Among the large number of Russian performers who sing chanson, there is one singer whose work is very much loved by fans of romantic music. Exquisite style, impeccable manners, pleasant voice and high-quality texts - meet Sergei Lyubavin (biography). A wife is the only woman in life. He is called the sex symbol of Russian chanson. Compare with Sergei Yesenin. He gathers full houses and entire stadiums applaud him. Women give armfuls of flowers at concerts and creative meetings. What is the reason for such popularity?
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Fans have always been interested in learning as much as possible about the personal life, character and hobbies of their idol. The biography of Sergei Lyubavin deserves special attention, as do the wonderful songs he sings. Where was the singer born? How similar or different are the real image and the romantic hero of his songs? What does Sergei Lyubavin like to do in his free time? The singer's biography may reveal the reasons for his popularity. Curious facts and features of a creative personality. A little bit about everything.
The beginning of a creative journey
He was born in Novosibirsk, in the creative family of the famous writer Pyotr Dedov and a teacher. Not wanting to take advantage of his father’s fame, he decided to take a pseudonym from the title of the novel of the same name by Vasily Shukshin, whose work Sergei always liked. He even has a song dedicated to the brilliant Russian prose writer.
My first acquaintance with the world of music occurred in childhood. My brother taught me to play the guitar. Sergei began to study music seriously at school age, creating a musical group. Behind him are the Gnessin Vocal Studio and the Moscow Faculty of Journalism.
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Singer Sergei Lyubavin: “Any image can suit a woman”
He sings fresh and pure songs about love, in which Yesenin’s lyrical notes sound
Composer, poet and author-performer of Russian chanson, at the First Moscow Region Chanson festival in the Mytishchi Euroclub, he captivated the audience with the unusual timbre of his strong voice.
Sergei was born in Novosibirsk, in the family of the famous Siberian writer Pyotr Dedov and a teacher. He sang and played in various bands in his hometown, and often won city song competitions. Lyubavin has become a revelation in the music of recent years.
– Sergey, you are so stylish. What is style for a singer?
– I believe that style is the image of a person. Therefore, the singer’s clothing must correspond to the content of his songs. Only then is a certain harmonious image created. A style outside of a song will look funny... It is important that the song matches the appearance of the artist, so that it doesn’t turn out that the song is separate, the style is on its own...
Sergei Lyubavin
- They say you bought this jacket in the Canary Islands.
– This is a very expensive jacket, Italian, but I bought it in Moscow, namely at the Central Department Store. It's good that the size suited me, because there is only one copy of each size. I took the bait and didn’t regret it!
– Is your everyday clothing style very different from your stage style?
– Most likely yes, because on stage I wear mostly classics, I try to dress elegantly. On weekdays, I prefer a sporty style. I move around a lot - I drive a car, fly on an airplane, so I try to choose comfortable and functional clothes.
Sergei Lyubavin
– I would like to find out your secret: what style do you like in women?
– I believe that any image can suit a woman. The most important thing is that she feels comfortable in it - then she becomes liberated. In the gym you can wear sweatpants, and at a ball - in a long dress... If in both cases she internally feels good and harmonious, then the man will respond to this. The stronger sex understands and feels the state when a lady feels good in her outfit. Therefore, we should not be talking, first of all, about some abstract style, but about the inner state of a woman. If she is in a good mood, then her boyfriend will like her too.
– What irritates you about the appearance of a tastelessly dressed person?
– Flashy things, a kind of “pseudo-glamour”. There are clothes that, relatively speaking, are just a tribute to fashion. It doesn’t suit a person, but he puts it on only because it’s fashionable. And it looks funny! Some people think: “Since a fashion magazine says that it is stylish, that means I will wear this thing!” But this decision is not always justified.
Sergei Lyubavin
– What should a woman do to attract her lover? Judging by your songs, you are a connoisseur of ladies' hearts...
