The most popular groups in the 90s. Personal concert from rock musicians

Let's remember the popular musical groups of the 90s and 2000s, to whose songs the whole country danced then, and also learn about the future fate of their participants.

t.A.T.u. The group was created in 1999 and initially actively exploited the image of same-sex love in both songs and videos, which to some extent became the key to success. In 2003, Yulia Volkova and Lena Katina even participated in Eurovision, taking third place. Six years after this, having gone through impressive international success, the team parted ways.

Volkova began solo career. Back in 2004, she gave birth to a daughter, Victoria, and three years later she became the wife of the son of a businessman, Parviz Yasinov, to whom she gave birth to a son, Samir.

Elena Katina has been participating in the international solo project Lena Katina since 2009 and moved to Los Angeles. The performer is married to Slovenian rock musician Sasho Kuzmanovic, to whom she gave birth to a son two years ago.

"Lyceum". The girl trio consisting of Nastya Makarevich, Lena Perova and Izolda Ishkhanishvili made their debut in the TV show " morning Star" in 1995, and their main hit was the song "Autumn".

Lena Perova was the first to be fired from the group, and after a while Isolde also left. Only Nastya Makarevich is still constantly present in the group, accompanied by different girls. Now the Lyceum star is 40 years old, she is married to a lawyer and has two sons.

Isolda Ishkhanishvili left show business, lives in Switzerland, is engaged in business in the field of luxury cosmetics and is the wife of construction magnate Dmitry Desyatnikov, to whom she gave birth to a son five years ago.

Elena Perova tried to return to show business, wrote songs and soundtracks for films, hosted talk shows, participated in various television projects and even starred in TV series, and in addition, she struggled with alcohol and drug addictions, and got into car accidents. Not married, no children.

"Hi-Fi". The official founding date of the group is August 2, 1998, when the producer brought together artists Mitya Fomin, Timofey Pronkin and Oksana Oleshko. Producer Pavel Yesenin himself planned to become the soloist of the group, but not wanting to go on tour, he made Fomin his “avatar”, who began to “sing” songs recorded in Yesenin’s voice.

At the beginning of 2003, Oksana Oleshko left the group and show business, deciding to devote herself entirely to her family. Her place was taken by the now famous performers Tatyana Tereshina and Katya Li, who also did not stay in the team.

At the beginning of 2009, the popularity of "Hi-Fi" fell and for the sake of a solo career, Mitya Fomin left the band, who has since been busy solo work. "Hi-Fi" is a duet between Timofey Pronkin and alternating female vocalists.

"Arrows". The pop group was created by the Soyuz studio in 1997, seven were selected from among four thousand applicants: Yulia "Yu-Yu" Dolgasheva, Svetlana "Gera" Bobkina, Maria "Margot" Korneeva, Ekaterina "Radio Operator Kat" Kravtsova, Maria "Mouse" Solovyova, Anastasia "Stasya" Rodina and Lia Bykova.

By the beginning of the 2000s, the composition had changed considerably, which is why the popularity began to wane. Both 2004 and 2009 are recognized as the date of the group’s breakup. In August 2015, “Strelki” announced the reunion of the team in the golden lineup, although today only a trio remains of it.

"Bachelor party." The hip-hop trio was founded in 1991 by producer Alexey Adamov. The glorified details of intimate life to the rhythms of North American rap became the key to the success of the group.

“Bachelor Party” lasted until 1996, after which the musicians closed the project. Andrey "Dolphin" Lysikov began a solo career, which he continues to this day. Married to photographer Lika Gulliver, father of two children.

Pavel "Mutabor" Galkin and Andrey "Dan" Kotov tried to revive the group, recorded several albums, but the time of "Bachelor Party" had already passed. As DJ Mutabor performs in various clubs in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod, London, New York, Dublin, etc.

"Hands up!". The group appeared in 1993, when radio DJs of the Samara “Europe Plus” Sergei Zhukov and Alexey Potekhin recorded several songs and gave them to friends at the “Maximum” radio station... Soon they played “Student”, “Ay-Yay-Yay”, “My Baby” " and "I'm 18 already" were danced by schoolgirls all over the country.

The team broke up in 2006 and the guys have not disclosed the reasons for this to this day. Alexey Potekhin started producing young performers. Married twice, has a daughter.

Sergei Zhukov continued to perform, first solo, and then again under the name “Hands Up!” The performer is married for the second time and is the father of four children.

"Russian size". The team presented listeners with dozens of dance hits: “Angel of the Day”, “Star of Separation”, “Spring”, “Like this”... Soon the group began to constantly change soloists and producers, and a conflict arose between the founding fathers.

Now Dmitry Kopotilov, the author of the group’s main hits, continues to perform under the “Russian Size” brand. The musician is married and has a son.

The current group of Viktor Bondaryuk was called “Project Size”, and now is called “140 beats per minute”. The musician is married to the actress of the TV series “Kitchen” Irina Temicheva.

"Ivanushki International". Boy bands are the favorites of schoolgirls in the 90s. The group still exists, but from the original composition Kirill Andreev and Andrey Grigoriev-Apollonov remain in it.

In March 1998, Igor Sorin decided to start solo career, and in September of the same year, the musician died, according to investigators, after falling from a sixth-floor balcony.

Igor’s place in the group was taken by Oleg Yakovlev, who left the team in 2013 also for a solo project. Last summer, the performer died of cardiac arrest due to bilateral pneumonia and cirrhosis of the liver.

And this is what the 2017 version of Ivanushki International looks like.

"Demo". The group with vocalist Sasha Zvereva "shot" in 1999 with the hit "Sun in Hands."

Zvereva performed under the name of the group until 2011. Now the girl lives in Los Angeles, designs and raises three children.

"Brilliant" were one of the most popular "girl" groups of the 90s. Its first lineup was Olga Orlova, Polina Iodis, Irina Lukyanova and Zhanna Friske, with Orlova singing mainly, while the rest danced and performed backing vocals.

At the end of 1998, Polina Iodis left the group, took up extreme sports, and hosted the “Affordable Extreme” program on the MTV Russia channel. Since 2010, the girl has lived in Bali and surfed.

In March 2003, Irina Lukyanova left the team, devoting herself to her family and her soon-to-be-born daughter, Anya. Perhaps everyone knows about the sad fate of Zhanna Friske.

After leaving the group, Olga Orlova performed with solo projects, acted in films, played in the theater, and other performers have performed and continue to perform under the “Brilliant” brand for a long time.

"Virus!". The group's famous hits were the songs "Hands", "Everything will pass", "I'll ask you", "Happiness" and others. The first line-up of the group was Olga Lucky Kozina - vocalist, author of words and music, as well as keyboardists Yuri Stupnik and Andrey Gudas.

In 2011, Olga Lucky presented to the public her new music project"The CATS", but on this moment and the group "Virus!" actively tours and releases new songs.

"Visitors from the future". The duet group of Eva Polna and Yuri Usachev produced the hit “Run from Me” in 1998, which broke all popularity records.

In the spring of 2009, Eva Polna announced the breakup of the group and the start of her solo career. In addition to music, she is interested in fashion and is raising two daughters, Evelina and Amalia.

