Childhood
Vladimir Levkin was born in 1967 in Moscow.
After the birth of their son, the parents moved to the German city of Potsdam - the boy’s father served there. From early childhood, Vova began to study music and at the age of 7 he already played the button accordion beautifully. After some time, the parents decided to return to their homeland. In Moscow, Vova went to school, where he always studied well and diligently. He devoted his free time to music - first he continued to play the button accordion, and then the guitar attracted his attention. Rock music became a real passion for young Levkin, he even created the group “Mercury Lake” with his friends.
Vladimir Levkin before becoming famous
After graduating from school, the young man entered the Moscow Energy Institute, but did not have time to finish it, as he was urgently drafted into the army. He was assigned to serve in a ship repair battalion near Murmansk, where he became secretary of the Komsomol committee. Levkin could not part with music for long, so he began studying in the military ensemble “Horizon”. Since there was a lot of free time, Vladimir also managed to compose lyrics.
Vladimir Levkin in his youth and now
Upon returning home, Vova decided on his future plans, took the documents from the institute and began looking for a worthy team for cooperation. The aspiring musician understood that he still lacked the necessary skills and professionalism, so in 1988 Levkin decided to enter the Gnessin School.
Music career
In parallel with his studies, Levkin often attended various castings. And finally, during the selection process for the Na-na group, producer Bari Alibasov appreciated Vladimir’s talent and charisma and chose the young musician from 700 applicants for the role of the group’s lead singer.
Vladimir Levkin passed the selection for the group “Na-na”
Since 1989, a new life, previously unfamiliar to him, began for Levkin: tours throughout the country and abroad, sold out crowds and standing ovations. At first he did not believe his luck, but he began to wonder more and more often whether he had gotten there. Vladimir’s soul has always been drawn to heavy music and rock, so performing in a pop group was not easy for him.
Vladimir Levkin, Bari Alibasov and Vladimir Politov
At first, in addition to Levkin, former members of the group “Integral” performed in the vocal-instrumental group, and in 1990, a new vocalist appeared in “Na-Na” - Vladimir Politov. Charismatic and talented blond Levkin and brunette Politov instantly fell in love with millions of fans. Fans of Levkin especially often recall the composition “You and Me” performed by him. Group “Na-na” - You and I By the end of 1991, Alibasov invited two more soloists to the pop group, they were Vladimir Alitov and Vyacheslav Zheryabkin. So “Na-Na” became the first Soviet boy band, and they did not lose their popularity in the post-Soviet space.
Bari Alibasov and his boy band “Na-Na”
Despite the all-Russian success of the group, awards and top lines in the charts, in 1996 Levkin decided to change his occupation and entered the correspondence department of the directing department of GITIS. And two years later he left Na-Na. He later admitted:
Back to life
Now Vladimir is diligently developing his wife’s singing career, and also spends a lot of time raising his daughter. And he just enjoys life.
This year is a jubilee year for the singer. Vladimir Levkin turned 50 in June, his daughter Nika will be 5 in September. And also in 2017 - 35 years of his creative activity.
Nika Levkin's youngest daughter is developed beyond her years. Vladimir’s wife adheres to the idea that the girl took her prudence from her grandfather Alexander, Volodya’s father, who was an intelligent and erudite man. The girl loves to draw and is growing up to be a very creative child.
Vladimir tries his best to devote time not only to his youngest daughter, but also to his eldest. From his first marriage, the singer has an adult daughter, Victoria, who is now 24 years old. According to the singer, he wants to make up for lost time, since he spent Vika’s entire childhood traveling, taking an active part in the concert programs of the Na-Na group.
The popularity of the pop group “Na-na” in the 1990s was comparable only to the popularity of “Tender May” at the peak of their fame, and among the participants, the charming vocalist, the handsome blond Vladimir Levkin, stood out. Constant applause, crowds of fans, all-Russian fame: in those years Levkin seemed like a true darling of fate, not knowing grief and worries.
And no one knew what terrible test fate was preparing for him and how it would change the successful pop singer. The biography of Vladimir Levkin is not only a story of stage success, but also an example of how a serious illness changes the scale of values, helping to understand what is important in life and what is vanity.
