The legendary lead singer of the group “Tender May” does not require any special introduction. In the distant 80s, Yuri Shatunov, with his biography and personal life, haunted almost all teenagers throughout the post-Soviet space.
The boy from the orphanage became an example to follow, how from the very bottom it is possible to reach the very top and stay on the musical Olympus for a long time. Worn-out cassettes and records to pieces, walls covered with posters with images of an idol, at least 10 concerts a day across the country and a sea of shed girlish tears - the young performer received all this in full.
However, things didn't start out so rosy.
https://youtu.be/https://youtu.be/iWdNiHa9IF8
_
Biography
The biography of a singer with a sensational name is full of tragedy.
Little Yura was born in early September 1973 in the small town of Kumertau, Bashkir Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, into a family of ordinary workers.
The mother could not get enough of the appearance of her long-awaited first child. The same cannot be said about the boy's father. The man initially did not accept his son at all and subsequently treated him with coldness, a certain detachment, not taking part in raising the child. All the burdens and worries fell on the shoulders of the poor woman. It was for this reason that the baby was registered in his mother’s surname, and from that moment on, the role of Vasily Dmitrievich in the boy’s life was over.
Singer Yuri Shatunov
Childhood and family
The childhood years of the lead singer of the group “Tender May” were difficult and left their mark for life. Since the relationship between the parents was, to put it mildly, not very good and the atmosphere in the house was tense, the parents’ decision was to temporarily place the boy in the custody of his grandparents.
The biography of Yuri Shatunov and his personal life have always remained not completely open, and the singer himself does not like to talk too much about this.
Three years later, the parents finally decided to divorce, and soon little Yura’s mother found a worthy soul mate and remarried. The boy was returned again, but not for long. It turned out that the stepfather was very fond of drinking a glass, which provoked constant escapes and overnight stays for the singer outside the house.
Yura Shatunov in his youth
After the tragic departure of his mother, the future legend ended up in a boarding school, where he was raised until adulthood. It was this moment that played an important role in the subsequent life of Yuri Shatunov.
Interesting: Nyusha’s personal life: biography, husband, news 2018
Music career
If the boy had not gone to boarding school at one time, most likely we would never have heard the legendary hits “White Roses” and “Grey Night”. At that time, the composer Sergei Kuznetsov worked as the head of the vocal circle at boarding school No. 2 in Orenburg. It was he who played an important role in the life of the future soloist.
Yuri Shatunov in his youth
Kuznetsov immediately recognized the boy’s talent, his ability to present himself on stage, artistry and everyone’s favorite smile. After some time, several test compositions were jointly recorded, which were broadcast in local small recreation centers and various clubs.
The first popularity did not take long to arrive, and Sergei decided to create a group. Soon, Yuri Shatunov was joined by the then unknown Sergei Serkov and Vyacheslav Ponomarev. This was the first fully formed line-up of the legendary pop group.
Yura Shatunov in his youth on stage
A quiet life after loud fame. Why Yura Shatunov hides his wife and children
The crazy fame that befell Yura Shatunov when he was only 13 took away his desire to sing for a long time. After leaving Tender May in 1991, he received an education as a sound engineer, tried to go into business and did not even come close to concert halls. Having met a girl who knew nothing about “White Roses” or “Gray Night,” Shatunov did not let her go.
On the run
He ran away from home throughout his childhood. First from his stepfather, who drank and did not love the boy, then, out of habit, from his own aunt’s house. His mother died of heart failure when Yura was 11; his own father did not care about him. So Shatunov ended up in an orphanage, from where he suddenly found himself on the biggest stages in the country.
For this we must thank Sergei Kuznetsov, who led a music club at boarding school No. 2 in Orenburg. The guy wrote songs and for a very long time searched among the students for someone who could perform them. He didn’t immediately like Shatunov - for a long time Yura was more interested in football than music.
But Kuznetsov managed to persuade him to record his first songs and start performing with them at local discos. Most of the hits of the future “Tender May” were recorded in 1986-1988, when the orphan soloists were still living in an orphanage.
They left it after Kuznetsov recorded the group's first magnetic album. The brilliant idea of distributing it through long-distance trains worked to its full potential. On the train, the producer of the Mirage group Andrei Razin heard simple songs and did everything to find the Orenburg nuggets.
