BIO

The secret:

“She is known for her colorful, extravaganza style. Her style is based on the spirit of the 80's / 90's, culminating in various African-American music genres. The vocal range of her dramatic voice spans more than 3 octaves, and the core of this drama is the fact her black throat and African-American soul is trapped in a white body. In addition to her ever-changing eclectic image, she is known for her distinctive and recognizable voice.”

It all began:

• I was born in Budapest, Hungary as an only child of wonderful parents. 
• My mother, Irma Erzsébet Kálnay is a biologist, my father, Pál Kullai was an engineer, inventor, CEO of HÍRÉP and a member of the American Who Is Who. My childhood was bright and happy, giving me a solid background and a motivation towards music.
• At the age of 12, using miscellaneous objects, my assembled a 'drum set' at home. Later I practised on a real drum set as well. Started learning the piano at the age of 14. 
• I graduated at high school Fényes Elek Közgazdasági Szakközépiskola. 
• The experience of my father's sudden death has tinted everything I have been doing; the pain of it can be heard even in my happiest songs. My mother raised me who has become my best girlfriend as well as my spiritual advisor.
• Since my childhood, I've always wanted to be different than the others.
• In the beginning, my parents acknowledged my limitless free will with sadness and with awe, driven by my constantly changing mood. Either with anger or lightheartedness, they had to accept my interesting, sometimes unbearable artistic amplitude that spanned on a quite wide scale.
• Even in my kindergarten years, I used to refuse doing what I was told to... if we were told to draw a circle, the others started drawing beautiful circles, but I was drawing a house - or anything else that matched my current state of mind. Literally anything else, just to refuse to do the exercises the others did.
• This almost "outlawish" uniqueness appeared in my teen years, and, to be honest, it appears even nowadays, culminating in my constantly changing, extremely colorful, one-of-a-kind clothing style as well as in my view on the world, and it also goes for all the things that surround me.
• My nerdiness affects my audience who follows and loves me; according to them, they're amazed by my courage and my enormous desire for originality, of which I don't know where it's emerging from.
• Up until today, my Mom has come to accept that I just can't be sculptured to fit into a narrow box. 

