Dmitry Baskov joined the KHL Board of Directors

Biography of Nikolai Baskov

Nikolai Viktorovich Baskov is a pop and opera singer, author of the hits “Sharmanka”, “Natural Blonde”, “Golden Cup”, “Let Me Go”, “I Will Kiss Your Hands”. Opera connoisseurs know Basque for Lensky's aria from Eugene Onegin and Cavaradossi's aria from the opera Tosca.

Golden tenor of Russia Nikolay Baskov The list of achievements of this charming blond with a golden tenor can be continued endlessly: he is the People's Artist of Russia and Ukraine, the authorities of Moldova awarded him the title of Master of Arts, his awards include 10 “Golden Gramophones”, the Ovation Award, the Order of “ For services to the Fatherland" II degree and the Order of Friendship.
Video course “Spring”

Landscaping for busy people, a beautiful garden without the hassle

A training course for those who want to make their dacha beautiful and prefer to spend their time, effort and money wisely.

Special offer! 50% discount! Make good use of your self-isolation!

₽ 1200.00 ₽ 600.00

MORE ❯❯❯

Childhood and education

Nikolai Baskov was born on October 15, 1976, in the family of Viktor Vladimirovich (military) and Elena Nikolaevna (mathematics teacher) Baskov. The first years of Kolya’s life were spent in Balashikha, near Moscow.

Little Nikolai Baskov with his parents When his son turned two years old, Viktor Baskov graduated from the Military Academy. Frunze, and the whole family moved to his new place of service in the GDR. For five years he served in Dresden, Königsbrück and Halle. The mother managed to get a job as a television announcer, but spent most of her time with her son.

Baskov's father was a military man. Little Kolya's natural talent was obvious from an early age. Back in the GDR, when the boy was five, he suddenly began to sing in a loud coloratura soprano, and there was no doubt that he was destined to become a singer. Perhaps he inherited his ability for music from his phenomenally gifted great-grandfather on his mother’s side - he, without any musical education, could master any instrument.

In Germany, little Kolya went to school for the first time, completed the first and second grades, and then the family moved to his father’s new assignment - to Novosibirsk. In grades 3-7, the boy studied at Novosibirsk school No. 186.

As a child, the boy changed many schools. In Novosibirsk, along with a comprehensive school, the boy studied at the classical music school at the Novosibirsk Conservatory and graduated in 1989 with a gold medal. He also had another hobby - sports. Kolya was engaged in high-speed swimming with a monofin (double fins) and received the II youth category.

School photo of Nikolai Baskov From the 8th grade, the boy studied in the capital - at Moscow school No. 1113 with in-depth study of music and choreography.

From 1989 to 1992, Nikolai was part of the troupe of the Children's Musical Theater of Young Actors. With his teammates, he toured half the world: the USA, Israel, Switzerland, France. Already at the age of 12, he shone on the stage of the Paris National Opera in the opera The Magic Flute, in which he performed the role of the third boy. However, at home, he did not feel like a “star” at all, but did all the usual housework. Cleaning the apartment, doing laundry, setting the table, cooking something was in the order of things. The family lived poorly, and as a teenager, Nikolai began to secretly parents earn extra money through amateur trading: selling daisies at the station, selling perfumes at the market. Once he sold fashionable perfume to the artist Alexander Abdulov - he simply ran up to him and said: “Uncle, everyone knows you, but what difference does it make to you who you buy from? You’d better buy from me, it’s so hard for me to stand here.” Abdulov, without haggling, made a purchase at a greatly inflated price, grinning: “You’ll go far, boy.”

Kolya Baskov with his grandfather, a war veteran. In the end, blacksmithing led to serious troubles, and Kolya’s father had to give up all the family savings in order to save his son. He did this without hesitation, but then severely punished Nikolai, saying: “It’s better that I beat you than others beat you in the gateway.”

In Moscow, the Basque father served with the rank of colonel and could in the near future aspire to the rank of general, but for this it was necessary to go again to a new duty station, to Odessa. Viktor Vladimirovich chose to sacrifice the advancement of his military career so that his son could calmly study and realize his dreams. After their death, Nikolai’s grandparents left an impressive inheritance: a car, an apartment, a dacha. At the family council, it was decided to sell everything and spend every last penny on his son’s education.

Young Nikolai BaskovIn 1993, Nikolai entered the specialty “musical theater actor” at GITIS and began working on vocals at a professional level. But at the end of the first year he had to leave his studies due to... missing dance classes - Baskov’s vocal teacher really didn’t like that her student was doing “dancing” to the detriment of the vocal apparatus. Young Baskov performs Lensky’s aria (graduation concert) The next year the young man entered the famous “Gnesinka” (chamber and opera singing class), which he successfully graduated in 2001. Moreover, back in 1997, Nikolai Baskov became a laureate of the Romansiada, a national competition for young performers of Russian romance.