Back in 2002, Yuri Usachev became the general producer of the recording company Gramophone Records. Now he devotes himself to new projects "Art-house", "My-Ti" and "Zventa Sventana", tours as a DJ, and collaborates as a sound producer with the stars of Russian show business. His wife - famous performer Tina Kuznetsov

Reflex. A dance pop project, which for a long time included only Irina Nelson, who was joined by dancers and backing vocalists Alena Torganova and Denis Davidovsky in early 2000.

Since 2012, Irina has been combining a solo career with working in a group as the main soloist. Married for a second marriage since 1993, she has a son Anton from her first marriage, who has already made the performer a grandmother.

On March 25, 2016, group member Alena Torganova announced her departure from the group, having worked in the team for fifteen years.

"Inveterate scammers". The performers of the hits “Quit Smoking”, “Everything and Everything”, “Love”, “Love Me, Love” first performed together on December 8, 1996. Now from the original lineup only Sergei “Amoralov” Surovenko and Vyacheslav “Tom- Chaos the Younger" Zinurov.

Igor “Garik” Bogomazov worked in the group from 1996 to 2011, and after leaving he hardly communicates with journalists and is not involved in creativity. According to him, his wife insisted on leaving show business, with whom he eventually divorced. According to media reports, now Igor is too passionate about alcohol.

"Tea for Two". The duet of composer and singer Denis Klyaver and poet, singer, entrepreneur and actor Stas Kostyushkin existed from 1994 to 2012.

Now Denis Klyaver is engaged in a solo career. He is married to his third marriage, the father of two sons, and in addition, in 2010, he officially recognized the fact of his paternity of Eva Polna’s daughter Evelyn.

Stas Kostyushkin launched new project"A-Dessa". Also married to his third marriage, father of three sons.

Plasma. The group consisting of Roman Chernitsyn and Maxim Postelny was one of the first to begin performing songs exclusively in English language for Russian-speaking audience.

The band still exists, although they have released only four albums so far. Roman Chernitsyn was married to Irina Dubtsova, who bore him a son, Artem.

Prime Minister. The Russian pop group, formed in 1997, during its golden times included Vyacheslav Bodolika, Peter Jason, Zhan Grigoriev-Milimerov and Dmitry Lansky.

At the end of 2005, due to disagreements with the producer, Jean, Peter, Vyacheslav and Marat began working independently, but since they did not own the rights to the name “Prime Minister”, they were forced to call themselves “PM Group”. And their former producer dialed new line-up groups under the same brand.

At the beginning of 2014, Vyacheslav Bodolika left the PM Group and went to Spain.

The 90s went down in history along with the adjective “dashing”. This was the time of the collapse of the USSR, when Soviet laws collapsed along with the state, giving way to criminal concepts and His Majesty the dollar. Business penetrated the stage, creating numerous commercial projects, where the names of group members became secondary, and to promote songs it was necessary to shoot videos. At the same time collapsed iron curtain, and a fresh stream of modern Western music poured into Russia, which determines the list popular songs 90s Russian hits can be divided into one-day works and those that have not lost popularity to this day.

"Social" songs

• "Autumn", group "DDT". A song reflecting on the future of the country was born in September 1991. For a rock band, it looked pop, and the band members greeted Yuri Shevchuk’s creation without enthusiasm. At first, Andrei Muratov categorically refused to perform it, but then the song was nevertheless included in the 1992 album “Actress Spring”. A simple video was made for it, in which Vyacheslav Butusov starred and supported the author. The song turned into a real folk hit, falling in love even with housewives who were still unaware of the existence of the DDT group. According to Our Radio, the track takes 2nd place in the list best songs XX century after V. Tsoi’s hit “Blood Type”.
• “Two Pieces of Sausage”, group “Combination”. Several compositions by the Combination group can be included in the list of popular songs of the 90s. Russian performers in each work humorously reflected the social phenomena occurring in those years: passion for Mexican TV series (“Luis Alberto”), admiration for the West and the widespread emigration of the 90s (“American Fight”), total shortage (“Two Pieces of Sausage”) . The last song was born after Alena Apina left the group, who began a solo career. The team was at the peak of its popularity until the death of its founder A. Shishinin in 1993.

The best pop groups of the 90s

Winner of 12 Ovation awards, the group whose popularity peaked in the mid-90s is Na-Na. Created by producer Bari Alibasov, the boy band toured tirelessly in the country and abroad, captivating audiences with fantastic shows. The group brought real sexual energy to the stage, becoming famous thanks to the hits “Faina”, “The Hat Fell”, “Eskimo and Papuan”.

S. Zhukov and A. Potekhin from “Hands Up!” for girls from 14 years old they became idols. These were the most popular performers of the 90s. Russian hits of those years - “My Baby”, “Move Your Body”, “Baby”, “Sorry” were heard on all the dance floors of the country.

After several years of obscurity, the group “Ivanushki International” literally burst onto the stage, shooting a video for the song “Clouds” in the trip-hop style. Igor Matvienko, who created the band in 1994, was ready to admit it was a failure when the music, unusual for Russians, captivated the audience. And then there were “Doll” and “Poplar Pooh”, which were included in all the charts of that time.

It is impossible not to mention the cult groups of the 90s - “White Eagle” and “Car-Man”. The first one was created on a whim by businessman Vladimir Zhechkov, who personally performed a number of hits, without which not a single karaoke club can do today: “Because you can’t be so beautiful in the world” and “How delightful are the evenings in Russia.” The second brought exoticism to the stage and sporting beginning, and her business card is the song "London, Goodbye".

Ephemera songs

In the “Hits of the 90s” collections there are a lot of throwaway songs, very simple in melody, but very popular in their time. Among them: “Granite Pebble” (“Ladybug”), “Autumn” (“Lyceum”), “The Boy Wants to Go to Tambov” (Murat Nasyrov). Natalie with her hit “The Wind from the Sea Blowed” can rightfully top the list of popular songs of the 90s. Russian people are unpredictable in their preferences. The song, for which the pop masters condemned the performer, broke all popularity records. Natalie herself heard it as a child, and after wild success more than 17 people claimed copyright on it, two of which were legally recognized by them.

With the song “Don’t hurt me, groom,” someone who didn’t know how to read music appeared on the stage and who had sunk into oblivion in the same 90s. Andrei Derzhavin, having not achieved success after “Katya-Katerina”, was forced to continue his creative path as a keyboard player in “The Time Machine”. There are also very talented performers who have created more than one masterpiece, but whose finest hour began and ended in the 90s. Among them: Vlad Stashevsky (“Call me in the night”), Andrey Gubin (“Tramp Boy”), Alisa Mon (“Almaz”).

Linda's video (“Crow”), made in gothic style. She is a performer of wonderful songs by Maxim Fadeev, including “Little Fire”. Here the situation is the opposite - the songs live, but the performer has disappeared from view.

