Childhood and adolescence
Eduard was born and raised in a creative, intelligent family from Krasnodar. Father, Ivan Shulzhevsky, performed in the Kuban Cossack Choir and taught at a music school. Mom, Vera Nikolaevna, is a music and French teacher.
Eduard Shulzhevsky in childhood
The boy began to sing before he learned to speak, so his parents had no doubt that their son would become an outstanding artist. At first his father taught him, and at the age of six Edik was sent to music school. Learning scales and etudes did not give him much pleasure, but he always liked singing on stage and participating in theatrical performances.
At the age of nine, the boy fell in love with a classmate who was engaged in ballroom dancing, and also enrolled in a choreographic studio. Soon he was already waltzing together with his chosen one, and the dance skills he acquired were very useful to the young man in later life.
Ed Shulzhevsky's hometown is Krasnodar
In all other respects, he was no different from his peers: he collected stamps, coins and labels from imported chewing gum, rode a bicycle with friends and earned his first money by washing cars.
Ed Shulzhevsky in his youth
After ninth grade, Eduard entered the local choreographic lyceum and the vocal department of the music school where his father taught. But the main dream of the ambitious young man was GITIS, and, throwing aside all fears and doubts, in 1999 he went to Moscow. The talented 17-year-old from Krasnodar so impressed the admissions committee that he was immediately enrolled in the second year, where there was a shortage of students after screening out those unsuitable for the profession.
Biography, life story of Ed Shulzhevsky
His extraordinary voice has already won the hearts of millions of Russian Juliets and Esmeralds. The brilliant Captain Phoebus from the musical “Notre-Dame de Paris” and the touching Romeo from “Romeo and Juliet” - Ed Shulzhevsky begins a solo career. The singer performs compositions in the style of high quality pop - exquisitely romantic Europop, reminiscent of Justin Timberlake, Garou and Mika. In his performances, he uses his experience on the theater stage, enriching pop aesthetics with dramatic presentation and professional dance training. Ed has bright charisma, unique stage experience and love for the audience and the stage. The artist himself calls his work “music of a living heart.” The singer is preparing a program for performances in the capital’s clubs, with the help of choreographer Miguel, a former participant in the “Star Factory - 5” project.
Ed comes from an artistic family; his father, Ivan Shulzhevsky, is an Honored Artist of Kuban. As one would expect, Ed studied singing from childhood, studied piano at a music school, and took ballroom dancing. Despite the fact that his days were scheduled minute by minute, Ed always found time for boyish fun. He loved to ride sports bikes, which he designed himself. In the third grade, when Shulzhevsky was 9 years old, true love came to him. Part of his artistic destiny took place thanks to this feeling. Ed had to completely change himself in order to please his lover and even take up ballroom dancing seriously. It was in those years that Ed began to write his first songs, with which he successfully performed and won vocal competitions such as “Young Voices of Russia”. And his passion for dancing led to Ed becoming a professional dancer and after the ninth grade of school he entered the Choreographic Lyceum at the Krasnodar University of Culture. As for the feeling, it remained unrequited.
At the age of 17, the singer went to Moscow to study. And although, as it seemed to him, there was no chance, the singer was immediately enrolled in the second year. During the exam, he performed an aria from the musical “Notre-Dame de Paris” in French, not even knowing what role this work would play for him in the future. Even then, Ed received an offer to audition for the musical “Metro,” but due to the intense educational process he was forced to refuse. In his third year, Shulzhevsky decided to take part in the casting of “Notre-Dame de Paris”. On the day of the audition, he was so nervous that the sheet of paper with the score trembled in his hands, and his voice did not “sound” at all. Especially for the competition, the singer learned one of the performance numbers in French - the song “Cathedrals”. After the audition, Ed went home in full confidence that he had not passed the casting, but right at home the upset singer received a phone call. It turned out that the producers of the musical, Ekaterina von Gechmen-Waldeck and Alexander Weinstein, liked Shulzhevsky’s voice. After additional auditions, Ed was cast in the role of Captain Fab. Thus began his “alternative military service” lasting two years: with full ammunition and with strict discipline.
CONTINUED BELOW
After the closure of Notre-Dame de Paris in 2004, some of the musical's artists moved to the new production of Romeo and Juliet. Among them was Shulzhevsky, who this time got the main role - Romeo. Some theatergoers may remember the incident when the “dead” Romeo suddenly came to life at the end of the musical, holding out his hands to Juliet. Ed still remembers this episode with pleasure.