Spreading wings

•  In 2000, I was a finalist of the Miss World Hungary contest. My further modeling and acting works shed light on my mission in life: I decided to heal mankind by spreading love all around the globe. This basic thought is the core of my artistry and philosophy. 
• In 2001, I started attending the liberal arts department of the university József Attila Tudományegyetem, concentrating on media and journalism, where I could deepen my knowledge of the background science of these subjects.
• In 2002, while attending the university, I started practising as a news anchor under the wings of László Kósa-Somogy, PhD. I received a pocketful of works in various television commercials. 
• In 2003, I tried myself in the first series of talent contest Hungarian Idol, in order to pursue my music career. 
• In 2004, due to my accomplishments in the afore-mentioned contest, I was hired as the new singer of the group Calzoncillos A Rayas. This was my very first band whose former vocalist was Dorina Galambos. I released my debut song called "You're My Mind" with this group, receiving positive feedback from a lot of acid-jazz fans.
• In 2005, I shot my first music video called "Várlak" with the same band, causing a slight controversy: due to my nude background shots in the video, the media dragged me through the mire. Alternately, I sang, acted, anchored and hosted shows in this period.
• In 2006, I was called into a special project where I could improve my precision to further lengths. Jamiroquai Tribute Band, being a rarity with a female lead, helped shaping my stage presence. Simultaneously with this, I became a member of Félharmónikusok, covering the biggest hits of the 80's and touring with the band everywhere in Hungary. 
• In 2007, I started working as the host of the main stage of Váci Világi Vigalom for many years.
• In 2008, I was asked to be the vocalist of the band Végtelen. I shot my second music video with them called "Édessós".
• In 2009, I started working as the face of Nestlé, marking the beginning of a fruitful relationship with them. 
• After appearing at various events, I became the Dolce Gusto ambassador of the firm. 
• I appeared in two songs with Inti, frontman of TNT. Finally, the songs were not released due to technical difficulities, however, we performed them at several gigs.
• In 2010, I became a finalist of the first series of talent contest X-Factor where I received a nickname "Hungarian Tina Turner" (later "Timi Turner") from my fans. Because of my gruff, metallic voice, the show presented me to the masses with powerful songs. 
• My next band, All About, was a milestone in my life. The group produced more than 15 songs in the following years with me being a co-composer of all of them. Mixed with our own songs, we covered many songs of Incognito, The Brand New Heavies, Wicked Jazz Sounds Band and Tower of Power. The band's "family mindset" strengthened the bond between us. 
• In 2011, I participated in the creation of three independent rock operas by Eudoxia Fund, of which the third one was dedicated to the memory of the great late Hungarian actor Attila Kaszás. 
• I toured with All About, filling many community centers, theaters, festivals, gaining even more acid-jazz and soul music fans. This group was indeed one of the most determining projects of my early career, strengthening my enthusiasm and respect towards the African-American genres, solidifying my one of a kind sense of mission. The group released "Wasted" which got picked up by Jazzy Radio, and has been on air since that. 
• In 2012, during the last (6th) series of Hungarian Idol, I got to be known by a wider range of the Hungarian audience. With my naturality and love towards people, I quickly earned the support of my followers, which has been cherishing my life in a most faithful way, and, along my way, I respect this heartwarming feeling with eternal gratitude. Since X-Factor, my Timi Turner nickname has grown on me even more. I performed songs such as "Good Luck" (Basement Jaxx) and "Free Your Mind" (En Vogue) which became my signature songs in the Hungarian music scene. During this contest, I had the chance to perform with one of the biggest stars of the 2010's, Flo-Rida, performing his most famous song "Good Feeling" together with me. 
• In 2013, I became the frontwoman of Mortal Wombat. The group, being the resident band of TV channel Viasat, performed at a myriad of media events in Hungary. 
• A musician named GERO produced a new version of my song "Wasted" with the new title "Don't Leave", and we shot a music video to accompany the track. In the video, we travel across the country in an 1975 Alfa Romeo.
• In 2014, I received a series of honor, which started by becoming a member of the jury of Dunakanyar hangja talent contest, where I, along with other respected and famous singers, helped rate and pave the way of young, upcoming talents. 
• I was also the host of the blues festival called Azok a boldog szép napok in Zsámbék, as well as a member of the jury of Ceglédi Utcazene Fesztivál. 
• DJ Dimofat signed me as singer of the house at Stereo Chef, where I performed with members of Incognito on one occasion. 
• DJ Zoohacker produced my song "Don't Live a Lie", aimed for the Eurovision Song Contest. 
• I appeared in the movie Kills on Wheelswith Attila Till.
• Recognizing myself becoming distant from the piano, I decided to do something unique and memorable. In order to be able to combine singing and playing the piano at the same time, I started practising hard; since this decision, I have been touring with my acoustic piano nights, performing not only my own songs but the biggest hits of Alicia Keys as well as my favorite 80s / 90s soul and dance tunes, covering them in my own piano accompaniment. My wildest dream would come true if, while playing the biggest grand pianos of the world, Alicia heard my show; I hope she would be proud of me! 
• In 2015, the queen of instruments came back into my life on another level as well: alongside my own piano nights, I started performing with my partner, the famous keyboardist and producer MIRKO as well, making my bond with the piano even more tight. Our happy and fun gigs have been quite popular in the night life of the Hungarian capitol. During our shows, we transmit exploding energies while showing respect and humility at the same time. We have been performing at the most exclusive restaurants, pubs and venues, including several theaters and festivals in the countryside as well. 
• I appeared in the music video of "Beat Me", a song by Tius, however it never aired. 
• In 2016, I landed a role as a guest singer and frontwoman of the robot band Real Giana Brothers, becoming the conduit between earthlings and aliens. Without doubt, this has been one of my most exclusive experience so far; I had a hard time getting used to sing and dance among these ultra-elaboratedly pre-programmed, LED-costumed robots. I became familiar with genres like chiptune, synthwave and nintendocore. With Real Giana Brothers, I opened for Anna & The Barbies and Wellhello, two of the most hype groups in Hungary. I had the chance to perform at A38 Ship, Akvarium as well as Hungexpo, opening for the international event series called Video Games Live. The reason why I could identify with this band so much was the fact that the mission of the robots were harmonizing with my goals: to face humanity with itself, and to warn it about some possible, dangerous outcomes of its behavior.