With music through life
Although Vladimir Levkin was born in the capital of the USSR on June 6, 1967, his first childhood memories are associated with abroad, or more precisely, with the city of Potsdam in the GDR, where his father served. It was in Potsdam that little Volodya first joined the world of music. He entered music school a year earlier than general education, and the first instrument he began to play was the button accordion. As Levkin recalls, the instrument was so large that it was difficult to see the small performer behind it.
Returning to Moscow did not interfere with his music studies: on the contrary, in addition to the button accordion, Volodya mastered the guitar. In those years, high school students listened to semi-forbidden rock music, and Levkin was no exception. In the wake of his passion for rock, Volodya and his friends created an amateur group under the loud name “Mercury Lake”.
Nevertheless, Levkin entered the Moscow Energy Institute after school not at a music school. Before Volodya had time to get comfortable at the institute, he received a summons to join the army. Levkin had to get acquainted with the harsh nature of the North: he was assigned to a ship repair battalion near Murmansk. But there was also a place for music: Levkin became a guitarist in the army band “Horizon”.
After the army, Volodya did not return to the energy institute, finally becoming convinced that his calling was music. He writes songs, enters Gnesinka, and when he learns that popular producer Bari Alibasov is recruiting members for a new group, he decides to go to the competition. For Levkin, it was partly a test of his capabilities, partly an adventure, and when he found out that he was accepted into “Na-na” - the only one out of 700 applicants - he experienced a real shock.
Years of glory
Since April 1989, a new stage began in Levkin’s biography, when absolutely everything in his life revolved around the Na-na group. At first there were grueling rehearsals for 16 hours a day: Bari Alibasov was extremely demanding not only of the repertoire, but also of choreography and movement. A few months later, in June 1989, the group enjoyed its first success at the Face to Face festival. In 1991, the group's first album was released. All songs on it were performed by Levkin and new soloist V. Politov.
Huge, indescribable popularity came to “Na-na” and its soloist in 1992, after the release of the hit “Faina”. This song sounded from every window, and Levkin instantly became the idol of millions. The next five years remained in Vladimir’s memory as a series of incessant tours. Where have the Nanais visited with their incendiary show: New York and Chechnya, Chernobyl and Tel Aviv, Kazakhstan and Belarus, not to mention large and small Russian cities. In 1994 alone, the group gave 865 concerts. Without interrupting their touring activities, the members of “Na-na” recorded new albums and starred in videos. And in 1996, Levkin, wanting to try himself in a new role, entered the directing department at GITIS.
He had to work, in the full sense of the word, to the fullest, and in the turmoil of the days, Levkin did not pay attention to much. Including strange ailments that had plagued him since 1996. The temperature rose, his hair thinned, and he suffered from itchy skin, which dermatologists treated in vain. But then Levkin was not worried about his health, but about his own creativity. He felt that although working in the group gave him a lot, he had already grown out of the image of the “Nanai boy”. In 1998, he did not renew the contract with Bari Alibasov, left Na-na, released an album, not coincidentally called “Steps to Yourself,” and began working with the Kedy group.
First successes on the path of a solo career, collections of poems, work as a TV presenter on the TV-CENTER channel... It seemed that a new take-off was ahead, but fate decreed otherwise.
Fight against cancer
After one of the concerts, Vladimir felt very bad. I had to go to the hospital, where I was finally diagnosed, which sounded like a sentence that could not be appealed: stage 4 cancer of the lymphatic system. This meant that the merciless disease had taken over not only the lymph nodes, but also the internal organs.
Long months of grueling treatment followed, which became not only a physical but also a psychological test. Suddenly it turned out that the successful and healthy Levkin had a lot of friends and a loving wife, while the sick man had no one. Only a few fans who had not forgotten Levkin sent him letters to the hospital supporting the singer. In those terrible days, he overestimated and understood a lot, becoming a completely different person.
Photo: Vladimir Levkin during illness
While former friends were “burying” Levkin on the Internet, he was desperately fighting for his life. Fortunately, the operation, performed in February 2003, was successful, but it took another 3 months before Vladimir returned to active life.
