Why Grigory Leps falls into despair: the other side of the glory of one of the highest paid artists

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

The famous singer Grigory Leps turns 59 on July 16. Today he is called one of the most successful and sought-after artists, his songs have not left the top lines of the charts for more than 20 years, his voice cannot be confused with anyone else. But despite the incredible popularity, Leps admits that he is still sometimes seized with such despair, "when you just want to jump out the window." Because of what the artist plunges into such a state, why at one time he felt like no one needed in Moscow and how he was able to get out of a steep dive - further in the review.

The real name of the artist is Lepsveridze. He was born and raised in Sochi into a Georgian family in which only his uncle, who played drums in restaurants, was involved in art. Father butchered carcasses at a meat-packing plant, mother worked at a bakery. Leps is a nickname that courtyard friends gave Grigory in childhood. Together with them, he often ran away from school and played football, studied poorly at school and gave his parents a lot of problems. Fortunately, in high school he became interested in music and began playing drums in a school ensemble - he had a sense of rhythm and an ear for music from birth, and his uncle instilled a love of drums.

Star of Sochi restaurants

After finishing 8 classes with a sin in half, Leps entered a music school, and after graduation he went to the army, where he continued to study music - he played drums and performed in a military ensemble. After demobilization, he faced a choice: either to choose a more serious profession that would bring a stable income, or to continue making music. For some time, Leps worked at a military plant, but after returning to Sochi, he again found himself among the musicians. He was invited to the "Index-398" group, where he played drums and sang, and later decided to perform solo.

His musical career began in Sochi restaurants. Most of those who start their way very rarely achieve great success on the stage - the restaurant style of performance and the repertoire consisting of drinking songs leave their mark. However, Leps already had his own style, and soon many visitors began to come specially to listen to him. In one evening, he could receive a fee that was equal to the monthly salary at the factory.

Soon Leps became a Sochi star. The singer performed in the best restaurants in the city, his performances were also attended by guests from the capital - Igor Krutoy, Mikhail Shufutinsky, Alexander Rosenbaum, etc. They more than once advised him to think about moving to Moscow and pursue his solo career on a professional level. At first, the singer was in no hurry to leave his hometown, where everyone knew and loved him. He lived for one day, spent royalties on booze and gambling, and did not seriously think about the future. The artist recalled: "". But in the mid-1990s. he nevertheless decided to move.

Conquest of Moscow

At first, his story was similar to thousands of others - of course, no one was expecting him in Moscow. In addition, the star of the Sochi spill in the capital did not make a favorable impression on anyone. Years later, the singer recalled: ""

This went on for 5 years. Out of despair, Leps began to drink and use illegal drugs, which provoked health problems. For six months he was in the hospital - the pancreas failed, as a result he lost 35 kg. Doctors even doubted that he would survive - the problems were serious. It was there, in the ward, that he saw on TV his first video for the song "Natalie", which he had managed to shoot before. This inspired him so much that after that the singer gave up his bad habits for a long time and got down to work.

It was then that everyone recognized him as Grigory Leps, although at first he was offered to take another pseudonym: "".

Since the late 1990s, his solo albums have been released one after another and have had incredible success. The whole country sang his songs, he gave dozens of solo concerts and toured all over Russia and foreign countries, he became a multiple winner of prestigious music awards, his hits have been the leaders of Russian-language karaoke for more than 20 years, and the singer himself has been for many years in a row is one of the ten highest paid stars of Russian show business.

On the verge of possibilities

At 59, the singer says that as he gets older it becomes harder and harder for him to work in that frantic rhythm to which he is accustomed. In addition, Leps does not stop improving and gives all the best on stage to the maximum. The artist admits: "". He has repeatedly performed surgery on the ligaments, because the most important thing for him is that "the vocal apparatus works at the highest level."

It would seem that today he has everything one can dream of: millions of fans, dozens of hits, material wealth, a happy family. But the singer admits that he periodically falls into despair: "".

In his personal life, the singer also did not immediately find his destiny: The difficult path to happiness of Grigory Leps.