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Anna Zak

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Anna Zak
Zak in 2023
Born
Anna Kuzenkova

(2001-03-12) 12 March 2001 (age 23)[citation needed]
Sochi, Russia
NationalityIsraeli (2010–present)
Occupation(s)Singer, model, actress
Years active2014–present
PartnerYehonatan "Jonathan" Mergui[2] (December 2023–March 2024)
Modeling information
Height1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1]
Hair colorLight brown[1]
Eye colorGreen[1]
AgencyITM Models (Israel)[1]
Zak in 2021

Anna Kuzenkova (Hebrew: אנה קוזנקוב, Russian: Анна Кузенкова; born (2001-03-12)12 March 2001), known professionally as Anna Zak[3] (אנה זק), is an Israeli[4] singer, model, actress, and online personality. Her following consists of 5 million followers on TikTok and over 1 million followers on Instagram.[1]

She is one of the most influential Israelis online.[5] In 2017, she ranked number 1 on the Israeli youth influencing Instagram Nana 10,[6] while the Israeli Internet Association ranked her as the overall most influential Israeli Instagrammer.[7]

On 23 August 2017, she officially launched her musical career by releasing her debut single, "Money Honey." On 2 January 2022, she released her first commercially successful song, "Lech Lishon" (לך לישון, lit. Go to Sleep). She released the music video on the same day as the audio, and it has over 20 million views.

Early and personal life

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Anna Kuzenkova was born in Sochi, Georgia, to Natalia and Denis Kuzenkov. Her father is Jewish, whereas her mother is an ethnic Russian.[8] In 2011, when she was 10 years old, her parents, she and her sister, and the grandparents all immigrated to Israel.[9] The family settled in Ashdod, a southern Israeli city on the Mediterranean coast, where she then learned to speak Hebrew.[9][10][8] Her parents later separated and her father returned to Russia, working on the Sochi Olympics.[10] Her older sister served in the Israeli military during the same period.[11]

She attended the Mekif Het High School in Ashdod, Israel.[12] She selected her surname, Zak, as a stage name while in high school.[13][14]

In March 2020, she was inducted into the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for her compulsory military service.[15] She had been in a relationship with Israeli singer Roee Sendler since 2019. They broke up at the end of January 2023.[16][17]

In December 2023, she began a relationship with Israeli singer and actor Yehonatan "Jonathan" Mergui.[2]

Career

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She began her career in 2014 on the Israeli children's reality show The Boys And The Girls.[18] In 2016 she was chosen to be the face of Scoop Shoes, earning a NIS₪50,000 contract at the age of 15 (approximately $14,000US as of 2023, and a large sum for a child).[19][20] She was also selected as the face of a global campaign for the hair removal brand Veet.[19] She said in an interview that at her school, some of her teachers do not know about her social media career.[18] While still in ninth grade, her monthly income from her social media profile was at least NIS 10,000 (approximately $2,500USD), not counting her sponsorship deals.[21] Although earning a large income at a young age was controversial, she told Israel Channel 2 that her family supported her career.[22]

In 2017 she became the host of Music 24's show "To Be a Singer."[23] She also collaborated with the model Neta Alchimister on social media.[24][25] That same year she was named "the most influential person on Israeli Instagram," by the Israeli Internet Association.[7] Nana 10 also ranked her as the most influential Israeli young person influencing on Instagram in 2017.[6] In June 2017, Office Depot chose her as the face of its back-to-school campaign in Israel.[26]

Now United

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In 2017, she successfully auditioned for Idols creator Simon Fuller's project Now United. She joined an international band with other members representing China, India, Russia, Japan, the UK, the US, the Philippines, South Korea, Finland, and Germany.[4][27] She soon announced that she would head the project, rather than just be one of the singers, which meant regular flights from Israel to Los Angeles while still in school.[10] Because of her native fluency in Russian, she served as the presenter when the group traveled to Russia.[11]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Anna Zak". Archived from the original on 14 December 2018.
  2. ^ a b "מרגי בראיון על הזוגיות עם אנה זק: "כשהתאהבנו אמרנו 'אוקי הסערה מגיעה. בעיה'" | TMI". tmi.maariv.co.il (in Hebrew). 2 January 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  3. ^ "Anna Zak". 22 March 2020.
  4. ^ a b Anna Zak is on her way to an international pop career Maariv, Published 04/06/17
  5. ^ Gossip Girl: The Instagram Star is on her way to a new career Channel 24 | Published 25/06/17 09:58
  6. ^ a b Winners of the competition this year[permanent dead link‍] 18/01/2017, Nana 10
  7. ^ a b Leading index accounts for March 2017 Archived 2018-07-15 at the Wayback Machine Israeli Internet Association
  8. ^ a b How do you deal with success at the age of 17? Mako Posted 07/07/18
  9. ^ a b Cinderella from Ashdod Archived 2018-07-27 at the Wayback Machine Ronnie Arden Friday, 24 October 2014, Week in Ashdod
  10. ^ a b c Anna Zak, 16, from Ashdod, became a girl's industry Archived 2017-10-15 at the Wayback Machine Updated 21:38 22/09/2017
  11. ^ a b גפני, דור (26 January 2018). "אנה בכוח: ריאיון יוצא דופן עם אנה זק".
  12. ^ "18 עד 18: "רק מעטים מחמיאים לי על האופי"".
  13. ^ "כוכבת עולה: אנה זק ממריאה". 26 December 2016.
  14. ^ "עם 4 מיליון עוקבים בישראל, אנה זק בדרך ללוס אנג'לס". mako. 11 January 2018.
  15. ^ "עכשיו תורה: אנה זק התגייסה". 15 March 2020.
  16. ^ "המשיכה הלאה? אנה זק בקשר חדש". 18 August 2019.
  17. ^ "אחרי הפרידה מרועי סנדלר: אנה זק עזבה את הארץ - וואלה! סלבס". February 2023.
  18. ^ a b loudly Liat Katz, Maariv, 12/03/17
  19. ^ a b Zak's scoop Yael Walzer, Published: 28.08.16, Ynet
  20. ^ Anna Zak was chosen to be Scoop's new presenter May Atias,29/08/2016
  21. ^ Rising Star: Anna Zak takes off Ashdod Magazine, December 26, 2016
  22. ^ What are the consequences of being a girl-star? 06/09/2016, Amos Rolider, Channel 2 (Israel)
  23. ^ Anna Zak will be part of Spice Girls 15/05/17, Maariv
  24. ^ Neta Alchimister and Anna Zak talk about everything Rathan Isaac, Maariv, 18/06/17
  25. ^ You cannot take your eyes off the screen: Neta Alchimister in a bathing suit Maariv, 11/05/17
  26. ^ At 16: The new job that will bring tens of thousands of shekels to star Anna Zak Gil Mishali, 29/06/2017, Reshet
  27. ^ Crazy For You Israel 14.05.2017, Israel Hayom
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