Famous musicians and artists always attract great attention from the press and public, and Grigory Leps is no exception. The biography, personal life of the singer, his successes and failures are of great interest to fans. His path to the stage was not easy; he spent a long time searching for himself, but never betrayed his calling. Let's talk about how Grigory Leps, a biography whose personal story is unique, came to great fame and achieved his goals.
Childhood and family
On July 16, 1962, a boy was born in the city of Sochi, whom the whole country would later recognize under the pseudonym Leps. The biography, in which the family was not a decisive factor, began very ordinary. The parents of Grisha Lepsveridze (that is the singer’s real name) were absolutely far from music. My mother worked at a bakery, my father worked at a local meat processing plant, and a girl, Eteri, also grew up in the family. Since childhood, Grisha has demonstrated an independent character and rebellious disposition. But from an early age it was clear that the boy had good musical abilities.
Starting to learn music
Grigory Viktorovich Lepsveridze (known to admirers of his talent as Grigory Leps) was born on July 16, 1962 in the city of Sochi.
Leps’s parents are people far from art. Gregory's father, Viktor Antonovich, worked at a meat processing plant. Mom, Natella Semyonovna, worked at a bakery, ran a household and raised two children - Grigory and his younger sister Eteri.
Classes at Sochi school No. 7 did not particularly captivate the restless boy, who was ready for pranks at any moment. “The damned poor student,” as his teachers called him, played football with great enthusiasm, sang and played drums in the school ensemble (Grisha had perfect pitch and an excellent sense of rhythm since childhood). Gregory’s love for percussion instruments is the merit of his musician uncle.
His school passion for music can hardly be considered the beginning of Leps’s creative biography, but thanks to this hobby, by the time he entered the music school, Gregory had already accumulated some performing experience.
The young man's parents insisted that their son acquire some kind of solid profession. But the love of music led 14-year-old Gregory to the Sochi Music College. There is one story connected with admission to this educational institution. Together with Grisha, a guy whose mother was terminally ill applied to the school. She dreamed of her son becoming a musician. But based on the final entrance scores, Grigory was vying for the place. Young Lepsveridze wanted to pick up his documents so that his comrade would be accepted, explaining to his mother: “I’m strong, I’ll enroll next year.”
But just before enrollment, the school management allocated one more place, and Grigory was accepted into the percussion instruments department.
Education
The future Leps, a biography whose personal history at the very beginning did not foreshadow any turbulent events, studied in an ordinary Sochi school No. 7. Grigory did not show any zeal for study and was happily in the very last positions in terms of academic performance in the class. But at the same time, he was seriously involved in football, was fond of music, and played in the school ensemble. The vocation eventually took its toll, and at the age of 14 he entered a music school in the percussion class, which he successfully graduated after 4 years. Although here Lepsveridze was not listed among the excellent students. Academic progress was greatly hampered by temperament and addictive character.
Grigory Leps. Biography and creativity of Grigory Leps
Lepsveridze, this is the real name of Grigory Leps. The shortened version by which the singer is known to the general public is his nickname. It was given to the artist at school. By the way, not at school, not before, not after, Grigory did not learn to sing. Instead of vocals, Leps chose to study percussion instruments at a music school. How did the singer become such? These and other interesting details from the life of a celebrity are the heroes of the article.
Grigory Leps and his biography
Gregory was born in the city of Sochi in 1962. The singer's family is from a factory. Father - Viktor Lepseridze - a meat processing plant worker. His mother, Natella, worked at a bakery company. “The damned loser,” as Leps’ teachers called him, graduated from high school No. 7 in his hometown. He played in a school ensemble, and therefore, at the age of 14, he entered a music school to study percussion instruments.
Soon, the guy was drafted into the army. After serving, Grigory began to sing in restaurants. Drummers were not required there, but vocalists were held in high esteem. The debut took place in the restaurant where Uncle Leps worked. A relative was a musician and provided a place for his nephew.
Grigory was not ashamed of the fact that he was self-taught; they listened to him with pleasure and paid him good money. So he lived until he was 30. At this age, psychologists say, a personal crisis occurs. Men wonder what they have achieved by the age of 40? The answer to this question did not suit Leps, and he moved to Moscow.
