Table of contents:
- First steps on the stage
- Married to a tyrant
- All-Union glory
- A sharp turn after the collapse of the USSR
- New challenges
Video: Anne Veski - 65: Marriage to a tyrant at home, a ban on touring and other secrets of the famous singer
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
The famous Estonian singer Anna Veski turns 65 on February 27. If a film had been made about her life, it would probably be called the same as her most famous song, "Behind a sharp turn." There really were a lot of sharp turns in her life. The surname by which the whole USSR recognized her, she got from her first husband, who was jealous of the singer for her fame and raised his hand to her. In the 1980s. she traveled to many countries of the world, but as a result she received a ban on touring, and after the collapse of the Soviet Union she had to completely change her profile of activities. She told about her sharp turns only years later.
First steps on the stage
Anna Waarmann has been singing since childhood: she studied at a music school, performed in a school ensemble as a keyboard player and vocalist. After the 9th grade, she even worked part-time in the registry office - she played Mendelssohn's waltz for newlyweds on wedding days. For this she received a fee of one ruble for each registration. But at first, she did not perceive her passion for music as a choice of a future profession, and therefore after school she entered the Polytechnic Institute at the Faculty of Economics, and then worked for six months as an assistant master at a tobacco factory. And "for the soul" she sang in the ensemble of her university.
During one of the performances, Anna attracted the attention of the leaders of VIA "Mobile", and she was offered to become a member of this group. At the local Philharmonic, she met the famous Estonian singer Uno Loopa, who began to study vocals with her. In parallel, Anna attended the Estonian Philharmonic's pop studio. Since 1980, Veski has performed as a member of the Vitamin group and at the same time embarked on a solo career.
Married to a tyrant
While her career was rapidly taking off, family life was going downhill. No one knew that a rising pop star was afraid to return home after performances. At the age of 21, in 1977, Anne married the poet Jaak Veski, who wrote her first songs for her and played an important role in her development as an artist. But if he then knew what popularity these songs would bring to his wife, he probably would not have done it, because her success was a difficult test for him. He wanted Anna to stay in Estonia, and she dreamed of opening new horizons. As soon as she started touring, the atmosphere in the family heated up.
The spouses often quarreled, and the showdown was very stormy. Yaak drank and raised his hand to his wife. She put up with his aggression for 4 years, not daring to leave the tyrant, explaining that he was a good father for their daughter Curly. The first time he hit her before the wedding. Once at a dance, Jaak began to invite other girls, and when his wife demanded an explanation, he pushed her so that she fell. Then she still believed that people change, and hoped that after the wedding he would become different. Of course, things only got worse. The last straw was that one day the husband grabbed the ax. Years later, Anna told: "".
A meeting with the administrator of the variety show Benno Belchikov helped her decide to divorce. He began to look after her and surrounded her with such care and attention that Anna agreed to marry him 2 months after the divorce. Together they have lived all their lives, and her husband has become for her reliable protection, support and support.
All-Union glory
Already in 1981, Anna Veski was named Pop Singer of the Year in the USSR, she became a regular participant in the TV programs "Song of the Year" and "Blue Light". In the 1980s. the singer was not inferior in popularity to Alla Pugacheva and Sofia Rotaru. Soon she began to tour not only in the USSR, but also abroad - in Czechoslovakia, Germany and Hungary. After Anna Veski received two awards at the prestigious Sopot music competition, she was awarded the title of Honored Artist of Estonia, and the whole country sang her song "Behind the Sharp Bend".
The singer always remembered this time with the warmest feelings: "".
Fans admired not only her singing, but also her good taste and recognizable style. She seemed foreign not only because of her characteristic accent, but also because she looked different from other Soviet pop stars. Opportunities for this then were few: Anna sewed fashionable outfits according to the patterns of the Burda magazine, or even borrowed them from friends. In the video for the song "Behind a Sharp Turn" she appeared in a skirt that she found in her neighbor's wardrobe.
A sharp turn after the collapse of the USSR
For the first time, the singer had to interrupt the tour back in the late 1980s. Then Anne Veski performed with musicians in Mauritius. After the concert they were going to leave, and then it turned out that one of the band members was nowhere to be found. As it turned out later, he went to the American embassy and asked for political asylum. The artist then was more worried not even because the tour could not be continued after that and the road abroad would be closed for them forever, but because she let the director of the State Concert down. But soon her concert activity ceased for other reasons.
The singer has long dreamed of her team of musicians. And when she finally managed to assemble a group of 15 people, the Union collapsed, and it became simply impossible to carry a large team. In addition, after the collapse of the USSR, relations between the Russian Federation and the Baltic countries became very tense, and the artist was forced to forget about touring on the territory of the former Union for a long time.
Not only the singer herself was left without work, but also her husband, who was her concert director. And in the 1990s. they decided to go into business - they brought furs from Finland and sewed fur coats from them in Estonia. Many clients were attracted by the famous name of the singer, and they hoped that she herself would meet them in the salon, but Anna only invested her money in this business, but in fact she still did not want to do anything other than singing. Fortunately, the concerts soon resumed, and she was able to return to the stage. At first, Veski could only perform in Estonia, but since 2002, Russian fans have seen her again.
New challenges
In 2018, the singer organized the 40th Anniversary Show on Stage and successfully performed for 6,000 spectators. Although her popularity today cannot be compared to the fame that hit her in the 1980s, her most dedicated fans still come to her concerts. But in 2020, due to the pandemic, the singer had to cancel all performances and tours. To survive this difficult time, the family settled in a country house, and decided to rent an apartment in Tallinn.
The artist is no longer afraid of pauses in her creative activity or new difficulties - life has taught her to take a blow, besides, there is a person nearby who helped her to survive the most difficult times - her husband. And in general, despondency is not in her nature. The singer says about herself: "". With her energy and optimism, she charges everyone around: "Enjoy Life" with Anna Veski.
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