“Working in the musicals Notre-Dame de Paris and Romeo and Juliet was really great, to this day I am proud of my involvement in such grandiose performances,” says Ed, “but it was all in a team, in a troupe. Still, I wanted to have something of my own. You know, many artists and musicians say: “Do your own thing!” Of course, this costs enormous effort, incredible emotional expenditure, but, nevertheless, nothing can make an artist happier than this “something of his own.” Meanwhile, the most popular question among journalists is: “Ed, who are you - Captain Phoebus or Romeo?”
“We can say that now I am between these images: I am not as evil as Phoebus, but also not as romantic as Romeo. With age we all become more cynical, and I’m not 17 years old anymore... When I started playing Romeo, I probably would have answered that this hero is closer to me, but today I can’t say that. Do you know what is valuable? Now I feel like something of my own is being born in me: this is not Romeo, this is not Captain Phoebus, this is Ed Shulzhevsky." Despite the fact that Shulzhevsky has been recognized on the streets since his participation in musicals, he does not consider himself a star and is a little is shy when asked for his autograph. When one day he was ambushed by fans at his house, Ed was so confused that he could not admit that he was him. Although he gave an autograph... And Ed is completely hostile to persistent attempts to get his attention. When the artist recently took part in the filming of the “Private Life” program on the Domashny TV channel, he entered into a discussion with another guest, Oksana Robski. Shulzhevsky spoke about one girl with whom her relative, a high-ranking official, tried to introduce him, using not the most delicate means. The singer was even forced to hide from the fan and her persistent patron. The socialite argued that real artists are obliged to pay attention to all their fans, while Ed defended his right to privacy.
But it cannot be said that in private life the artist does not stand out from the crowd at all. Ed has one weakness - he loves the color yellow. Since men have been allowed to wear bright things lately, the singer bought himself sneakers in his favorite color, and even bought a car to go with them! Even the consultant did not understand that the singer’s choice was completely unconscious, and said that it was the first time he had seen someone buy a car to match the color of their shoes.
Ed's regular fans show their love in an original way - they have created a cult of the color yellow. At his recent performance in honor of the celebration of the 860th anniversary of Moscow, fans found an original way to distinguish themselves - as a sign of love for the artist, the girls wore yellow sneakers.
Now on Muz-TV, MTV, Music Box and Ru.TV you can see the video “Me and You,” directed by the famous music video director Gosha Toidze. This is not the artist’s first collaboration with luminaries of Russian show business - the singer worked with the cult fashion trio Fresh Art when he filmed his first video, “Strange Life.”
The video was filmed in Los Angeles. In one of the scenes, which was filmed in a disadvantaged area, where there were many people without a fixed place of residence. One of them was pushing a cart from a supermarket down the street and, having learned that filming was taking place on the street, suddenly began to dynamically march and shout: “I am an actor! I accidentally came to this life! It’s very difficult for me now, but I’m holding on!” It turned out that the man was a former famous theater actor. Another company unfriendly asked what all the fuss was going on in their area. When Ed explained that he was a musician from Russia and was just filming a video at the moment, their mood changed dramatically: they said that Russians are the same kind-hearted and sympathetic people as African-Americans. Unfortunately, these episodes were not included in the video, but they gave the atmosphere a much-needed note of excitement.
Ed Shulzhevsky is a Russian actor and singer. He gained fame by playing in the Russian musicals Notre Dame de Paris and Romeo and Juliet. Known as a solo artist and songwriter.
Eduard Ivanovich Shulzhevsky, better known to fans as singer Ed Shulzhevsky, was born in Krasnodar in 1982. His son’s musical abilities were noticed very early by his father, Honored Artist of Kuban Ivan Shulzhevsky. At first, dad taught vocals to his 4-year-old son himself. Then Edward was taken to a music school, where the boy learned to play the piano. Starting from the age of 6, the young singer regularly won music festivals and vocal competitions.
In addition to music, Ed Shulzhevsky became interested in ballroom dancing at the age of 9. This hobby led to the boy becoming a professional dancer in the future. After finishing 9th grade, Eduard entered the choreographic lyceum.
At the age of 17, Shulzhevsky is a student at the capital’s GITIS.
Creative path
Two years later, he, a third-year student, was already singing the leading role of Captain Phoebus in French on the stage of the musical “Notre Dame de Paris” of the Moscow Operetta, mentally thanking his mother for the lessons in correct pronunciation. When the musical closed, the producers did not want to let the young artist go and invited him to the main role in the musical play “Romeo and Juliet.”
Ed Shulzhevsky in the musical "Romeo and Juliet"
These two projects turned an unknown provincial artist into a real star of the capital’s scene and became an excellent start in his future creative career.