Later, the artist indicated in an interview that he was going specifically for fame. He realized that staying in Sochi would fizzle out as a singer. I began to get very tired from working at night, relieving stress with alcohol. In the capital, he gave up alcohol and followed celebrities who advised him to move. The fact is that Rosenbaum, Gazmanov, Shufutinsky visited the restaurants where Grigory sang. They called Leps, said that he was an excellent performer, and invited him to Beloglavaya.
In 1995 he released his first album. It had the song "Natalie" on it. She instantly made the singer an all-Russian celebrity. The frantic rhythm of concerts, recordings, and interviews brought the no longer young performer to a hospital bed. The mother came to look after the man. The singer suffered internal bleeding. There were several other people in the room with him. Everyone died. Leps survived, but the doctors set the condition - not to drink a drop and eat right. The artist adheres to these rules to this day. This year he will turn 54 years old.
Works of Grigory Leps
Grigory Leps writes songs himself. Vitaly Manshin provided financial assistance for the recording of the artist’s first album. This producer also promoted the singer Maxim. Debut disc – “God Bless You.” The same one on which the song “Natalie” was recorded. Leps released his second album, “Whole Life,” after being discharged from the hospital, in 19977. But, according to the singer, the hardest thing for him was the third collection, “Thank you, people.” Every track in it is biographical. The artist wrote lyrics based on his life and presented them to listeners in 2000.
Gregory is called the last courageous artist on the Russian stage. The man received the proud title after the release of the song “A glass of vodka on the table. “It is included in the album “On the Strings of Rain.” The public and critics noticed that domestic artists are effeminate, their lyrics and manner of performance are far from being described as “masculine,” and only Leps makes purely masculine lyrics.
The artist justifies his title in choosing his favorite performers. He listens to the Soviet-era rebel Vladimir Vysotsky. Leps even covers many of his songs, which becomes a separate milestone in the work of the performer from Sochi. listen to Grigory Leps sing Vysotsky on the Internet. All entries are posted here. You can also find the artist’s latest original works. Among them are the album “My Whole Life” and a collection of clips “I am alive!”
Leps does not refuse to sing a duet with his colleagues in show business. “I’ll go to live in London” is a collaboration with hip-hopper Timati. There is in the archive of the performer Grigory Leps “Mirrors” . This is a song with Ani Lorak. The artist collected his works with other singers in a separate collection, calling it “Duets.” The Album includes compositions with Meladze, Slava, Gurtskaya, Rosenbaum, Allegrova and more.
Personal life of Grigory Leps
Leps first married after the army. The singer was then 21 years old. At 23 he was already divorced. By that time, Inga’s daughter was already growing up. She was born from the youthful love of Grigory, because the feelings arose at the music college, where the singer’s ex-wife Svetlana Dubinskaya also studied.
Leps remained a bachelor for almost 20 years. The second marriage took place in 2000, already in Moscow. The dancer became the artist’s chosen one. Anna (nee Shaplykova) worked in the ballet of Laima Vaikuli. At the birthday party of the singer’s husband, Leps and Anna met. Gregory immediately proposed to the girl, right at the party. Such an impulse was not taken seriously, and besides, Anna was not free at that time. However, Leps constantly reminded of himself, looked after him beautifully, and gave expensive gifts. Later, in an interview with journalists, the artist explained that he fell in love at first sight. There were no doubts, so I made an offer right away. A year later, the dancer had no doubts either. She broke up with her previous boyfriend and married Leps.
In his second marriage, the singer has three children. First, two girls were born. So Leps had three daughters. The artist wanted a son, and Anna gave him to her husband. The boy is the youngest in the family. Leps, according to him, is satisfied with the marriage and is happy in it.
Concert activities of Grigory Leps
Leps works hard. Sings live. Being popular requires giving a lot of concerts, singing at corporate events, and delighting friends in show business with performances. This pace for an artist who is in his 60s resulted in problems with his vocal cords. In 2013, phoniators were banned from performing. Grigory stopped performing concerts. To the delight of fans, the lull lasted only a few months. Doctors carried out a course of treatment.
