Eduard Khil facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Eduard Khil
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| Эдуард Анатольевич Хиль | |
Khil receiving a 4th class Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" in 2009
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| Born |
Eduard Anatolyevich Khil
4 September 1934 |
| Died | 4 June 2012 (aged 77) Saint Petersburg, Russia
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| Resting place | Smolensky Cemetery, Saint Petersburg |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Years active | 1955–2012 |
| Spouse(s) |
Zoya Pravdina
(m. 1958) |
| Children | 1 |
| Awards |
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Eduard Anatolyevich Khil (Russian: Эдуа́рд Анато́льевич Хиль; born September 4, 1934 – died June 4, 2012) was a famous Russian singer. He was known for his deep baritone voice. People often called him Edward Hill in English.
Khil became very famous around the world in 2010. This happened when a video from 1976 of him singing went viral online. In the video, he sang a song called "I Am Very Glad, as I'm Finally Returning Back Home" (Russian: Я о́чень рад, ведь я, наконе́ц, возвраща́юсь домо́й) without any words. He just used sounds like "Trololol." This video became an Internet meme and was often called "Trololol" or "Trololo." Some people even called it the "Russian Rickroll." Because of this, Khil started using "Mr. Trololo" as a stage name.
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Early Life and Education
Eduard Anatolyevich Khil was born in Smolensk, Russia, on September 4, 1934. His parents were Anatoly Vasilyevich Khil and Yelena Pavlovna Kalugina. His family broke up, and his mother raised him. During World War II, his kindergarten was bombed. He got separated from his mother. He was sent to a children's home in Bekovo, which was a difficult place.
Even though times were tough, Eduard often sang for injured soldiers. He was reunited with his mother in 1943. This was after Smolensk was freed from Nazi Germany. In 1949, he moved to Leningrad. There, he went to printing college. In 1955, Khil started studying music at the Leningrad Conservatory. He learned from Yevgeny Olkhovsky and Zoya Lodyi. He finished his studies in 1960. While he was a student, he began singing lead roles in operas. One of his famous roles was Figaro in The Marriage of Figaro.
Khil's Singing Career
After finishing his studies, Eduard Khil became interested in pop music. He was inspired after seeing a concert by Klavdiya Shulzhenko. He then started singing popular songs. Over the next 20 years, he won many awards. In 1962, he won the "All Russian Competition for Performers." He was also asked to sing at the "Festival of Soviet Songs" in 1965.
He earned second place at the Sopot International Song Festival in 1965. In 1967, a composer named Andrey Petrov won a big award for songs Khil sang. Khil himself received the "Honored Artist of the RSFSR" award in 1968. He also got the Order of the Red Banner of Labour in 1971. In 1974, he received Russia's highest artist award, the People's Artist of the RSFSR. He was so popular that people called him the 'Symbol of Leningrad.'
From 1977 to 1979, Khil taught singing at the Russian State Institute of Performing Arts. He traveled and performed in over 80 countries.
In the early 1990s, his singing career slowed down. He worked in a cafe in Paris, singing cabaret. In 1996, his son Dmitry suggested a new project. Khil joined a rock band called Prepinaki. They formed a group called Khil and the Sons.
For his 75th birthday in 2009, Khil received the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland". This was a special award from Russia. In 2010, he sang at the Victory Day Parade in Saint Petersburg.
Khil's Unique Song Style
Eduard Khil was the first to sing many famous songs. These included Woodcutters (Russian: Лесору́бы) and I am so happy to be finally back at home. Other popular songs were Moonstone (Russian: Лунный камень) and A song about a friend (Russian: Пе́сня о дру́ге). He also sang And people go to the sea (Russian: А лю́ди ухо́дят в мо́ре) and Blue Cities (Russian: Голубы́е города́).
Khil's singing was special and easy to recognize. He had a charming personality and a lyrical baritone voice. His performances often showed optimism and humor.