– The recipe is simple: you need to go to Sergei Lyubavin’s concerts! (laughs) But seriously, I have a song with a completely mystical meaning. It's called "Lonely Swallow". And women - lonely swallows - sing it in the hall with me. And they come to the next concert with their loved ones. Seriously!.. Many fans have told me about this more than once. So, in order to attract the attention of the stronger sex, you need to come to my performances, sing along and meet nice men there.
– Of course, “the woman who sings” will attract the attention of many. Did you start singing early?
- Early enough. And I have a long creative path, it has already been twenty years.
Sergey Lyubavin and Lyudmila Nikolaeva (photo by the author)
– Are you going to change your image? After all, an artist must always surprise the audience and gain new admirers.
– Of course, I will change my image more than once, but only depending on the new program, on the musical concept, which will dictate the new image. Let’s say in a club version you can perform in a T-shirt and jeans - “a la country” style. Now we have made a new program with a symphony orchestra, it involves choosing elegant clothes - a tuxedo and a bow tie. So my style is constantly changing.
– Sergey, how do you see the people of the future? How will they be different from us?
- It's a difficult question. I think women will still pay a lot of attention to their clothes and fashion. Even if it ends up being just a tank top and shorts. Even such a simple combination will receive ten thousand more options... Probably, there will be less and less natural materials, more and more of something artificial, invented by people.
Photo from the personal archive of Sergei Lyubavin
Sergei Lyubavin (biography). Family: wife, children
While studying at Gnesinka, Sergei met a girl, Elena. Subsequently she became his wife. Son Ivan was born. Elena devoted all her time to her son and husband. She is Sergei’s producer, draws up his creative schedules and goes on tour with him around the country.
Son Ivan has been fond of hockey since childhood, and has now opened a hockey school for children. Sergei Lyubavin does not like to talk about his family; he believes that this is a world closed to outsiders, and he is very protective of it. The journalists only managed to open it a little. Thanks to them, we learned that a devoted and loving husband, a caring and demanding father is Sergei Lyubavin (biography). Family is the most important thing in his life.
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Curious facts
- When Sergei was in school, he independently created his first musical group.
- As a schoolboy, he never refused to participate in music competitions and song shows. He won prizes very often.
- For one of his first performances on stage, Laima Vaikule gave him a costume.
- Sergei Lyubavin has a scar on his neck, a mark from a bear's paw, which he received while hunting in the taiga.
- My father taught me to express my thoughts correctly. He sat Sergei at the typewriter and taught him to write stories on various topics. And then he pointed out the shortcomings and praised especially successful places.
- Loves a real Russian bathhouse and dumplings.
- The hype around social networks does not support and Sergei Lyubavin is in no hurry to register in them. The singer’s biography confirms that live communication is more important than virtual communication.
- Favorite cities are Novosibirsk and St. Petersburg.
“Flower” with Tatyana Bulanova
One of the singer’s most beloved and popular songs has an interesting story. Initially, Sergei Lyubavin wrote it to be performed by one person. But when he sang it to his colleagues, they suggested finding a partner and singing the song together. I had to try hard with the choice; not every singer was suitable for her performance. After all, it was necessary to portray two lovers living in different cities and missing each other.
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Sergei could have sung in a duet with Elena Vaenga, but due to the singer’s heavy workload this did not happen. Mystical forces intervened. One day Lyubavin had a dream that he was singing “Flower” with Tatyana Bulanova, although he did not even know her. When the singer was offered to perform this song in a duet, she immediately agreed.
The long search was crowned with success, and fans of the singer’s work received an amazing opportunity to hear the monologue of two lovers, stunningly performed by Sergei Lyubavin and Tatyana Bulanova.
