Biography
Mykolas Edmuntas Orbakas is a Russian artist of Lithuanian origin who performs in the circus genre. The first husband of Alla Pugacheva, the father of singer Kristina Orbakaite.
The future artist was born on April 16, 1945 in the Lithuanian town of Siauliai. In 1950 he moved with his parents to Kaunas. While studying at school, he studied in a theater studio and performed extensively and successfully in amateur group productions.
Alla Pugacheva and Mykolas Orbakas in their youth
After finishing the ten-year school in 1963, he went to enroll in Moscow. The young man chose a variety and circus school, where he entered the first time, although the competition for admission to the educational institution was great: out of three thousand applicants, only 20 students were recruited for the course of clownery and speech genres. After studying for a year, Mykolas joined the army. The young man is assigned to serve in the missile forces of the city of Angarsk, Irkutsk region.
Biography of Angelika Varum
Singer Anzhelika Varum (real name Maria) was born in Lviv in the family of composer Yuri Varum and theater director Galina Shapovalova.
She has a half-brother, Mikhail (1989). The surname “Varum” (translated from German as “why”) was taken by Angelica’s great-grandfather while escaping from the Nazis; his real surname is Roebuck.
Since childhood, she was fond of music, played the piano and guitar, and in high school she toured neighboring cities with the school theater.
After school, without entering the theater institute, she began working as a backing vocalist in her father’s studio, and briefly played bass guitar in the group “Combination”.
Varum’s singing career began almost by accident: in 1990, her father invited her to record the song “Midnight Cowboy” in the studio, which immediately became a hit. A year later, the first album “Goodbye, my boy” was released, and Anzhelika Varum became famous thanks to the main song, as well as the single “Whistle Man”.
The stage name “Angelica” did not appear by chance: as a child, her grandmother called her an angel. And when it was time to perform on stage, Varum decided to change the name of the Virgin Mary to Angelica. To her family and friends she remained Masha.
In 1995, the second album “La-la-fa” appeared with the hits “Town” and “The Artist Who Paints the Rain.” Angelika Varum toured with concerts all over the country, and a year later she recorded two new albums at once - “Two Minutes from Love” and “Winter Cherry” (she no longer sings this song after the tragedy in Kemerovo).
In 1997, Varum played in the play “Emigrant Pose”, and in 1999 - in the film “The Sky in Diamonds”. At the same time, the album “Only She” was released, and a year later - the album “Office Romance”, joint with her husband Leonid Agutin. Since then, the couple often perform together.
In 2001, her father invited Anzhelika Varum to become a producer in a new record company.
In 2002 she recorded the album “Stop, Curiosity”, in 2007 - “Music”, in 2009 - “He Will Leave”, in 2013 - “Crazy”, in 2020 - “The Woman Walked” (Anzhelika Varum wrote lyrics for songs from it herself), in 2020 - “On a break.”
In 2011 she became an Honored Artist of the Russian Federation.
Angelika Varum is a multiple winner of the “Song of the Year”, “Golden Gramophone”, and the “Ovation” award.
In April 2020, she became ill at a concert in Ulyanovsk.
Movies
Returning to Moscow, Mikolas continued his studies and immediately starred in a cameo role in Vladimir Bychkov’s film adaptation based on Tamara Gabbe’s play “The City of Masters, or the Tale of the Two Hunchbacks.” The fairy tale was published in early 1966 and was called “City of Masters.” Orbakas played the role of a chimney sweep in the film. The tall, thin artist was a perfect fit for this screen image. The cast of the film included Georgy Lapeto, Marianna Vertinskaya, Lev Lemke, Savely Kramarov, Zinovy Gerdt, Leonid Kanevsky. After filming, Mykolas finally decided to connect his creative biography with the circus.
