Meet Anastasia Gorbunova of Youngstown and Toledo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Anastasia Gorbunova.

Hi Anastasia, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Classic rock with a modern edge. Martini Russa is an international female-fronted rock band/duo featuring virtuoso guitarist Maiquel Martini (Brazil/Spain) and very powerful vocalist Anastasia Gorbunova (Russia/USA) who also plays rhythm guitar. Having met in 2013 in Barcelona, Spain, the duo immediately started working on their own material. In 2024, they were nominated for the prestigious Josie Music Awards (Nashville) in several categories, released two singles “Hangover” and “City of Ghosts,” and embarked on their first US tour. Martini won the 2024 Josie Music Award in the Musician of the Year – Guitar category. Together they are also winners of Rock the Stage SWFL 2022. This year Martini Russa are again nominated for Duo of the Year, and Anastasia is nominated for Vocalist of the Year JMA 2025.

Anastasia is the signer, songwriter and rhythm guitarist for Martini Russa. She was born in Moscow but moved to Phoenix, Arizona with her mother at age 15, where, upon graduating from high school, she studied jazz history, piano performance and psychology at the University of Arizona. Anastasia has a PhD in Psychology and an MBA from Oxford University. But in the end she mustered all of her courage to follow the path of music instead.

Martini hails from Porto Alegre, Brazil. He has been playing guitar since he was 14 years old, and has studied music at EM&T, the School of Music and Technology in São Paulo. At the age of 18 he moved to Barcelona, Spain in search of a different life, adventure, and to study flamenco guitar. But rock music has always been his first passion, so upon meeting Anastasia, he chose to move to Oxford to be with her instead of going to Thailand, and to dedicate his life fully to music. He is a black belt in Karate and speaks five languages.

Martini Russa believe that music, curiosity, and self-education will save the world: “The only defense is your mind, so keep it sharp and ablaze!” – a lyric from Anastasia’s song “Midazolam Daze”.

They are relocating to New York City in September, 2025.

Martini Russa is an absolute must for fans of: Pink Floyd, Queen, AC/DC, Beth Hart, and Janis Joplin. Martini Russa is classic rock with a modern edge.

XTRA NEWS:

We’ve recently signed with Extreme Management Group (EMG). Our manager is Damien Mitchell emg.damien@gmail.com
We are about to embark on a tour of the Midwest and North-East US with 12 dates booked in August-September. This will be our second US tour.
We’ve released 3 singles in the past year: Hangover, City of Ghosts and Kremlin Wall, each enjoying extensive radio play on internet and college radio stations. Kremlin Wall official music video, released on February 27th, 2025, has almost 64K views.
In 2024, we were nominated for the Josie Music Awards (2024) in Nashville. Our guitarist Martini won the 2024 Josie Music Award in the Musician of the Year – Guitar category. Together we are also winners of Rock the Stage SWFL 2022. This year Martini Russa are again nominated for Duo of the Year, our song City of Ghosts is nominated for Song of the Year, Martini is again nominated for Guitarist of the Year, and our singer and songwriter Anastasia is nominated for Vocalist of the Year JMA 2025. The award ceremony will be held at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, TN, on November 2nd, 2025.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
There have always been struggles: balancing our passion for music with day jobs. Anastasia has worked as a psychology faculty at a university, a scientific consultant at a neuromarketing company, and a director of business development at a robotics company. She is now also a co-founder of a tech startup. Martini has worked as a bartender, server, mover and a guitar teacher. Some of our other struggles include picking the right equipment, and, more importantly, the right people for our band – the great musicians who share our passion and vision for our songs.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
We are blues and rock musicians. Martini plays virtuoso lead guitar (electric), and Anastasia plays rhythm guitar (acoustic and electric), and sings. Her voice has been described by fans as powerfully haunting, and uniquely beautiful. We will be playing live at the Westside Bowl in Youngstown on August 17th at noon, and at Voodoo Brewing Co in Toledo on August 31st at 6 PM.

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Never, ever give up! Practice, practice, practice! Talent is nothing more than blood, sweat, and tears. We believe that music, curiosity, and self-education will save the world: “The only defense is your mind, so keep it sharp and ablaze!” – a lyric from Anastasia’s song “Midazolam Daze”.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://martinirussa.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/martinirussa
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/martinirussa
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MartiniRussa