgames*, in 2008 after being signed to Love In Stereo Records. Their second studio album, *Bubblebutt*, was released in 2011.

After the success of *Bubblebutt*, Velvetina decided to take a hiatus from the band to pursue a solo career. In a 2011 interview, she stated that the music to her upcoming solo album would be similar to that of Dreamers / Believers. The album's lead single, "Kiss It", was released in summer 2012, and did not achieve the commercial success that was expected, peaking at number-56 on the Lashardian singles chart. The album, *On My Own*, was released that winter, and reached the top ten of the Lashardian albums chart. It also produced the single, "Mama's Boy", which did not reach the top 100 singles.

Following *On My Own*, Velvetina returned to Dreamers / Believers, but announced that they'd be taking some time off before their third studio album. The album, *Down the Rabbit Hole*, was released in 2016. She has worked with rapper Laila Noire frequently, performing guest songs on the singles "Happy" and "Black Ice". She performed guest vocals on Sox's *Mösikalifestivali 2017* entry, "Demons". They were eliminated in the second chance round.

## Personal life

Velvetina is openly bisexual and a Zakharian Orthodox Christian. While speaking about her sexuality and religion, she stated, "Sexuality doesn't normally mix well with religion, but I just call bullshit on that. I guess you can call me a 'selective Orthodox'. I follow the things that I deem okay, but everything else can kiss my ass".

Regarding her stage name, Velvetina stated that she chose it because it reminded her of "an opulent nineteenth century vampire". She is known for being very open and outspoken in interviews, not being afraid to divulge private information to the public.

## Discography

### Studio albums

List of studio albums, with selected chart positions, sales figures and certifications
* Format: Digital download, CD, LP

### Singles

List of singles as lead artist, with selected chart positions and certifications, showing year released and album name