Mykolas Orbakas in the film "City of Masters"
Orbakas will appear on movie screens for the second time only in 2004 in an episode of the youth drama “Russian” directed by Alexander Veledinsky. The film was created based on the works of Eduard Limonov “Teenager Savenko”, “Young Scoundrel”, “We Had an Epoch Times”, “Russian”, “My Negative Hero”. The film grossed $50 thousand at the Russian box office. The main roles were played by Andrei Chadov, Olga Arntgolts, Mikhail Efremov, Vladimir Steklov, Dmitry Dyuzhev.
Personal life
In the spring of 1969, Mikolas, while working part-time at a circus, met a young girl who came there to find a job as a singing artist. The red-haired beauty's name was Alla Pugacheva. Soon friendships began between the young people, which developed into sympathy during a joint tour of the Tambov region under the leadership of Oleg Naumovich Nepomnyashchy.
Wedding of Alla Pugacheva and Mykolas Orbakas
In the fall, Alla and Mykolas decided to get married. The wedding was a modest affair: the students barely managed to save up for a white dress for the bride and an elegant suit for the groom. On October 8, 1969, relatives and friends gathered in a small cafe after registering at the Griboyedov Wedding Palace. The newlyweds were lucky; they were immediately allocated a small room in a communal apartment in the Zhdanovsky district.
On May 25, 1971, Mikolas and Alla had a daughter, who was named Christina. The parents were waiting for the boy Stanislav, for whom they had prepared a blue dowry, so they had to hastily swaddle the newborn in what they had. After thinking, Pugacheva and Orbakas came up with a name for the baby that suited both of them - Christina, and on the eve of the birth, the girl’s mother was just reading Stefan Zweig’s work “Christina”. The daughter’s birth certificate indicated her nationality as Lithuanian.
Alla Pugacheva, Mykolas Orbakas and Kristina Orbakaite
Soon, Alla Pugacheva’s career took off. She began touring a lot with Oleg Leonidovich Lundstrem’s orchestra, and after the song “Harlequin” she gained all-Union popularity. The singer had no time to take care of her daughter and family, and Christina periodically lived either with her grandparents in Lithuania or with Alla’s parents in Moscow.
Mykolas Orbakas and Kristina Orbakaite
In 1973, the artist’s family was given a two-room apartment in Kuzminki, but the marriage was already falling apart at the seams. After the divorce on November 6, 1973, the housing was exchanged, and the mother and daughter went to live in a one-room apartment in Veshnyaki, and Mikolas moved again to a communal apartment in Marfino. For some time, Alla did not allow her ex-husband to meet with her daughter, but Christina began to miss her father very much, and Alla Pugacheva had to make concessions.
Mykolas Orbakas with his wife Marina, daughter Kristina and son Fabian
After his divorce from the star, Mykolas was not alone for long. Soon he married aerial gymnast Marina, who is 19 years younger than him. In 1985, a son, Fabian, was born into a family of circus performers. He, like his father, is restrained in his emotions, and is currently working on computers.
Kristina Orbakaite: “We must be tolerant in the 21st century”
Hungry for the stage
— Christina, congratulations! The first big concert in Moscow after maternity leave is a long-awaited event. A third child is a great joy in your personal life, but how much does this circumstance affect your creative outlook?
“I didn’t notice a direct connection.” Over the years, experience simply increases, and this is not necessarily related specifically to children or their number. Those who follow me year after year, concert after concert, of course, see that I am changing. Some things become deeper, some, on the contrary, become easier. My personal life and creativity still run parallel.
— In the songs of pop stars, they often look for an autobiographical beginning. For your mother, for example, it always bloomed so magnificently... And there were many dramatic stories in your life.
- This may somehow affect my character, my inner world, but as an actress, as a singer and a creative unit, I develop on my own, regardless of the circumstances of my personal life. When I went on maternity leave with Denis 15 years ago, I had a “farewell” concert in Krasnodar. By that time, the audience had already accepted me, loved me, and after the song “You exist in the world,” the audience stood up and gave me a real ovation. It brought me to tears then. I felt confused because, leaving the stage on maternity leave, I did not know when I would be able to return. After all, I’ve just achieved such recognition, and it’s up to you to leave!