Discography
- "Seventeen and a Half" (1994);
- “A taste familiar from childhood” (1996);
- "Black Raven" (1998);
- “Robber Songs” (1999);
- “Crazy Love” (2001);
- "Teen Wolf" (2002);
- "Siberian Tract" (2002);
- “Best Songs” (2002);
- “Along Moldavanka” (2003);
- "First Walker" (2004);
- “Nice, girl!” (2004);
- “The Country is Rolling” (2005);
- “Farewell to Isadora” (2006);
- “Tramp Songs” (2006);
- “For Love” (2007);
- “Feelings” (2010);
- “My Earthly Love” (2011);
- “Confession” (2012);
- “Save the Last Dance for Me” (2015).
The secret of success of Sergei Lyubavin
We can talk a lot about this person for a long time. He is multifaceted. A singer who writes beautiful poetry; composer who writes music; musician playing guitar. Each aspect of his talent is worthy of admiration and special attention.
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Particularly respectful is the way Sergei Lyubavin treats fans and listeners who come to his concert. Biography: family - wife, children convince us that a creative person draws his inspiration here. If a person has a reliable rear, then his favorite activity is always to his heart.
He tirelessly gives his autographs to everyone. And he distributes roses to women present at concerts. He looks at those around him with a gentle smile; you want to listen to him and smile back. Behind the lyrics one can see the breadth of the Russian soul, suffering and loving. He sings not only his own songs, but also to the poems of Sergei Yesenin, with whom he is often compared. They really are similar, and the similarity is rather internal. Concern about the fate of their country, first of all, makes these people similar.
Sergei Lyubavin is used to achieving everything himself, but willingly helps beginning performers. And he formulates the formula for his success very simply: “give your soul to people without looking back, and then come what may!”
Sincerity in every song, complete dedication at concerts and creative meetings, a beautiful voice, elegance and artistry - this is the calling card of Sergei Lyubavin.
Sergei Lyubavin: “Family is too personal a world where I have closed access to outsiders”
Half an hour before the fire in the Palace of Arts, Sergei Lyubavin managed to answer our correspondent’s questions.
As we did not report, on March 23, a fire started in the Palace of Arts, a few minutes before the start of the concert of singer Sergei Lyubavin... We met with the singer about 30 minutes before the concert and managed to conduct this interview.
Over many years of working with “stars,” I noticed that public people behave differently during interviews. Some are deliberately careless, even self-confident (Kirkorov, Moiseev, Rasputina), others are aggressively incredulous, “well, ask your questions” (Babkina, Glyzin, Gazmanov), others are attentive and emphatically intelligent (Vaikule, Alekhno, Kobzon, Valeria). Lyubavin knows how to listen and answers questions on the spot.
It was time to pose for a photo, when suddenly people ran into the dressing room: quickly turn off the lights, the Palace is on fire! The artist did not panic, he just said in disappointment: what about the concert? But all spectators were evacuated. Particularly loving fans, in defiance of the menacing shouts of the Emergency Situations Ministry employees, broke into the dressing room and gave the singer roses. When it became clear that there would be no concert, the upset Lyubavin left for the Tourist Hotel, and then to Moscow. The concert organizers later said that despite the incident, Lyubavin spoke very warmly about his Bobruisk fans, whom he had already “managed to fall in love with.” And he promised to definitely come to Bobruisk and sing for them! By the way, the new date of the concert is already known - April 4, at 18.00.
Little is written about Sergei Lyubavin in our area and you won’t see him on our TV. However, 900 tickets were sold for his concert in Bobruisk. Connoisseurs of his talent came even from other cities (Zhlobin, Soligorsk, Minsk, Osipovichi).
— Sergey, you are sometimes compared to Stas Mikhailov. Or they say that you are a “Yesenin-style” performer. How do you feel about these assessments?
- I like the second one better. As a rule, Yesenin’s motifs run through all my work as a red thread. In all the songs, whether they are based on Yesenin’s poems, or just songs such as “Smoke”, “Blue Eyes”, “This Woman” - Yesenin’s note is everywhere. And this is the first time I’ve heard from you about the analogy with Stas Mikhailov. Although I respect this singer.