Leps was allowed to return to the stage, but with conditions. The artist should not interrupt the procedures and regularly consult with doctors. Initially, doctors feared that Gregory would no longer be able to sing. In this case, fans would have to be content with the requests “ Grigory Leps download ” and “ Grigory Leps online ”. Phoniators from France, in particular, the singer’s attending physician Jean Abitbol, helped to hear the artist’s live performance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVrQ_rOpy5Q
Carier start
After college, Leps, whose biography was still rolling along fairly typical tracks for Soviet times, joined the army and served in Khabarovsk. But after demobilization, the time has come to start working, and Grigory chooses his own path, deciding that he wants to devote his future life to music. He begins to work in a group that plays on the dance floor, then in the group of the Riviera park. He not only works as a drummer, but also actively tries himself as a vocalist. In Sochi at that time there were many restaurants with live music, so singers were in demand. Grigory sings in restaurants, collaborates with several rock bands, including becoming the lead singer of a famous Sochi band called Index 398. At that time, Leps’s performing style was significantly different from what we are used to hearing now. The young man is still in search of his own individuality and unique manner.
Biography facts
The talented and original singer was born in the resort city of Sochi, in the family of a meat-processing plant worker, Viktor Lepsveridze, and a worker at a local bakery. During his school years, the boy became seriously interested in football and playing the drums, but neither his parents nor his teachers could cope with the hooligan student.
Photo: Leps in childhood
Grigory was able to obtain a matriculation certificate only at a music school, and since the young man did not strive for higher education, after receiving his diploma he went into the army. After demobilization, Leps began looking for work in local restaurants, since the resort town always needed bright, expressive performers of popular hits for the vacationing public during the season.
The desire to earn a lot of money led the future famous artist to cope with chronic fatigue through a large number of strong drinks.
Photo: Grigory Leps
After some time, Gregory realized that such a hobby and commissioned work could kill the artist in him. Leps set off to conquer the Russian capital. The native of the province did not have any special privileges there; he tried to survive by following the beaten path - speaking at corporate events and in Moscow restaurants. Here they paid much more, the young man became addicted to drink and drugs.
Local scale star
Pretty soon Gregory becomes famous in Sochi. He sings in a restaurant called “1.3.7” of the largest hotel “Pearl”. In addition to the usual restaurant repertoire, Leps then began to try to write his own songs and make his own arrangements. In the early 90s, he already had deafening fame on a local scale. People came to the restaurant specifically to listen to a singer with an unusual timbre. Each of his performances was always sold out. By the end of the program, the stage was usually strewn with banknotes. Such a stunning success, big and easy money turned the young musician’s head. He spent all his fees on entertainment, drinks, and women. Restaurant night work is actually quite exhausting, and Leps found his way to recover: alcohol. He does not hide the fact that at that time he drank a lot and led a dissolute lifestyle.
Not only ordinary vacationers and the local population, but also various famous musicians often came to the restaurant. They all said that Grigory needed to go to Moscow, since he had “outgrown” the scale of Sochi. He was even promised support in promoting on the Moscow stage. But Gregory still hesitated for some time. However, at one fine moment he clearly realized that in Sochi he had reached his ceiling, and that further a dead end and alcoholism awaited him.
Moscow period
In 1992, Grigory Leps, whose biography by that time was already inextricably linked with singing, finally decided to move to the capital of Russia. Moscow greeted the singer without much cordiality, all promises of help and support disappeared like smoke, and Leps was forced to start his journey from scratch. For a soloist accustomed to success, this was not an easy test. In addition, at that time Grigory was not in the best shape, he gained weight and drank a lot. Therefore, no one was in a hurry to help him. However, restaurant workers in Moscow soon appreciated Leps’ vocal capabilities and provided him with work. He again had enough for entertainment and a wild life.
It took the singer two years to establish connections; he began working on his first album, “God Bless You.” The following year the record was released, and some of the songs gained popularity, especially the composition “Natalie”, which became a real hit. Leps’s concert activities began to improve, and he began filming two videos at once. But rehearsals, work, recordings, as well as ongoing alcoholic libations led to Gregory having a severe attack of pancreatic necrosis. The singer fell under a surgical knife. During treatment, he lost 35 kg, and the doctors’ words that any, even the smallest dose of alcohol could now become fatal for him, forced him to give up the addiction. Therefore, after leaving the hospital, Leps threw himself into work, and the results were not long in coming.
Moscow
It was 1992, Gregory was 30 years old. Not the best time to start a career, the Soviet Union had just collapsed, the country was in poverty and mired in food stamps. Those people who admired his talent while on vacation in Sochi restaurants and hotels, who invited him to Moscow and promised to support him, also disappeared.
Again I had to follow the beaten path - sing in restaurants. He was not in poverty, but alcohol reappeared in his life, to which drugs were added.