Social activities and solo career
Personal changes provoked by a serious illness and victory over it could not but affect Levkin’s worldview and his life goals. After his illness, a new direction of activity appears in his life: charity. He participates in charity events and constantly visits orphanages and hospitals. As the cultural director of the Union of Social Justice of Russia (the singer has been working in this organization since 2006), Levkin is actively involved in social work.
Vladimir does not forget about his solo work: in 2009 the album “Stories from the First Person” was released, in 2015 - “Life in 3D”. Levkin gives concerts and participates in television shows (including the show “Just the Same” on Channel One). The love of his wife Marina and daughter Nika helps him in everything, but the path to family well-being was not easy.
Personal life
Vladimir had to hide his first wife Marina. The fact is that the “Nanais” were supposed to be considered bachelors: this increased the number of fans. For this or another reason, the marriage into which daughter Vika was born lasted only 5 years - from 1992 to 1995. The successful singer did not remain alone for long: the next year, 1998, Vladimir married the former lead singer of the Hi-Fi group Oksana . And again the marriage lasted 5 years. Having learned about Levkin’s terrible diagnosis, Oksana left.
Photo of Levkin with his family
Model Alina provided enormous help and support to the sick Levkin. According to the singer, she literally pulled him out of the other world. But the marriage with her broke up after Vladimir’s recovery.
Only in his 4th marriage with Marina Ichetovkina did Levkin manage to find long-awaited happiness and become a father again. It was Marina who helped Vladimir cope with the relapse of the disease, which caught up with him 10 years later. Today Vladimir Levkin is in excellent shape and is ready to conquer new heights.
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Life after "Na-Na"
In 1997, Vladimir starred in Evgeniy Osin’s video “Don’t, don’t cry...”. However, Levkin failed to achieve success as an actor, much less as a director, and he set off to conquer television and the media. Vladimir Levkin in Evgeniy Osin’s video “Don’t, don’t cry...” In 1998, he became editor-in-chief of the newspaper “Detective Club”, and over the next two years he hosted programs on the channel “TV” and “Ah, Anecdote”. In 1999, Levkin returned to what he did best and recorded his first solo album, “Steps to Yourself.”
Vladimir Levkin became a co-founder of the punk band “Kedbl”
In 2000, the singer, together with Vyacheslav Kachin, created the punk band “Kedbl”. Having good experience behind him, Vladimir became a producer, manager and musician of the group. They managed to release 2 successful albums - “Flomaster” and “Zapanki”. However, the situation changed dramatically when in 2003 Levkin learned of a serious illness and was forced to leave the stage.
Relapse of the disease
However, almost immediately after the wedding, a terrible thing happened - Vladimir Levkin had a relapse of the disease. The cancer returned just at the time when the singer’s young wife found herself pregnant. According to Levkin, he accepted the relapse of the disease quite steadfastly and calmly.
The singer underwent a bone marrow transplant; his treatment dragged on for about a year. During the course of therapy, the young wife was with her husband all the time, helping her loved one overcome a serious illness.
After this, Levkin constantly undergoes medical examinations and tries in every possible way to keep himself in good shape. However, the question still remains unclear: “Who is to blame for Levkin’s illness?”
Deadly disease
A few years earlier, the singer began to feel unwell - his hair began to fall out, his health sharply worsened, but the musician was given a terrible diagnosis only in the early 2000s - lymphogranulomatosis or cancer of the lymphatic system. Due to the fact that the serious illness was already in its final stage, the artist had many internal organs affected and the risk of infectious diseases was extremely increased.
Vladimir Levkin managed to overcome cancer
In 2003, Vladimir made a difficult decision and agreed to a complex and expensive operation, which was successful. A year after his recovery, Levkin resumed his creative and social life. In 2009, Levkin released his third solo album entitled “First Person Stories.” Vladimir Levkin: I know how to win
Creative path
As an experiment, the young man took part in the casting organized by Bari Alibasov. When Vladimir was accepted into the pop group, his surprise knew no bounds, since, as a rule, at qualifying competitions he performed rock songs of his own composition. The group instantly became popular, and Vladimir Levkin became an idol of youth. As the main soloist of the ensemble, the singer became a nine-time winner of the national music award 9 times.