First steps to glory

Having barely celebrated his 18th birthday, the young genius, without interrupting his studies, began performing in the choir of the Komi Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic as a soloist, and in 1998 he moved to the Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theater. That same year he received first prize at the All-Russian Competition for Young Opera Singers. This was a turning point in his career, which was heading upward. Nikolai Baskov at the beginning of his singing career (1997) In 1999, Nikolai had a triumph - he became an intern at the Bolshoi Theater, where he was entrusted with performing the part of Lensky in the opera “Eugene Onegin”. Thus, Basque became the youngest Lensky in the history of world opera. In the same year he was awarded the prize of the Spanish Grande Voce competition.

The young singer quickly won the hearts of listeners. In 2000, Basque shot a video clip for the song “In Memory of Caruso,” and this recording was permanently entrenched in the hit parade of the Europe Plus radio station, thanks to which the singer’s name became familiar not only to opera lovers, but also to a wide audience. Nikolai Baskov - In Memory of CarusoBaskov owes his emergence on the stage to the famous composer Alexander Morozov, who came up with the idea of ​​​​presenting to the public a new type - a charismatic young pop performer with a classic operatic voice.

Basque became a real phenomenon. During one of the first performances, Gennady Seleznev, who at that time held the position of Speaker of the State Duma, was present in the hall, who advised his friend producer Boris Isaakovich Shpigel to take care of the rising star.

Relations with Baskov

In 2000, Svetlana Shpigel began working with singer Nikolai Baskov, who was already considered a promising artist in those years. An attachment arises between the young people, which soon develops into a hot romance. A few months later, the lovers decide to get married and in January 2001 they have a magnificent wedding. More than a thousand guests were invited to the celebration, which took place in one of the best and most expensive restaurants in Russia.

According to Spiegel, she was happy being married to Nikolai. Soon they had a boy, Bronislav-Isaak, who received the double surname Baskov-Spiegel. But after the birth of their first child, the relationship between the spouses deteriorated. In 2007, it turned out that the family tandem of producer and singer had broken up. Subsequently, neither Baskov's wife Svetlana Shpigel nor Nikolai commented on the reasons for the divorce . Journalists know that the former spouses do not communicate with each other.

There were various rumors in the press regarding the marriage and reasons for the divorce of this couple. In social circles they often talked about the formal marriage between Spiegel and Baskov, which was, in fact, a cover. Nikolai himself, according to many metropolitan journalists, is not at all interested in women, and in the mid-2000s, the married Basque started an affair with his second producer, Rashid Yakubzhan. As soon as this became known to the father-in-law, he insisted on his daughter’s divorce.

Svetlana Shpigel in her interviews never answered questions about the sexual orientation of her ex-husband, noting only that these were insinuations in the press. She and Baskov had mutual love, but for certain reasons the couple decided to break off the relationship. After the divorce, son Bronislav remained in the family of his influential grandfather, retaining only his mother's surname.

Getting to know Montserrat Caballe

In the same 2000, Nikolai performed on the Ice Stage of St. Petersburg in a duet with the legendary opera singer Montserrat Caballe. The young artist touched the right chords in the soul of the famous performer - she agreed to accept him as her student. Since then, Caballe and Basque have often performed together on world-famous stages. I sang with many musicians, but sometimes there is such a miracle as Nikolai Basque, when you see that everything here is globally correctly built. At the beginning of the “zero” years, the Basques ( already in the main troupe of the Bolshoi Theater) successfully performed roles in “Prince Igor” (Vladimir Igorevich), “Boris Godunov” (the holy fool), “Nabucco” (Ishmael), “La Traviata” (Alfred), “Cleopatra” (Spakos), “Tosca” (Cavaradossi), “Mozarte and Salieri” (Mozart).

Nikolai Baskov and Montserrat Caballe In 2001, after graduating from the Gnesin Academy, he entered graduate school at the Moscow State Conservatory named after P. I. Tchaikovsky, which he then graduated in 2003, defending his thesis on the topic “Specificity of transition notes for voices. A manual for composers.” Nikolai Baskov and Montserrat Caballe - The Phantom of the Opera Immediately after this, he signed contracts with two theaters in Spain - Barcelona's Liceo and Madrid's Teatro Real.

Pop singer

All this time, Basque was active in concert as a pop singer. Such a rich variety of projects, many of which had to be carried out in parallel, led to the fact that in the 2003-2004 season, Basque, according to the management of the Bolshoi Theater, never appeared on stage, and therefore the contract with him was not renewed. However, Nikolai himself commented on this situation differently: “Over the last year, while I was a soloist of the Bolshoi Theater opera troupe, I was not allowed to sing a single performance.”

Baskov realized himself in opera and on the stage. After leaving the Bolshoi Theater in 2004, Baskov signed a contract with the Academic Opera and Ballet Theater of Nizhny Novgorod, and in 2005 - with the Erik Sapaev Opera and Ballet Theater in Yoshkar-Ola. The contract with the latter was valid until 2012.