It is not known how all this would have ended, but fate was favorable to Leps, and in 1994 Anatoly Dolzhenkov and Evgeny Kobylyansky met on his life’s path. They helped Grigory record his first album called “Natalie” and shot a video for the musical compositions “Natalie” and “God Bless You.”
The song “Natalie” quickly became incredibly popular in the country; listeners constantly ordered this composition on the radio, and now it is like the calling card of Grigory Leps.
But then he could not feel all the euphoria from success, because he ended up in the Botkin hospital and did not know whether he could leave it alive. Many years of drunkenness took their toll, and the singer ended up in a hospital bed with extensive internal bleeding and a severe form of stomach ulcer. He was brought by ambulance and immediately on the operating table; the doctors could not say whether there was a chance for further life. For six months, medicine and his mother, who flew in from Sochi, fought for Leps.
As Grigory himself says, then in his hospital bed, he looked death in the eye for the first time and made a firm decision - to give up addictions forever. I didn’t want to die young, and it was very scary when their dead neighbors were taken out of the ward. Leps considers this act the smartest in his life and is very proud of it.
Now he speaks openly about his addiction, without hiding anything. What to hide? This is the past, you can’t escape it, you have to remember it. As Gregory says: “A person who forgets his past has no future.”
Meanwhile, the composition “Natalie” made it to the final of “Song of the Year-95”, but due to illness the singer could not perform it there.
But Gregory left the hospital as a completely different person, even losing 35 kg. And now, with his hard work and talent, he has achieved national recognition.
Big stage
In 1997, the singer released his second album, “A Whole Life,” recorded the year before. Also, Leps (his biography is starting to go uphill) takes part in the prestigious television concert “Song of the Year”. The broad masses of listeners are beginning to recognize him. In 1998, the singer received an invitation from Alla Pugacheva to take part in “Christmas Meetings” - this was a special sign of quality.
Leps begins to enjoy success. Colleagues invite him to group concerts, a tour program appears, and the authors are no longer afraid to entrust new songs. Leps is forming his own repertoire, which increasingly includes hits. The singer releases new albums, and since 2000 his concerts are almost always sold out.
Grigory Leps becomes a real star, his participation adds status to any concert or event. The singer's songs are breaking records in popularity. In the 21st century, he received everything a vocalist could dream of: the love of the audience, hits, interesting creative projects. But he doesn't want to stop. Leps experiments with different pop genres, gradually moving away from classical chanson. He works a lot in various projects, participates in the musical programs of his colleagues and tours. In addition, he continues to write songs himself, although there are few of them in his repertoire, but they gain wide popularity among viewers.
Creative life
In 1997, the next album, “Whole Life,” was presented to listeners. It included the songs “Jock”, “Ice”, “Chizhik”. Finally, Leps sang the song “My Thoughts” at the “Song of the Year” festival. The singer's popularity began to grow.
In 1998, he became a guest of the “Christmas Meetings” at the Prima Donna, and also performed songs at an evening dedicated to the work of Vysotsky, which was organized by A. Kalyanov.
In 2000, Gregory had a misfortune - he lost his voice. At the same time, the third album was released, which was called “Thank you, people...”. The singer remembers the surgery he underwent with a nightmare; he was afraid of losing the opportunity to sing forever. During this difficult time, his wife Anna was always next to him, who helped and supported the singer. He soon returned to the stage.
In 2001, the artist appeared on stage at the Rossiya Concert Hall, and in 2002 he won the Chanson of the Year award thanks to the composition “Tango of Broken Hearts.” His songs became popular, his albums sold out instantly.
In 2002, the next album, “On the Strings of Rain,” was presented to the public, which was the fourth in a row. The real hits were the songs “I Believe, I’ll Wait,” “A Glass of Vodka on the Table,” and “Angel of Tomorrow.” The last composition was sung together with I. Allegrova. The album became mega-popular and elevated Leps to the peak of fame.
In 2005, a collection of the best works was released, and a year later the albums “Labyrinth” and “In the Center of the Earth”. All this time, Leps was filming videos and touring cities. In 2007, the singer’s slightly faded fame again rose to a new level, a video collection called “I’m Alive!” was released.
Three times in 2009, the singer performed in the Kremlin hall. In 2011, his collaboration with rap artist Timati began. And today their joint duets continue to be heard. Also, since 2011, Grigory began to bear the title of Honored Artist of the Russian Federation.
