Early childhood
When Lenya was born, the Agutin family lived not far from Neskuchny Garden, in a communal apartment on Leninsky Prospekt. Mom often walked with her son among fountains and gazebos; the baby began to run with his legs before he was a year old. One day, upon entering the children's clinic, Lyudmila Leonidovna left a brand new stroller at the door on the street, and when she returned, she discovered that it had been stolen. Since then, the “barefoot boy” began to move independently. Already in 1969, the Agutins settled in the Belyaev area in their own cooperative apartment.
School years
Leonid Agutin began studying in two schools at once: music and regular. Of course, it was not easy to combine studies; conflicts often arose on this basis with Lyudmila Leonidovna. To this day, Leonid remembers with gratitude the tact and perseverance of his mother. Only thanks to her persuasion did he successfully graduate from music school and cast his lot in with music. Already at the age of eleven, the young musician created his first composition “Sea”, which contained the Latin American motifs so beloved by the author. At school, the soul of the company was Leonid Agutin. Age didn’t matter—older guys invited him to their parties. As soon as the young man sat down at the piano, he was surrounded by a crowd of friends. All trips and extracurricular activities took place with the participation of the guy.
Personal life
Leonid Agutin with his wife Anzhelika Varum at a concert in Tel Aviv in 2003
External images |
- First wife (1988-1993) - Svetlana Belykh.
- Actual marriage (1994-1997) - Maria Vorobyova, ballerina.
We met in 1994 in Paris. Works as a teacher at a ballet school. Daughter - Polina Leonidovna Vorobyova (born March 12, 1996), lived with her mother and adoptive father in Italy, then her family moved to France. Fluent in four languages: Russian, French, Italian and English. - Second wife (since July 18, 1997) - Angelika Varum (born May 26, 1969), pop singer, actress, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation (2011). The couple has been together since 1997. The couple got married on July 18, 2000, the wedding took place in Venice
Daughter - Elizaveta Varum (born February 9, 1999), has lived in Miami since 2003. She created the rock band “Without Gravity,” with which she performed at concerts in schools, writes music for the group, and plays the guitar..
- Sister (paternal) - Ksenia Nikolaevna Agutina (born September 1, 1980). nephew - Victor.
- niece - Ulyana (born 2015).
- niece - Alena (born 2002).
The beginning of creative activity
Leonid Agutin’s biography took a turn when, having graduated from music school at the age of 14, he began visiting a jazz studio located far from home - on Kashirskoye Highway at the Moskvorechye House of Culture. The young man returned home after midnight, but the classes brought real pleasure. During the same period, Lenya first became a member of a musical group.
It happened by accident. While sitting in line at the clinic, he overheard a conversation between some strangers who were complaining that they couldn’t find a keyboard player. Without thinking twice, Agutin offered his services. So he became a member of the Credo ensemble, where the guitarist was Anton Loginov (the current husband of Marina Khlebnikova).
University admission
Many are interested in Leonid Agutin: biography, nationality, creativity, personal life. Therefore, we will continue to talk. In 1985, the guy successfully graduated from school and decided to enter the Institute of Culture. The competition was 3.5 people per place. Agutin was confident in his abilities and scored 16 points. Unfortunately, the applicant did not see his name on the list of those enrolled. Mom decided to clarify the situation herself and went to college. The dean honestly stated that during the specialty exam, the selection committee highlighted Agutin’s abilities. But by order from above, several people had to be enrolled out of competition, and this decided the fate of some applicants who scored a passing grade. At the end of the conversation, the dean still gave hope that if by some chance a place became vacant, Leonid would be enrolled. A miracle has happened. When Agutin wanted to get a job, he urgently needed documents. He followed them to the institute. His gaze fell on the stand with the lists of lucky winners. Leonid couldn't believe his eyes. At the very top of one sheet of paper, on a pasted strip, his name was written in large letters.
Military service
During his student years, the guy often performed on stage and took part in many events. He never stopped making music; it always went hand in hand with his stage activities. What is the further biography of Leonid Agutin? Fate brought the musician to the border outpost in Kalevala. Leonid doesn’t like to talk about the first year; those who served can understand him. Young soldiers at that time had to endure many difficulties. In his second year of service, Leonid was a member of the detachment ensemble. There was a note about him in the newspaper. Agutin was invited to become a member of a military ensemble in Leningrad. The management did not like the artist’s translation; Lena even had to get to the station on her own. Despite the comforts of everyday life, the guy often got bored, remembered his outpost and wrote to his mother about it. At the old place with the guys, they played from the heart what they wanted. Here everything was only by order.