The years 2000-2007 turned out to be rich in Baskov’s studio albums. In 2000, the album “Dedication” was released, which included the composition “In Memory of Caruso”, and the album “Dedication for an Encore”. In 2001, two wonderful discs were recorded: “Masterpieces of the Outgoing Century,” consisting of opera arias and famous songs of the twentieth century in various styles, and “I’m 25,” which included the famous “Hurdy Organ.”

Nikolai Baskov has a passion for outrageous costumes. In 2005, “Never Say Goodbye” and “Let Me Go” (together with Taisiya Povaliy) were released. In 2005, a collection of the most popular compositions over the past years, “Best Songs,” was released, and in 2007, “ You alone." In addition, Basque toured a lot in the cities of Russia and neighboring countries, and was a frequent guest in Israel and the USA. In May 2009, he conducted a grandiose tour of Russia, which ended with two large concerts in Moscow, which were attended by more than 15 thousand spectators. One performance, entitled “Not only about love,” was a purely pop show, and the second, “Romantic Journey,” was a classic charity concert for teachers—in 80 minutes, Basque performed 23 opera arias.

On April 27, 2011, he performed in the Golden Hall of the Vienna Philharmonic with a concert of classical arias and romances, in which Maria Maksakova and Lyudmila Magomedova became his partners. Nikolai Baskov and Maria Maksakova (opera “Boris Godunov”) In January 2012, the singer took part in a concert dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the creative activity of his mentor Montserrat Caballe, and in February of the same year Baskov performed with a symphony orchestra at the New York Beacon Theater.

On September 19, 2012, the world premiere of Alexander Zhurbin’s new opera “Albert and Giselle,” written especially for Baskov at his request, took place in Moscow. The tenor was destined for the leading role of Count Albert. And in October 2013, a concert program of the classical repertoire was performed at the State Kremlin Palace, performed by the “Star Trio” - Nikolai Baskov, Montserrat Caballe and her daughter Montserrat Marti.

Nikolai Baskov's height is 178 centimeters. On May 12, 2009, the singer was awarded the title of People's Artist of the Russian Federation. In the same year, Baskov performed a duet with Taisiya Povaliy for the first time - their joint songs “White Snow”, “Let Me Go” and “You Are Far Away” took the top of the charts.

Nikolai Baskov and Taisiya Povaliy often sang in a duet. In 2011, he recorded the album “Romantic Journey”, and in 2020 – the album “Game”. The grandiose show program “The Game” was presented to the public at three concerts (October 7-9, 2020) on the eve of the singer’s 40th birthday.

On vacation Nikolai Baskov's merits did not go unnoticed in academic circles - he was invited to teach vocal art at the Moscow State Humanitarian University. M.A. Sholokhova (2011-2016) and the Institute of Arts of Moscow Pedagogical State University (since 2016). In 2020, Basque also opened his own music production center.

Biography

Born on October 15, 1976 in Moscow[7]. The family lived in the city of Balashikha, Moscow region - where the father served. When Nikolai was two years old, his father, Viktor Vladimirovich Baskov, having graduated from the M.V. Frunze Military Academy, moved with his family to serve in the GDR, where he served for five years in Dresden, Königsbrück, and Halle. My father went from platoon commander to deputy division commander, then he graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. Mother, Elena Nikolaevna Baskova, a mathematics teacher by training, worked as a television announcer in Germany. At the age of 5 he began to master music; his mother helped him learn musical notation at home. He also started going to school in Germany.

After Germany, he and his parents returned to Balashikha, studied at school No. 3. From 3rd to 7th grades he studied at school No. 186 in the city of Novosibirsk. There his first stage performances began. He performed at the Young Actor's Musical Theatre. After moving from Novosibirsk to Moscow, he studied at school No. 1113 with in-depth study of music and choreography.

In 1989 he graduated from the Children's Music School, piano class. He was engaged in high-speed swimming with a monofin, for which he received the second youth category.

At the age of 12, he performed the role of the third boy in Mozart's opera The Magic Flute at the Paris National Opera.

From 1989 to 1992 he performed on the stage of the Children's Musical Theater for Young Actors under the direction of director A. L. Fedorov, with whom he went on tour in the USA, Israel, Switzerland, and France.

In 1993, he entered GITIS to major in musical theater actor. Since 1994, he took private vocal lessons from Honored Artist of Russia Liliana Sergeevna Shekhova.

After studying for a year at GITIS, he entered the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music in the class of chamber and opera singing (class of Prof. V. Levko and V. Shcherbakov) in 1996. He was taught vocals by Honored Artist of Russia Liliana Shekhova.

In 1997, he became a laureate of the first All-Russian competition for young performers of Russian romance “Romansiada”[8].