Songs of pop luminaries

Many outstanding hits modern stars variety songs were included in the list of popular songs of the 90s. often ended their performances in groups and began a solo career. In 1990, Irina Allegrova left Electroclub, having made a dizzying rise thanks to the hits: “The Hijacker”, “The Empress”, “An Unfinished Romance”. The one who left the “Jolly Fellows” did not disappear from the horizon either. His ironic “Captain Katalkin” and “Empty Bamboo” were very popular with the audience.

In the 90s, there was a rise in popularity among Philip Kirkorov (“Diva”, “Diva”, “Day and Night”), Valery Meladze (“Sera”, “Beautiful”), Grigory Leps (“Natalie”, “God Bless You” ). These and many more real hits of the 90s still delight their listeners.

For 10 years now, the Big City concert agency has been organizing events with the participation of famous artists from Russia and abroad. We work directly with many public idols and offer clients a transparent payment system and always the quality of the holidays. A large selection of musicians of different genres allows you to choose exactly the one who will provide an atmosphere at your corporate party, birthday or wedding that everyone present will be happy about. From the list of Russian rock bands of the 90s you can invite such legends of heavy music as Bi-2, Splin, 7B, Diana Arbenina, Tantsy Minus. For fans of the alternative, we can organize a concert of the groups Slot, Tracktor Bowling, Amatory or Stigmata.

Personal concert from rock musicians

The list of Russian rock bands of the 80s and 90s presented in our catalog contains famous groups whose work is adored, covered and divided into quotes. There has always been a huge demand for high-quality, meaningful music. This is also relevant now, so if you want to make a corporate event or anniversary unforgettable, invite a star to your celebration. You can order popular Russian rock bands of the 80s from the list - Zemlyane, Alisa, Chaif, Aria, DDT, Mashina Vremeni, Mumiy Troll and a host of other musicians whose records sold out in no time.

What artists can be booked for events?

Russian rock bands of the 80s and 90s are represented only by the most famous bands, who have earned their authority with powerful music and lyrics. Musicians who earned their popularity thanks to their talent. Don't know who you want to invite to your event? The concert and holiday agency "Bolshoy Gorod" will help you select popular Russian rock bands of the 90s from the list for your holiday and organize it, taking into account all your wishes and suggestions. Some groups that are worthy of an invitation to a private or corporate event:

• The Lyube group and Nikolai Rastorguev will bring solemnity to the atmosphere of your holiday and charge you with patriotic energy.
• The Leningrad group will blow the audience away and leave no chance for boredom. Everyone present will be delighted, regardless of gender and age.
• Gorky Park - cult group 80s, whose song Moscow Calling brought them wild popularity in America and Europe.

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List of Russian punk rock bands of the 90s

Punk is a subculture, a separate milestone in the history of heavy music, because this genre personifies a critical attitude towards society and generally accepted moral norms. Many people now listen to punk rock of the 80s and 90s with nostalgia, for some the words are important, while others are interested in the rhythm of the guitar strings, which charges with energy and drive. Book the best Russian rock bands of the 90s for yourself and your guests and your event will remain in memory for a long time. Prince, Cockroaches, Brigadny Podryad, Lumen, Lyapis Trubetskoy - the list of popular Russian rock bands of the 80s can be continued for a long time. Our concert agency cooperates with everyone famous artists Russia and abroad, so we provide our clients with a huge selection of musicians who can be invited to private or public events.

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The high level of professionals of the Big City concert agency helps to realize the wildest fantasies of customers. We provide musicians to order and provide cultural program at the event. Working with us, you will receive a concert of your favorite artists of those years, as well as many advantages, because we:

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“Lyceum”, “Kar-man”, “White Eagle”, “Gas Sector”, “Red Mold” and other groups that shone on stage in the 90s.

"White Eagle"

“White Eagle” entered the history of domestic hits with the crunch of a French roll in the song “How delightful are the evenings in Russia.” It is still sung today, as is the composition “Because it is impossible” (to be beautiful like that). Meanwhile, the founder of the group - businessman (he is also the first hit singer) Vladimir Zhechkov - admitted: “No one liked the way I sang, not even my wife. People do a lot of things because of their complexes. “White Eagle” became my whim. I wanted to sing - I sang, I wanted to fall in love - I fell in love, I wanted to draw - I drew.”

At first, few people realized that the pop group was created by a serious businessman, who in 1991, together with Sergei Lisovsky, organized the Premier SV advertising agency, which was engaged in the development of media business. He promoted the group himself: beautiful videos, a loud advertising campaign and, at the same time, intrigue: no one knew the performers by sight - they were only heard.

In 1999, when the popularity of “White Eagle” was off the charts, Zhechkov finally appeared on television during New Year's concert on the ORT channel. And soon he announced the band’s tour of Russian cities. Over the years, the group has changed several soloists and lineups. The popularity of the group has declined over the years, but the group still exists to this day and, along with new songs, sings “How delightful are the evenings in Russia.”
Zhechkov left singing after a family tragedy in 2002, when his daughter Nadezhda died in a car accident. “My husband always wore pectoral cross, - recalls him ex-wife Natalya Talasbaeva. - When he came out of the identification parade, he pulled it from his neck as if the chain was strangling him. He threw him into the bushes with the words: “I don’t believe it anymore” - and began to sob...” With great difficulty, she dissuaded Vladimir from committing suicide.

After the death of their daughter, the couple separated; Vladimir, having lost interest in the group, went to live abroad. “I envy Zhechkov, he can say that his life was divided into “before” and “after” Nadya’s death. For me there was no “after” anymore. No, I live on Rublyovka beautiful house... I live in memories,” admitted Natalya Talasbaeva in exclusive interview magazine "Caravan of Stories"

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The main hit of the pop-rock group "Lyceum" - "Autumn" - sounded in 1995. It was written for his adopted daughter Alexey Makarevich (ex-soloist of the rock group “Resurrection”, cousin of Andrei Makarevich - Ed.). After listening to Nastya’s performance at the Children’s Variety Theater, the musician decided that the girl had every chance of becoming a professional singer.

In September of the same year, the Lyceum trio consisting of Nastya Makarevich, Lena Perova and Izolda Ishkhanishvili made their debut on the TV show Morning Star. The song “One of us” from the repertoire of the ABBA group brought fame to young Russian performers. Alexey Makarevich became the producer, stylist, costume designer and author of many of the group’s songs. It was he who wrote “Autumn,” with which other songs of the group could not stand comparison for several years. And only in 2002, when the Lyceum performed “You Will Become an Adult,” it became clear that new hit.

The history of “Lyceum” includes dozens of songs that occupied the top lines in music ratings, no matter how the composition of the group changed. Lena Perova was fired - Anya Pletneva appeared in her place, then Elena Iksanova. Isolde left - Svetlana Belyaeva came, then Sonya Teich, Anastasia Berezovskaya, Anna Shchegoleva... Only Nastya Makarevich was constantly present in the group. She reasoned like this: “There are more advantages in the arrival of a new person. Because with new faces a second wind opens.”

Not everyone knows that the hit “Autumn,” which made the “Lyceum” mega-popular, ruined the relationship between Nastya’s mother and Alexei Makarevich. “With the song “Autumn” and in our relationship with Lesha, autumn began, which turned into cold winter, - Valeria Makarevich recalled sadly in 2010. - We went through fire and water together, but here’s the test copper pipes couldn't stand it.

