Biography of Vitas
Vitas is a Latvian singer who burst onto the stage in 2000 with the song “Opera No. 2”. The energetic, unearthly falsetto captivated the audience, and the mysterious image of the artist gave rise to many rumors. It was even rumored that Vitas was hiding gills under his scarf and that in fact he was an amphibian. At some point, the singer disappeared from the radar.
Mysterious singer Vitas
While everyone was wondering where Vitas had gone, he was building a career abroad. Thus, he became the first foreign singer to captivate Chinese listeners - a monument was erected to him in the PRC and he was invited to act in a big movie.
In 2012, Vitas returned to Russia with a large solo concert, attracting 30% of the audience on television. Read more about the life path of this mysterious artist, about which rumors about him are true and which are a figment of fan imagination.
Conquering Moscow
At the age of 16, he went from Odessa to Moscow. From this moment on, Vitas’ biography takes a new turn. In the capital of the Russian Federation, he released a video called “Opera No. 2”, and also got a job on channel TV 6.
Soon he found himself a producer - Sergei Pudovkin, whom he had once met in Odessa. It was during this period that it was decided that he would perform under the name Vitas.
His biography has since been closely intertwined with the world of show business. Soon he began performing as a soloist. It was the end of 2000. The public immediately accepted him.
After all, he was unlike anyone else. It was then that many began to have questions about the singer’s unusual manner of singing in falsetto. To this, his producer answered everyone that Vitas has an unusual throat structure.
Interesting articles about him began to appear in the press. Everyone unanimously insisted that this project was invented in order to shock viewers and listeners and arouse interest.
Vitas was invited to Moscow by the famous and experienced music producer Sergei Pudovkin, who specially came to see the talented young artist, having heard about him from his colleague Pavel Koplevich.
At that time, Vitas' signature performance was a musical parody, where he simultaneously performed in several persons, playing only with his voice - neither the costumes nor the stage decorations changed during the performance.
During their first acquaintance, Pudovkin was struck first of all by the boundless charm of the young artist and the powerful charisma emanating from him. But when he heard the tapes on which Vitas recorded his work, the decision was made finally, and after a couple of weeks the singer went to Moscow.
There they shot their first video, “Opera No. 2,” which was so different from everything that was on the stage at that time, and instantly soared to the first lines of almost all music charts.
While working on a professional arrangement of Vitas' songs, Pudovkin stirred up the audience's interest by announcing his performances with the most unusual advertising techniques. For some time after the singer appeared on the big stage, they refused any interviews and did not say anything about the artist’s personality.
This gave rise to a lot of rumors, and some even started talking about the artist’s extraterrestrial genetics.
Childhood and family
Vitaly Vladasovich Grachev, aka Vitas (Latvian modification of the name Vitaly) was born on February 19, 1979 in Daugavpils, but soon after his birth the family moved to Odessa, where Vitaly spent almost his entire childhood. He has Ukrainian citizenship.
Singer Vitas in childhood
The artist’s mother, costume designer Lidia Mikhailovna, died in 2001. The father of the future singer, Vladas Grachev, was a soloist in a vocal and instrumental ensemble. Grandfather, Arkady Davydovich Marantsman (died in 2013), also had a good voice and sang in a military choir.
Little Vitas with his parents and grandfather
The future singer graduated from Odessa secondary school No. 35. From 6 to 9 years old he mastered the accordion at a music school. Later, Vitas studied jazz vocals with teacher Anna Rudneva for quite a long time, and worked in voice parody and plastic theater. In parody numbers, Vitas portrayed not only boys, but also girls and even old women. He even learned to copy Michael Jackson's complex dance moves.
Vitas before becoming famous
Vitas wrote his first hit “Opera No. 2” at the age of 14. He performed with this composition in local restaurants. In one of them, the aspiring singer was noticed by producer Sergei Pudovkin, who invited the young man to Moscow.