Since 1998 - soloist of the Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theater. In the same year he became a laureate of the First Prize at the All-Russian Competition of Young Opera Singers.

In 1999, he became an intern at the Bolshoi Theater and received an offer to perform the role of Lensky in Pyotr Tchaikovsky's opera Eugene Onegin. On June 19, 1999, his first performance took place[9]. Basque became the youngest Lensky in the history of world opera, which was the start of the singer’s creative career.

In the same year he became the winner of the Second Prize at the Grande Voce competition (Spain).

In 2000, he shot a video clip for the musical composition “In Memory of Caruso,” which rapidly soared to the top of the Europe+ radio station’s chart. Since that time, Baskov's career has gone beyond the academic halls.

Since 2000, after meeting and performing with Montserrat Caballe on the Ice Stage of St. Petersburg, Nikolai has become her student.

Basque participated in opera performances in Barcelona and Madrid together with Montserrat Caballe's daughter, Marty.

In 2001, he graduated from the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music and entered graduate school at the Moscow State Conservatory named after P. I. Tchaikovsky, class of prof. P. Skusnichenko.

In 2001, he married the daughter of his producer, Senator Boris Shpigel, Svetlana Shpigel.

In 2003, he graduated from graduate school at the conservatory, defending his thesis on the topic “Specifics of transitional notes for voices. A manual for composers."

At the same time he signed a contract with two Spanish theaters - Liceo in Barcelona and Teatro Real in Madrid.

After leaving the Bolshoi Theater in 2004, he entered into a contract with the Nizhny Novgorod State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater named after A. S. Pushkin; in 2005 with the Mari State Opera and Ballet Theater named after Erik Sapaev in Yoshkar-Ola.

On July 1, 2003, he became the host of the Dom-1 project on the TNT channel, and was later replaced by Svetlana Khorkina.

On September 14, 2003, at the II Congress of the Russian Party of Life, he was nominated as a candidate for deputy in the Elections to the State Duma of the 4th convocation on the Federal party list at number 4[10][11], but the party bloc did not overcome the electoral threshold.

2001-2004 - tour in Israel. 2005 - tour in the USA.

On May 2, 2007, he was awarded the honorary title “Master of Arts of Moldova.”

On November 1, 2008, a solo concert “Ship of Destiny” with the participation of M. Caballe took place at the Ice Palace of St. Petersburg[12].

In May 2009, a large tour of Russia took place from Nizhny Novgorod to Vladivostok, ending on June 30, 2009 with two grandiose concerts in Moscow: a pop concert called “Not Only About Love” and a classic charity concert for teachers “Romantic Journey”, which was attended by more than 15 thousand spectators.

On May 12, 2009, by decree of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Nikolai Baskov was awarded the title of People's Artist of the Russian Federation.

In October 2009, Nikolai Baskov and Taisiya Povaliy went on tour to Germany for the third time[13].

On June 17, 2010, the animated film “Toy Story” was released in Russia. The Great Escape" in which Basque voices a character named Ken.

In 2010, he graduated from the Master’s program at the Faculty of Public Administration of Moscow State University[14].

On April 27, 2011, Nikolai Baskov performed in the Golden Hall of the Vienna Philharmonic (Musikverein) with a concert consisting of classical arias and romances[15], in which Maria Maksakova and Lyudmila Magomedova became his partners.

In 2011, PBS Television in the USA aired a television version of the classic concert at Luzhniki. This concert program was released on CD and DVD[16] under the title "Romantic Journey". In support of the program, Basque performed concerts in several states.

In January 2012, Basque took part in a concert dedicated to the 50th anniversary of M. Caballe’s creative activity.

In February 2012, Baskov performed with a symphony orchestra at the Beacon Theater in New York.

On September 19, 2012, the world premiere of A. Zhurbin’s new opera “Albert and Giselle,” written especially for Baskov at his request, took place in Moscow, in which he performed the leading role of Count Albert[17].

On October 1, 2012, he was fired from the Opera and Ballet Theater in Yoshkar-Ola[18].

From 2011 to 2020, Nikolay was a professor at the vocal department of the Moscow State Humanitarian University named after M.A. Sholokhov. Since 2020 - Institute of Arts of Moscow Pedagogical State University[19].

Among the most famous opera roles from Baskov's repertoire is Lensky

from the opera “Eugene Onegin” by P. I. Tchaikovsky.

Along with performing classical works, Basque performed a lot on the stage, performing opera arias, Neapolitan songs, musicals, modern pop and variety music.

Baskov is the host of several television projects, including “Saturday Evening” on the Rossiya channel.

In 2020, Nikolai Baskov announced the opening of his own music production center.

During the 2020 presidential elections, he became part of the Putin Team movement, which supported Vladimir Putin[20].