— Do you regret that you got knocked up?
- No, I didn’t regret it, of course! But I was very moved, to such an extent that the thought “when will I return now?” I just couldn't rest. And a month and a half after giving birth, she rushed off on tour. I didn’t have any greed - to cling to success, to popularity. It was an internal need, because it was then that I realized that I was on the right path, I was going. I wanted to return quickly and consolidate what I had found.
— And finally arrange the first big concert in Moscow...
— Yes, in the “Russia” hall, now, unfortunately, already destroyed. Denik was 11 months old, and my mother had her 50th birthday, and I called my concert “To that woman who...”.
- Everyone was sure that Pugacheva would be the main attraction, there was a terrible excitement...
- Yes, indeed, everyone was expecting some kind of big holiday concert from her, and then suddenly I... Ha-ha-ha! One of the respected people joked and said: you will make enemies for yourself. Hmmm, not everyone understood... But it was my concert, a gift to my mother for her anniversary, my decision.
- And now, then, you didn’t “vomit” so much, now you took advantage of the Labor Code?
- Now maternal feelings have worked in full. After all, we have a long twenty-year career behind us. I wanted to enjoy it to my heart’s content – both maternity leave and communication with the child. In principle, I am still in this state, I really enjoy it, but I still returned to the stage after three months with tours, tours, and performances. In Moscow - yes, this is the first concert in two years, and tours and filming are ongoing. At the end of October we are going to America with the same program.
— Alla once said that your strength is in the “hit of the image”...
- Well, since then there have been hits too. Besides the image...
- This is true. Is there still room for unexpected experiments? I remember at one time you and your ex-stepfather Philip Kirkorov desperately embarked on different adventures. He scared the people with “Mouse”, you with a guitar at the ready, “sausaged” like a rocker in a black and white video...
— I always want to experiment. Previously, we weren’t afraid to make mistakes or be misunderstood. Philip in his own way, I in my own way. Where it will take it. For example, our first duet with Abraham Russo was a big experiment.
- Really?
- So after that, everyone began to sing duets as if they had been undermined. Before this there were no duet hits. At all!
— Do your mother and Kuzmin have “Two Stars”? And “Lavender” by Rotaru with Jaak Joala?
- Well, it hasn’t happened since then. Almost more than a decade. Looking back, I see how many interesting things we have done and how many repetitions of what we once went through are now being performed by new, young artists. Of course, there is no point in proving or saying that - yeah, but 15 years ago we sang like that and filmed like that! Now that we have become established artists, we have probably come to the conclusion that there is no need to make drastic transformations. On the other hand, I’m not at all old-fashioned, I don’t have retro arrangements, I’m not an opera singer. I try to keep up with the times.
Secret daughter
“We have already grumbled almost like old people, we have blamed the youth, although, looking at you, you can only imagine the blooming gardens of youth.” But really, you are the mother of three children of different ages, and from different husbands...
- Ha-ha-ha, for me the Guinness Book of Records is crying...
- Even surpassed Madonna! In principle, you are already a potential grandmother, given that Nikita can become a dad at any moment...
- Well, I would prefer to remain in the image of a young mother for now. I like it better.
— Of course, I really wanted to hear how this endless process of childbirth in your life influenced your creativity, but it turned out that it did not. Then I’ll formulate it differently: when a girl is born after two boys, is there any difference for you as a mother?
- Of course I have. But we must take into account that I myself began to live a little differently. Now I plan everything so that I can be with my family more often. When you are a young mother at 20, it’s not just frivolous, but in some ways it’s easier. Together with this person, you grow up, you understand something, you develop. And now, when you are a young mother at 40, you have a different attitude towards both your child and yourself. Looking at Claudia, I suddenly begin to remember things that seemed to be forgotten - what Nikita did at that age or how Denis behaved. Some memories come up, and suddenly you suddenly realize that you missed something then, didn’t notice, because I was often on tour. And now I don’t want to miss anything, especially since my Klava is a very interesting person, terribly funny.