Leps has a huge number of hits. Among them are “I’ll go to live in London”, “The Best Day”, a composition recorded together with A. Rosenbaum, “Shores of Pure Brotherhood”. The artist received many musical awards; he was awarded the Golden Gramophone.
In 2014, he received the Ru.tv award as “Best Singer”, and with Timati they became “Best Duet”. During his creative activity, the singer recorded duets with many famous performers. Among them are Valery Meladze, Victoria Ilyinskaya, Ani Lorak.
In 2013, the singer again had complications with his voice. Doctors temporarily banned him from any performances. The course of treatment took several months, the artist was helped by specialists from France, and Gregory returned to the stage to the delight of his fans.
Today, Grigory Leps gathers entire halls, tries himself in different roles. Since 2012, he has been working as a mentor in the popular show “The Voice” together with Basta, P. Gagarina, A. Gradsky, L. Agutin. In the winter of 2015, he was the host of the music festival in Sochi.
Discography
Grigory Leps, whose biography has been associated with music for more than 30 years, has released more than a dozen albums, and listeners have the right to expect many new hits from him. The singer released his first albums as part of the Index 398 group in 1987 and 1988. In 1995, his first solo album, “God Bless You,” was released. Today the artist has 12 numbered albums. On average, he releases a new disc every two years. He also participates in the recording of duet songs that are included in his colleagues’ programs and collections. In 2011, Leps’ collaboration with Alexander Rosenbaum, the album “Shores of Pure Brotherhood,” was released. Gregory also released 7 collections, in which he combined his best compositions, and also presented his musical experiments to the public. The singer also has 9 reissue discs in his creative collection, which remind listeners of the artist’s creative path.
Concert activities
Like any artist, Grigory Leps, a biography whose photos are known to almost every resident of Russia today, works for live communication with listeners. Therefore, he is active in concert activities. Leps has 19 concert programs to his credit. The first of them, “On the Strings of Rain,” appeared in 2003. The singer gave concerts in support of the release of new albums and in honor of his birthdays. There are several charity and fundraising programs in his biography. Several of the singer's concerts were recorded on DVD.
Conquering Moscow
Moving to the capital, Leps did not go for fame as such, but rather for the opportunity to self-realize. The capital, in turn, gave the southern temperamental performer a cold reception. Grigory had to return to restaurant singing again. He drank a lot, gained a lot of weight, and everyone who promised to help the artist disappeared. It was not the best time in the singer’s life, nevertheless, there was enough money for gatherings, and sometimes it came to drugs.
Debut album
In 1995, Grigory Leps found himself on the operating table, diagnosed with pancreatic necrosis. According to the singer’s stories, he was on the verge of death. This incident turned the artist’s mind upside down; after discharge, he practically gave up alcohol and his previous wild lifestyle. In 1994, before the attack, he began work on his debut album, the title of which coincided with the difficult event - “God Bless You.” The song “Natalie” included in it became Leps’ calling card for many years; by the way, it is still known and loved by millions of listeners.
By the beginning of the new century, Leps had turned from a Sochi restaurant singer into a prominent and popular artist. The collection of creative successes was replenished with the following events:
- album “Whole Life” (1997);
- laureate of “Song of the Year-97”;
- participation in “Christmas meetings” by A. Pugacheva (1998);
- shooting several video clips (“My Thoughts”, “First Birthday”, “Rat-Jealousy”);
- album “Thank you, people...” (2000).
Still from the video “A glass of vodka on the table”
In 2000, fate once again decided to test Leps’ strength. For him, as a singer, what happened was a truly tragic event: he lost his voice. But the singer simply could not give up. After a difficult operation and a long recovery, he appeared with a rich program on the stage of the Rossiya State Central Concert Hall, and in 2002 he presented his fans with the album “On the Strings of Rain.” “A Glass of Vodka on the Table,” which was included in it, became not just a hit, but a fully “folk” song.
Television career
Grigory Leps, whose biography is closely connected with television today, has regularly participated in various projects since 1998. He annually stars in the “Song of the Year” and “Blue Light” programs, participates in various national concerts and attends award shows, as well as other events.