Personal life

• Ex-wife (January 27, 2001 - May 2008) - Svetlana Borisovna Shpigel (born November 12, 1981), daughter of producer Baskov Boris Shpigel[21]. Son - Bronislav Nikolaevich Shpigel (born April 24, 2006)[22].

"Golden Gramophone Award"

Cinema and TV

Nikolai Baskov starred in several fairy-tale musical films, which were mainly shown on television during the New Year holidays: “Cinderella” (2002), “The Snow Queen” (2003), “The Kingdom of Crooked Mirrors” (2007), “Goldfish” "(2008), "The Golden Key" (2009), "Morozko" (2010), "The New Adventures of Aladdin" (2011), "Little Red Riding Hood" (2012), "Three Heroes" (2013).

A still from the musical “Cinderella” As a popular personality, he also appeared on screen several times with cameos in popular projects: in the series “My Fair Nanny” with Anastasia Zavorotnyuk (2004), in the New Year’s show “Night in Disco Style” (2004), as well as in the TV series “Voronin” (2015) and “The Bearded Man. Understand and forgive” (2015).

Nikolai Baskov in the TV series “Voronins” Standing apart from this row is the cameo in Vasily Sigarev’s short film “Z” about the zombie apocalypse, where, according to the plot, the artist is eaten right during a performance, and then he is resurrected in the guise of an absurdly singing zombie - for this role Nikolai a fair amount of self-irony was required. “Z” is a short film in which Baskov becomes a zombie. The pinnacle of Baskov’s acting work can be considered playing the leading role in the comedy mini-series “Reverse Turn” (2014), where he plays a hero extremely similar to himself - a successful singer Nicholas, who is fed up with the world of glamor and luxury.

On the set of the film “Z” In April 2020, the romantic comedy “Fix Everything” was released in Russia. with the participation of the singer. Interestingly, Baskov played an anti-hero who demanded money from four young performers, roles played by guys from the MBAND group (Nikita Kiosse, Artem Pindyura, Vladislav Ramm and Anatoly Tsoi).

Baskov in the role of Star (“Fix Everything”) In addition, the characters of several foreign animated films speak in the voice of Nikolai: “Toy Story: The Great Escape” (2010), “Hawaiian Vacation” (2011), “Real Squirrel” (2013) and “ Savva. Heart of a Warrior" (2015).

Nikolai Baskov is also known as a TV presenter. His debut in this capacity took place back in 2003, when he became the first host of the reality show “Dom-1” on TNT and hosted it from July to September. Then he was replaced by Svetlana Khorkina, and the final show was hosted by Dmitry Nagiyev.Dom-1 with Nikolai Baskov. Selected momentsIn 2005, the artist became a permanent host of the TV show “Saturday Evening” on the “Russia-1” channel. In 2012, he hosted the TV show “Nikolai Baskov’s Marriage Agency” on the same channel, as well as the TV show “Home Video of Stars” on the MTV channel. And his warmest work on television was the charity show “Big Little Star” on the STS TV channel, which he hosted from September to December 2020.

Rashid Dayrabaev: “I raised Baskov, I will destroy him, the bastard”

Interview

October 12, 2007

4841

(c)2007 Intermedia

Share

(AS NIKOLAY BASKOVA REMEMBERS) “I am not an evil person. Of course, I will never forget how Kolya, when we were just starting to work together, came to my house with food and said: “Can I fry something for you?” This really touched me. We ate, drank a bottle of wine and sang a duet..."

(ABOUT MEETING NIKOLAI BASKOV) “It was May 9, 1999 in Moscow, at the Soviet Army Theater. Boris Shpigel and I came to a creative evening by composer Alexander Morozov, in which Nikolai also took part. At the request of State Duma Chairman Gennady Seleznev, they were supposed to watch his speech and render a verdict. And then Nikolai appeared on stage in a white suit. He was dressed so strangely that I couldn't help but laugh. But he sang quite well. After the concert we met, and I began working with Baskov. At first he was a good guy, until his head was blown off by money.”

(IS IT TRUE THAT THEY BREAKED UP WITH BASKOV BECAUSE OF HIS PARTICIPATION IN THE TV PROJECT “HOUSE”) “Kolya became the host of this program, which had just launched on television. Without saying a word to me! And then he brought a fee of 10 thousand dollars. I say: “Kolya, what’s the matter? What kind of transmission? He explained that participants build a house and then someone receives it as a prize. At the same time, the television camera works 24 hours a day in non-stop mode! I say: “You shouldn’t act there! You don't need everyone to see how you eat, sleep, or go to the toilet. What did we fight for then? What kind of Bolshoi Theater is it if you present this obscenity?!” He says: “Out of the 300 thousand dollars assigned to me for the transfer, I receive only ten in my hands.” I told him: “I don’t CARE! We have a contract under which I have 20 percent of any financial proposal. You took a job, say, as a janitor, and got a million—please, give me 20 percent. Because I didn't come to a ready-made star! I made it myself!”