— At the same time, you yourself remain the daughter of your great mother, many still perceive you as such. This has been discussed a million times. And when did you feel like you were only Kristina Orbakaite on stage, without the prefix “daughter of Alla Pugacheva,” if that’s even possible?
- As soon as I went on stage. At first, my mother not only didn’t believe in me, but it seemed to her that I didn’t have the courage. The world of pop and show business is tough and not at all sentimental, in it you can disappear without some kind of arrogance and impudence. But I didn’t have it. I dreamed of being an artist, I danced in ballet, I loved doing it, I wasn’t particularly eager to be a soloist of any kind, I worked and worked. Life itself always threw me forward, and at some point I discovered that I was already standing on the proscenium, alone, and I no longer had any escape routes. The easiest thing would be to get scared, give up everything and say: oh, no, I’ll just give birth to children and watch everything from the sidelines. But it wasn't mine. Then I realized that yes, I am alone, in the sense that my mother is not next to you on stage, and I don’t want to go back. It was an internal sense of self that I lived and worked with all these years. Of course, my mother helped me - at least by giving me flesh and blood, her genes, and for me this, of course, was not a “yoke” that dominated anything. But, if I myself had not proven my artistic and creative worth, no mother would have helped. Because when you are on stage for two hours, only you, your brains, your taste, your skill and your talent can help yourself.
— Do you remember your first appearance on stage?
— At the age of 7, I first appeared on stage in the “Merry Notes” program with the song “The Sun is Laughing.” And my mother warned the host of the program, Vladimir Ukhin, so that he would under no circumstances let slip whose daughter I was. And he asks me during the shooting: “What, baby, is your family musical?” Yes, I say, musical. “Who in your family loves to sing the most?” - he asks with a sly smile. Grandma, I say. And it was the pure truth! I didn't even think about it. Because for my mother it was a job, and she never sang at home, my grandmother sang, I remember this from childhood - and when guests came, and one of them constantly hummed something. Therefore, the idea that I was the daughter of Alla Pugacheva completely disappeared from my mind at that moment. When I appeared on stage as a singer at the “Christmas Meetings” with the song “Let’s Talk,” everyone around, of course, thought of me as Pugacheva’s daughter. Everyone but me. For myself, I was only Kristina Orbakaite, and this is not a figure of speech, it was an internal sense of self. Maybe it helped me, I never focused on it. I did what I thought was necessary, went my own way and was always sure that this current would take me in the right direction, that I had wonderful genes - mom, dad. And I have a wonderful, wise adviser, whose advice the whole country would like to know, and I can ask like this at any moment: “Mom, tell me, please...” Although I try not to abuse this, not to pull over trifles. Surprisingly, now I consult with her more and we have more points of contact than we had 25 years ago. Then I was torn in different directions, I wanted this and that. I understood that my mother would advise me and criticize me. But, to be honest, I didn’t even want to listen. Natural youthful maximalism. Now I understand that I don’t want to make any mistakes, and I listen more carefully to what my mother suggests. He recommends songs that, by the way, have become very significant in my repertoire - “Bird of Migratory”, and “May”, and “Peace”, and “Once and For All”, which I first performed at the last “Christmas meetings”.
photo: Liliya Sharlovskaya
Orbakaite about Pugacheva: “Mom doesn’t call you to the barricades, but she speaks out openly about painful issues.”
Dynasty dead ends
- Well, yes, 40 to 65 is closer than 20 to 45, right?
“I’m seeing all this now in the example of Nikita. Absolutely! We practically don’t interfere with our tastes and advice, because I see myself at that age in him. You can’t push and offend each other. All natures are creative and vulnerable. I was treated more critically in my youth.
