More than a decade ago Ilona Toteva went to Britain to live there with her mom. She got lucky enough to meet music producer and composer Tony Moore, known from the cult Iron Maiden:

“I rediscovered my passion for music when I came to the UK and that was why I opted for staying here,” Ilona recalls. “It all changed completely after my meeting with Tony four years ago. Music used to be a dream for the long future for me, but when Tony Moore heard my voice he discovered an unusual blend. He also liked my Bulgarian origin and Russian roots. We formed a band, we began writing songs, touring and concerting. I write my own lyrics, I also write for other performers. Singer is actually my second occupation.”

The band of Ilona consists of 5 people and has been named after her. One of their first compositions was It’s 1966, inspired by their first tour to America and combining elements of music, typical for Texas. The text consists of the titles of all hits, created there back in1966. “People from Texas and Florida heard the piece and decided to include it in a contest. It won the top prize there,” the singer is proud to say.

Ilona’s eclectic taste has been formed by the variety of her music preferences. She says Shania Twain was her major artistic inspiration. The Bulgarian also combines completely different styles – one can tell that from her Move Together as One song that kicks off with electric beat.

Despite her young age Ilona has already had her own collection of star moments. In 2012 she had a 45-minute-long concert in front of the athletes at the Olympiad. The concert in Hyde Park remained as an unforgettable moment in her career, where Ilona and her band warmed up legendary Tom Jones at the British Summertime festival.

The singer has now two mini albums and is currently preparing her debut CD with 13 pieces.

“I hope that it will be released by the end of the year”, Ilona explains. “So far we have several singles in the iTunes and YouTube social networks. At the moment we are recording the album, as some of the recordings will be made in the USA. 13 is a special number that brings me luck – my first concert took place on May 13, I met my producer on the 13^th too… That is why I opted for that symbolic number of songs in the album.”

The latest single of Ilona – Beautiful Country was released in April, which is included in the forthcoming CD.

Last year Ilona and her band were the exclusive guests at the Discovery festival. “I felt wonderful, since it was our first concert in Bulgaria,” she says. “I hope that we will come again soon, I simply can’t wait…” the singer says in conclusion.

English version: Zhivko Stanchev