(IS IT TRUE THAT THE BASKOV PROMOTED THANKS TO BORIS SPIEGEL) “Yes, thanks to the finances of Boris Isaakovich. This, roughly speaking, is the person who invested money in Kolya and believed in his talent. I did the rest! Boris Isaakovich is a respected person, a pharmaceutical magnate. He absolutely doesn’t care about Baskov’s creative problems.”

(ABOUT BORIS SPIEGEL’S ATTITUDE TO HIS DAUGHTER’S MARRIAGE TO BASKOV) “He was categorically against it! Because Baskov already in those years had hints of homosexuality. You understand me, right? There was a sense of femininity about him. I didn’t hesitate to talk about it. And Boris Isaakovich as well. I begged: “What are you doing? Don’t agree to their marriage!”

(WHY DID THE MARRIAGE OF SVETLANA SPIEGEL AND BASKOV STILL TAKE PLACE) “Sveta was throwing hysterics! She said that she was in love with Kolya, he was in love with her, and I was simply jealous of their happiness! This also served as an indirect reason for my resignation. Families started nagging me from different sides: Baskov, or rather Baskov, and the Shpigels. Everyone except Boris Isaakovich! He was always on my side because he is a wise man. I said: “Guys, I’ve been living for so many years, do you really think I don’t see who and what they are?” I traveled half the world, was the director of Tender May, Igor Sarukhanov and Vika Tsyganova. He took everyone on tour, from Alla Pugacheva to Montserrat Caballe and Joseph Kobzon. Kolya Baskov and I went to gay clubs in Riga and St. Petersburg..."

(ABOUT BASKOV’S INTERVIEW WITH ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE, IN WHICH HE STATED ABOUT DAIRABAYEV’S HOMOSEXUALISM) “This was the beginning of the current scandal. I was silent for four years! I didn’t want to tell the details of Baskov’s personal life. But after the article was published in the magazine, respected people with whom I started working began calling me and refusing to cooperate. I signed a contract with an tennis team from Mogilev, and one and a half million dollars fell into my account for their promotion! But the mother of one of the boys threw a tantrum after reading an article in Rolling Stone about my homosexual inclinations. She started saying, “Where is the guarantee that I won’t start pestering her son?” I replied: “On Baskov’s part, this is a slander! I NEVER touched it! God forbid! Crazy, or what? But no one listened to me, and I lost money. Colossal! Of course, I was absolutely furious. And when my response interview came out in the press, Baskov’s entourage started calling me on the phone and threatening me... It’s okay, I’ll endure any threat - I’m a brave person. I raised Baskov, and I will destroy him. This bastard!”

(HOMOSEXUALIST LEE BASKOV) “Exactly. I have irrefutable facts, which only the singer’s former entourage is aware of: backing vocals, security. After all, he fired everyone who knew anything untoward about him. A terrible intriguer. He came to me for a salary, took, say, 30 thousand dollars and said: “If my mother asks, I only got five!” For the remaining twenty-five he had his own cash register.”

(ABOUT THE REASONS FOR BASKOV’S DIVORCE) “I think this is Sveta’s decision. She “left” him, finally plucking up the courage. Alas, after breaking up with Kolya, I do not communicate with the Spiegel family. Only with Boris Isaakovich, and even then extremely rarely. Kolya spends his entire life walking over corpses, using people in one way or another. He really hoped to receive the title of People's Artist of Russia for his 30th birthday! But they didn’t give it. Why does he need Sveta now? Rumors that he was homosexual stopped after the birth of the child. There was a wife, now he is himself. Kolya wants to spend money, relax, travel freely and ultimately get rid of Boris Isaakovich’s guards and people. Don't hide anything. He's not tied up now! She will buy herself a country house and... go for a walk, empress! Forward! As for concerts, he hasn’t had a producer for a long time. He sets his own prices. He’s terribly insolent, although he won’t even utter the word “meow” in real life. (“Facts and comments”, 10.10.07)

Personal life of Nikolai Baskov

Nikolai Baskov learned the joys of carnal love very early: at the age of 15, while selling perfumes opposite Intourist, he often saw luxuriously dressed “moths” and was “close friends” with some of them. The young man’s first love came later, and one of his first friends was the future famous actress Natalya Gromushkina.

Baskov fell in love with Gromushkina as a teenager. During his student years, Baskov was seriously infatuated with his Gnesinka friend Maria Maksakova, often visited her parents’ house and admired her mother, actress Lyudmila Vasilievna Maksakova. “I was struck by her manner of communication, intelligence, the atmosphere of the house, foundations and traditions, the presence of governesses and tutors. Such meetings change the perception of the world,” the artist recalled.

