Valery Shotaevich Meladze - Russian singer, actor, producer and TV presenter. Honored Artist of Russia and People's Artist of Chechnya. Over the years of his life, he has won more than 60 prestigious prizes and awards. The younger brother of the composer, singer and producer Konstantin Meladze.
In this article, we will consider the biography of Valery Meladze, and also recall the most interesting facts from his professional career.
So, here is a short biography of Valery Meladze.
Biography of Valery Meladze
Valery Meladze was born on June 23, 1965 in Batumi.
He grew up and was brought up in a simple family that has nothing to do with music.
Valery's parents, Shota and Nelly Meladze, worked as engineers. However, almost all the relatives of the future artist had an engineering specialty.
In addition to Valery, a boy Konstantin and a girl Liana were born in the Meladze family.
Childhood and youth
From early childhood, Meladze was distinguished by restlessness and curiosity. For this reason, he often found himself at the epicenter of various incidents.
In his free time, Valery liked to play football and was also fond of swimming.
As a child, his parents sent him to a music school in the piano class, which he successfully completed.
Having received a certificate of secondary education, Valery Meladze decided to leave for Nikolaev to enter the local shipbuilding institute.
An interesting fact is that his older brother Konstantin also studied here.
Music
The city of Nikolaev played an important role in the biography of Valery Meladze. It was here that he and his brother began performing as part of the April amateur group.
Over time, the Meladze brothers were invited to participate in the Dialogue rock group, in which they stayed for about 4 years. At the same time, Valery began performing on stage with a solo program.
The song "Do not disturb my soul, violin", performed by Valery, in the shortest possible time gained all-Russian fame. It was with her that he spoke at the Morning Mail song television competition, after which the whole of Russia learned about the singer.
In 1995 Valery Meladze released his first solo disc "Sera". The album became one of the most commercially successful in the country. Soon, the artist gained popularity not only in Russia, but also far beyond its borders.
Being a popular performer, Meladze began to collaborate with the pop group "VIA Gra". Together with her, he recorded several songs, for which clips were also shot.
In 2007 Valery and Konstantin Meladze started producing the TV project "Star Factory". The project was well received by the public and soon found itself in the top lines of the rating.
The next year, the singer's next disc, "Contrary", was released. The main hit was the song "Salute, Vera", which Meladze performed many times at solo and international concerts.
As of 2019, Valery recorded 9 albums, each of which had hits. Absolutely all discs were sold in huge numbers.
In addition to performing songs, Meladze often starred in musicals, transforming into different characters. Not a single major music festival took place without his participation.
In 2008, a creative evening of Konstantin Meladze took place in Kiev. The composer's songs were performed on the stage by the most popular Russian pop artists, including Alla Pugacheva, Sofia Rotaru, Ani Lorak and many others.
During the biography of 2012-2013. Valery Meladze was entrusted with leading the "Battle of Choirs" project. During this time, he still presented new video clips for his songs, and also became a jury member in various competitions and festivals.
Since 2017, Meladze has participated as a mentor in the acclaimed project “Voice. Children". This program has become one of the most popular in both Russia and Ukraine.
Valery Meladze is a multiple winner of the Golden Gramophone, Song of the Year, Ovation and Muz-TV music awards.
Personal life
Valery lived with his first wife, Irina Meladze, for a long 25 years. In this marriage, the couple had 3 daughters: Inga, Sophia and Arina. It is worth noting that in 1990 they also had a boy who died 10 days after birth.
Although the couple officially lived together for a long 25 years, in reality their feelings cooled down in the 2000s. The first talks about divorce began in 2009, but the couple still continued to imitate a happy family union for another 5 years.
The reason for the separation was the affair of Valery Meladze with the ex-participant of "VIA Gra" Albina Dzhanabaeva. Later, news appeared in the press that the artists had secretly played a wedding.
Back in 2004, Valery and Albina had a boy, Konstantin. It is curious that the singer had an illegitimate child, even 10 years before the official divorce from his first wife. 10 years later, Dzhanabaeva gave birth to another son, whom the couple decided to call Luka.
Albina and Valery avoid any talk about their personal lives and children. Only in some cases does the singer talk about the details of his modern biography, as well as how his sons are growing up.
In his free time, Meladze visits the gym to keep fit. He has an account on Instagram, where, among other photos of the artist, fans can see his photo during sports training.
Valery Meladze today
In 2018, Meladze, together with Lev Leshchenko and Leonid Agutin, participated in the television project "Voice" - "60+". Only those contestants who were at least 60 years old were allowed to perform in the show.
The following year, Valery became a mentor in the television project “Voice. In the same year, he presented 2 video clips for the songs "How old" and "What do you want from me."
Recently, information appeared in the media that the artist applied for a Georgian passport. For many, this did not come as a surprise, since Meladze grew up in Georgia.
Today Valery, as before, actively gives tours to different cities and countries. In 2019, he received the Top Hit Music Awards for Best Performer.
Photo by Valery Meladze
