Igor Yakovlevich Krutoy is an iconic personality of the Soviet and Russian stage, show business. Most of the hit songs came out of his light pen, thanks to him the world got to know many talented people, it is he who today helps the young to make their way to the top of the musical Olympus.
Igor Krutoy's songs are included in the repertoire of not only Ukrainian, Russian performers, but also world-class show business stars. He is a People's Artist of two countries at once, the owner of several radio stations, the founder of one of the most productive vocal competitions - "New Wave". But what do fans know about his biography, personal life and career path?
Biography of Igor Krutoy
Igor Krutoy was born in the small Ukrainian town of Gaivoron on the banks of the Southern Bug River in the summer of 1954. A modest Jewish family with two children - apart from Igor, the daughter Alla grew up in it - had nothing to do with either the world of art or the world of music. Mom took care of children and home, and dad worked at a local factory that produced radio components.
Igor's love for music was first noticed by his mother, and she brought him to a local music school. Within a couple of years, the boy became an accompanist at all school matinees and holidays - he mastered the piano. At the age of 14, Igor Krutoy founded his own school musical ensemble, which was invited not only to conduct discos within the walls of the school, but also to city events.
After school, Igor graduated from a specialized school in Kirovograd and became a teacher of a music school in his hometown and in one of the secondary schools in the suburbs. This is how the career of the most popular composer of our time started in the post-Soviet space, America and Europe.
Igor Krutoy's career path
Not wanting to stop there, Igor entered the conducting department of the Music Pedagogical Institute in Nikolaevsk in 1975. It was there, in 1979, that representatives of the Moscow Panorama Orchestra noticed him and invited him to the capital. Just a year later, the young talented man moved to the "Blue Guitars", and then became the leader of the ensemble of the legendary Valentina Tolkunova.
In parallel with his career growth, Igor Krutoy continued his musical education - he graduated from the faculty of composers at the Saratov Sobin Conservatory. He presented his first song to his closest friend, Alexander Serov. With her, the singer still shines - the song "Madonna" has become Serov's calling card.
Hearing the songs of Krutoy performed by Serov, other stars became interested in them, and very soon Igor's creations were replenished with the "piggy banks" of Vaikule, Leontyev, Buinov and other Russian performers.
Creativity and awards of Igor Krutoy
The composer's works by Igor Krutoy are unique pieces. His work is not limited to the stage. Igor collaborates with world and Russian opera performers, writes instrumental compositions, music for films, sings, creates production centers, radio channels, is a patron of competitions for young performers.
For his creativity and social activities, Igor Yakovlevich was awarded such awards as
- People's Artist of Russia and Ukraine,
- two Orders of Merit for the Fatherland,
- title of Honored Art Worker,
- Prizes of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Lenin Komsomol (1989),
- Order of Friendship, award MUZ-TV,
- the title of an honorary citizen of Jurmala,
- memorial sign on the "Square of Stars" in Moscow,
- personal gratitude of the President of the Russian Federation for his contribution to the development of young talents.
An important milestone in Krutoy's work was his promotion in Europe and America. In 2010, the composer began collaborating with Lara Fabian, who introduced the opera world to his works.
Personal life of Igor Krutoy
The first marriage of Igor Yakovlevich was unsuccessful, the couple quickly broke up, despite the birth of their son Nikolai. The divorce was difficult, scandalous, with the division of an apartment and a child. For a long time, Igor Krutoy's ex-wife forbade him to communicate with his son, the composer began to drink often, but his strong will and common sense allowed him not to sleep, to find solace in creativity.
Krutoy met his real happiness long 15 years after his divorce from his first wife. At one of the parties organized by Alla Pugacheva, the composer met Olga, an American of Russian descent. It was she who gave him peace, new strength for creativity, made him believe in himself again.
The family brings up two daughters - adopted Vika and native Sasha. But Olga and Igor do not separate girls, do not emphasize that one of them was not born by them. The younger Sasha has health problems - autism. The parents and older sister had to make every effort so that the disease did not affect the girl's socialization and education. And the efforts were not in vain - Alexandra lives an active life.
What is Igor Krutoy doing now
Igor Yakovlevich is always on the move, always busy with something. He lives in two countries - he is engaged in his business in Russia, his family lives in America. In addition to the "New Wave", Igor Yakovlevich this year was also involved in the "You are super!" Project. And he became not just a member of the jury, but also a close friend, mentor to one of the contestants. Moreover, he and his wife Olga decided to pay for the girl's further specialized education, to buy her an apartment in Moscow.
Despite the presence of health problems, Krutoy is actively involved in composing, producing, and releasing new albums of instrumental music. And, it seems, he is not going to give up his positions and concede the palm in anything, and to anyone.
