Irina Smelaya, known as Tatarka, was born on December 21, 1991, in Naberezhnye Chelny. She studied mathematics and economics before dropping out and moving to St. Petersburg, where she gained fame with her ironic video blog featuring her Tatar accent and absurd humor. Between 2016 and 2020, she was married to Ilya Prusikin from Little Big, collaborating with him on music videos and projects.
After their divorce, Tatarka focused on her solo music career, releasing tracks like “Kurtka,” “Bye-Bye,” and “Altyn,” while maintaining a large following on Instagram, YouTube, VK, and Twitter. She is considered a significant figure in the Russian underground scene, known for using her accent and humor as distinctive elements of her online presence. She currently lives in St. Petersburg and is unmarried.