Vitas family (singer)
Vitas' family always surrounded him with love and care. Mom was the most dear person to him. In 2001, Liliya Mikhailovna Gracheva died. This was a big blow for the singer. He doesn’t really remember his father, since he left the family for another woman when Vitas was very young. Vitalik Grachev's father was taken over by his grandfather Arkady Davydovich Marantsman. Now everything in Vitalik’s family is wonderful. He lives with his loving wife Svetlana, he has two beautiful children. I would like to wish this family: “Advice and love!”
Vitalik and Svetlana spent a long time preparing to become parents. Vitas' children appeared 6 years apart. The birth of children brought even more parents closer together. Vitalik began to be at home more often, rather than touring. Vitas had his first child in 2008, when the singer was 29 years old. Alla is a ray of light for an artist. He pays a lot of attention to raising his child. 6 years later, in 2020, an heir appeared - Maxim. Alla takes every possible care of her little brother Maxim.
The beginning of the way
After ninth grade, Vitas went to conquer Moscow.
In the Russian capital, he released a video for the song “Opera No. 2,” which immediately captivated the audience with its eccentricity. The theme of loneliness ran through the entire song as a red line, and the video aggravated it. The video told the story of a young man with gills on his neck, who lives in the bathroom of an abandoned house and only occasionally goes outside, covering his neck with a scarf. Vitas – Opera No. 2 It was after this clip that rumors spread that Vitas was actually an amphibious man. And absolutely everyone doubted Vitas’ piercing falsetto. Alla Pugacheva directly and decisively demanded to demonstrate her vocal abilities at the rehearsal of “Christmas Meetings”. The artist struck a dizzying note and dispelled all doubts. Vitas “outdid” Sergei Penkin, whose 4-octave voice is called silver. The singer takes five and a half octaves and can even sing in bass. Absurd versions were put forward in the yellow press, allegedly Vitas was castrated as a child in order to achieve such a timbre. The singer's producer explained his protégé's unusual voice by a peculiarity in the structure of his throat. Experts believe that Vitas does not so much sing as recite the text.
In the photo: Vitas and his producer Sergei Pudovkin
At the beginning of his creative journey, fans, in search of an answer to the question of who Vitas was, went to the Internet, where they came across the artist’s website. The resource turned out to be incredibly stylish for those times, “sophisticated” and technically complex - even experienced computer scientists appreciated this. It turns out that the site was written by the artist himself: computers and programming are his second passion after music.
Young Vitas
The site opened with the words “Never gives live interviews.” Producer Sergei Pudovkin also refused to communicate with the press. This secrecy from the media was justified by the fact that “Vitas is beyond gossip and beyond speculation.” However, a little later the producer spoke. It turns out that they were hiding from the press for the sake of PR, because, according to Sergei Pudovkin, one cannot begin “promotion” by communicating with journalists on musical and near-musical topics.
Studies
Vitaly Grachev attended school No. 60 in Odessa. From the first days he managed to find a common language with his classmates. Teachers always praised Vitalik. They were sure that a bright future awaited him. For 3 years the boy went to a music school, where he learned to play the accordion.
As a teenager, our hero got a job in a plastic and voice parody theater. Within the walls of this institution, the guy gained invaluable experience. Vitalik learned to imitate the famous “moonwalk” of Michael Jackson.
Career blossoming
In 2001, Vitas released his debut album “Philosophy of Miracle,” which included 13 songs. The artist sang in a duet with such performers as Nikolai Gnatyuk (“Bird of Happiness”), Lucio Dalla, Demis Roussos. Vitas even performed the song with his grandfather Arkady Marantsman. The fruit of joint creativity was the composition “Friendship”.
Still from the video “Blessed Guru”
In 2002, Vitas and producer Sergei Pudovkin joined the board of trustees of the World League of the Mind Without Drugs organization. Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II, Dalai Lama, Kofi Annan, Tina Turner, presidents of more than twenty countries also ended up there and became honorary members of the League.