Alexey took too seriously the popularity that befell both the group and him as a producer... It seemed to Alexey that I no longer corresponded to him: I don’t look like that, I say the wrong thing, I’m not dressed like that...” For several years, the couple lived their own lives - in separate rooms, practically ceasing to talk. And then they got divorced. Valeria's fate was happy. At 50 she met new love. And Alexey died of a heart attack in 2014.

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The name of the singer Vladimir Maltsev, who in the late 1980s sang a song to no one famous Sergei Ogurtsov’s “Paris, Paris” is remembered today only because his backup dancers were the actual author of the composition, Sergei Ogurtsov, aka Sergei Lemokh, and Oleg Titorenko, aka Bogdan Titomir. Very soon the guys began to perform on their own, creating the exotic pop duet “Car-Man” - CarMan.

The fiery rhythms of their songs captivated the audience. On January 1, 1990, they signed a three-year contract with one of the best studios country's sound recordings. Their debut album, “Around the World,” which included “Paris, Paris,” “London, Goodbye,” and “Chio-Chio-San,” sold out instantly. The duo filled stadiums. And at the end of the year, CarMan took the popular music award in the categories “Group of the Year” and “Discovery of the Year”.

And in April 1991, the duo... disappeared. As it turned out, in the midst of work on the second album, Titomir left the group for a solo career. Lemokh alone re-recorded all the songs and released the album “Karmania”, which long years became the calling card of “Kar-Man”. Few people, dancing at discos, did not sing “This is San Francisco - a disco city”...

Almost all the compositions on this disc (“Bad Russians”, “Everything is Calm in Baghdad”, “San Francisco”, “Robin Hood”, “Caribbean Girl”, etc.) became hits of that time. After “Karmania” there were 13 more albums and collections, many of which became very popular.

Bogdan Titomir, meanwhile, promoted the hip-hop style in Russia. He traveled all over the world, lived in America for several years... Leonid Parfenov dedicated an entire program to him in his documentary project “Portrait against a Background.” It was in this program that Titomir uttered the phrase “People eat,” which became a catchphrase at his instigation. And Ilya Oleynikov and Yuri Stoyanov wrote a joke about Bogdan in the “Town” program: “It’s sad for us to live without rap, where are you, where are you, Titomir is the head of the washbasins and the commander of the washcloths.”

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The cult Russian-Ukrainian punk band “Red Mold” appeared in 1989 in the city of Yalta. It was created by musician Pavel Yatsyna, who, after serving in the army, trained to be a radio technician, and this knowledge was enough for him to record the first four albums, which contained ditties, poems, anecdotes, feuilletons and jokes containing profanity.

Since 1994, Yatsyn began inviting musicians and parodists to record compositions, then he recruited permanent staff- eight people: vocalists, parodist, lyricist, artist and guitarist. And already in full force, “Red Mold” released seven albums, which brought enormous popularity. Since 1997, the team began recording compositions using professional equipment.

Over the entire period of creativity, the peak of which was in the 1990s, the group recorded more than 55 albums. During this time, “Red Mold” changed five lineups, the constant member of which was always its founder and vocalist Pavel Yatsyna.

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Few people remember that the debut album domestic group"Ladybug" entitled "The Beginning of the Sixth Signal", released in 1989 by composer-arranger Vladimir Volenko, was a failure. Having a hard time experiencing the failure, Volenko, at that time better known under the stage names “Volesha” and “Uncle,” began performing as part of another group, and abandoned his project until the mid-1990s.

In 1994, Vladimir revived the pop-rock group “Ladybug” by performing the song “Granite Pebble” on the air of the “Starry Rain” program, and it instantly became a hit. On the wave of success, the composer released a disc of the same name and a video clip, in which he starred in a red jacket with black polka dots - a la “Ladybug”. The band’s second big hit was the song “A Ship Going Up the Volga,” released in 1999. In the late 1990s, popular directors Sergei Izotov, Oleg Pogodin, and Andrei Pastushny shot videos for the band’s songs.

In 2000, a turning point occurred in Volenko’s career: a young singer from Irkutsk region Natalya Poleshchuk, who took the pseudonym Shokoladkina for her performances. She was destined to become the wife of Vladimir Volenko. It was she who prayed for the artist when trouble happened to him. Volenko had long suffered from atrial fibrillation, but rarely consulted doctors. But Natasha insisted on an examination, and the doctors discovered that the arrhythmia was only a consequence. Two dense blood clots were discovered in the musician’s heart vessels, which threatened his life at any moment.

Here's a granite pebble in your chest... Vladimir suffered a difficult operation to remove blood clots. I was on the verge of life and death. Natalya at that time begged her beloved in front of the icons. Vladimir recalled this time as a miraculous healing. When he came to his senses and returned to work, it became clear that there would be no more hits. The couple found new meaning in life. They had the songs “King Jesus”, “Jesus is coming”. From the old " Ladybug“Not a trace remained.

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The ensemble “What do you need?”, which is considered to be the first composition of the Balagan Limited group, was created in May 1996 in Rybinsk. It included musicians Elena Gromova, Olga Gileva, Svetlana Makhova, Vitaly Gilev and Viktor Dmitriev. In December of the same year, the team announced itself throughout the country, taking first place in the competition of Moscow radio stations among Russians folk songs with the composition of the same name “What do you want?”

Soon the artists entered into an agreement with music studio"Soyuz" and independently recorded three very successful albums. The success of the Balagan Limited group, which, in addition to filming on TV and recording songs, began touring a lot, was constantly increasing. By the end of the 1990s, the group reached the peak of popularity, but in 1999 a completely unexpected turn occurred.

According to the members of the group, their producer secretly registered the trade name “Balagan Limited” and recruited a new line-up of the group, which included Svetlana Smirnova, Elena Selikhova, Alena Morugina and Dmitry Filin. The date of birth of the new “Balagan Limited” was June 1, 1999. The old line-up of the group, after a whole year of unsuccessful attempts to defend the name, began to be called after its first hit - “What do you need?”

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The Russian techno-pop group Tekhnologiya had its finest hour in 1991 and continued for the next two years. It was at this time that the group shot videos for their songs “Press the Button” and “Strange Dances,” which brought musicians Leonid Velichkovsky, Andrei Kokhaev and Roman Ryabtsev all-Union popularity.

The Technology group was founded by three former members musical ensemble"Bioconstructor" in 1990 in Moscow. Soon Velichkovsky, Kokhaev and Ryabtsev were joined by vocalist Vladimir Nechitailo, and the quartet began recording a demo album, while simultaneously filming low-budget videos.

In 1991, “Technology” released its debut album “Everything you want!!!”, which included 10 compositions. This record made the group incredibly popular in the USSR. Soon, at one of the concerts, producer Yuri Aizenshpis approached the artists and offered cooperation. After a year collaboration group paths and music producer separated; in 1993, at the peak of Tekhnologiya’s popularity, vocalist and guitarist Roman Ryabtsev, as well as drummer Andrei Kokhaev, left.