Gossip Man calendar: “barefoot boy” Leonid Agutin
Leonid Agutin
On this day, July 16, 1968, the future musician, composer and songwriter Leonid Nikolaevich Agutin was born into an intelligent Moscow family. Leonid's mother Lyudmila worked as a teacher in primary school, and his father was an employee of the State Concert and at one time played in the Blue Guitars VIA. At one time he was the director of “Jolly Fellows”, “Flowers”, “Singing Hearts” and Alla Pugacheva.
Leonid wrote his first songs at the age of 14, creating the group “CREDO” to perform them. In 1986, in parallel with high school, he graduated from the Moscow Jazz School "Moskvorechye" in piano.
Leonid Agutin
Already in childhood, among his friends he was known as the life of the party, as well as a skillful storyteller and singer. However, in 1986, shortly after graduating from school, Agutin and his friends had to be separated - he went to serve on the Karelian-Finnish border. The service largely determined his fate, since it was there that he realized that he had an excellent ear for music. He was even transferred to the song and dance ensemble. True, for going AWOL during the tour, he had to leave the ensemble and end his service at the border. After returning from the army, Leonid took up a professional singing career (he wrote the songs himself). Since 1991, he has traveled around the countries of the former USSR together with famous Russian groups as a “warm-up” artist.
In 1992, at the Yalta-92 competition, Agutin received the first prize, which became the starting point for him to climb the Olympus of Russian show business. And a few years later he was already sitting at the top of this Olympus, and is still performing successfully. His songs - “Who Shouldn’t Be Waiting For”, “Ole-Ole”, “Steamboat”, “Everything Has Gone Somewhere”, “Black Guy”, “Nobody’s Sister” - became truly popular. In addition, Leonid is often asked to perform everyone’s favorite songs from the musical New Year’s trilogy “Old Songs about the Main Thing,” namely, “The Driver’s Song” and “I Am Asking, at least Not for Long.”
In 1993, Leonid received higher education, graduating from the Moscow State Institute of Culture with a degree in jazz pianism and director of variety theatrical performances. That same summer he went to Latvia, where he became a laureate of the international competition “Jurmala 93”. In 1994, the singer’s first solo album, “Barefoot Boy,” was released, which in the spring of that year became a hit and made Leonid famous throughout the country. In the same year, he became a nominee and won in three categories of the then popular Song of the Year award - he was recognized as singer of the year, performer of the best song of the year, and his album became the best that year. It was then that the musician’s original style was formed, incorporating Latin American, Spanish and North American motifs. In 1995, young Leonid Agutin put together two sold-out concerts with his group “Esperanto” at the Olimpiysky sports and concert complex, making the Russian pop masters feel the growing competition. He received an Ovation Award as "Best Popular Artist of 1995".
In December 1995, the singer released his second solo album, Decameron, which also became a hit. He not only performs his songs himself, he also writes them for Philip Kirkorov, Laima Vaikule, Ilona Bronevitskaya, Marina Khlebnikova and Larisa Dolina. In 1997, significant changes took place in Leonid Agutin’s personal life - he began working with singer Angelica Varum and managed to win her heart. Their first two songs, performed as a duet, are included in the album “Summer Rain”, which was released in 1998. In February 1999, their daughter Elizaveta was born.
Leonid Agutin and Anzhelika Varum In the spring of 2000, Leonid not only finished work on the disc “Office Romance” and went on tour with Anzhelika Varum, but also celebrated his wedding with the singer. The newlyweds spent their honeymoon in Venice. Documentary footage was filmed there, which was later used to make a video for the song “Half of a Heart,” which was included in the album “Leonid Agutin” in 2001.
The singer's fans always considered him a very attractive man; hundreds of novels were attributed to him. Leonid himself never spoke about his personal life. However, it is known that he was married twice - before Anzhelika Varum, he was married and divorced in 1993 (and swore not to marry again!). In addition, in 1997, in a civil marriage with ballerina Maria Vorobyova, Leonid Agutin had a daughter, Polina.