Scandalous photo shoot of Nikolai Baskov and Maria Maksakova On January 27, 2001, Baskov married Svetlana Shpigel (born November 12, 1981), the daughter of his patron Boris Shpigel. It was rumored that it was a marriage of convenience, but Nikolai dispelled doubts: “It was impossible not to fall in love with Sveta! A wonderful girl - beautiful, sophisticated, educated. Naturally, we communicated, and gradually the communication became closer and closer.”

Wedding of Nikolai Baskov and Svetlana Shpigel On April 24, 2006, after 5 years of marriage, the couple had a son, Bronislav Nikolaevich Shpigel. Nikolai was really looking forward to this moment; he canceled all his business and spent several days with his wife in the maternity hospital. Subsequently, he fully cared for the baby: fed him, changed him and bathed him. And he even jokingly asked fans to give him diapers, not flowers, at his concerts.

In 2006, Basque became a father. However, in 2008, the family broke up, and at the same time as the divorce, the artist had to endure an equally difficult break with his father-in-law, a producer. Basque remembers these days with bitterness: “We divorced under certain conditions: they gave me my creativity and my name, and I - everything connected with my son. And I shouldn’t have claimed anything: neither to meet with him, nor to have him bear my last name.”

Nikolai Baskov's son bears his mother's surname - Bronislav Shpigel. As a result, Broneslav grows up without knowing his own father and calling Svetlana Shpigel's second husband, oligarch Vyacheslav Sobolev, dad, and Baskov only hopes that his son will want to meet him when he grows up.

In 2009-2011, Nikolai experienced a beautiful public romance with former Miss Universe title holder Oksana Fedorova. This couple has always been surrounded by an aura of mystery: is their love real, or is it a PR stunt? Basque himself refuses to comment on this issue: “Let what was between us remain between us.”

What really happened between Baskov and Fedorova? Riddle Following this, in 2011-2013, the artist was in a relationship with another star, the famous ballerina Anastasia Volochkova. He still admires her beauty, talent and great sincerity, but says with regret: “It’s incredibly difficult for two creative people to live as a family; they have to overcome too many problems.”

Baskov and Volochkova have a lot in common. At one time, Baskov and Volochkova publicly announced their intention to get married, but then the ballerina suddenly stunned everyone with the statement: “Kolya and I are only friends and nothing more. I want to get married, but not to him.”

After an unsuccessful romance with Volochkova, Nikolai lived in a guest marriage with model and singer Sophie Kalcheva for three years, spending all his free time with her. This time the relationship seemed happy and harmonious, but, nevertheless, the couple broke up at the beginning of 2017.

With Sophie Kalcheva In July 2020, Baskov announced his engagement to model and TV presenter Victoria Lopyreva. The wedding was supposed to take place on October 5, 2020 in Grozny, but then its date was postponed indefinitely. Later, reports appeared that the announcement of the wedding in Grozny was nothing more than a PR campaign. According to other sources, the groom’s mother asked to change the date because October 5 is the day of her father’s death. One way or another, Nikolai and Victoria still remained together.

Baskov and Lopyreva want to get married During the celebration of the singer’s 41st birthday on October 15, 2017 in Baku, the bride warmly congratulated Nikolai: “Thank you to your parents for who you are! And to the Universe for having you in my life!” Many noted that this holiday was very similar to a wedding rehearsal: the lovers performed a romantic dance, and then cut the birthday cake hand in hand.

Basque lost weight through training and dieting. In 2010, the singer acquired another specialty, graduating from the Master's program at the Faculty of Public Administration of Moscow State University. Nikolai regularly holds charity concerts - the singer has more than 160 of them: both at regular concert venues and in orphanages, hospitals and military units.

View this post on Instagram

If you set a goal for yourself and gradually work towards it, then you will definitely achieve it!!! Good luck and patience to everyone in implementing the goal

A post shared by Nikolai Baskov (@nikolaibaskov) on Sep 29, 2017 at 8:13am PDT

In the press you can often find rumors about Baskov’s numerous liposuctions. But, according to the singer’s close people, he always got into shape on his own – hard training and cruel diets. In August 2020, he shocked fans with sunken cheekbones.