One of Vitas' stage costumes
In the same year, at the Kremlin Palace, the artist presented his own clothing collection, which was called “Autumn Dreams.” The show featured 42 models of women's suits, most of which have already been shown in Almaty, Tel Aviv, Vilnius, Tashkent, Berlin and Ashkelon.
Image of Vitas in his youth and now
Also, 2002 is the release date of Vitas’s 2nd album entitled “Smile”. In 2003, the artist released 2 albums: the album “Mama” and the cover disc “Songs of My Mother,” which included many Soviet hits, including “Kings Can Do Anything,” “In the Land of Magnolias,” etc. Another disc was released in 2004 - the album “An Eternity-Long Kiss” included 11 songs. By this time, Vitas decided to move away from the mysterious image of an amphibian boy to a more classic image, and therefore interest in his person noticeably decreased.
Where did Vitas go?
One might think that by the mid-2000s, Vitas’ star of fame had completely waned. The singer disappeared from the radio and television channels; there was no news of new concerts or upcoming albums. In fact, the singer conquered the world audience: if in Russia his work was in many ways ahead of its time and was met with ambiguity (many of the artist’s tours did not even become commercially profitable), then abroad Vitas was received with open arms.
In China they are ready to carry Vitas in their arms
The people of China especially liked Vitas - now there are more than a million people in his official Chinese fan club. He is the only Russian singer who has won over Asian listeners. Why do people in China love Vitas so much?
In 2006, he, already desperate to regain his former glory on the Russian stage, accepted an invitation from the management of China's central television to appear on air as part of the Year of Russia, which was held in the Celestial Empire as part of improving relations between the two countries.
The singer's performance was watched by millions. After him, Vitas signed a contract to perform at the largest concert venues in Beijing and Shanghai. The Chinese called him the “cosmic nightingale” and the “lord of the dolphins”, as well as the reincarnated Milarepa - a sacred figure in Buddhism, a yogi practitioner and singer. Fans erected a three-meter monument to Vitas: on it the singer is depicted in the image from the “Opera No. 2” video - naked, with gills and an accordion. In 2011, MTV Asia awarded him the title of "performer of the year".
Monument to Vitas in China
Vitas has a villa in China, and every autumn and winter he gives a big tour around the country. The singer admits that he does not walk the local streets alone - fans do not allow him to pass quietly, trying to snatch something in memory of their idol. Moreover, in China Vitas became a blockbuster star. In 2009, he starred in the big-budget blockbuster Mulan, based on the Chinese epic. He could also be seen in the historical drama “Foundation of the Party” (2011), the musical “Becoming Famous Overnight” (2012) and the Russian-Chinese series “The Master’s Last Secret” with Viktor Loginov in the title role.
Vitas in the movie "Mulan"
The Museum of Digital Technology, which is located in Beijing, has a separate stand dedicated to Vitas and his unique voice. Vitas at the Beijing Digital Technology Museum Vitas managed to become famous on the other side of the Atlantic. In 2020, the singer’s 2001 live performance with the song “7th Element” unexpectedly fell in love with English-speaking Internet users. Now on YouTube this video called “Weird Russian Singer” has more than eighty million (!) views and more than a million likes. “I have no idea what’s happening in this video, but it’s impossible to tear yourself away!” – such comments can be seen under this video. Vitas' video, which is so loved all over the world
Scandals
In May 2013, in Moscow, Vitas, driving an Infinity car, hit cyclist Olga Kholodova and rammed two cars. The woman survived but suffered serious injuries. Witnesses surrounded the singer's car until the police arrived. According to eyewitnesses, Vitas refused to communicate with anyone and threatened the crowd with a Makarov pistol (later it turned out that this was a dummy). And when law enforcement officers arrived, he refused to take a test for the level of alcohol in his body, hit one police officer, and called the others “roosters.” As a result, criminal cases were opened against the singer under Art. 119 part 1 and art. 318 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Vitas ran over a cyclist and threatened her with a pistol. While Vitas' case was in court, his producer opened his veins. Fortunately, the suicide was prevented; the man was placed in a mental hospital.