After the departure of the main members, the group's popularity began to decline. In the 2000s, the musicians of "Technology" different years briefly reunited, but could not repeat the success and glory. In 2010, members of the team starred in the film “For Rent Inexpensively”, playing secret agents tracking down maniacs and terrorists under the guise of the musical group “Technology”.

8

The pop group Strelki was created by Soyuz studio in 1997 and was considered as “our answer” to the English group Spice Gilrs. More than four thousand applicants took part in the casting, of which the group’s producers Igor Seliverstov and Leonid Velichkovsky selected seven.

The original cast of “Strelok” included: Yulia “Yu-Yu” Dolgasheva, Svetlana “Gera” Bobkina, Maria “Margo” Korneeva, Ekaterina “Radio Operator Kat” Kravtsova, Maria “Mouse” Solovyova, Anastasia “Stasya” Rodina and Liya Bykova. Initially, the producers were going to call the pop group “Seliverstov and the Seven Girls,” “Alyonushki,” “Snow Whites,” or “Nuns.” However, in the end they decided to settle on the name “Strelka”; it was suggested by choreographer Lyubov Solovyova.

In the same year, the team began recording songs, but the Soyuz studio unexpectedly stopped funding the project, citing the style as unsuitable for the company. New stage“Strelok” began to develop only when British producers saw a recording of their performance and reported about the promising group to colleagues from Gala Records in Russia. They immediately contacted the group's producers and signed a three-year contract with them.

“Strelki” became especially popular in 1999 after the release of the song and video “You Left Me,” in which he starred popular actor Ivar Kalnins. There were problems with the video: it was banned due to the propaganda of drugs, weapons and casinos. I had to re-shoot everything on a more innocent background. However, this did not stop “Strelki” from winning with this song in the “100-pound hit” category in the 1999 music competition for popular songs.

In the early 2000s, due to frequent changes in lineup, the group's popularity began to decline. Information about the group's breakup varies. Some call the year 2004, others - 2009, and still others claim that the Strelka group exists in original composition and currently.

9

The Russian hip-hop trio “Malchishnik” was formed in 1991 by producer Alexey Adamov. It included Moscow musicians Andrei “Dolphin” Lysikov, Pavel “Mutabor” Galkin and Andrei “Dan” Kotov. The artists took North American rap as the basis for their creativity, supplementing it with numerous details of intimate life.

The first albums of “Bachelor Party” “Sex without a break” and “Let’s talk about sex”, released by Soyuz studio in 1991 and 1992, brought the boy band incredible popularity throughout the country. Successful group invited to speak at the opening summer festival popular music in Tallinn, where more than 40 thousand spectators gathered. Frank and rather vulgar lyrics were new for Russian listeners in the early 1990s. They started talking about the team - and it very quickly reached the peak of popularity.

However, due to the abundance of sexual overtones in the songs, the group began to have problems with censorship on television, radio stations and in the press. The guys re-recorded some of the songs in a softer style - for example, the composition “Dancing”. On the wave of success, “Bachelor Party” released the third album “Miss Big Breasts,” the songs from which also became hits.

Having successfully worked together until 1996, the musicians closed the “Bachelor Party” project. Dolphin began a solo career, and Dan and Mutobor created the group "Barbitura", the focus of which was Electonic music. In 2000, Pavel Galkin and Andrey Kotov tried to resurrect the group and recorded several albums, but the time for “Malchishnik” had already passed. In 2006, the group ceased to exist.

10

Ukrainian group “Shao? Bao!” in 1997 she sang “Kupyla Mama Konyk” (and the horse is without a leg), shown on one of the Russian music TV channels - and the song became the calling card of a trio of young musicians from Dnepropetrovsk.

The debut video for the song “Kupyla Mama Konyka” ended up in rotation on a Russian channel quite by accident. The video was shot on cheap black and white film by director Semyon Gorov and sent to Moscow to Russian MTV along with a bucket of strawberries. But after the first showing, the audience fell in love with the video and brought the Dnepropetrovsk group “Shao? Bao!” all-Russian glory.

In 1998, in the wake of the success of his humorous song “Shao? Bao!” released an album of the same name in Ukrainian and moved to Moscow, where they began work on a new project. Two years later, they released the Russian-language album “Made for Export,” but the success of the previous disc could not be repeated.

The team began experimenting with lineup changes. However, alas. “Kupyla Mama Konyka” remained the group’s only hit in the second half of the 90s.

11

In the spring of 1991, a dead girl was discovered in one of the Moscow courtyards - a copy of one of the soloists of the popular group “Combination”. As the investigation later found out, a girl who suffered at the hands of an unknown killer, taking advantage of the fact that she looked like popular singer, recruited friends, created a fake “Combination” and started making money using other people’s soundtracks. The successful scam was stopped by a fan of the real band.

The Saratov group, founded by producer and director Alexander Shishinin and composer Vitaly Okorokov, conquered the country in 1989 with the first song - “Russian girls”. Its first soloists were schoolgirl Tanya Ivanova and conservatory student Alena Apina (Levochkina). In addition to them, the first composition of the group included Svetlana Kostyko, Olya Akhunova, Marina Balakina, Tanya Dolganova and Yulya Kozyulkova.

The first concert of the “Combination” was a resounding success. The girls began releasing CDs, starred with Dmitry Kharatyan in the 1990 film “Face” - fame followed on their heels. The group moved to Moscow and gave 60 concerts a month! They toured not only in their own country: they went to Germany, to the USA... The third album of “Combination” called “Moscow Registration”, released in 1991, is considered the most successful. The songs “Ksyusha”, “American boy” and “Accountant” topped the charts of most radio stations in Russia.

On this wave of success, Alena Apina left the group in 1991. She met her future husband, producer Alexander Iratov, and began a very bright solo career. Fans did not grieve for long. The group recorded a new hit - “Two Pieces of Sausage” - and it became clear that everything remained the same.

Two years later, in 1993, the producer and lyricist of “Combination” Alexander Shishinin was killed in the entrance of his house. The customers and performers were never found. After his death, the pop group, which currently continues its musical activity, headed by producer Alexander Tolmatsky.

12

Few people know that the name of the group “Nancy” was chosen by its founder, a musician from Donetsk region Anatoly Bondarenko with the help of a psychic - and in honor of him school love. The story is mystical: back in 1983, schoolboy Tolya Bondarenko, who composed music and lyrics, created the group “Hobby”. Together with his musician friends he recorded the first album “Crystal Love”. They sang for eight years, and in 1991 Bondarenko decided to conquer Moscow. I recruited a new team.

Musicians were found quickly. But they couldn’t decide on a name for a long time. The artist visited all the record stores known at that time, selected several foreign names and went for advice from a psychic friend. She performed the ritual and chose the name Nancy. Anatoly was shocked: that was the name of the girl he was in love with in the pioneer camp.

In 1993, the new group recorded the album “Smoke of Menthol Cigarettes” in the Soyuz studio. The song that gave the name to the disc immediately made the group famous. And the hit was broadcast on the most popular Russian radio stations, like “I drew you” and dozens of others - in 20 albums and collections.