Passion for May
Fifteen-year-old Yura Shatunov was the lead singer of a group that gives forty concerts a month! He didn't understand well what was happening to him, but it was definitely better than being in an orphanage. Producer Razin’s wards obeyed unquestioningly - and performed, performed, performed.
The country was gripped by a real mania: everyone sang “Grey Night”, adored Shatunov, at concerts they rushed to the stage and threw their underwear on it.
“I never saw cash,” he will later say about those times. “Rumors that I bought a mansion in the south, opened a chain of restaurants, and so on are nothing more than a producer’s tale.”
By 1991, the old hits were boring, and there were no new ones. Shatunov is tired. He turned 18 years old, he was perhaps the most popular artist in the country, but he no longer wanted to be part of Tender May. He announced that he was leaving and went to Germany to try to start his life again. Without Shatunov, the group broke up.
New life
For a while he sang solo, but then disappeared from the public completely. He received an education as a sound engineer, recorded new songs in the studio, but refused to perform them on stage. This continued until the early 2000s. Celebrating the New Year 2001, Yura Shatunov unexpectedly received a new source of inspiration.
The girl's name was Svetlana. She lived in Germany and therefore had no idea that in front of her was “the same” Shatunov. She had also never heard the songs of “Tender May” - and this made Yura especially happy.
“They 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,” he said.
He had to wait: at the time they met, Sveta was 14, and he was 27. But they began dating, for the time being, without rushing things. After this meeting, Shatunov seemed to have a second creative wind: one after another, he released two successful albums (“Remember May” and “Gray Night”), began performing again and collecting concert halls.
But from now on his heart always remained in Germany, where Sveta was waiting for him. In 2006, the couple had a son, Dennis, and a year later they got married. Andrei Razin became the child’s godfather - by that time he had paid Shatunov everything he owed during the “Tender May”.
Now there are already two children growing up in the Shatunov family: daughter Estella was born in 2013. A few photos circulating on the Internet are all that fans know about the idol’s family. And Yura is not going to tell more.
“There are many inadequate people who constantly write in the same Odnoklassniki: “Yura, I love you, I want you.” I answer: “I have a family, children,” and they: “So what?” And why exploit the family? Am I lacking popularity?” says Shatunov.
And even though the singer’s current popularity looks modest compared to what happened thirty years ago, he knows too well that this is not what happiness is all about.
"Tender May"
The popularity of the group grew tirelessly and in an instant the young Andrei Razin, then well-known in Moscow circles, turned his attention to him, who soon took upon himself the responsibility of promoting the group and became the art director of the young guys.
After some time, the beginning group moved to Moscow, and that’s where they achieved stunning success.
“Tender May” becomes a leader in all music charts, hits remain in the first positions for weeks and even months.
Concert costume of Yuri Shatunov
Personal life, biography and photos of Yuri Shatunov do not leave the front pages of newspapers and magazines. From the windows of houses all day long you can hear voices singing hits:
- "Pink roses"
- "Goodbye Alice"
- "Let there be night"
- "Svetka Sokolova"
- "Gray night"
After some time, the composition was completely renewed due to disagreements between the director and Sergei Kuznetsov. After the departure of the group’s founder, the entire lineup, except Shatunov, left the team after him.
But Razin does not lose heart and periodically updates the composition of Tender May, leaving the main character. Finds more and more new composers who write hits that are stunningly popular. This boom lasted until about the 90s, after which popularity began to slide down.
Tender May group
There was a lot of controversy about this, what exactly was the reason for the breakup of the group. Either Razin’s passion for politics, or the public got tired of the romantic songs of Yuri Shatunov, or the influence of the West and local musical groups that influenced the preferences of the teenage public. The question still remains open, but, nevertheless, we can say with confidence that “Tender May” has found its niche in the musical history of the 80-90s.
After the lead singer’s best friend was killed, he began to increasingly think about leaving the country. And soon, Shatunov went to conquer Germany and he never returned to his homeland.
Interesting! After the collapse of the group, Yuri Shatunov tried to engage in solo work, but this attempt was not successful.
Yuri Shatunov on stage
Interesting: Singer Emin: biography, personal life, wife, children, photo
Biography of Yuri Shatunov
Yuri Shatunov is a Russian musician, singer and songwriter who gained popularity as the young vocalist of the legendary “Tender May,” a group called the first Soviet boy band. Having matured, Yuri began a solo career, but a significant part of his repertoire consisted of songs that made him famous in the late 80s: “White Roses”, “Cold Winter Evening”, “Old Forest” and others.