The singer is detained by the police
Vitas escaped from the criminal case with a substantial fine and deprivation of his license for a year and a half. A year later, Muscovite Elena M. filed a complaint against Vitas - allegedly the singer invited her to go on vacation together, she refused, and he broke the window in her apartment.
In March 2020, the police came to Vitas because neighbors complained about shooting. No one opened the door for the arrival. Law enforcement officers broke into his home and took Vitas to the department. It turned out that the singer and a group of friends were shooting at the crows with a pistol loaded with blank cartridges. As a result, a case of petty hooliganism was opened against him and he was arrested for 7 days.
Personal life
Many women dream of such a polite and caring man as Vitaly Grachev (Vitas). But his heart has long been occupied.
He met his future wife Svetlana Grankovskaya in Odessa. She was only 17 years old at that time, and Vitaly was 22. The guy invited his beloved to go with him to Moscow. The girl agreed. Our hero took a great risk by taking the underage young lady from home. But Sveta’s mother approved of her daughter’s choice and sent her away with a light heart.
Soon the couple formalized their relationship in one of the Moscow registry offices. The ceremony took place in the strictest secrecy. The singer diligently protected his personal life from outside interference. Only a few years ago, in an interview with print media, he admitted that he had been married for a long time.
On November 21, 2008, Svetlana gave her husband a charming daughter. The baby was named Alla. The young father devoted all his free time to his daughter. He himself swaddled her, bathed her and put her to bed. From the first days of her life, Allochka listened to lullabies performed by her famous father.
Sveta and Vitaly dreamed of a son. And God heard their prayers. On January 1, 2020, there was an addition to the Grachev family. A son, Maxim, was born.
Personal life of Vitas
Many fans were surprised to learn that one of the most mysterious singers of our time has a completely ordinary and even classic family: a beautiful wife and two children. At the same time, the love story of Vitas and his wife Svetlana Grankovskaya is more reminiscent of an action-packed novel.
Vitas stole his future wife Svetlana Grankovskaya from her parents
Vitas met his future wife at the age of 19, when he was just taking his first steps to fame on the Odessa stage. Backstage at the musical comedy theater, he saw a girl - it was love at first sight. It turned out that she was 15 years old and still went to school. From the first minutes of meeting, the singer realized that he could not live a day without his beloved. Realizing that society would not approve of a relationship with such a young person, he decided on an act bordering on a crime: having asked Sveta’s mother for permission to “steal” her daughter for a couple of hours, he literally stole her. The lovers boarded the train and went to Moscow, where their independent lives began. Later, the woman received a note from her daughter, in which she asked not to look for her and to let her find happiness with her loved one.
Family idyll
In 2006, the singer proposed to Svetlana, and she answered “yes” without hesitation. Two years later, the first-born, daughter Alla, appeared in the family. And on the first day of 2020, Vitas became a father for the second time - the boy who was born was named Maxim.
Vitas's friendly family: wife, daughter and son
Vitas's daughter followed in her father's footsteps. In October 2020, she performed in front of a full auditorium in the town of Zvenigorod near Moscow. The proud dad posted a video of her performance on Instagram, adding that his daughter will soon conquer Chinese television.
Alla Gracheva, daughter of Vitas
The singer’s son also has a good voice, but has not yet overcome his shyness. In May 2020, dad took Maxim on stage for the first time and wanted to sing the song “Bird of Happiness” with him, but the baby got embarrassed and left. Vitas and his son Maxim (the son appears towards the end of the video) Vitas likes Eastern ideology, he prefers to contemplate and analyze. During one of his trips to Tibet, he was ordained as a monk. At the cleansing ceremony, which took place at the foot of the sacred mountain Tashtar Ata, the artist was presented with the “Stone of Peace,” 350 million years old. According to legend, he absorbed all the goodness throughout the entire existence of mankind. Vitas enjoys being in a depressed state because it has a beneficial effect on creative flow. Sometimes he goes to China for a week or two, to the thermal springs, where he turns off his phone, does not go online and does not communicate with anyone. In this state, inspiration comes to him more easily.
