Born and raised in Obninsk, Russia, the geopolitical sister city to Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA, Lydia Salnikova joined with her friends as teenagers to form a band they named Bering Strait. An American art dealer traveling frequently to Moscow saw the band perform and connected them to Universal South Records in Nashville. The label signed them while they were still in their teens, relocated them to the U.S. and released two studio albums.
In 2003, the band scored a Grammy nomination for Best Country Instrumental Performance, attributed to a single called “Bearing Straight” which Lydia co-wrote with her band mates. A feature-length documentary “The Ballad Of Bering Strait” tells their unique story, including the journey from Moscow to Nashville and achieving national recognition in the U.S. They were also featured on an episode of 60 Minutes with Morley Safer.
The band toured throughout the U.S., sharing stages with such artists as Trisha Yearwood, Diamond Rio, Steve Azar, Carolyn Dawn Johnson, Collin Raye, Wynonna, Phil Vassar, B-52s, Ricky Skaggs, Kenny Rogers, Kathy Mattea and jazz master banjoist, Bela Fleck. Experience on the bigger stages affirmed the band’s national act status and kindled in Lydia the fire for live performance.
A gifted singer and classically trained pianist, Lydia has broadened her musical palette by lending talents to other acts, in the studio and on the road. Her most notable contributions along the way include “We Are The Same” by Kenny Rogers,“Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross” by Sir Christopher Lee and the double CD “Eclectic” by John Ford Coley. Even now, she continues to collaborate with other producers, studios and songwriters worldwide – working in several languages such as French, Russian and English. Her dedicated session website is VocalsKeysEtc.com.
Having a deep love and appreciation for various genres of popular music, Lydia set out to discover her own voice, not as a band member, but as an aspiring solo artist. Stripping away the confines of performing in a band, Lydia found that when it came down to just her, the piano and her writing, she tapped into a very different musical place. Her quest revealed a passion for soulful, emotional tracks, Sophisti-pop lyrics, lush arrangements, and a natural flare for writing pop ballads. She departed from Bering Strait in 2006. By experimenting in the studio and playing live in a trio setting, Lydia Salnikova solidified her solo career and her place in Adult Contemporary music.
As a solo artist, Lydia has released two full-length albums: “Hallway” (2010) and “Valentine Circle” (2013), both self-produced and recorded in her home studio. One of the songs from “Hallway” earned her a nomination for a 2011 Hollywood Music in Media Award, and her album “Valentine Circle” received a feature review in M Music & Musicians magazine. Her concept EP titled “New Heart”, inspired by and dedicated to the wonder of pregnancy and new parenthood, was released in November 2014.
In 2022, Lydia had the honor of performing at the historic Carnegie Hall as a special guest of renowned Brazilian artist Guilherme Arantes.
Over the many years of Lydia’s professional career, her work as a singer, musician and songwriter has been heard on ABC, CBS, NBC, CMT, Animal Planet. Her voice and piano playing have even reached into outer space – when astronaut, Stephen K. Robinson, pressed “play” on his iPod during the STS-114 mission.
Currently, Lydia is finishing a new full-length studio album titled “The Idea of You” which she wrote and produced. The project is set for release in 2026.
Here are some of Lydia’s most dedicated backers, who have already pledged their support for the new release: Peter Whipple, Gary Heatherly, Charles Davidson and Paula Kay Hornick. If you’d also like to support Lydia’s new project, the late pledge stage is now open.