Slobodan River was established in 2002 by Ithaka-Maria, Tomi Rahula and Stig Rasta. They blended well-known pop rhythms with sincere but unexpected rock sounds and had such an enthusiastic response from the audience that their 2004 debut album managed to top the local album sales list for six weeks. Among the local groups who sing in foreign languages, Slobodan River has certainly the biggest share in the play lists of Estonian radio stations. The title song of their album "Surrounded" soared immediately to the charts of all the biggest Estonian radio stations. They have met similar success with almost all their singles (already 7 of them), especially their latest "A Girl In A Push Up Bra" that came out in August 2004. All the music they perform is written by the band members and also the whole album is co-produced by the band.
A trio in studio, Slobodan River is composed of 9 members when they perform live. They give concerts 2 or 3 times a week and they are one of the favourite groups performing in clubs and on stages all over Estonia. All the big Estonian music festivals have put them on the program and they have warmed up audiences for Dario G, Atomic Kitten, Fragma, Da Buzzz, Sash and others. By now, the band has begun to target international audiences and hopes to get its music on the play lists of radios outside its native country as well as to perform it live at venues in Europe.
The singer and leader of Slobodan River, Ithaka-Maria, was five when she started taking piano lessons at Tallinn Music Secondary School. Altogether she has had 13 years of schooling in classical music, the last three of which she spent studying conducting. At the tender age of 17, she made her debut as a pop singer in the ultra popular girl band Best B4. Her first song, co-written with Tomi Rahula, called Children Of The Sea, was such a success that it was chosen to represent Estonia at the Eurovision Song Contest in the UK (1998). Soon after the contest, Ithaka-Maria already composed songs for herself, wrote the lyrics and formed Slobodan River jointly with a few friends.
Tomi Rahula graduated from Tallinn Music Secondary School with a diploma in choir conducting and composing. He has studied conducting and electronical music at Estonian Academy of Music and in 2000 was enrolled in a Master's degree program at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. A prolific author, he has created music in many genres: choral songs, orchestral arrangements and pop songs. His attachment to pop music already dates back to the times he was still in primary school when, as a singer and guitarist, he formed a rock'n'roll band. Over the past few years, he has dedicated most of his time to Slobodan River where he is a co-songwriter and a keyboard player.
He graduated from Tallinn Music School in the speciality of the saxophone. He has taught himself to play the guitar. At present he works as a sound engineer and also writes and co-produces songs not only for Slobodan River but for other artists as well.
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