Umaturman (Uma2rman) is a Russian pop–rock band that rapidly broke into show business and consolidated its position there for a long time. Simple, unpretentious motifs, original manner of performance, deep lyrics and mixed styles – they have everything that the audience loves so much. And for more than 15 years they have been proving that talent is limitless and inexhaustible.
History of creation
The founders of the band, the Kristovsky brothers, have been drawn to music since childhood. They began to take their first steps towards the stage back in Nizhny Novgorod. However, separately.
Vladimir gathered his own team of musicians and sang in the punk rock genre. He sent tapes of his band's demos to various studios, but to no avail. Once they won the competition of the publication "Live Sound", where they were promised a record contract. But it was limited to one article about the budding punk band in the media. In an attempt to stay in the capital, Vladimir worked part-time as a welder, watchman, tanker, janitor. At the same time, he mastered the profession of a hairdresser. But in the end I returned home and decided to do some serious creative work. His first performances were in clubs and restaurants.
Sergey started his musical career at the DJ console. Then he mastered the bass guitar and joined the band Broadway. Together with the band, he even went on tour to Germany. A little later, he assembled a team of musicians. They called themselves "Sherwood" and sang their own songs in the restaurants of their hometown. Over time, the guys expanded the geography of concerts to the whole of Russia.
As a result, they came to a common decision: it's time for them to join forces. The brothers created the duet "Not our World", recorded a demo of 15 songs and sent it to Moscow. Vladimir was the soloist, Sergey was responsible for the musical arrangement. There was no special reaction to their work. But a happy accident turned everything around.
A sharp start and further advancement
Zemfira played a huge role in the musical biography of the Kristovsky brothers. After hearing the song "Praskovya", the artist invited the novice band to her concert. It was held in the "for your own" format, and the musicians were given the opportunity to perform with the star. It was 2003 – the time when the history of the Umaturman group began.
Love for Hollywood actress Uma Thurman resulted in the duo's eponymous name. However, a little later they had a chance to make adjustments to the spelling, which allowed them to avoid problems with the copyright of the brand. It turned out to be original – Uma2rmaH.
After the first performance with Zemfira, the popularity of the Kristovsky brothers was not long in coming. In a couple of days, their fame spread all over the country. Soon they shot a music video. And as soon as this work appeared in the media space, the composition sounded literally from everywhere.
The soundtrack to the first Russian blockbuster "Night Watch" helped to consolidate the success. Despite the versatile criticism of the film itself, the final composition "Once upon a time there was Anton Gorodetsky" became very popular.
Hot on the heels of the band Uma2rmaH recorded their debut album "In the city of N". He got into radio rotation. It was a real breakthrough! Almost every work got into the domestic charts. The record received platinum status, and at the MTV Russian Music Awards the band was awarded a statuette and named "Discovery of the Year".
The real surprise for the Kristovsky brothers was the invitation to the Moscow Film Festival, where they were presented to Quentin Tarantino. They performed the song "Uma Thurman" in front of the Hollywood maestro of the film industry, handed him a CD with a clip and subtitles. Tarantino liked the gift.
They did not delay the release of the second record. In 2005, they presented "Is This a Dream?" The title song was "Letter to the Mind". Although the compositions were positively received by fans, a lot of criticism and accusations of "secondary and lack of development" poured out on the performers.
The peak of popularity
With two albums in their arsenal, the band went on tour. They traveled to dozens of Russian cities and performed abroad several times. When they returned, they started working on the next record.
In 2007, the TV series "Daddy's Daughters" was released. He added to the popularity of Uma2rmaH, as the soundtrack to it was performed by the Kristovsky brothers. They wrote the title theme for free, as the series was close to them and reminded them of their personal lives – Sergey and Vladimir are fathers with many children.
2008 was marked by the presentation of the third album "Where dreams lead". It differed from the previous ones in its experimentation and new sound. The "feature" was two works recorded together with French singer Patricia Kaas.
After this event, the Uma2rmaH group occupied a special niche in the Russian show business. They became guests of honor on television and radio, worked closely with cinematographers (recorded three songs for the film "Belka and Strelka" at once), were nominated for the Muz-TV award in the category "Best Rock Band". In addition to their own compositions, they also managed to cover the hits of Alla Pugacheva and "Time Machine". Covers of these songs were included in the album "Everyone in this city is crazy."
In parallel with the performances, Sergey Kristovsky embarked on a solo career. This was the reason for the rumors about the breakup. But the information was not confirmed. The band continued to create, preparing for the release of another record.
In 2016, they again loudly declared themselves. Their song "Sing, Spring!" reached the top of the iTunes chart.
Two years later, Uma2rmaH's discography was replenished with new work. A little later, a music video was shot for one of the tracks. 2018 was also marked by an important event in the life of the band: they recorded a song for the FIFA World Cup, which became the unofficial anthem of the competition.
Today, Sergey and Vladimir Kristovsky perform not as a duo, but with a team of professional musicians: Yuri Terletsky, Sergey Solodkin, Alexey Kaplun, Sergey Serov. The band members are preparing for the release of the next album and often give concerts. We are sure that they will soon delight fans with new hits again. You can find out about it in the catalog of artists on the website kontramarka.de .
Discography:
2004 – "In the city of N"
2005 – "Maybe it's a dream?"
2008 – "Where dreams lead"
2008 – "1825"
2011 – "Everyone in this city is crazy"
2016 – "Sing, spring!"
2018 – "Not our World"
