What Happened to the Original Members of the Pop Group 'Fabrika'

Today, getting into the music charts requires a powerful computer and the ability to work with AI. In the early 2000s, there was a different route—the «Star Factory» (12+) project. It gave birth to the group «Fabrika,» whose songs were played everywhere after the finale, and posters of the members hung across the country. Twenty years later, the group still exists, but its lineup has changed beyond recognition. So what became of the first «factory girls»?

Maria Alalykina

Alalykina joined the first «Star Factory» when she was 19. She didn«t even dream of fame or popularity at first. The fragile girl was studying to be a translator and went to the audition to keep her sister company. However, the producers noticed her and later offered her a place in the group »Fabrika«.

The fame that fell on Maria literally intoxicated her. As show participants recall, she immediately adopted the rules of show business: she was always cheerful, carefree, changed into eye-catching cocktail dresses, and never argued.

Everything seemed to be going perfectly; the group filmed its first music video «About Love» and went on tour to Chita, where they were received as top-tier stars. The celebration ended when Maria went backstage and saw her boyfriend, Alexei Zuenko. He was standing with a suitcase and sternly said they were going home.

Alexei, like Maria«s parents, disapproved of her passion for the stage. They wanted her to finish university, get a regular job, and live like everyone else.

«They started asking me questions. What do you need this group for? To sing in front of men, including married ones, at corporate events? They will drink alcohol, and you will entertain them? Leaving was not my personal decision. I was supported by my parents, my close ones. The motivation was: finish your degree,» Maria later recalled.

Alalykina wrote a short message to producer Igor Matvienko: «Thank you for everything, I»m leaving!« Her boyfriend paid the $250,000 penalty for breaking the contract, and the girl left.

Soon after, Maria married Alexei and, at her husband«s insistence, agreed to convert to Islam.

«He slipped her all sorts of little books, told her stories, showed her things, made her pray,» Maria«s mother said on a show. »She loved him very much, so she went in that direction. We were categorically against this Muslim thing. At first, she was like a Palestinian refugee; I was in shock.«

After finishing university, as her parents dreamed, Alalykina got a job as a teacher, but because of her hijab, she had to quit.

«The director was unhappy with my dress code. He said if I didn»t change my mind, he would have to let me go,« the former »factory girl« admitted only many years later.

Maria had to resign. At the same time, problems began with her husband, who cheated on her with her best friend. She left the man she once loved, for whom she had given up everything. After the divorce, Alalykina did not return to her former life but immersed herself even deeper in studying the culture and traditions of Islam.

In 2009, Maria, or as she is now called, Maryam, married for the second time and moved to Dagestan. After that, she stopped giving interviews, closed herself off, lives modestly, and does not remember the past.

«She has a very good husband, loving and caring. They lived together in Moscow for several years, but there were certain problems here. So they decided to move to another region. Some wrote that Masha was forcibly taken to an aul (mountain village), but that»s not true. Their decision to move to one of Russia«s major cities was mutual,» shared the former artist«s sister, Margarita.

Alexandra Savelyeva

The youngest member of the group. Alexandra got on «Star Factory» when she was not even 18.

«By that time, I had managed to sing in the group »Barefoot,« which we created with girls from the folklore faculty, in the group »They,« and as a backup vocalist for the legendary rock band »Arax,«» Savelyeva boasted.

In the early 2000s, people followed the personal life of the sweet blonde more than her creative work. The main topic of discussion was whether Savelyeva was dating a member of the group «Korni»—Alexander Astashenok. The artists often appeared together, as both groups were produced by Igor Matvienko: they went on tours, performed, and appeared in each other«s music videos. However, all the romantic flair turned out to be just a PR move and fans» fantasy. All this time, Alexandra«s heart was free.

In 2007, Savelyeva participated in the show «Ice Age» (6+), where she met figure skater Alexei Yagudin. A passionate romance flared up between them. The couple quickly moved in together, and it seemed everything was heading toward a wedding. But Alexandra quickly realized it was «the wrong fit.»

Savelyeva did not stay alone for long. A year later, she accidentally met actor Kirill Safonov.

«We met on the night of February 22–23, 2009, in a club. We caught each other»s eyes and said hello—as if we recognized each other… Everything happened very quickly for us: by March 8, Kirill gave me a ring, and a year later we got married,« Savelyeva shared.

At first, the couple continued to build their careers: Safonov acted in films, Savelyeva sang in the group. But when the singer turned 30, she began to think more often about children. After many attempts, only in 2019 did Alexandra announce she had a son, Leon.