- This means that you not only warn against the mistakes of youth, but also avoid the mistakes of maturity. Wise! Do you like what Nikita does?
“I like the fact that he has a desire, he doesn’t just want something, but searches, delves into himself. He, of course, has character traits that I would like to change and develop. But there is still time for this. He is very stubborn, but cannot yet choose himself. He is partly a Gemini, like me - on May 21, I am on the 25th, at the junction of the signs, Taurus and Gemini. I have always had cinema and stage - scales that go one way or the other. He has basically the same story. He gained quite good experience and knowledge in America, at the New York Film Academy, he makes good videos, not staged, but live, as is now fashionable, he has a very good feel for music, which is a big problem for many video clip directors, even good ones. And he has this musical feeling and sense of harmony - natural. He also took up music. I looked at his projects, first it was in Ukraine - “Show Must Go On” (version of our “One on One”), where he won, then “Two Stars”. For me it was truly both a shock and a discovery. This experience developed him well and uncomplexed him in a sense, because the family train also put pressure on him, which is why he often did not want to appear on screen, on stage.
“Your last name also camouflaged you, but he was Presnyakov, and that’s for life.”
- There are many difficulties. If I had to live with only one famous parent, then he has celebrities - the whole family: dad, and mom, and grandfather, and both grandmothers. Everyone piled on, and he had to row somewhere and find his face in such a difficult environment. He said in despair: “Of course, I have no chance, they’ll peck me.” We talked about this for a long time. And these television projects helped him gain confidence in himself. He says that now it is easier for him to work, give concerts, experiment, record, film. I don’t participate in such TV shows, I’m not a competitive person, for me it’s sheer stress. And he succeeded. At first I was worried when he went there, but now I’m very glad that it happened.
— Do you also see Denik and Claudia as artists?
— Denik is also a creative person. Music lover. Knows all the new products, musical, technical. Very savvy. But he is a smart guy, an excellent student, a little different than Nikita. He is now 15. I would like him to learn some good profession, but we are still looking. And a creative streak in any profession will come in handy and will manifest itself. And Claudia, of course, is an artist.
— At one and a half years?
- Absolutely! He hears music and immediately dances. I remember I also danced since childhood. She is not afraid of people or unexpected situations. She feels great in large groups, she danced with the guests at my birthday! No wonder I performed on stage with her until I was six months pregnant.
Not Robespierre...
— Your mother’s demarche when she left the stage was discouraging, many still cannot calm down. Was she right?
— Mom is a strong-willed, categorical person. She acted very harshly both with herself and with her fans. But I think she'll come up with something.
“On the other hand, we got a prominent figure in the ranks of civil resistance to the decaying regime. Her speech at the Academy of Sciences about the Kremlin boss who has gone crazy can be called a political hit of our time. Do you like Pugacheva in the role of Robespierre?
“She’s had a big grudge against all bosses for a long time.” It’s impossible to count how many of them there were - petty political figures of the era of Alla Pugacheva, as in the famous joke. She knows the country, the life of its people, she found an opportunity to express what has been painful over all these years.
— And you are somehow aloof from your mother’s political mainstream...
- Well, to be honest, I’m still an outside observer, I don’t plunge headlong into all this.
— It’s not interesting how the country lives and where it’s all going with your concerts in the Crocuses? Or do you simply not want to get involved with the petty and vindictive government, which, as the same official told your mother, can interfere if it wants? That is, to take a shit.
“I don’t know yet how and who to help.” I'm still watching.
- Well, look, Alla has stood up for Prokhorov. Makarevich, Grebenshchikov, Arbenina with rockers - for the prisoners of Bolotnaya, Madonna and Lady Gaga and soon Elton John - for gays, Shevchuk - for freedom for all... There are a lot of reasons!