— Many people love you in Belarus...
— To my deep regret, I had never been to Belarus before, until last year. My first solo concert at the Minsk Concert Hall in 2010 was very successful. That same year in July there was a “Slavic Bazaar”... And now five agencies have called me with a request to conduct a tour of Belarus this fall. I gather large halls in Russia. Just a week ago I had a concert in St. Petersburg. In April - a concert in the Kremlin. Thank God, now the times have come when people have become very picky. People no longer follow the “singing cowards” that appear on television every day. It became boring and uninteresting. People began to understand. If a person buys a ticket to a concert, he should get the most out of it, take something for himself. I believe that now is my time. I am very proud of my team. All of my people have a conservatory education. The best musicians. I've been collecting them for several years.
— Who do you think comes to your concerts?
— I’ll tell you completely honestly - the public in Belarus is different. The fact that at two concerts that took place, in Minsk and Mogilev, people gave a standing ovation at the end of the concert is very expensive. In Moscow and St. Petersburg you can count on one hand the number of artists where the audience in the hall stands up. Here is the answer to the question, what kind of audience is here? For me this is a very good and positive audience. An artist couldn't ask for a better one.
— If I'm not mistaken, are you a journalist by training? How did it happen that you swapped the pen for a microphone?
— Journalism is a very interesting job. I grew up in a family of journalists. My dad worked in journalism for forty years. Then he began to write books and joined the Writers' Union. My mother is a teacher of Russian literature. I got into journalism through a curious incident. I came from Novosibirsk to the capital to enter the school named after. Gnessins, and there was no hostel there. When I entered, I had no relatives in Moscow. There was an acquaintance, the first secretary of the regional committee, Sasha Morozov, he sang. He advised me to enter the Youth Institute, Faculty of Journalism. They will give you a hostel! I also entered there at the same time. It was free to visit. That’s how I studied, both there and there. Afterwards he was published in the newspapers “Arguments and Facts”, “Komsomolskaya Pravda” and other publications, under his own name and surname. But I realized that music is more important to me.
— Now you are a star. How do you feel about what they write about you in the press?
“I understand this business and this profession very well. If the “yellow” press starts writing something that does not offend my honor and dignity, I turn a blind eye to some points. God bless him. I believe that the most important thing is that a journalist, like an artist, must behave correctly. When I go on stage, I don’t insult my audience, although I may not like some moments. For example, excessive intrusiveness.
— Fans would probably like to know about your personal life...
— After some moments, I made a taboo for myself - I won’t talk about my family. About mom, dad, your ancestors, homeland - please. And family is too personal a world into which I have closed access to outsiders. These are the people dearest to me, this is the world to which I return.
Vladimir REPIK . Photo by the author.
Sergei Lyubavin (biography): family
His wife and children (photo above) are the sources of his creativity. They inspire him to new hits. Thanks to their love and support, Sergei can calmly do his favorite thing - write the lyrics of his songs.
The main themes of creativity: love for Russia and admiration for women. Sergei Lyubavin dedicated a large number of songs to the beautiful half of humanity. But Sergei keeps his fans at a distance, because in his life there is only one woman - his beloved wife Elena. They have been together for decades, but managed to maintain the tenderness and love for each other that Sergei Lyubavin sings about in his songs.
The family biography is something that he and his wife can be proud of. The secret of a strong and long-lasting relationship is quite simple - both a man and a woman should feel good and comfortable in marriage.
The beginning of the musical career of Sergei Lyubavin
In 1990, Sergei successfully entered Gnesinka, but, as it turned out, the school did not provide dormitories for students. In order not to give up his dream, the guy listened to his friend and entered another institute, the Faculty of Journalism, where he received housing as a student. Attending the journalism department was free, and the aspiring singer devoted all his time to music, and also began to write his own songs. At that time, he met sound engineer Alexander Kalyanov, who helped him record his compositions. The young man took the pseudonym Lyubavin: first for articles, and then for songs.