In 1999, the singer met the outstanding American jazz guitar virtuoso Al Di Meola. In 2001, their joint performance took place in Moscow, which became Di Meola’s first concert in Russia, and four years later the musicians released the album Cosmopolitan Life. For three months, the album did not leave the top ten charts in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy. This was followed by invitations to take part in the most prestigious jazz festivals in the world in Montreux, Stuttgart and Monaco as a special guest. At the beginning of the 2000s, Leonid began writing soundtracks for films by famous Russian directors: “Silver Lily of the Valley” and “The President and His Granddaughter” by Tigran Keosayan, “8 1/2” by Grigory of Constantinople, “Summer Rain” by Alexander Atanesyan, and for the full-length cartoon “Man- amphibian". Throughout 2002, the singer toured America, and then began recording a joint album with Al Di Meola. In the fall of 2003, the artist released his sixth album, “Deja Vu,” the title song of which was “Border,” a memory of his military service, which he performed together with musicians from the group “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.”
Still from the video “Border” with the group “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels”
In the spring of 2004, the traditional concerts of Angelika Varum and Leonid Agutin with the program “I will always be with you” were held at the Rossiya Concert Hall, and two years later they presented a new program “You and Me.”
In 2007, Leonid Agutin finished work on his solo album “Love. Road. Sadness and Joy" and the album of Angelika Varum, where he acted not only as the author of several songs, but also as a sound producer.
Now almost all of Leonid’s family - daughter Lisa, Angelica’s father Yuri Varum, her brother, grandmother - live in Miami, so he is a frequent visitor to this city: It all started with the fact that I was recording a record in Miami with Al Di Meola, and how... Then my wife and I started looking for an apartment there for fun... And then a misfortune happened to Yuri Ignatievich, he had to quickly make a decision, buy an apartment and start living there, because after the operation the doctors forbade him from intercontinental flights.
In addition, Miami is an excellent platform for creativity and recording new songs: I have many musical acquaintances and practically never rest there. I spend time with my child and in the studio - composing, writing. If I come up with a song or order music for some Russian movie, I record it all right in Miami. You can also invite musicians there to record some parts. That is, I don’t need to wait to return to Moscow for this.
There have been conflict situations more than once in the life of the creative couple, but they have long learned to smooth out rough edges and find compromises, and their marriage is still one of the strongest in Russian show business.
Besides music, the popular singer’s hobbies include playing billiards and collecting crosses (although he himself is not religious and believes that everyone has their own religion and the path to it). Together with his friends and experienced rivals - Leonid Yarmolnik and Nikolai Rastorguev - he loves to play billiards and find out who is the strongest.
Leonid Agutin and Nikolai Rastorguev
In November 2006, Leonid Agutin, together with Angelica Varum, were awarded the 1st degree for more than fifteen years of creative work, and in December 2008, by order of Dmitry Medvedev, Agutin received the title of Honored Artist of Russia. Today he and his wife never cease to delight their fans with new concerts and songs.
We congratulate Leonid on his birthday and wish him further creative success!
AWOL
After some time, Agutin was again sent to a distant outpost, although to another one, to Suoyarvi. There was a reason for this. In 1988, in May, Leonid Agutin as part of the ensemble arrived for a concert in Moscow. Naturally, it was difficult for him to resist going AWOL, because he so wanted to see his family and friends. There was an informer in the team, and he reported this incident to his superiors. The soldier had to serve out his term at an outpost in Karelia as a detachment cook, which singer Agutin now recalls with some irony.
Creativity[ | ]
This section is missing references to information sources. Information must be verifiable, otherwise it may be questioned and deleted. You may edit this article to include links to authoritative sources. This mark was set on August 31, 2020 . |
Made an arrangement for Andrei Gubin's hit "Tramp Boy". In 1994, his first solo album, “Barefoot Boy,” was released, which in the spring of that year raised Agutin to the top of music show business. In 1994, he won in three categories: “Singer of the Year”, “Song of the Year” and “Album of the Year” with the songs “Hop Hey, La La Lay” and “Voice of the Tall Grass”.
In April 1995, he held two sold-out concerts at the Olimpiysky sports and concert complex. In December 1995, he released his second solo album, Decameron. Along with such artists as Philip Kirkorov, Valery Meladze and the Lyube group, he is one of the record holders for the number of Golden Gramophone awards he received. He took part in the “Vote or Lose” tour (1995-96) in support of Boris Yeltsin.