13

In the mid-nineties and early 2000s, there were many pop idols in our country. Just look at the creativity of Andrei Gubin or the Ladybug group. Many of their hits will be remembered for the rest of our lives. They still have fans, despite the fact that the performers of the famous hits have long disappeared from view. Woman’s Day found out what happened to the twenty most popular performers of that time.

Tramp boy

He was the favorite of schoolgirls, and cassettes with his hits were sold like hot cakes. His angelic appearance and voice broke more than one girl’s heart, and songs such as “Tramp Boy” or “Winter Cold” were heard throughout the country.

Everything changed in 2007, when Gubin suddenly disappeared from television screens. They said that the singer had problems with alcohol due to unrequited love to the girl. And someone even claimed that he left Russia. To clarify the situation, we need to go back far into the past.

First album

His musical career began in the late eighties, not without the support of his father, Viktor Viktorovich Gubin, a former researcher and cartoonist, and by that time vice-president of the Russian Commodity and Raw Materials Exchange, owner of several recording studios.

Andrey's first professional album was released only in 1995, after Gubin met famous musician Leonid Agutin. This album bore the name of the singer’s debut song, “Tramp Boy,” and very quickly conquered the top of all popularity ratings.

Sudden disappearance

However, after his unprecedented rise in the second half of the nineties, Andrei suddenly disappeared from view. The peak of his popularity came in 2000, when Andrei toured not only the cities of Russia, but also the United States, Israel, Germany, Azerbaijan, Latvia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. After this, Gubin did not give any new concerts, although he released another new album and a collection of his best songs.

Father's death

Recession creative activity Andrei is undoubtedly associated with the deteriorating health of his father, who not only helped his son get into the world of show business, but also constantly supported him, largely directing the singer’s career. After all, Andrei, according to his colleagues, had a very gentle character and needed fatherly control.

The death of Viktor Viktorovich in 2007 led to the virtual cessation of his son’s creative activity. For some time, fans, out of inertia, were interested in the ups and downs of their hero, and then slowly began to forget him.

Disease

Then rumors spread that Andrei had been diagnosed with the disease nervous system, which caused constant severe pain in the facial area. Doctors helped to overcome the mental crisis. He says that he was treated twice at the neurosis clinic.

Now

Today Andrey is already over 40. The ex-idol leads a reclusive life in Moscow, has gained noticeable weight, but still dreams of returning to the stage.

“I look bad now, that’s why I’m not performing. If I get into shape, I’ll definitely perform, but I’m not ready yet,” says the singer. “I write music all the time, I compose poetry, but for myself, I train my soul.”

Alexander Aivazov

Popularity

Alexander Aivazov is known to the general public as Sasha Aivazov as a pop singer of the 90s, who then sang the hit about “Lilies” and “Butterfly Moon”. A popular but critically underrated singer, Sasha Aivazov became famous back in 1989. At the same time, his first hit, “Lily,” sounded. The image of a romantic teenager singing sincere and simple songs about love was confirmed by the first two albums: “Don't be sad” and “Where are you?”

The super hit “I beg you, don’t cry” becomes like a farewell to the singer’s teenage period. The song brings the matured Aivazov all-Russian popularity, which is soon confirmed by the third album. It was released at the end of 1996, and in it Sasha also appears as a composer. “Butterfly Moon”, “Time River”, “It’s Just a Game” are the undisputed hits of the latest release.

In general, the disc turns out to be very successful due to the hitness of the melodies, the lightness and excitement of the performance and the very colorful synthesis of flamenco, rockabilly and pop music. And the matured and matured Alexander himself appears in the guise of a kind of macho man that is attractive to fans, not at all reminiscent of the lyrically touching Sasha of yesteryear.

In 1998, fashionable “remixers”, in particular Roman Ryabtsev, DJ Valdai, made dance versions of “Butterfly Moon”. The performer himself has a noticeable creative crisis - having found his own style in “Butterfly Moon”, Aivazov again embarked on experiments. And in the end he turned into an ordinary pop singer, only, unlike many colleagues, he no longer promotes himself on television and radio.

His new hit “I’ll Unravel You,” which appeared in the fall of 1998, also did not impress. And in 1999, Alexander Aivazov, alas, who did not develop the success of “Butterfly Moon”, unfortunately for fans, left the charts.

Alcoholism

The artist has never hidden the fact that he is rarely on friendly terms with alcohol. Aivazov loved to sit with friends over a white bottle and almost never refused a glass or two at social events. Gradually the habit grew into a serious addiction. The singer, who was depressed, completely forgot about his former popularity and almost lost his family.

A year ago, Sasha’s wife Irina left along with their three-year-old son Nikita. She was tired of putting up with her husband's drunkenness. To regain his wife’s trust, the 41-year-old singer went to a drug treatment clinic for treatment.

“I got so drunk that I was on IVs every day,” Alexander said then. – It’s all my fault! But if Ira sends a lawyer, I will not sign any documents. I don’t want to divorce her, I will fight for love. I realized everything and want to fix everything. If she forgives me, I will never touch alcohol again in my life.”

Rehabilitation at the Marshak drug treatment clinic

In the hospital, Aivazov courageously fought his addiction. All for the sake of having his beloved wife and son nearby. The thought that he would eventually lose his family was unthinkable to him.

Every morning in the hospital he started by jogging. fresh air around the hospital park and from yoga classes in the ward. Then he underwent many rehabilitation procedures and conversations with a psychologist. In the end everything worked out! Sasha stopped drinking and managed to save his family. Now he lives happily and is engaged in creativity. True, his popularity left him forever.

Group Demo

Peak of popularity

Any school disco The late nineties could not do without the hits of the Demo group. Alexandra Zvereva, the lead singer of the group, never had outstanding vocal abilities. But this was not required of her.

Parting with the producer

In 2002, Zvereva and her producer Vadim Polyakov terminated their contract with the ARS company. Demo clips began to disappear from the airwaves of music channels. And then the soloist announced that she was expecting a child, and since then we haven’t heard anything about Demo.

Demo now

It turned out that the Demo group still exists, just with a different lineup. Well, Sasha Zvereva records solo songs from time to time, and also sews clothes for the brand she owns.

“We did not stop touring, I traveled to cities and countries even in the last months of pregnancy,” says twice-mother Sasha Zvereva. – Over the years, Demo has released 7 albums. The group is not worried about their absence from the airwaves: the tour continues, they have money to live on. My main income is my man, and Demo is more of a hobby. We live separately, have a club of fans and believe that people will separate the wheat from the chaff and understand what is made artificially to make money, and what is made from the heart.”

Shura

Success and recognition

Once upon a time, Shura, aka Alexander Medvedev, amazed the public with his own image and was one of the most discussed personalities on the domestic stage. A bright blond man without teeth shouted songs rather than sang, and behaved, to put it mildly, strangely.

However, this only helped many to believe that he had talent. Popularity became too much of a psychological burden for Shura; he became addicted to drugs, which almost became fatal for him.

Terrible disease and drug addiction

The singer fell ill with cancer, but managed to overcome both illnesses by undergoing chemotherapy and drug addiction treatment. Of course, we had to move away from the previous image. But look like normal person Shura clearly did not want to.

