Elen Cora, born Elena Polozova and originally known as Elena Korennykh, is a contemporary singer, composer, and lyricist who represents the new wave of disco artists. She produces music within the realms of Italo Disco, Euro Disco, and Russian Disco, all while honoring the recording and stylistic traditions of the 1980s. Based in Novosibirsk, Russia, Elen Cora records and performs in both English—under her own name and the alias Siberian Heat—and in Russian, as Studiya-80.
Elen first rose to prominence on the internet between 2007 and 2009, following the release of a demo version of her disco track “Fight for Your Dreams” on November 18, 2007. This marked her debut under the name Elen Cora, a name conceived by Vitaly Polozov, who later pursued a project called Siberian Heat. This initial release was exclusive to the internet and was soon followed by other demo tracks from Siberian Heat, including “Angel’s Heart” and “In Your City.” “Fight for Your Dreams” quickly gained traction on disco radio charts and was performed live during a concert in Novosibirsk in 2009. The Siberian Heat project commenced in 2007 as a collaboration between Elen—then residing in Krasnoyarsk—and composer and producer Vitaly Polozov from Novosibirsk, with Elen contributing English lyrics and vocals to Vitaly’s music. Their first studio album, “Mystic Time,” was officially released by SP Records in 2012.
In 2009, Elen released a demo album titled “Inside My Disco,” featuring music composed by Russian Italo Disco and Spacesynth artists Olegris (Oleg Rysev) and Abbsynth (Alexander Korolev), with lyrics by Andrew Mosckalev. This was the first album to be issued under the name Elen Cora, following the release of four singles that preceded it. Songs from this album were later included in various compilations across several countries, as well as on vinyl and CD. The track “Sleeping in Your Hands,” with music by A. Korolev and lyrics by Andrew Mosckalev, marked Elen's first official release in 2010 as part of a compilation from the American label SPACE SOUND RECORDS.
Elen Cora and the Siberian Heat project quickly garnered attention from Italo Disco and Euro Disco enthusiasts worldwide. On August 3, 2011, she released her debut vinyl LP, “Number One,” through the Dutch label Energy Level, a sublabel of the renowned I Venti D’Azzurro Records from Italy. This LP featured eight of the most popular tracks from both her Elen Cora and Siberian Heat projects. Additionally, her songs were included in various compilations by notable labels such as ZYX Music (Germany), SpaceSound Records (USA), and SP Records (Russia), as well as in several Russian compilation CDs.
In 2012, Elen released two full-length studio albums on gold-plated CDs through SP Records: “Mystic Time” by Siberian Heat and “House of Cards” by Elen Cora. The majority of the music on “Mystic Time” was composed by Vitaly Polozov, with Elen co-writing the song “Sorry.” The “House of Cards” album features two tracks composed solely by Elen, “Tell Me Why” and “Forgive Me,” along with multiple songs by Vitaly Polozov, including “Drama,” “House of Cards,” and “Tightrope Dancer.” Together, Elen and Vitaly collaborated on two songs, “Time After Time” and “Powerful Little Things,” while Olegris contributed tracks like “Days and Dreams,” “Wanna Be Real,” and “Will You Remember.” The album also showcases “Miles Away,” a collaborative effort with Canadian composer and producer Paul Katsnelson, as well as a children’s song titled “Astronomers in China,” written by Anna Gavrilova for her son. The lyrics for the “House of Cards” album were penned by Elen Cora, Anna Gavrilova, and Andrew Mosckalev.
Since 2009, Elen has also served as the vocalist for the Russian disco group Studiya-80, which was founded in 2005 by Vitaly Polozov. She re-recorded the group’s debut album, “Pridumannyi Mir,” and is actively working on a new album, both of which are scheduled for release in 2013.