In the late 90s - early 00s, he recorded a number of successful joint compositions with his wife Anzhelika Varum, which also received awards. In 2003, with the group “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” he recorded the song “Border”.
In 2005, Agutin and American jazz guitarist Al Di Meola, winner of many music awards, including a Grammy, recorded a joint studio album, “Cosmopolitan Life.” The disc was released in Russia, Great Britain, Germany, Austria, Canada and the USA. The album stayed for several months in the “hot jazz tens” of Europe and America and was called “a musical bridge between cultures.” [ source not specified 2366 days
] But in Russia this jazz album was not appreciated, as the artist himself says:
Of course, I was offended that the record with Al Di Meola, with whom we stayed in the list of 12 top artists abroad for six months, was not appreciated at home. After all, music is made for people, and not just for individual specialists, but I am not offended by the attention of the audience, so I did not have hysterics that I was an unrecognized genius.
— Leonid Agutin: “I didn’t have hysterics that I was an unrecognized genius” // mk.ru (July 12, 2013)
Later, on February 3, 2008, the DVD film “Cosmopolitan Live. Al Di Meola and Leonid Agutin.” There are two chapters on the disc. The first chapter, “Portrait,” is a documentary about Agutin and Meola’s world tour in support of the album “Cosmopolitan Life” and video clips for songs from the album. The second chapter contains a recording of the Montreux Jazz Festival concert at the Montreux Jazz Festival (Switzerland). The DVD immediately entered the TOP 20 jazz video music charts in Europe and America[22].
On December 29, 2008, by decree of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev, Agutin was awarded the honorary title “Honored Artist of the Russian Federation”[23].
In 2009, Agutin released the first book of his poems and songs, “Notebook 69,” written by him over the past ten years:
My poems are my worldview, my credo and my life position... I am sure that sincerely and uncontrivedly born lines can make you listen, laugh or cry.
— [24]
In 2011, Agutin, together with actress Tatyana Lazareva, participated in the Ukrainian show “Zirka + Zirka”, and in 2012, together with Fyodor Dobronravov, became the winner of the musical television project “Two Stars” on Channel One.
On July 26, 2013, on the stage of the Dzintari concert hall in Jurmala, as part of the international competition of young pop singers “New Wave”, a creative evening of Leonid Agutin was held, dedicated to his 45th anniversary and 20th anniversary of artistic activity. The hosts of the evening were Anzhelika Varum and Valery Syutkin. More than forty Russian and foreign pop stars took part in the musical performance, performing songs written by Agutin, accompanied by his Esperanto musical orchestra[25]. Album of the same year “ The Secret of Glued Pages”
"was included in the list of "10 Best Albums of the Year" according to InterMedia
[26].
In 2020, Agutin participated in the filming of season 5 of the TV series “Kitchen” as a “living gift.”
Victory in the TV show “Two Stars”[ | ]
2012 - Agutin won the project “Two Stars” on Channel One (season IV), in a duet with Fyodor Dobronravov, gaining 436 points and 28% in the TV viewer vote. Throughout the season, the duo performed the following musical compositions:
- “Evening at the roadstead” - 40 points.
- “Sometimes” (creating the duet “Singing Epaulets”) - 40 points.
- “The Mystery of the Glued Pages” - 40 points (standing ovation).
- “The Woman I Love” – 39 points.
- “Farewell” - 40 points.
- “Night Talk” - 40 points.
- “La-la-fa” - 40 points.
- "Oops!" (“Singing shoulder straps”) - 40 points.
- "Antonio sOng" - 40 points.
- “Miracle Island” together with the ensemble “Suliko” - 37 points (standing ovation).
- "Turn" - 40 points and victory.
Projects “Voice” (2012-2014, 2016-2017), “Voice. Children" (2016) and "Voice. 60+" (2018)[ | ]
In 2012-2014 and 2020, he was a mentor in the First Channel musical television project “The Voice” together with Alexander Gradsky, Pelageya and Dima Bilan. In 2020, he was a mentor with the jury of “Bilan-Leps-Gagarin”; Agutin's ward, Daria Antonyuk, became the winner of the project.
In 2020, he was also a mentor for the “Voice” project. Children" (instead of the departed Maxim Fadeev).
As a judge on the show “The Voice,” Leonid Agutin became an Internet meme in 2020 when a frame of a TV show went viral on the Internet, in which he, swinging his hand, is preparing to forcefully press a button[27].