Sergei Lyubavin's songs quickly became popular
Thanks to his talent, the young man managed to get into the Jurmala-93 competition, after which the whole country learned about his work. He submitted only 2 songs for consideration, but the jury members were able to discern the young man’s potential. They gladly invited Sergei, not even suspecting what a sensation he would make.
At that time, Sergei had financial problems, so the singer decided to turn to Kalyanov again and record the first album “17 and a half” together with classmate Baysyk Asylbekov. At first, the tapes were distributed with the help of acquaintances and friends, but, to the singer’s surprise, there was no end to those wishing to purchase their recording.
In 1996, the singer released his second album entitled “A Taste Familiar from Childhood.” All the songs that became part of the album were written by Sergei personally, and his grandfather’s stories, which he loved to listen to at a young age, helped him with ideas for the lyrics.
Sergei Lyubavin - This woman whom I love very much After just 2 years, Lyubavin became a participant in the popular “Free Song” festival, where he won. As a gift, he was offered to become the lead singer of the famous group “Lesopoval”. After weighing all the pros and cons, the guy finally decided to refuse, because he wanted to conquer show business without anyone’s help.
In 1999, Sergei met the famous performer Pierre Narcisse. After some time, the whole world saw the new concert program of the aspiring star “Crazy Love”. In the same year, he made his first appearance on the big stage at the Rossiya State Central Concert Hall, thanks to which Lyubavin appeared on television for the first time.
In 2001, a new album by Sergei Lyubavin called “The Little Wolf” was released. Just a few months later, the Chanson radio station named the main song of the record the most ordered work on air.
Penya Sergei Lyubavin - “Little Wolf” From 2001 to 2007, Sergei released several more wonderful albums, and in 2004 he went with a concert program to the USA for the first time. He managed to perform in 12 cities and captivate the local audience with his sensual and lyrical compositions. In 2006, Lyubavin performed at the Great Concert Hall of St. Petersburg “Oktyabrsky”. The following year he went on a tour of Russia and released a new album, “For Love.”
In 2011, Lyubavin’s most cherished dream came true - he performed on the prestigious stage of the State Kremlin Palace. In the same year, the singer visited this stage again, but this time in order to pick up the first “Chanson of the Year” award - for the song “Flower”.
The following year, the musician again received the same award, but this time for the song “Tenderness.” For almost six months, this composition was at the top of the main chanson charts in Russia. A little later, in the Mosfilm recording studio, Sergei, together with a symphony orchestra, recorded another album - “Confession”.
Sergey Lyubavin - Tenderness In the summer of 2013, the irreparable happened. Sergei Lyubavin's father has died. Despite the grief, the singer gave all the planned concerts. In the winter of 2014, Lyubavin’s next album, entitled “Save the last dance for me...”, was released. The debut performance took place on the stage of the Cosmos Concert Hall.
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Numerous fans note several things that make Sergei Lyubavin stand out from the huge number of performers.
First of all, these are, of course, the lyrics that the singer composes himself. Deep in meaning and lyrical in content, they attract attention. Once you hear Sergei Lyubavin’s song, you will never forget it. The second thing you notice is a strong, well-produced voice. Another nuance that deserves close attention is that Sergei Lyubavin is a handsome, stately man, whose grace any woman can envy.
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It’s nice not only to listen to his songs, it’s nice to look at him and dream of something beautiful. Connoisseurs of Sergei Lyubavin’s work are not only women, he is also interesting to the stronger half of humanity. He shows life as it is. Even among everyday life there is a place for love and devotion, fidelity and a sense of duty. He also loves Russia very much and dedicated many songs to it.
The breadth of the mysterious Russian soul has always surprised foreigners: “To be sad, so sad; love, love like that; walk, walk like that.” There is plenty of everything in the songs of the Russian guy Sergei Lyubavin: sadness, love, joy and hope.
