Stanislav Todorov Trifonov (Bulgarian: Станислав Тодоров Трифонов) (born 18 October 1966), known as Slavi Trifonov (Bulgarian: Слави Трифонов), is a Bulgarian showman, actor, singer, and viola player, born in Pleven (Bulgarian: Плевен), Bulgaria. Trifonov is active mainly in the folk music (pop-folk) genres but he has experimented with other genres such as hip-hop collaborating with the Australian based producer Yasen Subev, pop-rock and punk as a part of Ku-ku Band (Bulgarian: Ку-Ку Бенд). His name is associated mainly with the Slavi's Show, Exiles, Canaletto and KU-KU

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Early life 1.2 Television career 2 Ku-Ku Band 3 Albums (different music styles through the years - punk, folk, folk rock, chalga) 4 External links Biography Early life

Stanislav Todorov Trifonov was born on 18 October 1966 in Pleven, Bulgaria. His father is from Gorna Mitropoliya, Bulgaria; his mother is Zdravka from Todorovo. He is the youngest of three brothers and has a sister, Petya, three years older than him, who he has said is the person closest to him. He was named after his grandfather Stoyo.

He grew up in a strict family where his mother had a major role, and upheld the value of a good education. Trifonov and his sister were excellent students. He enjoyed spending time reading books.

Eventually he enrolled in the music school in Pleven. During one of the school holidays, he went to Kaylaka park with his school class. Although uncomfortable, and feeling out of place there, he decided to participate in the talent night during which different performances were presented. Trifonov performed few jokes he had memorized earlier from comedian Dimitar Shkumbata's apocryphal audiotape. Trifonov was surprised by the audience's positive response and their request for an encore. He defines this as turning point in his life.

In 1985 graduated from SMU Panayot Pipkov in Pleven having learned the viola. He later graduated from the National Academy of Music in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Television career

Trifonov, along with Peter Kurumbashev and Lyuben Dilov Jr., was one of the first producers of private programming on Bulgarian National Television (BNT).

His first appearance was on the TV show KUKU in a sketch parody of heavy metal band, shot in Studio 4 of the National Television network.

In 1997, on show Canaletto he actively participated in protests against the rule of Zhan Videnov.

In 1998, he became producer and host of Exiles. The programme was suspended from BNT after a single broadcast on 8 February 1998. The show was later broadcast for two years by television 7 Dni TV and other cable TV channels in the country. It was distinguished by sharp political satire, and strong participation by the group Ku-Ku Band. The main script writers of Exiles were writers Rosen Petrov, Toshko Yordanov, Ivaylo Valchev, Ivo Petrov, and Siromahov.

On 27 November 2000 Trifonov made the first episode of Slavi's Show on bTV. He is currently director of the production company Seven-eight AD. The company produces programming mostly for bTV and the bTV Media Group such as: 5 Stars, and numerous reality shows on license including Survivor BG, Music Idol 1, and Dancing Stars 2, and two mini-series Where is Brother? and Brandy and Sunrise.

As a singer he has released twenty-two albums, with Ku-Ku, Canaletto, Outcasts and Ku-Ku Band. He has made numerous tours throughout the country, as well as a tour in the United States and Canada. In 2004, he recorded a duet with the lead singer of Antique, Elena Paparizou, called Why?.

In 2005, Trifonov participated in the Bulgarian national final for the Eurovision duet with Sofi Marinova. When it came time to perform her song "Unity", however, they took the stage and Trifonov announced, in an emotional speech, that they were withdrawing from the competition because the vote was manipulated using SIM cards.

In 2008, Trifonov was fined 500 lev(roughly $275 U.S.) for contempt. Trifonov has filed multiple lawsuits against so-called tabloid newspapers and has won the majority of them, donating their fines to charity. In early 2013, Trifonov condemned the company Magardich Halvadjian and Judy Halvadjian for misusing excerpts from "Slavi's Show".

Ku-Ku Band

Trifonov is the frontman of the Bulgarian music band Ku-Ku established in 1993 by Trifonov, Evgeni Dimitrov, Maestro Evgeny Jotov, and Ilia Iliev. The band has been / is playing a major role on the KU-KU, Canaletto and Slavi's Show TV programmes, as well as other projects such as Fife Stars, Idols, Sing with Me, and The Voice of Bulgaria 1 and 2. It has released twentyone albums, over 300 songs, performed at hundreds of concerts, made thirteen tours including one in the United States.

Albums (different music styles through the years - punk, folk, folk rock, chalga) Ръгай чушки в боба (Prod Peppers in the Bean Soup) (1993) Шат на патката главата (Rip off the Head of the Duck) (1994) Рома ТВ (Roma TV) (1994) Жълта книжка (Certificate for Mental Disorder) (1995) Хъшове (Hajduks) (1996) Каналето - The Best (Canaletto - The Best) (1997) Едно Ферари с цвят червен (A Ferrari in Color Red) (1997) Франция, здравей (Hello, France) (1998) Девети трагичен (The Tragic Ninth) (1998) Вавилон (Babylon) (1998) Няма "не искам", няма "недей" (Don't Say "I Don't Want to", Don't Say "Don't Do It") (1999) Часът на бенда (The Hour of the Band) (2000) Новите Варвари (The New Barbarians) (2001) The Best (2001) Vox Populi (2002) Прима патриот (Prima Patriot) (2004) И оркестъра да свири (Let the Orchestra Play) (2005) Ние продължаваме (We Keep on Going) (2007) No Mercy (2009) Македония (Macedonia) (2010) Един от многото (One of the Many) (2012) Има такъв народ (Such People Do Exist) (2017) Песни за българи (Songs for/about Bulgarians) (2018) External links Official Website Official Facebook page This article about a Bulgarian singer is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.vte