Born in New York and raised in Russia, self-described "opera pop" artist Elizaveta Igorevna Khripounova graduated with honors from the University of Southern California. The pianist, singer/songwriter, and opera singer applied her classical training in piano and voice to her debut EPs, Breakfast with Chopin and Like Water. Melding her love of the classical world with a passion for Nina Simone, Adele, and Queen, the newly minted Elizaveta eventually inked a deal with Universal Republic Records, resulting in a self-titled EP in 2011 and a full-length studio debut, the Greg Wells-produced Beatrix Runs, in 2012. ~ James Christopher Monger