Valya Karnaval

Karnaukova was born on 11 November 2001^[6] in Rostov-on-Don, Russia.^[7][8][9] Her parents moved to Rostov-on-Don from Jizzakh, Uzbekistan.^[10] She engaged in athletics during her youth but had to discontinue due to health issues.^[11] She also studied dance.^[12] Until the age of 15,^[13] Karnaukova lived in the village of Novobataysk in the Rostov region,^[14] where her home was heated with a simple stove.^[15] According to Karnaval, she experienced bullying in school due to her family's financial situation.^[16][17]

After completing the ninth grade at School No. 9 in Novobataysk,^[18] Karnaukova enrolled in the Rostov College of Advertising, Service, and Tourism.^[19] However, she eventually dropped out due to frequent absences.^[20] Forbes later reported that she had also enrolled in another local college but did not complete her studies there either.^[21]

In 2018, at the age of 17,^[22] Karnaukova registered on Musical.ly (now TikTok),^[23][24] where she initially focused on creating humorous videos. Within her first year on the platform, she gained 350,000 followers.^[25] Karnaval currently resides in Moscow^[26] and frequently collaborates with fellow TikTok personality Yulia Gavrilina.^[27]

In 2020, Karnaval became a member of Hype House, a TikTok content collective.^[28] That summer, she launched her music career^[29] with the release of her debut single "Psych Ward," with the music video premiering in September 2020.^[30] In addition to her music endeavors, she made her acting debut in the TNT television series Vacation,^[13] portraying a teenage girl.^[13] The pilot episode was filmed in May 2019,^[13] and the series began production in late June 2020. It aired between February and March 2021.^[31]

In November 2020, Karnaval published an autobiographical book titled Hey, Bandits.^[32] In February 2022, she participated in the second season of the TNT reality show Celebrities in Africa, where she reached the finals.^[33]

On TikTok, Karnaval produces a variety of content, including humorous skits,^[34] dance routines, and sports-related videos.^[35] In the past, she also streamed gaming content on YouTube. According to Forbes, her online persona, characterized by a cute appearance and the use of affectionate terms like "bandits" to address her audience, resonates with her fanbase. She frequently appears with a plush bear named Potap in her videos.^[36]

Karnaval does not publicly disclose much about her personal life.^[37] However, it has been reported that she was in a relationship with fellow social media personality Yegor Ship,^[38] which ended in 2020. She confirmed this in an interview with a popular YouTube channel in August 2020.^[39]

In February 2022, athlete and blogger Sasha Stone proposed to Karnaval during a trip to the Maldives, and she accepted.^[40][41] The couple had met while participating in Celebrities in Africa. Despite plans to marry in 2022,^{[42][43][44][45][46]} it was reported in the summer of 2023 that they had separated.^[47]

• The highest paid tiktokers according to Forbes 5th place^[54]
• The most popular tiktokers in Russia 8th place^[55]
• Top 5 Tiktok Singing Stars 4th place^[56]