Eva Rivas.” We are going to the Eurovision to win”.

Parts of the program “ The famous unknown” from the Public television
Evea Rivas, being little Valeria Reshetnikova, was singing in the Armenian chorus at school, then in the “Arevik” ensemble in Doni Rostov. The leader of the school chorus and the ensemble “Arevik” Armine Sagertyanc made a group for three persons- for Valeria, Nelli Kasabova and Vagarshak Sagertyanc. Not long ago Aram Eghiazaryan, Arame, joined the ensemble, who left for Armenia in 2004. “Arevik” is a famous name in the music life of North Russia.
About the joining “Arevik” Eva Rivas tells: “I remember that day, maybe the most important one in my life. I was 8 or 9. I was very little. My mother took me to the listening. It was terrible… When we entered the room, there were many people, and as I was very short I had to look at them from down. Yes, it was even like that. I couldn’t stand still, my hands were trembling, I was ashamed. When I was at the stage, the leader was telling me to sing, that I could do that. And at last I song Rosi Armen’s song ‘’Hingala’’.
This song brought her a medal in Saratov in 1999.
The surname Tsaturyan the singer adds the surname Reshetnikova in honour of her mother Piruza Tsaturyan which parents are citizens of Yerevan. But when Piruza was 10 she left for Kislovodsk with her parents and brother. She moved to Doni Rostov with her husband.
Little Valeria left for Kislovodsk to her grandmother for her summer holidays. Later she decided to live in Moscow, she is often in Yerevan at her relatives. ‘’ There are many places where my relatives and close friends are and I feel myself as if in my native town. But I can’t cut my childhood and say that this place isn’t my native town. Rostov is my native town, where I was born and got an education. My friends, relatives and everything related to my childhood are in Doni Rostov. When I return I feel that everyone is happy seeing me, I can hide there from everything…
Even with close eyes I feel that my house is the place I spent my childhood. Yerevan is my new native town because I have been living here just a year.
I will certainly buy a house here when having an opportunity.
Eva Rivas is waiting for her Armenian passport. She learns Armenian, though singing Armenian songs she understands. Not learning Armenian is the same for a baby’s parents to ask why to teach him to speak. ‘’I am like a child here and I am doing my first steps in Armenian. I understand what is said but repeating is difficult for me. I am afraid of speaking Armenian, it seems making a mistake everybody will get angry with me’’.
But the same child sings Komitas, Sayat-Nova… ‘’ My mother translates every word and explains the meaning of a song to me. Each song I learnt with my mother’’.
Is there anybody who has doubts that most people have fallen in love with Eva and what was the answer? ‘’ I am glad that not all of them have an opportunity to tell me about his feelings, otherwise I will have gone mad. When I am not loved or I don’t love, I am unhappy. I am not such a man, I like everybody.
She doesn’t want to marry yet. ‘’ but I hope that one day it will become true. Now my job is in the first place. It is the most important part of my love. I am not tired of it. I want to win in the Eurovision. I am sure that one day I will tell everybody that I am getting married’’.
The pupil of ‘’Image elite school’’ Valeria is also the winner of beauty competitions. She was the ‘’ Junior miss’’ of Rostov. At the age of 13 having 180sm height she was allowed to take part in the competition with elder girls and she won the title ‘’Miss talent’’. In 2005 Valeria Reshetnikova was awarded ‘’ The golden voice of Rostov’’, then “Miss Pearl of Don”. She also won the title ‘’Wise-miss in Caucasus’’.
How did Valeria Reshetnikova become Eva Rivas 5 years ago?
‘’It was discussed how to represent me in the Moscow stage. There had already been Valeria project and it had been succeed, it would be a stupid step to repeat it again. The pronunciation of my surname is very difficult. Then I remembered my grandmothers, grandfathers’’. With great difficulty even her parents remembered the names of their previous generations and at last the name Eva Rivas was found. It has a beautiful pronunciation and an interesting explanation.
Eva Rivas won the third prize in the song competition ‘’Five stars’’ in Sochi in 2007. Her singing Sayat-Nova in ‘’Tashir-2009’’ was an appearance for all the Armenians.
The presenters like to joke with Eva about her height, and she isn’t hurt. ‘’ I have a sense of humour. My height is the subjеct for kind jokes. It’s not my defect, so I can joke myself. I allow you to joke. But I want them to be kind.’’
The song ‘’ Apricot stone’’ by Armen Martirosyan and Karen Kavaleryan presented by Eva Rivas was elected in order to represent Armenia in the Eurovision song competition. Eva wants to win the first prize and to bring the Eurovision 2011 to Yerevan.
‘’The second or third places are also interesting. I am not used to lose. I have lost very seldom and accepted it with great pain.
We are going to the Eurovision to win in order to say – Armenia is the winner!!!’’