Since September 2020, he has become a mentor in the new project “Voice. 60+” (season 1) together with Pelageya, Valery Meladze and Lev Leshchenko.
Albums[ | ]
- 1994 — “Barefoot Boy”
- 1995 — “Decameron”
- 1998 — “Summer Rain”[28][29]
- 2000 — “Office Romance”
- 2000 — “Leonid Agutin”[30]
- 2003 - “Deja Vu”[31]
- 2005 - “Cosmopolitan Life” (joint project with Al di Meola)
- 2007 — “Love. Road. Sadness and Joy"[32]
- 2012 — “The Time of the Last Romantics”[33][34][35]
- 2013 — “The Mystery of the Glued Pages”[36][37][26]
- 2016 — “Just about the important”[38][39][40][41]
- 2018 — «50»[42]
- 2018 — “Cover Version”[43]
- 2020 — “La Vida Cosmopolita”[44]
Books[ | ]
- 2008 - “Notebook 69. Poems” - ISBN 978-5-17-056811-6
- 2009 - “Book of Poems and Songs” - ISBN 978-5-17-057125-3
- 2015 — “Poetry of ordinary days. Art Diary" - ISBN 978-6-00057-375-4
- 2017 - “I am an elephant” - ISBN 978-5-9614-6468-9[45]
- 2019 — “Leonid Agutin. Boundless Music" - ISBN 978-5-4496-8447-9[46]
Participation in documentaries and feature films[ | ]
- 1996 - “Old songs about the main thing” - the role of Lenya, a truck driver
- 2013 — “Leonid Agutin. “A Drop of Regret” is a biographical film on Channel One, directed by Nikolai Viktorov about the life and work of Leonid Agutin and dedicated to the artist’s 45th anniversary[47].
- 2017 — “Pushkin. Whiskey. Rock 'n' Roll" - a cameo role as the main character's friend in Anna Matison's film based on the novel "The Reserve" by Sergei Dovlatov[48].
- 2018 - “Once upon a time” - author and performer of the official soundtrack for the feature film “I Don’t See You”[49]
Participation in releases of other artists[ | ]
- L'One - “Panagea” (“Phoenix”)
Return to college. First musical successes
Upon returning to Moscow, two days later Leonid resumed his studies at the institute. Along with his studies, the musician zealously composes music and writes songs during this period. Hopes of making it to the big stage were shaky. A happy accident, or maybe fate, helped Agutin record his first song. Mom’s friend, who worked with the artists one summer, helped Leonid contact the sound engineer. It turned out that recording one song would cost 360 rubles. The amount was considerable, considering that the mother earned 180 rubles a month. But we still managed to raise money. The first song recorded was “Sea Etude”. Two weeks later we managed to record two more songs. The director liked the works of the young talented composer, and he helped push them to the radio. In the fall of 1989, Agutin’s voice was heard for the first time in the episode “Good Morning.” After this, inspired by the initial success, Agutin began to make acquaintances in the music world.
Career development
The biography of Leonid Agutin since 1992 is replete with bright events. At the annual competition in Yalta, the song “Barefoot Boy” brought the musician 1st place. Fate blessed this mischievous image; it accompanied Leonid for many years. He immediately gained thousands of young fans.
In 1993, Agutin participated in a competition in Jurmala, where he also became a prize-winner - he took 3rd place. Later, the Music Exam program awarded the artist a crystal disc as the best composer of the year. In January 1994, Leonid Agutin’s solo concert was held in the capital’s Meridian to a full house. Since then, his musical career has skyrocketed, and he has become very popular in Russian show business. Leonid was often invited to major concerts, TV, and radio. In the same year, the famous album “Barefoot Boy” was released. In 1995-1996, Agutin had already entered into contracts with major music companies, both Russian and foreign. During this period, two more albums were released: “Summer Rain” and “Decameron”.
Leonid Agutin's mother revealed unknown facts from his biography
Leonid Agutin // Photo: Instagram
Leonid Agutin has long taken his place on the Olympus of Russian show business. His songs are adored by both fans of popular music and adherents of alternative music. The musician himself does not like to be frank too much. Photos with his daughters and wife periodically appear on his Instagram, but the artist prefers not to talk about his feelings.