Personal Life
The family name Khil might come from a Spanish ancestor. Their last name was Gil, which sounds similar.
In July 1958, Khil met Zoya Pravdina. She was a ballerina. They were both performing at the Leningrad Conservatory. They toured together that summer and fall. They started a romantic relationship. They got married on December 1, 1958. They stayed married until Khil passed away in 2012.
Eduard and Zoya had one son, Dmitri, born on June 2, 1963. They also had a grandson named Eduard, born in 1997, who was named after his grandfather.
Illness and Death
On April 8, 2012, Eduard Khil had a stroke. He was taken to the Mariinsky Hospital in Saint Petersburg. He had serious brain injuries and fell into a coma. Doctors later said his brain damage was irreversible. He passed away in the hospital on June 4, 2012. He was 77 years old. His death was caused by problems from the stroke. This was two days after his son's 49th birthday.
Many people sent their sympathy to Khil's family. Russia's President Vladimir Putin was among them.
Legacy: The "Trololo" Internet Sensation
In 2009, a video from 1976 of Eduard Khil singing became very popular online. In the video, he sang "I am very glad, as I'm finally returning back home" (Russian: Я о́чень рад, ведь я, наконе́ц, возвраща́юсь домо́й) without any actual words. He used sounds like "Trololo." This video quickly became known as "Trololol" or "Trololo." The name "Trololo" sounds like the way Khil sings in the song. The video went viral, and Khil became known as "Mr. Trololo" or "Trololo Man." People sometimes called it the Russian Rickroll.
The song was written by Arkady Ostrovsky. Other singers also performed it, like Valery Obodzinsky and Muslim Magomayev.
Khil said the "Trololo" song originally had lyrics. They were about a cowboy riding his horse. The lyrics said:
I'm riding the prairie on my stallion, so-and-so mustang, and my beloved Mary is thousand miles away knitting a stocking for me.
The "Trololo" video first appeared on some websites in February 2010. A website called trololololololololololo.com helped make it famous. It got over 3 million views in its first month. It became even more popular in March 2010. It was shown on TV shows like The Colbert Report and Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld. Actor Christoph Waltz even parodied it on Jimmy Kimmel Live! It was also featured in an episode of the animated TV show Family Guy in 2011.
The popularity of "Trololo" made people interested in Khil's other songs. For a while, the "Trololo" website had a petition. It asked Khil to come out of retirement for a world tour.
Khil's son said his father wondered if someone was making fun of him. He also asked, "Where were all these journalists 40 years ago?"
The "Trololo" song was used in TV ads. It appeared in a Butlins ad in the UK. It was also in a US ad for the Volkswagen Beetle convertible during the Super Bowl XLVII in 2013. The song was also in the 2012 video game Ratchet and Clank: Full Frontal Assault. It was briefly heard in the 2018 movie Pacific Rim: Uprising.
On December 31, 2011, Khil sang the "Trololo" song live again. This was for a Russian New Year's TV special. In the first week of January 2012, this new video also went viral. It got over four million views on YouTube. Khil passed away later that year.
On September 4, 2017, Google showed a special interactive Google Doodle. It featured Khil singing the "Trololo" song. This was to celebrate what would have been his 83rd birthday.
Awards and Honors
- Winner of Second All-Russian competition of performers (1962)
- Sopot International Song Festival second prize (1965)
- Honored Artist of the RSFSR (1968)
- Order of the Red Banner of Labour (1971)
- People's Artist of the RSFSR (1974)
- Lenin Komsomol Prize (1976)
- Order of Friendship of Peoples (1981)
- Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 4th class (2009)
- Utyosov Prize
Film and TV Appearances
- 1965 – Cheryomushki (Черёмушки) – provided vocals
- 1974 – Eduard Khil (a documentary film)
- 1985 – Golubye goroda (Голубые города, Blue Cities; a concert film)
- 2004 – Yatinsotests – played a club manager