The baby became the center of Alexandra«s universe, and she left the group.

«I gave Fabrika 200% of myself, I»ve already outgrown these songs,« the singer stated.

In recent years, Savelyeva has released solo songs, but they still cannot compete with the group«s first hits. For several years, the singer faded from the spotlight, spending all her time with her husband and child, but in the last year, she has gradually returned to television, for now as a participant in entertainment shows.

Sati Kazanova

Before coming to «Star Factory,» Sati sang in casinos and barely made a living. Her goal was to find her place in the capital at all costs and never return to live with her parents in the village.

The chance to become an artist could not be wasted, so Sati took her work in the group seriously, sometimes too seriously. She could argue until she was hoarse about which song to sing on tour, quarreled over outfits, and tried with all her might to convince the «factory girls» that she knew better how to do things right.

At first, the girls endured Kazanova«s meticulousness and nitpicking, but after dozens of tours and more than one popular song, Irina Teneva»s patience snapped. During one argument, she did not agree with Sati but said everything that had built up.

«I didn»t realize my selfishness. The incident with Irina was a cry from the soul. I was stunned by how monstrously I was tormenting people. I looked at her and couldn«t believe my ears. She was just hysterical, sobbing, and saying: »You«ve worn me out! This is impossible,»« Kazanova recalled of that scandal.

The constant squabbles were compounded by the fact that Kazanova grew tired of being a cheerful, smiling «factory girl» who sang light pop tunes.

«I was pulled toward some depth. I thought we needed deeply sorrowful songs. And Igor Igorevich (Matvienko) said: »You have to understand, people don«t need that. They suffer enough as it is. They have enough pain in life.» I thought: «Do people really only need entertainment? A little song to drink vodka to. I don»t want to be a little song to drink vodka to!«» the singer categorically declared.

In 2010, Kazanova went solo. At first, she continued to be the person everyone was used to seeing: she sang pop songs, appeared in club outfits, and always with a smile. But cats were still scratching at her soul, and Sati could not call herself happy.

She found inner peace two years after starting her solo career. She met a guru, made a pilgrimage to India, and «saw the light.» The singer gave up meat, took up spiritual practices and meditation. She began adding more and more ethnic motifs to her songs, and then completely changed her stage name to «Sati Ethnica» and began singing sacred mantras.

In 2017, Sati married Italian photographer Stefano Tiozzo, who supported his chosen one«s lifestyle. The couple wanted to have a child as soon as possible. For seven years, they couldn»t, and Sati worried more and more that she might never give birth. However, in 2024, the singer announced she had a daughter.

«How scary it is to become a mother, what might I lose there? Motherhood gives so much, not just takes away. Yes, it»s a certain sacrifice. You don«t sleep, you can»t just go out with a friend for a drink and a chat. But who cares about all that!« the singer mused on her social media.

In early 2026, Sati took monastic vows. On January 1, she came to a temple, and a mentor there told the singer she would now serve a «great purpose.» At the same time, Kazanova did not have to renounce her family or worldly life.

«Shock. Joy. Amazement. Jubilation. Fear. Awe. Confusion. Gratitude. That»s just part of what I felt at that moment,« Sati wrote in her blog.

Irina Teneva

The group«s longest-standing member and the only participant who continues to sing as part of »Fabrika.« At the same time, Teneva has not lagged behind her former bandmates and also created a solo project. For the last ten years, she has performed in parallel under the stage name Toneva.

Irina doesn«t like to share details of her personal life. Early in her career, she was rumored to be in a romance with »Korni« member Pavel Artemyev, but it was all because of their duet »You Understand.« Later, gossip said two stars were vying for the singer»s heart—journalist Otar Kushanashvili and actor Yuri Pashkov. Teneva chose the latter and gave Kushanashvili the cold shoulder, which he never forgot.

«I am convinced that Sienna Miller (an actress like that), implausibly beautiful—is my type, she would love and appreciate me. Not like Olya Frolova or Ira Teneva, who blew their chance with me,» the journalist wrote in his book «The Era and I. Chronicle of a Hooligan.»

The romance with Yuri was briskly heading toward marriage: Teneva introduced her chosen one to her parents, he proposed. However, things only went as far as an engagement. Irina ended the relationship, believing it had run its course.

In 2017, it became known that someone had finally managed to get Teneva to the altar. The singer had a secret wedding with dancer Alexei Brizha, who is 13 years her junior.

In her status as a wife, Teneva does not rule out that she herself may soon leave the group «Fabrika,» at least for a while.

«I dream of meeting one important person—my future child,» Irina says tenderly about her desire to become a mother.