In 2009, the singer, together with actress Irina Grineva, took part in the “Two Stars” program. The duet did not take a prize, but was loved by the public. In 2010, Leps became a participant in NTV’s New Year’s project “Carnival Night with Maxim Averin.” In 2015, the singer, together with Garik Martirosyan, hosted the show “Main Stage” on the Rossiya channel. In 2020 and 2020, Leps successfully works in a team of mentors on the Channel One music show “The Voice”.
Also, the singer is often invited to various programs and shows, for example, “Looking at Night” and “Evening Urgant”. Leps is the organizer of the “Christmas on Rosa Khutor” festival, which brings together all the cream of the Russian stage. The concert is traditionally filmed for Channel One.
Fame and health problems
Ironically, Leps’s popularity came along with a serious illness. The wild life affected the health of the young performer and Grigory received his first award for the song “Natalie” while in the hospital with a stomach ulcer. For this reason, the artist was unable to participate in the final release of the “Song-95” program.
This became a turning point in the artist’s life - he gave up dangerous attractions and seriously took up his own career. His enchanting rise to the top of Russian show business brought him wild popularity. The world saw the artist’s best songs, which instantly became hits:
- "A glass of vodka on the table".
- "London".
- "I do not trust you".
- “She’s not yours” and many others.
Interesting: Biography of Nelly Kobzon
Tours and concerts were often interrupted by worsening illnesses:
- In 2002, Leps underwent surgery on his ligaments and lost his voice.
- Internal bleeding and a perforated stomach ulcer put the artist on a bed in the intensive care unit of the Botkin Hospital in 2008.
- In February 2009, after a number of huge concerts in terms of duration and number of spectators, Leps fell out of his busy schedule for a month due to acute bronchitis.
View this post on Instagram
Sitting with my wife @_lepsanna
A post shared by Grigory Leps (@gvleps) on Aug 14, 2020 at 11:57am PDT
Due to the heavy workload, the artist’s health has deteriorated significantly, so he is forced to take a personal doctor on long trips. Now the man is 56 years old, he has experienced many difficult moments in his biography and is trying to work to the maximum while he is at the top of his popularity.
Duets
Today, all singers strive to diversify their sound and often work in duets. Grigory Leps, whose biography continues to gain height every year, is a desired partner for many performers. And in his creative baggage there are many brilliant duet numbers. The most notable partnerships include a duet with Alexander Rosenbaum, Irina Allegrova, Valery Meladze, Ani Lorak, Polina Gagarina, Stas Piekha and rapper Timati.
Only forward
The artist also saw positive aspects in his long hospitalization. The disease saved him from 35 kilograms of weight gained. After discharge, Grigory swore off alcohol and drugs.
A little later, in 1997, Grigory Leps, whose biography already included one successful album, released a second disc entitled “Whole Life”. And in the same year, at the pre-season concert “Song-97”, the artist performed his composition “My Thoughts”. Another year later, Grigory goes to Alla Pugacheva’s “Christmas Meetings,” where he performs several solo songs.
Awards
During his creative life, Gregory received many awards; in the 21st century, awards literally rain on him. In 2004 he received the title of Honored Artist of Ingushetia. In 2011 he was awarded the high title “Honored Artist of the Russian Federation”. In 2020, he became the People's Artist of Karachay-Cherkessia. More than 10 times the singer became the laureate of the “Song of the Year” award and twice received the L. Utesov prize at this festival. He has three awards from Muz-TV for duets with Irina Allegrova, Ani Lorak and Stas Piekha. He is also the winner of 8 RU.TV awards and 10 Golden Gramophones from Russian Radio.
At the peak of popularity
Grigory Leps's affinity for pop and rock music is becoming more and more noticeable.
In 2006, the artist recorded another collection, “Labyrinth”. The video for the song from this disc “Blizzard” is a joint creative work of the outstanding “Moscow Virtuosi” and Grigory Viktorovich.
The program, presented on a tour of the United States, is enthusiastically applauded by the artist’s overseas fans.
The songs, sung in a duet with Irina Allegrova (“I don’t believe you”) and Stas Piekha (“She’s not yours”), lead the charts in Russia. For the composition “I Don’t Believe You,” the duo was awarded the “Golden Gramophone” and the “Songs of the Year 2007” award.
In 2008, the singer was awarded the Muz-TV Prize and the next Golden Gramophone.
In the winter of 2009, Leps performs a new program “Waterfall” at the Kremlin Palace. Leps’s biography on Wikipedia (we’ll talk about the singer’s personal life later) states that three “Waterfall” concerts attracted more than fifteen thousand spectators. In May of the same year, German concert halls warmly welcomed the Russian artist.