Breakthrough

• In 2017, following my dreams, I dived into the sea of creativity again, starting to bring up these innocent and clean values from the bottom of my heart. It seemed like fate – along with my partner – had been helping me; at that time, MIRKO had already become my producer as well, and declared the following about me: "Timi has the most powerful voice in the industry, making her a rising star of the contemporary EDM-scene..."
• After studying and summarizing most of the music genres out there, I finally realized the most innocent and clean human and artistic values could be found in the 80s and the 90s. These decades were the golden era of cinema, music and culture in general. As if an invisible magnet has been pulling me towards this era, cementing my faith in the profession I chose back in the day. Nothing can release so much energy from me like this decade and genre, so I decided to pick my favorite tracks – almost 80 songs from this era – to sing them in the way I hear them. To achieve this, MIRKO has painstakingly re-produced all instrumental parts of these tunes. 
• The medleys we recorded together performed well on various eurodance and 90s pages of different social media sites, spreading my fame like wildfire both among original eurodance performers / producers and many 90s fans as well. Many people declared I really did something unique which was a clear sign of my courage. 
• We started touring with this cover show in the summertime. 
• The second half of the year meant a confirmation for me; accelerating the events, Washington DC born, Billboard No.1. rapper Bernard Greene (AKA B.G. The Prince Of Rap) asked me to sing on his upcoming album. We released our first single called "Never Give Up" in October, accompanied by a music video. 
• As a result of these works, I was hired by the label DMN Records led by Chrizz Morisson, giving me constant works. 
• I immediately caught attention of various producers who wanted to work with me. One of my first singles at this label was "Let's Get Up", featuring Shalamon Baskin (AKA Lightwarrior), released in November. The track climbed up very quickly on German and Belgian charts, getting a position between artists, such as Justin Timberlake, Dua Lipa, Calvin Harris or Kygo. This was followed by a collaboration with Free 2 Night, bearing two hits: "Phantom of Love" and "By the Moon and the Stars". MIRKO wrote the lyrics of all these tunes, reaching not only dance fans, but also catching the attention of some international forums which highlighted the serious content and the anthemic kind of these lyrics. Meanwhile I participated as a guest singer in Soul Attraction where I could perform with the vocalist of the legendary Weather Girls, Ingrid Arthur, as well as with Telma Lincoln, Johnny K. Palmer and Herby Shaw. 
• In 2018, I continued working with B.G. The Prince Of Rap, releasing singles after singles, like "You'll Be Mine", "So Special" (which I could sing alongside Pamela O'Neal) and "Once You Have Me". 
• After this series of success across Europe, some doors from overseas started to open: the most honorable and the most unbelievable invitation I have ever received so far came from one of the most renowned guitarists in the USA, Sheldon Reynolds, who worked with Maurice White and Earth, Wind & Fire for 8 years. Sheldon asked me to sing "Best of My Love", the biggest hit of The Emotions. 
• I started communicating with Michael "Turbo" Chambers (AKA Boogaloo Shrimp), personal choreographer of Michael Jackson and lead actor of cult movies Breakin' (1984) and Breakin' 2 - Electric Boogaloo (1984). Boogaloo Shrimp and his manager, Anthony Mabin (AKA Antron) has been working on new singles and asked me to participate as lead singer. The other star of the Breakin' fame, Adolfo "Ozone" Quinones (AKA Shabba Doo), tour choreographer of Chaka Khan, Madonna and Lionel Richie), also noticed my talents and uniqueness and asked me to sing lead on his upcoming trilogy called "Funk Shway" with upcoming artists, such as Porscha Coleman and J-Cast. 
• Finally, the songs were not released due to technical difficulities.
• The next invitation came from Poland: Producer pair DJ Combo and DJ Martzasked her to become their singer, resulting in a song "Bright Side of Life" which she co-wrote with MIRKO. 

Influences that blossom my soul

• Throughout the years, the biggest impact on my instrumental expression and overall musicality, without a doubt, has been MIRKO. 
• To me, one of the biggest idols and the most highly praised performing artist is Rihanna. 
• My favorite bands are Earth, Wind & Fire, Starpoint, Change, Midnight Star and The System. My other idols include Whitney Houston, Alicia Keys, India Arie, Brandy, Rihanna, Thea Austin, Meli'sa Morgan, Chaka Khan, Tina Turner, Queen Latifah. 

My personal life

• I have been in a relationship with my producer MIRKO since 2014.