But after the expiration of the contract, Levkin had to either extend the contract and stop dating his girlfriend (married soloists were not welcome in the group), or go free, as the musician did.
Vladimir Levkin’s illness was discovered when the singer turned 30 years old. He began to pursue a solo career, but illness temporarily postponed the implementation of his creative plans. Since the young man was given a terrible diagnosis - stage IV cancer of the lymphatic system. After which not a trace remained of the cheerful and perky guy.
Personal life of Vladimir Levkin
The talented musician’s first chosen one was a girl named Marina, whom he married in 1992. A year later, their first child was born - daughter Victoria.
Vladimir Levkin with his first wife and daughter
At first they were happy, but over time the relationship became more complicated, since according to the contract, the members of the Na-Na group were not supposed to tie the knot. Levkin had to constantly “hide” his wife from the curious public. Over time, the girl got tired of it, and in 1997 the couple decided to divorce.
Vladimir Levkin and Oksana Oleshko
A year later, Vladimir met Oksana Oleshko, at that time the lead singer of the Hi-Fi group and a dancer in the Na-Na ballet. They were united by a common passion for music. For five years the couple were happy and spent a lot of time together. But everything changed after Levkin learned about the fatal disease. In 2003, the musician was left alone again, and Oksana left for another.
Vladimir Levkin and Alina Yarovikova
During treatment, Vova was supported by the famous model Alina Yarovikova, they had a romantic relationship. But after his recovery, the couple broke up. Levkin later fell in love with actress Marina Ichetovkina, whom he married in 2012. A year later they had a daughter, Nika.
Vladimir Levkin with his wife Marina Ichetovkina and daughter
Fight for life
When Vladimir Levkin’s illness began to progress, the singer had to leave the stage and the air. His wife left him and many of his friends turned away. Serious money problems arose. Relatives and close friends began to jointly help the singer: they called everyone who could help in any way, and opened a fundraiser for an operation for Vladimir. Due to illness, Levkin spent a year and a half in the hospital; in total, he underwent 9 courses of chemotherapy and a serious operation. After much suffering, the disease seemed to have subsided.
After a series of operations, ex-soloist of “Na-Na” Vladimir Levkin learned to walk again. The singer said that 15 minutes from his house there was a restaurant where his friend worked. To see his friend, the singer went to him for two months. Taking a few steps every day. When he realized that his strength was leaving him, he returned back. But after a while, Levkin finally arrived, and his friend scolded the singer for mocking himself and urgently called a taxi.
After intensive treatment and therapy, Vladimir Levkin began to feel much better. He returned to work and accidentally found a new love. The singer began dating his fan Marina Ichetovkina, who was 14 years younger than the musician.
Social activity
While still performing in the Na-Na group, Levkin took part in charity concerts, and after recovery he began to take an even more active public position. In 2008, he participated in the “Shield and Lyre” campaign in memory of the Ministry of Internal Affairs employees who died in service, and provided financial support to hospitals, shelters and orphanages.
Vladimir Levkin takes an active part in public life
In the same year, Vladimir became director of culture and sports at the Union of Social Justice of Russia and, together with the Muz-TV channel, organized a charity concert for children of correctional orphanages, disadvantaged families, hospitals and boarding schools.
Vladimir Levkin now
In 2014, the musician took a high-ranking post as director of the Open Sea art festival, and in 2015 he pleased his fans with a new album, “Life in 3-D.” Vladimir Levkin - “Musician” From September 2020 to January 2020, Levkin took part in the 3rd season of the Channel One show “Just the Same,” where he brilliantly portrayed Konstantin Kinchev and Valery Leontyev. “Exactly”: Vladimir Levkin in the image of Konstantin Kinchev Now the singer continues to organize music festivals and is involved in charity work, raising his little daughter. In 2020, it became known that in the terrorist attack on the St. Petersburg metro on April 3, 2017, a relative of Vladimir Levkin, the creator of designer dolls, Irina Medyantseva, died.
