Today, May 14, the birthday of the leader of the group "Ocean Elzy" Svyatoslav Vakarchuk celebrates, says "Snidanka". Вихідний ".
The musician turns 42 years old. Journalists "Snidanku" went to Lviv, where they met the first teachers and friends of Svyatoslav.
In 1995, the first performance of "The Ocean of Elsa" was held on television.
It is unlikely that then the 19-year-old Slavik could guess that in 20 years his songs will be sung by everyone - in small apartments, and at ten thousandth stadiums. In Europe, the US and Australia. And in the worst times for the country - it is his call "Get Up" will unite the whole country.
Already in two years, Slava began to hum the folk songs, which he taught his grandmother. From the uncle got a love for The Beatles, from parents - to books, physics and modesty.
Lviv Linguistic Gymnasium, former school number 4. Here every student is proud, because in their school once he studied himself Vakarchuk. And although it's hard to believe now, Slava was very shy at school. He did not sing from the stage, he was not a hooligan, however, if he wanted to answer at the lesson, he could not restrain himself.
"If he knew something at the lesson, or wanted to answer, then he could not sit still, had to jump and shake his hand. Such, was a bit twisted, let's say, in the teacher's language. There are such children that the idea somewhere ahead of them and the mind somewhere ahead of him, so it was boring at the lesson. For some reason I was more sure that he would be some kind of scientist. He knew physics well, had the ability to exact disciplines, but said for some reason, more drawn to creativity, that he would like to enter a creative university, "- recalled the class teacher Vakarchuk Maria Secunda.
Finally, Svyatoslav decided to follow in the footsteps of his parents and entered the Faculty of Theoretical Physics. But the music was with him always. In 17 Vakarchuk wrote the song "Vidpushi", which is still more than 20 years old, also sounds sincere at his concerts.
Once in Lviv at a party, Justin, Glinin and Gudimov, musicians of the band "Clan of Silence", heard Vakharchuk's hoarse singing and invited him to a rehearsal. So, in 94 the group "Okean Elzy" was born..
At the beginning of his musical career, Svyatoslav was so shy that he did not know where to put his eyes, so always when he sang, he looked at the microphone. The guys were making fun of him. They, such sincere, immediately fell in love with the audience, but there were many young and talented people in Lviv - it was necessary to amaze! Now it is difficult to imagine that Vakarchuk tinted his eyes or sang from the refrigerator, and in 1998 - a real rock.
First tours in Ukraine, moving to Kiev, deeper songs. Many of them are called prophetic. The musician himself is surprised how it happened. After all, I wrote about the relationship of a man with a woman - and it turned out about war.
Svyatoslav stood on the Maidan two revolutions. Together with all disappointed in the first, went to politics and in 2008, he resigned his deputy powers. And in 2013, together with all Ukrainians began to fight during the second.
At all talk shows Vakarchuk called on the nation to unite, spoke to students in different cities of Ukraine. In fact, he was the only one who was equally attentively listened to in the west and east. Ukrainians themselves began to call on Vakarchuk to go to the presidency. They say he is believed. But he is convinced that on the musical front he can do more for the country. And most importantly, to remain a partial citizen of your country, a politician does not have to be.
Vakarchuk from those who are not afraid to go to study new.
In 2015, the musician was enrolled in the special leadership program of Yale University and studied for six months in the United States.
By the way, the birthday boy, whose birthday falls on Mother's Day, congratulated his first teachers on the holiday.
"I congratulate my first teachers on the Mother's Day: Mary Evgenievna and Stefania Grigoryevna (from music). They really brought me up as a son! "- wrote a musician on Twitter.
Recall, in late March, Vakarchuk unveiled the archival photo of the "Ocean of Elsa" from the rehearsal.