Vitas is 41: where did he disappear to and what does the star of the 2000s Vitaly Grachev look like now?
Popular Ukrainian and Russian singer Vitaly Grachev, better known as Vitas, celebrates his birthday on February 19.
So, he turns 41 years old. In this regard, OBOZREVATEL decided to find out where the artist has disappeared lately, what he is doing now and what he looks like (to see photos and videos, scroll to the end of the page).
Vitas (Vitaly Grachev)
News
“New Mr. Trololo”: Vitas’ old video unexpectedly became popular in the USA
Vitas (Vitaly Grachev) was born on February 19, 1979 in Daugavpils, Latvian SSR. Soon his family moved to Ukraine, to Odessa, where Vitas’ grandfather lived.
In Odessa, Vitaly attended a music school where he studied accordion, danced, and worked in the plastic and voice parody theater.
After nine grades, Vitas moved to Moscow, where he received his education and achieved his first successes in his career.
Vitas in his youth
Vitas' solo career started in December 2000; his unusual style of singing in falsetto aroused the interest of the public and made him popular.
After Vitas’ debut, many listeners, experts and music teachers had a question about how an artist could sing in such a high voice, as Vitas sounds in the composition “Opera No. 2”. Vitas' producer Sergei Pudovkin explained that Vitas's extraordinary abilities are associated with the special structure of his throat.
At the same time, some vocal experts noted that Vitas performed recitative rather than singing on low and medium notes, which is typical for performers who do not professionally study vocals.
However, at the same time, it is known that Vitaly Grachev managed to sing even Sergei Penkin, whose four-octave voice is called silver. Vitas takes 5.5 octaves, but, if necessary, he can sing in bass.
Vitas (Vitaly Grachev) and his producer Sergei Pudovkin
It is noteworthy that in 2009 Vitas received the title of People's Artist of China. In this country, he starred in the films “Mulan”, “The Master’s Last Secret”, “Creation of the Party”. And the official Vitas fan club in China has more than 1 million people. There is even a statue in honor of Vitas in Shanghai.
Vitas (Vitaly Grachev)
24smi.org
As for Vitas’ personal life, it is known that his wife is Svetlana Grankovskaya. They met at the musical comedy theater, then Grachev was already a star, and Sveta was a 15-year-old schoolgirl. Seeing the girl backstage, Vitas immediately realized that it was love at first sight.
Take a look at this post on Instagram
Additions, expansions Vitas (@vitasroom) Cher 8, 2020 about 9:26 PDT
“I fell in love with her. I loved her so much that I couldn’t live without her for even ten minutes. And then I decided to steal it,” said the artist.
Vitas and his wife have two children. Daughter Alla was born in November 2008, and son Maxim on January 1, 2015. The artist can boast of a strong family.
Vitas with his wife and daughter
Take a look at this post on Instagram
Additions, expansions Vitas (@vitasroom) 23 Sich 2020 r. about 5:31 PST
Take a look at this post on Instagram
Who does he look like?
Additions, expansions Vitas (@vitasroom) 23 Sich 2020 r. about 9:18 PST
Take a look at this post on Instagram
Wuhan we are with you ❤️
Additions, expansions Vitas (@vitasroom) Sich 31, 2020 about 10:07 PST
Today Vitas continues to draw full houses. He actively tours, although recently more abroad.
In the latest photos of Vitaly Grachev, it is noticeable that he has gained a little weight, and gray hair has appeared. From time to time, the artist dyes his hair platinum blonde.
News
Vitas is ready to renounce Ukrainian citizenship
Take a look at this post on Instagram
18 years have passed
