Oksana Grigorieva

Oksana Petrovna Grigorieva (; born 23 February 1970) is a Russian singer-songwriter and pianist. She studied music in Moscow and completed conservatoire studies in Kazan, before moving to London. After studying music at the Royal Academy of Music, she moved to the United States, with periods spent living in New York City and Los Angeles, California. She taught music in the U.S., and patented a technique of teaching musical notation to children.

Grigorieva gained attention as a songwriter in 2006, after a song that she wrote, "Un día llegará", became popular on the Josh Groban album Awake. In 2009, Grigorieva's album Beautiful Heartache was released; the actor and director Mel Gibson, with whom she was romantically involved and had a child, served as executive producer. The following year, the couple had a widely publicized falling-out that eventually involved highly public legal proceedings and acrimony.

Early life Grigorieva was born Oksana Petrovna Chernukha in Saransk, Mordovian ASSR in 1970. Her parents were both music professors. She grew up in Ukraine and Russia, and at the age of 15 moved to Moscow to attend university to learn piano. She said of the experience learning music as a child, "Diplomas were everything. It wasn't unusual for students to play ten hours a day. Our skin would start to crack. We'd literally have bleeding fingers." Grigorieva finished conservatoire studies in Kazan.

She moved to London where she continued her studies and taught music to others. Grigorieva studied music at the Royal College of Music. While in London she worked as a model; having been spotted by photographer Patrick Anson, 5th Earl of Lichfield. Grigorieva noted, "In order to support myself I started to model. I did a lot of it, print, mostly. I've always looked after myself. I've never been dependent on anyone financially." In the U.K. she worked under the name Sacha Chernuha before changing it to Oksana Grigorieva.

Personal life Grigorieva was married in 1989 for three months to Russian lawyer Igor Baranov. In 1992, she married British artist Nicholas Rowland.

Relationship and breakup with Mel Gibson

Starting in 2007, Grigorieva was romantically involved with actor Mel Gibson, In May 2011, Grigorieva dropped claims of domestic abuse against Gibson. In August 2011, Grigorieva settled with Gibson and was awarded $750,000, joint legal custody, and a house in Sherman Oaks, California, to live in until their daughter Lucia turns 18, at which point the house will be sold and the proceeds turned into a trust fund for Lucia.

In 2013, Grigorieva sued her attorneys, accusing them of advising her to sign a bad agreement, including one with Gibson that states that if she took legal action against him, her previous settlement would be compromised.

In 2014, a judge ruled that Grigorieva had violated a confidentiality clause due to a conversation she had on the Howard Stern radio show where Gibson was mentioned; she lost half of her $750,000 award.

Discography "Un día llegará", Josh Groban album, Awake (2006) Beautiful Heartache, executive produced by Mel Gibson (2009)