However, now the musician’s fans have the opportunity to learn unknown facts from his biography. Leonid's mother Lyudmila Agutina wrote a book dedicated to her son. In it, she in particular reveals the details of the singer’s long-standing conflict with his father.
“Everything was going well, and we did not suspect that trouble would soon overtake our family. Right before the New Year, in December 1983, my husband left the family. For Leni, the separation of her parents was not easy. He began to study worse, started smoking, and completely withdrew into himself. It's good that there was music that he trusted. He often told me that I would definitely get married, and my father would regret leaving his family,” said the artist’s mother.
The singer’s father recently turned 83 // Photo: Instagram
With age, Leonid Agutin was able to resolve the conflict with his father. Now they have established a good relationship, and the parent often performs with his famous son.
Lyudmila Leonidovna also remembered how she first became a grandmother. According to the woman, the birth of Polina’s daughter was a big surprise for the artist. Despite the fact that Agutin did not have much love for the child’s mother, Maria Vorobyova, he still tried to maintain the union and always financially supported his daughter.
Of course, a special place in Leonid’s biography is occupied by his affair with Angelica Varum. The musician’s mother recalled that he spoke with incredible delight about his chosen one and literally went crazy with feelings.
“We feel so comfortable together. For a long time I behaved like a boy, showing off in front of her. I didn’t know, fool, that she had already decided everything long ago. Wise woman. She was just waiting for this cool dude to stop being shy and say what he had to say. And I said. Everything fell into place,” Agutin told his mother.
According to the singer’s mother, Leonid and Angelica are literally inseparable. Despite the rumors that periodically surround their couple, the spouses continue to sincerely and tenderly love each other. From excerpts of the autobiography published on the KP website, it becomes clear that Agutin’s daughters are on excellent terms. The musician himself tries to pay maximum attention to the grown-up children.
Angelica
Angelika Varum and Leonid Agutin did not try to flaunt their special relationship, but in the spring of 1997 everyone began to notice their happy, caring glances towards each other. Their relationship began as a creative union. Angelica's father did not accept the “barefoot boy” as a son-in-law and only laughed at their relationship. In 1997, the couple connected with the song “Queen,” for which a wonderful video was shot. Later, Leonid wrote several more hits, which became the basis for the future Varum album. In 1998, they played a married couple (Stirlitz and his wife) in “Old Songs about the Main Thing-3.” In July 2000, the wedding of Angelica and Leonid took place, the celebration of which took place in Venice. For many years now, fans have been watching how Angelica Varum’s eyes glow and how happy Agutin is. Photos capturing their loving glances and radiant smiles are proof of this.
In 1999, their daughter Elizabeth was born, who now lives in Miami with her grandfather. She is also interested in music, writes and performs songs with her group. The singer’s daughters, Polina and Elizaveta, get along well and communicate with each other.
Biography
It’s strange that now, when the Latin boom is destroying everything in its path, no one is re-releasing Agutin’s albums or showing him on MTV instead of “imitators” like Kirkorov or Lada Dance... True, the performer himself does not like musical frameworks and calls his style a mixture of them or the foreign word “fusion”. Well, the pros know better.
Leonid Agutin photography
Leonid Agutin was born in Moscow on July 16, 1968. His father, Nikolai Petrovich Agutin, worked as the director of Alla Pugacheva, “Flowers”, “Jolly Fellows”, “Singing Hearts”.
As a completely indicative example of a “backstage” child, Leonid spent half of his best childhood days on tour with his parents, then graduated from the Moskvorechye Jazz College and the Institute of Culture as a theater director. He served in the ranks of the Soviet army: partly on the northwestern border, partly in a song and dance ensemble. Advertising:
Leonid Agutin’s solo singing career began in the then popular and prestigious competitions for young pop singers. In 1992, with the song “Barefoot Boy”, he received the first Yalta Prize, and a year later became the laureate of Jurmala-93. Three years later, Agutin will receive the first “adult” award - “Ovation” - as “the best performer in the genre of popular music of 1995.” The reason for this definition was the first solo program shown in January 1995 by Leonid Agutin and his permanent group “Esperanto” at the Olipiysky Sports Complex. Solo albums, as it turned out in the following years of the performer’s career, are not an end in themselves. His second - and so far last - solo concerts with the program of his second album “Decameron” were held at the State Central Concert Hall “Russia” in 1997.