“The point is not whether the artist should participate in some kind of public life. It's about a specific person, his worldview, political position. I want everything to be fine with us, for everyone to love each other. Waste yourself on these squabbles, rallies... Such squabbles go on everywhere. I am watching, and there is absolutely no desire to participate in this yet. I would like to help with something. I chose charity work for myself and consider it very important and necessary for people.
“And your mother doesn’t call: come on, daughter, to us, to the “platform”, to save our homeland?
- No, he’s not calling. But, of course, if I get excited, then I can be a fighter.
— But what do you think about her political activities?
- With understanding. I support her. I voted for Prokhorov.
- Because mom is with him?
- No, I just like him, the way he speaks, the way he speaks, the way he behaves, the ideas he has, he’s a modern person. Everything is clear, everything is clear. There is a lot of criticism against him. Well, who among us is without criticism now?
- Aren’t you scared for your mother? Knowing the realities of our country. Don’t you incite her: they say, don’t blurt out anything unnecessary?
- Well, she doesn’t go to the barricades with a flag... I still hope that we should have at least some kind of democracy in the state.
- Her remains?
- Well, at least it’s something. Because the country is huge, the world is big, everyone is looking at our country. The powers that be must understand that they still need to be tolerant in the 21st century. I try to be understanding, tolerant and understand the position of both, I sympathize with them all from the bottom of my heart, I understand.
* * *
— It just so happened, due to the innate secondary nature of our pop music, to be compared with the West. Our Ricky Martin, our Elton John, our Amy Winehouse, etc. And who are you, ours, in your opinion?
— If we talk about style and show, then you can compare with Kylie Minogue, and Britney, and Mylene Farmer, and Madonna in some ways, although I am less outrageous
- And Kirkorov only compares his One and Only with Madonna...
— In terms of significance, status and role in the development of our stage, such a comparison is, of course, fair. Alla Pugacheva did a lot of things here for the first time, just as Madonna was a pioneer in many things.
- And I have my own parallel...
— Is Liza Minnelli the daughter of the equally famous Judy Garland?
- No! Uma Thurman, especially after her role in Kill Bill. I looked at her then, and saw you, like a twin, and the temperament of the image only intensified the feeling of physical similarity...
- And they really confuse us with her. Especially in America. We once came to a store in Miami, and they said: did you forget something? I was surprised. “But you were just there,” they say, “are you Uma Thurman?” She left them five minutes ago. People tell me about this a lot. I even did a photo shoot as Uma Thurman for a magazine.
- Now we just have to wait for Uma Thurman to do a photo shoot in the image of Kristina Orbakaite. In the meantime, we are waiting for a successful concert to the delight of you and your fans!
Mykolas Orbakas now
Now Mykolas Edmuntas continues to do what he loves. Together with his wife Marina, the artist is a full-time employee of the Moscow Children's Regional Philharmonic. The Orbakas program consists of magic tricks and comedy reprises. Performances by artists are in demand at the Philharmonic. And the New Year's duet of spouses is considered the best throughout the Moscow region. For the summer, the family goes to Mykolas’s small homeland - to the sandy coast of the Baltic Sea, to the Orbakas’ parents’ house.
Mykolas Orbakas with his granddaughter Klava
Mykolas maintains a warm relationship with his daughter and grandchildren: Nikita, Denis and baby Klava. The grandfather meets the older boys only at family celebrations, but sees his granddaughter more often. My father carefully collects articles and photos from the press in which the name of Kristina Orbakaite is mentioned. Mikolas already has a whole collection dedicated to the work of his beloved daughter.
Selfie with mom
In the published photo, mother and son pose while sitting on a light sofa. The artist has light nude makeup and loose hair, and Denis has an elegant hairdo. The guy chose a white T-shirt with a shirt for the photo, and the star mom wore a light summer dress.
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Happy Birthday, son! A very unusual May this year((All our plans and dreams are in isolation, but at your 22 years old this is a call to action and new ideas
