"Nensi" (Nensi) is a Russian-Ukrainian band, whose hit song "Smoke of cigarettes with menthol" remains on the rumor for more than 20 years. But in addition to this composition, in their discography there are many other songs that continue to be loved and honored by the second generation. They sing for people of all ages and statuses and are not tied to a single genre. In the works of the group sound elements of rock, pop, chanson, folk motifs. That is why the band has not lost its relevance for 28 years.
History of the formation of the band
The founder of "Nancy" is considered to be Anatoly Bondarenko. He was born in Konstantinovka (Donetsk region, Ukraine), and there he began to make his first musical steps. From an early age he wrote poems and selected motifs for them, studied at a music school, and at the age of 14 he began to lead a children's vocal and instrumental ensemble. A little later he founded his first collective called "Hobby" (1983). Anatoly was a vocalist, musician and producer. And he coped with all the roles perfectly. After a few years of creative activity "Hobby" was already known and loved, invited to concerts. The team had mini-tours to regional venues, where he was warmly welcomed by the public. Already then the group had fans. In that period the debut album called "Crystal Love" was recorded.
The beginning of the 90s brought with it a lot of difficulties and problems for all artists. Many performers disappeared from the radio and television airwaves altogether. The project "Hobby" also closed.
But in 1992 Anatoly Bondarenko together with Andrei Kostenko (lead singer, keyboard player) united, found new musicians and decided to create something unique on the pop platform of that time. They actively started to work in Donetsk recording studio "Lira". By the end of the year the guys finished writing the first album.
They thought about the name of the band for a very long time, they considered about 150 variants. And even went to record stores to exclude the possibility of plagiarism. When there were three options left ("Nancy", "Luta" and "Platinum"), they turned to a bioenergetician. The woman pointed to the first, reasoning that this name would "bring success." And she wasn't wrong.
The very name "Nancy" made the list because that was the name of Anatoly's first love. He met a girl named Nancy in a pioneer camp, fell in love, met her, then corresponded with her for a long time. But suddenly the connection was cut off, and he was left with only this name.
The composition of the musical group
The history of the group "Nancy" Anatoly Bondarenko began to write together with Andrei Kostenko. The third vocalist was Arkady Tsarev, who got into the lineup absolutely by accident. During one concert due to a technical problem it was necessary to "close" a pause. Then Tsarev came on stage. He was very warmly received by the audience and did not even want to let go. After the performance there were questions whether Arkady would not become the third soloist. Then the members of the group invited the novice singer to their studio, talked and began to help develop his musical career. Soon he was already performing at the warm-up of "Nancy". And since 2004 he became a full-fledged member of the collective. But the debutant did not stay in the group for long - only two years. Then his place was taken by Anatoly's son Sergei. At that time he had already become a professional musician. The personal life of the frontman was closely intertwined with his career. In addition to his son, his wife Elena, who was the director of the collective, worked next to him.
Creative path
The debut album "Smoke of cigarettes with menthol" became a pass to the world of fame. The Moscow studio "Soyuz" was engaged in promoting the record throughout the post-Soviet space. And already in a year "Nancy" sounded on the air of all radio stations in Russia, Ukraine and neighboring countries. The album was released in huge circulation and was bought up in a flash. The song of the same name with the title of the record becomes the business card of the group and to this day is considered their main hit.
In 1994 everybody learned about the band. Moving to Moscow opened a lot of opportunities. The next two years became very successful and productive for the guys: they released their first CD, signed a contract with a leading recording studio, they were invited to TV and radio airings, were awarded prestigious prizes and given the title of "The Best Group of the Country". During the period 1995-1998 they released 7 albums. At the same time they manage to give regular concerts and go on tour.
The crisis of 1998 affected "Nancy" not too much. While many artists simply disappeared from the screens and radio, these guys were not confused and found a way to stay afloat - they went on foreign tours.
Having returned, the collective continued to work actively on the creation of new albums. This period was the most fruitful in the biography of the group. They released more than 10 records, regularly replenishing the repertoire as new compositions and all the favorite tracks. In 2008 they celebrate their 15th anniversary, in honor of which they present the anniversary album "Smoke of menthol cigarettes 15 years".
"Nancy", despite its "solid age", always steps in step with the times. In 2009 the musicians launched a YouTube channel called NensiTV, and in 2012 they created their own social network NENSiMAN.
Planning the quarter-century anniversary of the band "Nancy", the members of the collective prepared an incredible show and wanted to travel with concerts in maximum cities. Anatoly Bondarenko said that he intends to celebrate this date for a year. But the musician was not destined to fulfill the promise - he suddenly passed away in October 2018. In memory of the band leader, the album "On earth and in the sky with the music of SB" was released in 2019.
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Discography:
1993 - "Smoke of menthol cigarettes".
1994 - "Black Cadillac Part 1-2".
1995 - "New and Best Songs of Nancy's Band" part 1.
1996 - "Nancy's New and Better Songs" part 2
♪ 1997 ♪
1997 - "You're Far Away, Or A Magical World"
1998 - "Nancy's New and Better Songs" part 3
1998 - "Fog, Fog"
2000 - "Romeo"
2000 - "Nancy's New and Greatest Songs" part 4
2001 - "Luna"
2001 - "Willow"
2001 - "New and Best Songs by Nancy" part 5
2002 - "My Light"
2002 - "Nancy's New and Best Songs" part 6
2003 - "Nancy's Music Dot Ru"
2004 - "Please Read My Letter!"
2004 - "New and Best Songs by Nancy" part 7"
2005 - "Santanavi"
2005 - "New and Better Songs by Nancy" part 8"
2008 - "Smoke of Menthol Cigarettes 15 Years" (Anniversary)
2012 - "#Evenings of the Night."
2019 - "On earth and in the sky with SB music" (in memory of Sergey Bondarenko)"