In the photo: Yuri Shatunov
Winner of many prestigious music awards, for millions of Russians he is not just a favorite singer, but a symbol of a bygone era in which their youth fell, a time when their whole life lay ahead.
Personal life
Yuri Shatunov’s personal life began with meeting his future wife in 2000, as evidenced by his biography and joint photos.
This event happened at a New Year's party, as Yuri described, he immediately noticed Svetlana's captivating smile and immediately singled her out from the crowd. The wife, in turn, noted the man’s regular facial features and his velvety voice.
From that moment on, the couple never separated and only after 7 years of living together decided to formalize their relationship. Joint photos and videos appeared in the family unit, and soon the long-awaited firstborn. It was the son Dennis who served as the impetus for formalizing the relationship into a legal marriage.
Yuri Shatunov with his wife and son, Andrey Razin
After little Shatunov turned 4 months old, a luxurious wedding was held in Frankfurt am Main. The family was formed, Yuri was still engaged in creative development and periodically went on tour, Svetlana found herself in jurisprudence and gave all of herself to this business.
The quiet and measured life of the couple sometimes surfaced in various newspapers and magazines; a fairly large number of people were still interested in the biography of Yuri Shatunov, as well as his personal life, photos with his wife and children.
Yuri Shatunov with children
Interesting: Singer Natalie: biography
Family life
After such a chance acquaintance, Svetlana and Yuri began to live together. However, the couple did not rush into getting married. Before legalizing their relationship, the young people lived in a civil marriage for about seven years.
They decided to get married in January 2007. At that time, Yuri and Svetlana had already become parents. Their son Dennis was already six months old. The wedding was celebrated in Germany. Like most pop and film stars, the couple did not disclose the details of the celebration. It is only known that the wedding took place in Frankfurt am Main.
That same year, the couple flew to Russia. They decided to baptize their son and definitely wanted to do it in their homeland. Dennis' godparents were former producer of Tender May Andrei Razin and Svetlana's sister.
Five years after the birth of their son, Yuri and Svetlana became parents for the second time. This time, their family was replenished with a wonderful girl, who was named Estelle. Although the girl was born in Germany, she was also baptized in Russia.
Despite permanent residence in Germany, the family tries not to forget their roots. At home, the Shatunovs speak exclusively Russian.
Yuri often travels to Russia on tour. Here he records songs and participates in various festivals. Several times a year his whole family flies to Sochi. In this city they have built a beautiful house where they can relax and enjoy the sea.
Interesting Facts
- Even before meeting his future wife, Yuri Shatunov tirelessly repeated in all the media that his wife would be the then aspiring singer Alsou. After such a statement, all journalists scrupulously looked through the biography of Yuri Shatunov, his personal life and possible photos with his future wife, the oligarch’s daughter. According to rumors, this venture was never successful.
- When the popularity was at its peak, the soloist publicly declared that at least 10-15 knock-offs of “Tender May” were touring the country. To which Razin stated that he had nothing to do with this. The question still remains open.
Yuri
Shatunov https://youtu.be/https://youtu.be/yk95LGlkX8k
Yuri Shatunov now
At the end of 2020, Yuri’s conflict with the former producer and godfather of his children reached a new level. According to current legislation, no one has the right to question the court decision that has entered into legal force, according to which in 2006 Razin became the legal copyright holder of almost thirty songs of the group “Tender May”. However, on the side of Yuri, without whom, perhaps, the group would not have been able to achieve success on an all-Russian scale, such stars of the domestic cultural space as Lera Kudryavtseva and Lev Leshchenko took the side. After Andrei Malakhov’s show showed a short fragment of Razin’s performance, who sang the song “Gray Night,” he was suspected of using the voice of Yuri Shatunov. Lev Leshchenko, who usually avoids harsh judgments and conflict situations, spoke out about Razin’s unscrupulousness. And TV presenter Lera Kudryavtseva said that Razin enjoys participating in courts, which cannot be a sign of normality.
Yuri Shatunov in his youth and now
In December 2020, Yuri Shatunov held a concert in Minsk, during which he performed controversial songs. Andrei Razin commented on the performance of his former ward, saying that from the beginning of 2020 he will not be able to perform the songs of the group “Tender May”, as this will be considered theft, and the legal copyright holder will be able to bring the singer to justice.