In October 2011, the artist was awarded the title “Honored Artist of the Russian Federation.”
In the fall of 2013, Leps received two “Golden Gramophones” (for the songs “I’m Happy” and “London”) from the hands of the press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov.
And in 2014, the performer became the owner of the cult The World Music Awards.
In September 2020, Grigory Leps took part in the “Voice” show as a mentor. Hieromonk Photius from the singer’s team becomes the winner of the fourth season.
At the beginning of 2020, the Christmas at Rosa Khutor festival, organized by Grigory Viktorovich, was held on a large scale in Sochi.
In 2020, the performer celebrated his 55th birthday with the “You’re So Serious” concert tour.
The performance of Grigory Leps on New Year's Eve 2018, based on the results of a popular vote conducted by Channel One, was the most anticipated among viewers.
Russia Day, held on Red Square in 2020, ended with the Russian anthem performed by the singer.
Personal life
Fans are always interested in the artist’s private life. Grigory Leps is no exception. Journalists and listeners want to know the details of his family history.
The singer married twice. The first wife of Grigory Leps, whose biography was always replete with women’s names, studied with him at a music school. This student marriage with Svetlana Dubinskaya gave birth to the singer’s daughter Inga and very quickly broke up.
Then there was a long and stormy period of freedom in Leps’ life. And in 2000, in a nightclub, he saw his new love. Leps’s second wife, whose biography is also connected with show business, worked as a dancer in the Laima Vaikule ballet. Anna Shaplykova was 10 years younger than Grigory and amazed him with her beauty and grace. But the girl did not take the singer’s hasty marriage proposal seriously. And Leps had to seek her consent, but she did not have a chance to resist Leps’s charm and pressure. The couple had three children - two daughters and the long-awaited son Vano.
Personal life of Grigory Leps
Leps's first wife was Svetlana Dubinskaya, his classmate at the music school. In 1984, the young couple had a daughter, Inga.
The first wife and eldest daughter of Grigory Leps in his youth
Although this marriage lasted only two years, after the divorce Gregory did not stop caring for his daughter and participating in her life. He paid for her studies abroad (the girl graduated from university in London and acting courses in Los Angeles) and is promoting her musical career.
Inga Lepsveridze
In 2000, the singer met the young dancer Anna Shaplykova, a show ballet dancer in Laima Vaikule, and immediately proposed marriage to her. At first, the girl did not take seriously the advances of the hot Georgian macho, but Leps still managed to win her affection.
Grigory Leps and Anna Shaplykova
They entered into an official marriage in 2002, after the birth of their daughter Eva, then the couple had two more children - daughter Nicole (2007) and son Ivan (2010). For the sake of her family, Anna left the stage and turned into a housewife and homemaker. She was by her husband’s side in the most difficult life situations, nursed him after operations, and now has taken over his jewelry business.
Eva, youngest daughter of Grigory Leps
Their eldest daughter Eva followed in her father’s footsteps and now performs as part of the female trio COSMOS girls. In addition to her, the group includes Alexandra Giner, the daughter of the owner of FC CSKA, and a participant in the fifth season of “The Voice. Children" Eden Golan. The promotion of the musical group is carried out by the Grigory Leps Production Center; the debut video for the song MAMA AMA RICH starred Philip Kirkorov, Dima Bilan, Emin, Olga Buzova and, of course, Eva’s dad himself. COSMOS girls – MAMA AMA RICH In 2020, the former lead singer of the Open Kids group Anya Muzafarova joined the girls, with her participation a new video for the song “Frequencies” was shot, which collected one and a half million views on YouTube in two months.
Interesting Facts
Singer Leps, biography, personal life, whose wife is constantly in the field of view of journalists and fans, tries to hide the details of his life. But he doesn't do it well. The paparazzi are hunting for him, and today interesting facts about the musician’s biography are known to everyone. During his life, he was seriously ill several times, even lost his voice and underwent several operations, but each time he returned to the stage. It is impossible to imagine Leps's image without sunglasses. The singer collects them; today his collection includes more than 300 exhibits, which he periodically wears. Due to suspicions of connections with the Russian mafia, the singer was banned from entering the United States. The musician reacted to this event with humor and released the album “Gangster No. 1.”