Leonid Agutin writes the music for his songs himself and is his own pianist, guitarist and arranger. For the debut album, the lyrics were written by the famous songwriter Herman Witke, but already from the second disc Agutin switched to complete self-service. Of the “foreign” things, he performs only people’s favorite numbers from the musical New Year’s trilogy “Old Songs about the Main Thing” - “The Driver’s Song” and “I Am Asking, at least Not for a Long Time.” But nevertheless, Leonid collaborated as an author with colleagues on stage: Laima Vaikule, Philip Kirkorov, Soso Pavliashvili.
Leonid Agutin twice used Western experience - working under sponsorship contracts. The first was concluded in 1995 with the denim company Diesel, with whose assistance his debut solo albums took place, the second - with the House of Gautier, producer of the world famous French cognac Gautier. These partners supported the release of his second solo disc. Leonid turned out to be a surprisingly responsible partner: both before and after contracts were concluded, he preferred democratic clothes on stage and in life and cognac to all other alcoholic drinks.
Despite almost seven years of pop experience, Leonid Agutin has released only three solo albums. A hastily concluded contract with the Synthesis Records label, which published the debut disc “Barefoot Boy,” did not turn out to be very successful. But according to the terms of the contract, Leonid also released his second record “Decameron” on this company. Both albums, or rather, the songs from them were and are popular: “Black Guy”, “Who Shouldn’t Be Waiting For”, “Nobody’s Sister”, “Steamboat”, “Ole-Ole”, “Everything Has Gone Somewhere”... His last album, “Summer Rain,” was released in 1997, after which Leonid was occupied with completely different concerns...
A bright, courageous singer with a fairly high (judging by the interview) IQ, he was often considered one of the new “sex symbols”; numerous novels were attributed to him, although he himself did not talk about his personal life. Even the biographical book about Leonid was written not by him himself, but by his mother Lyudmila Leonidovna. But in 1997, the nascent romance between Angelica Varum and Leonid Agutin became public knowledge. What was considered a promotion for the duet composition “Queen” and a joint tour, on February 9, 1999, turned out to be the birth of a daughter, Elizabeth (home name is Lisa). By the way, unlike mother Angelica, father Agutin became one for the second time: from a civil marriage with ballerina Maria Vorobyova, he has an eldest daughter, Polina. They also live with Angelica, not as official husband and wife, but Leonid was married once and divorced his first wife in 1993.
1999-2000 Leonid Agutin dedicated to his beloved women - he raised his daughter and wrote an original album for her mother. The recording of the disc, called “Office Romance,” was completed in the spring of 2000, and with the program of the same name, Angelica and Leonid traveled around the country and appeared on the stage of the State Central Concert Hall “Russia”. This fall, this show is expected to be repeated in an expanded and improved version, already at the Olimpiysky. In the interval between these events, Leonid Agutin plans to record his fourth solo album, and if the three previous ones were made in the Tver studio “Salam”, then the new disc will most likely be written in one of the studio complexes in the USA, where Leonid and Angelika have recently fallen in love with working and relax.
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Discography
Deja Vu (2003)
Summer Rain (1997)
Decameron (1996)
Barefoot Boy (1994)
Best weeks
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Anniversary
Agutin Leonid's forty-fifth birthday was celebrated in Jurmala at the New Wave. The hall was filled with true admirers of his talent, close friends and relatives. The artists prepared for this holiday for a long time. From the stage they performed Agutin's hits, presented in a new arrangement. The host of the concert was the singer’s beloved wife, and Valery Syutkin helped her. Together they recalled various interesting episodes from the artist’s life.
It was noticeable to everyone that on Agutin Leonid’s birthday he felt like a happy person. After all, at the age of 45, he managed to achieve a lot in life. However, this is not surprising, because he is surrounded and supported in everything by loving relatives, a charming wife and devoted friends.
Leonid Agutin today
In July 2020, the singer turned 50 years old. The anniversary, which was attended by famous colleagues and close friends and relatives, was celebrated on a grand scale in an expensive restaurant in Moscow. All the guests especially remembered the culinary masterpiece - a cake in the shape of a white piano, behind which was the hero of the day himself, naturally in a miniature version.
Leonid Agutin and Anzhelika Varum live in a happy marriage
Despite his age, Leonid Agutin looks great, is not overweight and has a toned figure. As Agutin himself admitted, he does not follow diets, but plays sports - he loves tennis and tries to stick to a healthy diet.