Saina (singer)

Ekaterina Arkadyevna Savvinova (Russian: Екатерина Аркадьевна Саввинова; born 17 July 1971), known professionally as Saina (Russian: Саина, Yakut: Саина), is a Yakut singer, songwriter and musician in the genre of ethnic music. Her stage name is derived from her real given name. Her song "Hello, Yakutsk!" became the unofficial anthem of Yakutsk.^[1]

Ekaterina Arkadyevna Savvinova was born on 17 July 1971 in the village of Kyusyur into a family of musicians. Her mother worked as a choir conductor, while her father was a saxophonist and clarinetist. After graduating from school, Savvinova studied music and began working in her specialty, as a result of which she gained 18 years of teaching experience. However, her main work in life was singing.^[2]

Savvinova admitted in an interview that she dreamed of a career on an all-Russian scale and had been working towards it for a long time, but not all her dreams came true. She began performing under the stage name Saina and became one of the brightest stars of the Yakut pop music and an Honored Artist of the Republic of Sakha.^[2]

During this time, Saina continues her studies, perfecting her natural vocals and expanding her repertoire. She began to travel abroad, where she became interested in authentic ethnic repertoire. Saina toured Mongolia, Bulgaria, Turkey, and Canada, where she gained new experience and began to learn on her own. In parallel, she has an internship as an accompanist at the Yakutsk Philharmonic.^[2]

Saina sings her native songs, lovingly presenting the unique repertoire of Evenks, Yakuts, Chukchi, Dolgans, and Yukagirs. She also sings in Russian, and her first hit, "Hello, Yakutsk!," was released in that language, making the performer a star of the republic.^[1][2]

At the same time, Saina is not limited to the authentic music of the main peoples of the North, but sings in 30 languages of the world and in various genres, from folk to pop-rock. Her repertoire includes about 200 songs in 30 languages of the world (Yakut, Russian, Even, Evenk, Dolgan, Chukot, Yukaghir, Japanese, Buryat, Mongolian, Kazakh, Korean, Ukrainian, English, French, Hindi, Bulgarian, Italian, Spanish, Georgian).^[2]

In October 2015, Saina participated in the cultural program of the World Games of Indigenous Peoples of the World, held in Palmas, Tocantins, Brazil.^[3]

In 2025, Saina participated in Pan-ArcticVision in Iqualuit, Nunavut, Canada, and through a public vote received the prize for the Most Arctic Song.^[4][5]

Saina was married to Radislav Zakharov, who was also a musician, but he died of convulsions after the divorce. She then dated another man for 6 years, but they broke up.^[2] She has a daughter, Nurguyana, and one grandson.^[2]