Return

The singer inserted artificial teeth into himself, went under the scalpel of plastic surgeons several times and returned to the stage in an even stranger image - openly homosexual. Nevertheless, it still has its audience to this day.

Tatiana Ovsienko

Former popularity

Previously, not a single big concert or a single ceremony took place without Tanya Ovsienko’s performances. And today they completely forgot about her.

Once upon a time, the famous singer Tatyana Ovsienko had everything: money, career, fame. But one day she exchanged all this for the happy smile of a child. At one time, in pursuit of millions, the singer did not think about children until one moment.

Foster-son

One day fate gave her an amazing meeting. Once Tatyana gave a concert in orphanage and drew attention to little boy, Igor. Later, the singer was told that the parents abandoned the child when he was diagnosed with an advanced heart defect. According to the teachers, Igor was not a good person, he needed a very complicated operation, but he had orphanage there was no money.

And then Tatyana seemed to have an epiphany, she realized that she could save this child. She immediately went to one of the best Moscow clinics, agreed on the operation, paid fabulous money for it, and Igor was successfully operated on. When the boy recovered from the operation, Tatyana took him to her home.

Ovsienko granted him guardianship, and Igor officially became her son. In order to cook porridge for the baby and change diapers, Tatyana gave up work and lived with her unloved husband Vladimir Dubovnitsky for 18 years, so as not to traumatize the child’s psyche with a divorce. She would probably still be sharing a bed with him if he had not found someone else and announced that he was leaving.

New love

Now Tatyana is preparing for a new marriage. Her chosen one was businessman Alexander Merkulov. The proposal was made quite a long time ago, but the celebration had to be postponed: the fact is that Merkulov spent 3.5 years in a pre-trial detention center under investigation. All this time, Tatyana morally supported her beloved, wrote letters, carried packages, and also gave 20 concerts a month to earn money for lawyers. In early June, Alexander was found not guilty. The 47-year-old singer met him at the courthouse. And now nothing prevents the lovers from getting married. The wedding is tentatively scheduled for the fall.

Irina Saltykova

Successful in everything

Not all women who sold clothes and cosmetics in tents in the 90s became famous singers and owners of their own serious businesses. Irina Saltykova succeeded in both, one after another.

Since childhood, Irina was a purposeful and independent child. In addition to school, she was involved in a cutting and sewing club, was fond of knitting, and went to rhythmic gymnastics training.

Unsuccessful marriage

In 1986, something happened in Irina’s life fateful meeting with her future husband Viktor Saltykov. Victor was struck by Irina's beauty and charm. They got married, and a year later their daughter Alice was born.

Their marriage did not last long. According to the singer, this happened due to Victor’s addiction to alcohol. After separating from her husband, Irina went into business, but the profits were barely enough to live on, and then Saltykova decided to return to the stage and start a solo career.

Solo career

After the release of the “Gray Eyes” video, the whole country knew Irina. She was immediately dubbed a sex symbol and a new rising star. With each new song, the singer only strengthened her popularity.

She has six albums in total, and she dedicated the third, “Alice,” to her daughter. Irina’s acting career was also quite successful: having played in the films “Brother-1, -2”, she received critical acclaim.

Business

Now Irina is successfully running a business, she has a beauty and style house “Irina Saltykova”, her own boutique and beauty salon. Little is known about the singer’s personal life: she has a beloved man, but the singer keeps who he is a secret. Songs remained in her life as a pleasant hobby.

Natalia Vetlitskaya

Unexpected departure

The ex-soloist of the popular group “Mirage” for many years managed to occupy the niche of a sexy singing blonde in the domestic show business. And the shots with her raised skirt from the Playboy video became one of the symbols of the nineties. Natasha released a couple of albums that were literally swept off the shelves by fans, and then suddenly disappeared from the public eye.

There were many reasons why the pop diva left the stage. She left the world of show business silently, without giving a farewell concert and without explaining herself to the public. The disappearance of Natalya Vetlitskaya, who turned 50 in the fall of 2014, was her conscious decision.

Birth of a daughter

Vetlitskaya decided to radically change her life after the birth of her daughter Ulyana in 2004. According to a source close to the singer, she wanted to terminate her pregnancy. She was persuaded to leave the child by producer Viktor Yudin, who became last years her right hand and a close friend. The name of the child’s father, Vetlitskaya, has not been made public to this day.

New life in Spain

In addition, after the birth of her daughter, the pop diva decided to leave not only the stage, but also Russia. When Ulyana was four years old, they moved to live in sunny Spain forever.

Today Natasha tries not to come to the attention of journalists, is raising her daughter and does not like to comment on her past. Although there were also many interesting events in her personal life - for example, a ten-day marriage to Yevgeny Belousov, an affair with the domestic oligarch Kerimov (who, as journalists said, gave her a plane). But if Vetlitskaya used to choose exclusively the rich and famous, today she is married to her yoga mentor.

Sergey Chumakov

Good start

Sergei's songs became popular in the early 90s. They captivated the audience with their special energy. Surely everyone sang “Don’t offend the young girl, groom,” at karaoke. It all started in Moscow back in 1972.

A simple Moscow boy who graduated from a mechanical engineering college did not dream of becoming a star. However, fate gave him a ticket to the world of music. It all happened thanks to a chance acquaintance with the poet Alexander Shaganov in 1988.

He became the producer of the young talented performer. In addition, Alexander had the necessary contacts on television. Thanks to this, Sergei entered the Morning Star competition, although he always sang only by ear. The first songs were generally rehearsed to the accordion. Of course, he had a desire to master musical notation, but he was too much of a hooligan guy. I was expelled from music school for bad behavior.

Popularity

Since the beginning of 1991, Sergei has been successfully recording new hits, giving concerts and going on tour. A few years later, the young singer quarrels with producer Shaganov and leaves him.

Igor Azarov becomes Sergei’s new producer. The album "Go ahead" is released. The singer begins to work in the style of Western music of the 50s and 60s. His works were influenced by notable performers such as Elvis Presley, Paul Anka, Luis Prima. During this period, the singer, who was losing popularity, even made peace with Alexander Shaganov. The third album, “Like the First Time,” includes several songs based on his poems. However, Chumakov’s attempt to perform western music failed. The album was a complete failure, and Chumakov disappeared from the screens.

Leaving the stage

There were rumors that Alla Pugacheva helped Chumakov both get on stage and leave it. They say that the song “Don’t hurt me, groom,” which made Chumakov famous, was originally intended for the then favorite of the Diva, Sergei Chelobanov. For this, Pugacheva was offended and “closed” Chumakov’s path to show business.

“Alla Pugacheva kindly invited me to sing at her “Christmas meetings,” says Chumakov. “Immediately after that, I was bombarded with offers for tours. As for the song, I didn’t know that Shaganov first wrote it for Chelobanov and Chelobanov had already sung it. Therefore, when Pugacheva told me: “Sergei, don’t sing this song anymore,” I was indignant. After all, the song became popular precisely in my performance. I answered Alla Borisovna: “How can I not sing? What should I answer to people: did you forbid me to sing or have I lost my memory?” And he continued to perform it. But I don’t think I disappeared from the screens because of this. I just couldn’t pay such huge amounts of money for broadcasts like Pugacheva or Kirkorov did.”

