Valya Karnaval

Valentina Vasilyevna Karnaukhova (Russian: Валенти́на Васи́льевна Карнау́хова;^[1] born 11 November 2001), known professionally as Karna.val^[2] or Valya Karnaval, is a Russian video blogger, TikTok personality, singer,^[3] and actress.

In October 2020, the Russian edition of Forbes ranked Karnaval fifth on its inaugural list of the highest-paid TikTokers.^[4] By the end of that year, she was ranked sixth among the "top artists" in the Russian-speaking segment of TikTok, based on the frequency with which her songs were used in user-generated videos. Her song "Psych Ward" was also listed as the ninth most-used track on TikTok in 2020.^[5]

Karnaukova was born on 11 November 2001^[6] in Rostov-on-Don, Russia.^[7][8][9] She engaged in athletics during her youth but had to discontinue due to health issues.^[10] She also studied dance.^[11] Until the age of 15,^[12] Karnaukova lived in the village of Novobataysk in the Rostov region,^[13] where her home was heated with a simple stove.^[14] According to Karnaval, she experienced bullying in school due to her family's financial situation.^[15][16]

After completing the ninth grade at School No. 9 in Novobataysk,^[17] Karnaukova enrolled in the Rostov College of Advertising, Service, and Tourism.^[18] However, she eventually dropped out due to frequent absences.^[19] Forbes later reported that she had also enrolled in another local college but did not complete her studies there either.^[20]

In 2018, at the age of 17,^[21] Karnaukova registered on Musical.ly (now TikTok),^[22][23] where she initially focused on creating humorous videos. Within her first year on the platform, she gained 350,000 followers.^[24] Karnaval currently resides in Moscow^[25] and frequently collaborates with fellow TikTok personality Yulia Gavrilina.^[26]

In 2020, Karnaval became a member of Hype House, a TikTok content collective.^[27] That summer, she launched her music career^[28] with the release of her debut single "Psych Ward," with the music video premiering in September 2020.^[29] In addition to her music endeavors, she made her acting debut in the TNT television series Vacation,^[12] portraying a teenage girl.^[12] The pilot episode was filmed in May 2019,^[12] and the series began production in late June 2020. It aired between February and March 2021.^[30]

In November 2020, Karnaval published an autobiographical book titled Hey, Bandits.^[31] In February 2022, she participated in the second season of the TNT reality show Celebrities in Africa, where she reached the finals.^[32]

On TikTok, Karnaval produces a variety of content, including humorous skits,^[33] dance routines, and sports-related videos.^[34] In the past, she also streamed gaming content on YouTube. According to Forbes, her online persona, characterized by a cute appearance and the use of affectionate terms like "bandits" to address her audience, resonates with her fanbase. She frequently appears with a plush bear named Potap in her videos.^[35]

Karnaval does not publicly disclose much about her personal life.^[36] However, it has been reported that she was in a relationship with fellow social media personality Yegor Ship,^[37] which ended in 2020. She confirmed this in an interview with a popular YouTube channel in August 2020.^[38]

In February 2022, athlete and blogger Sasha Stone proposed to Karnaval during a trip to the Maldives, and she accepted.^[39][40] The couple had met while participating in Celebrities in Africa. Despite plans to marry in 2022,^{[41][42][43][44][45]} it was reported in the summer of 2023 that they had separated.^[46]

• The highest paid tiktokers according to Forbes 5th place^[53]
• The most popular tiktokers in Russia 8th place^[54]
• Top 5 Tiktok Singing Stars 4th place^[55]