In parallel with his work in musicals, Edward composed his own songs
In parallel with his work in musicals, Edward composed his own songs. All his life he dreamed of a solo career, and one fine moment his plans were destined to come true. In 2006, Shulzhevsky met a producer who became seriously interested in his work. Soon the songs “Snow” and “Strange Life” were recorded and included in the rotation of leading radio stations, which aroused keen interest among the public.
Inspired by the success, Eduard recorded two more compositions, and shot a video for the song “Me and You” in America. In 2008, his first solo concert took place in the capital’s entertainment center and his debut album “Strange Life” was released.
Ed Shulzhevsky - “Me and You” In 2009, the musician began collaborating with Denis Maidanov. The result of their union were the songs “She and He”, “Love Him”, “Nastya”, written by Maidanov. All songs received music videos. A year later, the performer presented a video for the song “By the name of Nastya” - professional actress Maria Gorban starred in it. Ed Shulzhevsky - By the name of Nastya (#LIVE Autoradio) In 2010, Shulzhevsky received the role of d'Artagnan in the musical "The Three Musketeers", but later, after a number of performances, he was forced to refuse participation due to a busy schedule - solo concerts were for more important to him.
Musical period
In many interviews, Ed Shulzhevsky fondly recalls his years of working in musicals, but this seemed not enough for the aspiring performer, and he tried himself as a solo performer.
He chooses a rather popular direction - in the Europop style. It is noteworthy that Edward writes many of his compositions on his own, so he can safely be called a full-fledged composer. Thus, the compositions “Snow” and “Strange Life” are the singer’s calling cards to this day. These two songs ranked high on radio stations for several weeks. The author did not skimp on the choreographers: he turned to Miguel, who came up with many solutions to increase the effectiveness of the performance.
In 2008, Shulzhevsky managed to gather a whole huge hall for a solo concert. It ended in real triumph - the audience literally rejoiced to the songs of the handsome Ed.
Currently, Shulzhevsky’s career is developing, he is releasing new songs and videos, and also plans to act in films.
Ed Shulzhevsky now
By 2020, Shulzhevsky’s discography already included four full-length records, which sold out in considerable quantities. The singer actively tours Russia and the former CIS countries with an updated solo program, participates in festivals and music competitions, and performs in hot spots. At the same time, he acts in films and performs leading roles in musicals.
Eduard Shulzhevsky and his colleagues on stage
Study and first successes
At the age of 17, Shulzhevsky immediately entered the second year of Moscow GITIS. During the entrance exams, he performed an aria from the musical Notre Dame de Paris in front of the jury. Then he did not imagine what significance it would play in the future. Already during the audition, the young artist received an offer to play in the musical “Metro”. However, due to academic commitments, I was forced to refuse.
In his third year, Ed decided to participate in the casting of the musical “Notre Dame de Paris”, for which he learned the song “Cathedral” in French. However, in his opinion, his performance was not entirely successful and he went home thinking that he had failed the casting. Already at home he was caught by a phone call with good news
: The producers liked Ed's voice. Thus began the career of Ed Shulzhevsky at Notre Dame de Paris, in which he participated for more than two years.
In 2004, the project was closed, and Ed and a good half of its participants began working in another musical, Romeo and Juliet. Here he got the role of a young man in love.
Many theatergoers recall how one day, at the end of the work, the “dead” Montague came to life and extended his hands to Juliet Capulet. Edward gained the necessary experience working in a team, but still wanted to take on a personal project where he could realize his creative ambitions.
Family, relationships
Ed Shulzhevsky talks little about his personal life. He is not credited with high-profile romances with pop stars and sultry beasts (socialites). It is known that the musician is happily married and has two children. He met his wife Natalya in 2009 in Cyprus during the tour of the musical “Romeo and Juliet”.
Natalya starred in the singer’s video for the song “You Are Everything,” which turned out to be very sincere and sublime. According to the director's idea, Edward acts as a wedding dress designer for the heroine and involuntarily falls in love with her. The finale was warm, touching and unpredictable. Later, the singer admitted that he didn’t just play, but let through himself the image of a fashion designer in love.
The couple has been together for a long time, but Ed never tires of admiring his beloved, sending her warm words via Instagram. After long tours, he always strives to go to a cozy family nest, where the most important people in his life are waiting for him.
Clipography
- 2006 - “Strange Life”, director Albert Khamitov
- 2007 - “Me and You”, director Georgy Toidze
- 2008 - “My baby”, director Georgy Toidze
- 2009 - “She and He”, director Egor Lymarev
- 2010 - “By the name of Nastya”, director Dmitry Kurganov
- 2011 - “Blue Evening”, director Georgy Toidze
- 2011 - “By the name of Nastya”, director Georgy Toidze
- 2012 - “Birthday”, director Alexander Ivanenko