Return

Today, Sergei is happily married to a woman who supports him in everything. He has noticeably gotten better and is eager to fight again. He started recording songs and is even preparing to release a new album in the near future.

Group "Ladybug"

Famous hit

The project, created by singer, composer and arranger Vladimir Volenko, gained wide popularity in the mid-nineties. Then the album “Granite Pebble” was released.

In 1997, “Ladybug” became one of the first projects of the new major audio and production company ORT-Records, headed by general producer Joseph Prigozhin. The label of this company releases two more discs of the group “My Queen” and “Woman of Dreams”. In 1999, another success for the project was Leonid Azbel’s song “A Ship Up the Volga,” which immediately became the second hit after “Granite Pebble.” A disc with this track, as well as several songs by Elena Vaenga written for “Ladybug,” is being released by Grand Records.

Lineup change

In 2000, the composition of the group changed radically, and Inna Anzorova was replaced by Natalya Poleshchuk, who was immediately given the pseudonym Shokoladkina by Vladimir Volenko for her excessive love of sweets. In 2004, a daughter, Dasha, was born into the family of Vladimir Volenko and Natalya Shokoladkina, and in 2008, Vladimir Jr. Therefore, during this period, the group appears less often in the media space, but continues to actively give concerts. The last striking creative decision was the wedding duet “The First Dance of the Young,” where the Volenko couple involved their own children in the filming of the video.

The end of popularity

In recent years, the group has not been on television, but BK continues to perform and record albums.

Here’s how Vladimir comments on the situation: “I’m not an oligarch, not a “blue” and not a Jew. I am a simple Russian citizen, a talented and hardworking musician, but today this is not enough. Today, to be visible, you must either have millions in investments or belong to a certain clan. You can also be under contract with some serious company, where they will immediately make you understand that the channel or producer is everything, and you are nothing. As a person and as an artist, I preferred independence, therefore, today we are not on the blue screens. But it doesn’t bother me.”

As for earnings, there is enough for the group to live, but, unfortunately, not enough for development. However, Vladimir does not really regret his fate. He is happily married and has two children.

Group " Tender May»

From the orphanage to the stars, or the Orenburg orphan

“Tender May” - iconic musical group late 80s – early 90s. The first teenage group in the USSR was born in boarding school No. 2 in the city of Orenburg. The musical director was the author of all the songs, Sergei Kuznetsov, who led the music club in the orphanage. And the calling card of the group (which would later change several members) and the idol of millions of fans is 15-year-old orphanage resident Yura Shatunov.

“Thanks to the fact that I spent my childhood in an orphanage, I was able to preserve myself and not go astray. the right way. Because in the orphanage they don’t like greedy people, they don’t like sneaks, that is, they don’t like weak people. There, in order to live in a community, you need to adhere to certain laws. Otherwise you will be expelled from the team. And the same thing turned out to be adult life. But I was already ready for it. I can’t communicate with people from the point of view of “you’re nobody, but I’m a star.” First of all, you need to think that this person today may be a nobody, but in a year he can become much cooler than you. Although if I come across unpleasant people, then I simply don’t talk to them, no matter how high a level they stand. I say: “Sorry, but I can’t, I don’t want to. I don’t feel comfortable being around you.”

The first album, “White Roses,” was recorded in February 1988 on a household tape recorder and sold by Kuznetsov to a recording kiosk for 30 rubles. A few months later, the recording got to Andrei Razin (at that time the administrator of the Mirage group), who pulled off an incredible combination for those times and transported Shatunov, Kuznetsov and several other orphanage boys to Moscow, where he organized a studio for gifted children “LM”. In January 1989, the “White Roses” video was shown for the first time on Central Television in “Morning Mail”, after which a real all-Union boom began - the songs of “Tender May” were heard everywhere, and millions of fans simply went crazy for the blue-eyed young prince with a charming dimple on his cheek . The group collected the largest concert venues throughout the country and set a record for the number of concerts per day (sometimes there were 5-6 per day).

Solo voyage and years of oblivion

However, despite the overwhelming success and popularity, at the beginning of 1992 the group broke up. 18-year-old Shatunov leaves Andrei Razin and tries to build a solo career. For some time, he was even supported by Alla Borisovna Pugacheva, who invited Yura to perform at her “Christmas meetings” in December 1992. But, despite the first one released by the PolyGram Russia recording studio in 1994 solo album"Do you remember" and several filmed clips, staying afloat turned out to be difficult. Finding yourself in a difficult life situation, Shatunov leaves to live and work in Germany, where he studies to become a sound engineer and leaves the stage for several years.

“At the age of 25–30 I began to look for myself. Then I wanted a lot at once, but I needed to understand what I really, truly needed. And don’t look at those around you: but these young guys, they ride good cars, with beautiful girls and so on. That is, at first you look at them and think: how cool, I want one too, and then you realize that this is not cool at all, this one is not so beautiful beautiful life, it’s better to do something different. And this “different” needs to be found. At that time I worked in many ways, even as a system administrator. He worked a lot in the studio, but did not engage in his own creativity and his career. And now I can say with one hundred percent confidence that that step was truly correct and true, because now I have everything and even more: a beloved wife, a beloved son and daughter, I have a place to live, I have a job I love, I have everything . I am a happy man".

Return of the idol

In the early 2000s, Shatunov nevertheless returned to Russia to continue his solo career, and released several albums one after another: “Remember May”, “Leaves are Falling”, “If you want, don’t be afraid”, “Record my voice”, "I believe". In September 2009, the singer went on a big tour of Russian cities in support of feature film"Tender May". A year later, Yura took part in the filming of the series “Happy Together”, where he played himself. Today, Shatunov continues to record songs and remain one of the most sought-after artists in the reserves.

“I visit Russia much more often than at home, in Germany. But this does not in the least prevent me from communicating with my family, seeing my children and raising them. There is Skype, there is the Internet, there is a telephone, after all. And then there’s the plane: I board, two hours and I’m home.”

Found personal happiness in Germany

Shatunov met his future wife, lawyer Svetlana, in Germany in December 2000: “People often ask: do you believe in love at first sight and is it even possible? Maybe. This is exactly how it happened for me. It was enough just to look at each other - that’s all.”

They dated for a long time and decided to get married only in January 2007, six months after Svetlana gave birth to her son Dennis. Six years later, on March 13, 2013, their second child, daughter Estella, was born in Bad Homburg. As Yuri admits, there are very few close people in his life: “There are actually few people I trust. In fact, you can count them on the fingers of one hand. Firstly, this is Svetlana – my wife. Secondly, Arkady, my director, with whom I have been working together for more than 27 years. Well, and a couple more guys, time-tested friends.”

Last September, Shatunov celebrated his 41st birthday; he continued to live and work in two countries, having Russian passport and a residence permit in Germany. Yuri has a house, wife and children in Frankfurt am Main, but in the summer they often come with the whole family to relax in Russia, in particular to Sochi, where Shatunov has a large house, bought back during the “Tender May”.