"Ivanushki International" (Ivanushki International) is a Russian pop group that can safely be called legendary. Throughout the history of the collective's existence, they have achieved incredible success, gathered an army of millions of fans around the world, became the "favorites" of all the girls and deservedly wear the status of "the most popular domestic boy band". In their discography for 25 years of fruitful work accumulated 9 albums and two dozen awards. And the hits of those times are still remembered and loved by admirers of their creativity.
Star lineup
Unlike many musical collectives, "Ivanushki International" did not change its members like gloves. Two guys - Kirill and Andrei - have been in the group since the first day. But the place of the third took in different periods of creativity three people - Igor, Oleg and Kirill.
Kirill Andreev is a native Muscovite, a brunette with a textured physique and charming appearance. From the first days he got into the macho image and broke more than one girl's heart. It was due to such attractiveness that the producer invited the guy to the team. At that time Andreev had already built a modeling career. He began to study at the modeling school of Slava Zaitsev, continued - at the New York School of Models. He had no musical passion, he never had any special talent or zeal for singing. But at the audition he was surprised by his good data and was enrolled in the group.
Andrei Grigoriev-Apollonov - "the redhead from Ivanushki", so he is called by the people. Very artistic, charismatic, incendiary. A bright personality with a driving temperament - he always created a mood both on stage and in the team. He has a music school, pedagogical school, GITIS and a lot of experience as a model. When he was still in high school he started to go on the catwalk of the Sochi Fashion Theater, then he was a mannequin model. At the age of 22 he went to the USA, where for 2 years he performed in a Broadway musical. In his youth he was also engaged in choreography, mastered the basics of directing and even staged a performance himself.
Igor Sorin is a calm, thoughtful romantic. He was in the group from its foundation until 1998 (almost 3 years). He was the author of most of the songs and a gifted soloist of the group. His creative nature was born in him since childhood. He was engaged in the theater studio, worked as an assistant at the Yermolova Theater, then there was a music and theater school. And then there were "Ivanushki"... Three years after the formation of the group, he decided to pursue a solo career. But for unknown reasons, six months after leaving the group, he committed suicide.
Oleg Yakovlev - a member who took Sorin's place, stayed in the group until 2013. He caught the very peak of popularity and played a significant role in this success. Interesting oriental appearance, plasticity, beautiful voice was very attractive to female fans. Since childhood, he was engaged in music and often performed at school events. He studied at GITIS, and after becoming a certified actor, he played on the stage of Armen Jigarkhanyan's theater.
Kirill Turichenko - came in place of Yakovlev, who decided to engage in a solo career. The young guy from Ukraine before "Ivanushek" already had a lot of experience on stage. He at that time already had his own album, filmed several clips and a dozen awards and prizes. In theater circles, he was a famous actor who played major roles in cult performances ("The Canterville Ghost", "Romeo and Juliet", "Silicon Fool.net"). When he joined the band he quickly "joined the team" and at concerts he keeps as if he had been working with them from the first day.
Musical creativity
Creating another pop group, which in the 90s was in abundance, seemed very risky. But producer Igor Matvienko came up with a completely new format. He formed a boy band, which began to sing in a new, unfamiliar, original genre. Their songs combined several trends at once: traditional Russian pop, folk motifs and Western dance rhythms. This combination turned out to be a winning one, and the guys lit up a new star in the world of Russian music.
The work on the debut album "Of course he" was carried out for about a year and a half. Their team carefully thought out all the details, rehearsed every word, tried thousands of variations of melodies. The result was a masterpiece. After the release to the general public, everyone started talking about "Ivanushki International". Their songs "Ring", "Clouds", "Universe" were played on all radio stations, music videos were played on music channels, and at concerts the audience knew every song by heart. Fame overwhelmed the artists and inspired them to work further.
In 1997 the band released two albums at once. The first - "Of course he (remix)" - consisted of updated variations of already known songs. The second - "Your Letters" - included novelties and several cover versions of other artists' compositions. Both records repeated the success of the debut, and exceeded all expectations. The guys became idols of millions. The change of the band member did not affect their popularity in any way.
Two years later, the musicians make another breakthrough and again release two albums at once. "About this I will shout all night" included such songs as "Snowbirds", "Two Oceans", "Dunya-dunyasha" and just a cosmic hit "Poplar down". These compositions occupied the top positions of charts and hit parades for many weeks.
The second album, released in 1999, was dedicated to the memory of Igor Sorin. His death was a painful blow for all "Ivanushki". After all, they lost not just a colleague, but a true friend. "Fragment of Life" consisted of unreleased songs of Sorin, his poems and a song-address to Igor.
With the arrival of the new millennium, the guys give fans another album "Wait for me", and in 2002 - "Oleg, Andrew, Kirill". After the release of new compositions, they again bathe in the rays of glory. Unlike many musical collectives, "Ivanushki" show stable and productive quality work. Such success has not yet managed to repeat any Russian pop group.
In 2005, they released a record for their 10-year anniversary on stage. It was called "10 Years in the Universe". From that moment the group began to "countdown" - their fame and relevance began to slowly fade. There was a pause in their creative biography.
The lull lasted almost ten years. All this time they continued to work, although not so intensively. The guys appeared in various television projects, toured, performed at concerts. Then came Kirill Turichenko. And together with him, already with new forces, they made a loud "kamback": in 2015 they released the album "The Best of Our Lives".
Today their popularity is difficult to compare with the one that was in the 2000s. But the artists are not upset - the guys are still loved, their creativity is needed. They are preparing to write a new page in the history of the group. And what else will please the fans of "Ivanushki", find out in the catalog of artists on the website kontramarka.de.
Discography:
1996 - "Of course he"
1997 - "Of Course He (Remix)"
1997 - "Your Letters"
1999 - "Fragments from life" in memory of Igor Sorin
1999 - "I'll be shouting about it all night"
2001 - "Ivanushki International in Moscow".
2002 - "Oleg, Andrei, Kirill"
2005 - "10 Years in the Universe"
2015 - "The Best of Our Lives"