Interview with Baskov's ex-wife

In general, very little is known about this story from Baskov’s life, the interview is mossy, it’s already from 2008 (it’s actually strange - the comments are dated 2008, and the interview was supposedly uploaded in October 2011!), the year of release, but it hasn’t been here yet + better than nothing) let’s discuss . When they started talking about Nikolai Baskov’s divorce from Svetlana Shpigel, everyone thought it was just a trick, because Sveta is the owner of an elite PR agency whose clients include such “monsters” as Kirkorov and Serduchka. But recently the couple officially divorced. And time, as it turns out, doesn’t always heal. Either it wasn’t enough, or the wounds were too deep, but agreeing to an exclusive interview with “Only the Stars,” Svetlana asked not to touch on the story of her breakup with Nikolai. – They say that a name determines a person’s destiny. Bronislav is a pretty strong name. Do you think it will help your son in life? – A non-standard name initially distinguishes the one who bears it from others. To be honest, I don’t really believe in fate, but, like any mother, I wish my child an easy and bright path. – How did your son surprise you, for example, this morning? - Oh, he surprises me and brings me joy every minute: when he smiles, he learns to speak. Imagine, he already knows how to make eyes. But, of course, when he came up to me for the first time and said “mom”... I almost burst into tears with happiness. – Have you already noticed any talents in your son? – Immodestly, of course, but doctors say that Bronislav is not developed for his age. For example, he draws very well - boats, the sun, bunnies. - This is at two years old?! Probably, when you were pregnant, you listened to classical music and read smart books? – Intelligence is inherited, and not formed with the help of classical music or painting. This rather reassures a woman who is expecting a child. And when I was pregnant with Bronya, I didn’t resort to any special fashionable techniques. Friends gave me some equipment so that the child could listen to music, but personally I don’t believe in it. – When raising your son, do you look back at your parents? – Of course, I follow my mother’s example. She devoted a lot of time and attention to me, I grew up in great love. And I really want my child to experience the same emotions that I experienced in my childhood. This is when you are waiting for your parents from work, when your mother is preparing a delicious dinner, and every minute you look into the pan and get bored with the same question: when will it be ready? – I wonder if Bronislav already has a favorite dish prepared by his mother? – Yes, chicken broth (laughs). He is generally a terrible meat eater, he loves kebabs and chicken. He will never eat anything he doesn't like. Doesn't like dairy products at all. In this sense, he took after me - I can’t stand them either. Although the same cottage cheese is useful for a child, so you have to go to various tricks so that he eats at least a few spoons. For example, we add cottage cheese to other dishes. But Bronya seems to have seen through our trick. At least he recognizes cottage cheese immediately, no matter how we disguise it (laughs). – Soon after the birth of your son, you admitted that it was difficult to give birth and you would hardly dare to have a second one... – I said that I would not dare to have a second one right after Bronya. After all, giving birth is not reading a book. But I want to be a mother of many children. I am alone with my parents, and I have always missed a brother or sister. And sooner or later, I will definitely give someone to Bronya so that he has someone to fight with over toys. - Boris Isaakovich, your dad, who was he expecting - a grandson or a granddaughter? - Grandson. At one time he wanted a son, and I was born. Oh, he’s a crazy grandfather - he adores his grandson, he brings him bags of gifts. And Bronya, if he knows that grandfather is coming, can stand at the door all day. – Are there any special traditions observed in your family? – When a child is born, he is named after one of his relatives. At a minimum, the name must begin with the same letter. And other traditions are probably like everyone else’s: we try to celebrate all holidays together. I will certainly transfer these traditions to my family when I have one. – Boris Shpigel is one of the richest people in Russia. Were you, as his daughter, envied? Still, you could afford everything. – My father is a member of the Federation Council, my mother is the financial director of one of the companies. But this was not always the case. Times were different. If a person achieves such success through his titanic work, it seems to me that this is worthy of at least respect, but not envy. – In this sense, is your father’s example indicative for you? – My father is generally the ideal man for me. That’s why I strive to be like him in many ways, I don’t want to let him down. – What qualities did you take from him? - Decency and determination. And I also learned not to stop halfway. – Have you achieved everything you wanted? – No, but at the moment I am an absolutely happy person. I have wonderful parents, a son, and friends. – How do you save yourself when cats scratch your soul? - Differently. Sometimes I lock myself in my apartment and feel sad alone with myself. But more often than not, my favorite job saves me. – It seems to me that you are part of a risk group: a person works a lot, and when the time comes to start a family, he cannot choose what is more important. - It's not about me. The person who will be next to me must understand and accept me for who I am. Only then are harmonious relationships possible. And I don’t understand how you can choose one thing – family or work. You can perfectly combine both, if, of course, you want. At least until now I have not had to face such a choice. – Do you consider yourself a difficult person? – Did you come to this conclusion after talking with me? (Laughs.) No, in fact, I am a very sociable person, I like to spend time in fun companies, I madly love this world and everything connected with it. Svetlana and Boris Shpigel - former producer and father-in-law of Kolya Baskov, then Kolenka was still gentle, like a bird, and did not bother to demonstratively chew the lips of all his girlfriends

Nikolay Baskov now

At the beginning of October 2020, Basque made a sensational statement that he was going to take a break from concert activities: “I need a break from myself, and the public should take a break from the old me and get to know the new!”

In 2020, Basque took a short sabbatical. Fortunately, this pause ended just before it began: on October 15, “Golden Voice” celebrated its 41st birthday with a sold-out “Game” show at the Crystal Hall concert hall in Baku. The joy of the performance and the support of the public inspired the artist so much that he decided to return to the big stage: “I realized that I cannot live without music, without the stage. It just won’t be me!”

Post Views: 9