Valery Meladze

Valerian Shotayevich Meladze (born 23 June 1965), known professionally as Valery Meladze, is a Georgian-born Russian singer and a Meritorious Artist of Russia. He is the brother of composer and producer Konstantin Meladze, who writes songs for him.

Biography

Early life Valerian Shotayevich Meladze was born on 23 June 1965 in Batumi to Shota and Nelly Meladze. He has an older brother, Konstantin (1963), and younger sister, Liana (1968). As a child, he went to music school and learned to play the piano. Upon completing school in 1983, he decided to follow in the footsteps of his parents, grandmother, and grandfather, all of whom were engineers, and so entered the Nikolayev Shipbuilding Institute in Ukraine to study marine power plant engineering. In 1985, Valery's brother started playing keyboard in the group "April." Valery joined the group as a back-up vocalist, but the band soon broke up.

1989–1994: Career Beginnings In 1989, an album the Meladze brothers had made with "April" reached Kim Breitburg, one of the lead members of the Soviet rock group, Dialog. Liking Valery's voice, Breitburg invited him to be the lead singer, and Konstantin was invited to write songs for the group. These efforts resulted in the band's 1991 album: "Poseredine Mira" (Посерeдине Мира; Middle of the World).

Dialog's popularity had declined, however, and the group disbanded in 1991. In 1992, Valeriy joined Dialog's founder Kim Breitburg and guitarist Viktor Litvinenko to form Gruppa Dialog and, later, Mistiquana, Evgeniy helped to record the first of Valeriy's songs – "Ne Trevoz Mne Dushu Skripka" (Не тревожь мне душу, скрипка; Don't Disturb my soul, violin). As Meladze later stated in interviews, after the success of the song, Evgeniy asked Valeriy to change his last name (surname) from "Meladze" to "Lisov" or "Lisovskiy," in effect translating it from Georgian to Russian ("mela" and "lisa" both meaning "fox" in their respective languages). However, he refused to change his name.

Many labels didn't want to work with Meladze, "because this music was not modern...long and not happy." But in 1993 Alla Pugacheva heard their demo record, and she invited Valeriy to sing their song at "The Christmas Meeting" in Moscow. After his success there, Valeriy released his debut solo album "Sera" (Сера) on the music label "Souz." The eponymous "Sera" became relatively popular, with "Poserеdine Leta" (Посередине Лета; The Middle Of Summer) and "Noch' Pered Rozdestvom" (Ночь Перед Рождеством; Christmas Eve) also seeing significant success.

1995–1999: Continued Career In end of 1995 Valeriy won two awards, Ovatsii and Zvezdy in nomination "Debut Of Year" and "The Best Singer of Year". In October 1996 his second studio album Posledniy romantik (The Last Romanticist) was released.

In early of 1997 was Valeriy gave 19 concerts in the biggest Russian cities. 7 and 8 March Valeriy sang in Olympiskiy, Moscow. In end of year was released first concert and video record album "Live Olympik Moscow".

In 1998, the brothers broke off their relationship with the producer Evgeniy Friendland and with label "Souz". But in January of that year, the third studio album Samba Belogo Motylka (Samba of the White Moth) was released. After a dispute with a producer, Valeriy changed his public image, he start to wear only formal clothes and the songs became more cruel and aggressive.

In 1999 Konstantin moved to Kyiv to work on the Ukrainian telechannel "Inter" and wrote fewer songs for his brother. Therefore, Valeriy released a greatest hits album "The Best". Many fans thought that Valery left show business. However, at the end of 1999 the fourth studio album was released – "Vsyo Tak I Bylo" (, All was this way) on a new label "Iseburg Mesic". Songs "Mechta" (, Dream), "Rossvetnaya" (, Daybreakly) and "Krasivo" (Beautiful;Красиво) have topped the Russian charts. In the same year Meladze voiced cartoon "Neznajka Na Lune" and wrote a song with the same name.

2000–present: Collaboration with "VIA Gra" and Later Career In 2000 the Meladze brothers founded the Russian-Ukrainian pop group "VIA Gra (ВИА Гра). At this time Valeriy took a pause in his career. But in 2004 he released songs in collaboration with "Via Gra" "Prityazeniya Bolshe Net" (Притяжения Больше Нет; which can be translated both as 'No More Attraction' or 'No More Gravity') and "Okean I Tri Reki" (Ocean and Three rivers; Океан и Три Реки) (in 2003). In the same year a greatest hits album Nastojashee (Really, The real Ones; Настоящее) was released. Fedor Bondarchuk filmed a video "Komediant", which was banned in Russia. On March 1, 2002 Valeriy acted in the Kremlin and later that year performed 11 concerts on a US tour. The same year Meladze took part in a First Channel project "10 songs of Moscow" and sung the song "Podmoskovnie Vechera" (, "Moscow Nights").

In 2003 he released his fifth album Nega (Нега), including the songs "C'est la vie", "Ya NE Mogu Bez Tebya" and "Oskolki Leta", which was a hit in the CIS. In early 2003 the album Sera was re-released, "Poslednij Romantik", "Samba Belogo Motilka" and "Vse tak i bilo". Also the album "Nega" was released. In 2004 Meladze won two awards "MUZ-TV" and "Russian Music Awards" as "The Best Vocalist", "The Best Song" (Pritashenya Bolishe Net) and "The Best Duet". In 2005 Valery was "The Best Singer" again and also won an award as "The Best Duet" with "Okean I Tri Reki". He has released a compilation "Okean" for the tenth career. In 2006 Valery won award as "Singer Of Year" and became a meritorius artist of Russia. The Meladze brothers were the producers of "Fabrika Zvezd-7" in 2007. In end of 2008 Valery became People's artist of Chechnya and released a sixth studio album "Vopreki"

Awards Meladze and Nu Virgos girl group were bestowed the title of the Best Duo of the Year at 2004 Russian Music Awards. On 2 June 2006 Meladze won the 4th Muz-TV Music Award as the Best Artist of the Year. On 24 August of the same year he was categorized as the Best Performer and the Best Artist at the MTV Russian Music Awards nominations. Valeriy is a Meritorious Artist of Russia

Discography

Studio albums Sera Release: 1995Posledny romantikThe Last Romanticist Release: October 1996Samba belogo motylkaSamba of the White Butterfly Release: 1998Vsyo tak i byloAll Was This Way Release: 1999NegaThe Bliss Release: 2003VoprekiDespite Release: 2008

Extended plays

Chego ty hochezh ot menya! EP"What Do You Want From Me? EP" Released: 16 April 2020 Label: Konstantin Meladze Music/First Music Publishing

Compilation albums The Best Release: 1999NastoyashcheeReally Release: October 2002OkeanOcean Release: January 2005The Best Release: 2009Polsta Release: 2016

Concert album Live Olympic Moscow Release: 1997

Filmography Year Film Role Notes 2002 Cinderella Father of Cinderella Debut role in Russian-Ukrainian musicals 2003 Sorochinskaya Yarmarka Devil 2013 Yolki 3 Himself

Personal life In the summer of 1989, he married an engineer, Irina, in Batumi. They have three daughters together, Inga (7 February 1991) who graduated from the University of Oxford, Sofia (19 May 1999) who attended MGIMO, and Arina (7 December 2002). The couple divorced in 2014. In 2014, he married an Albina, in Moscow. They have two sons and one daughter together, Konstantin (26 February 2004), Luka (2 Jule 2014) and Agate (12 April 2021).