Lauris Reiniks facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Lauris Reiniks
Reiniks in 2023
Background information
Born	(1979-07-11) July 11, 1979 (age 46) Dobele, Latvia
Origin	Riga, Latvia
Genres	Pop pop-rock
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter TV host actor
Years active	1999–present
Labels	MicRec (2008–present) MicRec PM (2005–2008) Platforma Records (2002–2005)

Lauris Reiniks, born on July 11, 1979, is a famous Latvian pop singer, songwriter, TV host, and actor. He studied music at Jelgava Music College and acting in Los Angeles, California. Lauris has released 9 solo albums and many songs in 11 different languages.

He is also a composer and helped create the Ričijs Rū / Richie Roo Bear project, which is popular with kids. Lauris Reiniks has won over 20 national awards in Latvia for his music. He is well-known in the Baltic states (Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania). Lauris hosts "Supernova", Latvia's show to pick its entry for the Eurovision Song Contest. He also won the first season of Latvia's "Dancing with the Stars" show. With millions of views on his music videos, many people call him the "King of YouTube" in Latvia.

Early Life and First Steps in Music
Music Career Highlights
Television Career
Dancing with the Stars
Acting Roles
Eurovision Song Contest
Discography
See also

Early Life and First Steps in Music

Lauris was born in Dobele, a small town in Latvia. He grew up in Tērvete, in a family that loved music. His first time on Latvian TV was when he was only 5 years old. He sang in a show called "Tiekas kaimiņi" (Neighbors Meet).

As a child and teenager, Lauris was the main singer in a pop-rock band called "AURI". His father started this band. With "AURI", Lauris learned how to perform on stage. They took part in many children's music festivals and contests.

His family, including his mother Dace, father Arturs, and sister Ruta, were known for singing together. They often appeared on a TV show called "Spiets" (The Swarm) and performed concerts all over Latvia.

In 1998, Latvian Television asked Lauris to host a new music TV show called "Nošu Spēles" (Games of Music Notes). This show led him to work with the famous Latvian composer Raimonds Pauls. Lauris sang in some of Pauls' music projects and recorded songs. After about a year, Lauris decided he wanted to write his own music and become an independent artist.

In 2000, a company called "Aktiv Music" offered Lauris a record deal. This was a big moment for him. It was when he truly started his journey to becoming a famous pop star in Latvia.

Music Career Highlights

Lauris Reiniks has many popular songs in Latvia. Some of his well-known hits include "Sirds Sadeg Neparasti", "Es Neesmu Neprātīgs", and "Es skrienu" (I'm running). "Es skrienu" became a huge hit across the Baltic states in 2010.

Most of his Latvian songs were written with Mārtiņš Freimanis, who wrote the lyrics to Lauris's music. For his English songs, Lauris wrote the lyrics himself or worked with writers like Edward Van De Vendel and Gordon Pogoda. Lauris has also recorded many of his Latvian hit songs in Estonian and Lithuanian. He worked with Estonian writer Leelo Tungal and Lithuanian artists Justinas Jankevičius and Deivydas Zvonkus for these versions.

Lauris has won the Universality Prize three times from AKKA/LAA, Latvia's copyright agency. This award is for songs played most often on radio and TV. He won for "Tell Me" (2004), "Sirds Sadeg Neparasti" (2007), and "Es skrienu" (2012).
He was the voice for a Coca-Cola commercial in Latvia.
His 2003 album Lidot savādāk (To Fly Differently) sold over 8,000 copies and earned a Gold award.
In 2005, the Latvian Top of the Pops magazine named Lauris the "Latvian National Megastar 2004".
In 2005, Lauris released "And You Came" with Estonian singer Maarja. It became a hit in both Latvia and Estonia.
In 2009, experts ranked Lauris as the second most successful pop musician in Latvia, after the band Brainstorm.
His 2010 album Es skrienu won "Best Pop Album" at the Annual Latvian Music Awards 2010. It also received a Gold award. The song "Es skrienu" was the best-selling song of 2010 on doremi.lv, a big online music shop at the time.
The music video for "Es skrienu" quickly became a national hit in 2010. Lauris recorded this song in 8 other languages, including Estonian ("Ma jooksen"), Lithuanian ("Aš bėgu"), and English ("I Will Run"). These versions became popular in all three Baltic States.
Lauris set a Baltic record with his "Es skrienu" music video. The Lithuanian version, "Aš bėgu", reached over 1 million views on YouTube in less than 2 months. This was the first time a Baltic artist achieved this.
In 2011, Lauris's song "Aš bėgu" won "Song of the Year" in Lithuania on TV3 Lithuania's show "Vaikų Balsas 2011".
He released his first album in Lithuania, "Aš bėgu", on June 1, 2011. It included Lithuanian versions of his songs and new English tracks.
In July 2011, he released his first album in Estonia, "Ma jooksen" ("I'm Running"). This album also featured Estonian versions and new English songs.
In September 2011, his "Es skrienu" album earned a Gold award in Latvia for selling 5,000 CDs.
In February 2012, Lauris won "Radio Hit of the Year" for "Es skrienu" at the Latvian Music Awards 2011.
In August 2012, a French version of "Es skrienu" ("Je cours") was released on YouTube.
In November 2012, Lauris released his Christmas album "Lauris Reiniks Ziemassvētkos". He then held a big concert in Arena Riga, with 7,000 people attending.
From 2012 to 2014, Lauris toured Lithuania and Estonia, releasing singles in Estonian and Lithuanian.
In 2015, Lauris released a new song and video in all three Baltic languages at once: "Rīts pieneņpūkās" (Latvian), "Rytas Pienės Pūke" (Lithuanian), and "Hommik võilille-ehmetes" (Estonian). It also had an English version called "Morning in Dandelion Fluff".
In 2017, Lauris went on a sold-out tour across 12 Latvian cities called "Es domāšu par tevi". He also released a music book with 50 popular songs and a collection of his 22 greatest hits.
In November 2018, Lauris released "Viss labi būs", the theme song for the movie "Jaungada taksometrs" (New Year's Eve Taxi), where he played the main role. This song was also released in Lithuania and Estonia.
In 2021, the "Ričijs Rū rīko koncertu" (Richie Roo throws a concert) album and book for kids were released in Latvia. Lauris composed the songs, and his grandmother Veronika Reinika wrote the poems. The songs quickly became very popular, and the book was a bestseller.
In 2022, the "Ričijs Rū rīko koncertu" concert tour sold out across Latvia. The book was named "Book of the year 2021 for children". In June, the album received a Golden Disc award for its amazing sales.
On January 11, 2023, "Ričijs Rū rīko koncertu" received the Platinum Disc award. The album and book had sold over 10,000 copies.
On August 3, 2023, a second "Ričijs Rū" album and book, "Ričijs Rū rīko koncertu 2", were released. This was followed by another sold-out tour called "Ričijs Rū- ceļojums uz Āfriku" (Richie Roo- a trip to Africa).
On December 3, 2023, Lauris Reiniks received his fourth "Eternity prize" (Bezgalības balva). This award is given for the most published, broadcast, and streamed work. This time, it was for "Ričijs Rū rīko koncertu 2". His sister Rūta Reinika-Preisa, who wrote the lyrics and created the project, also received the award.
On March 8, 2024, the "Richie Roo Throws a Concert 2" album won "Best Music Album For Children" at the Latvian Music Awards ceremony "Zelta Mikrofons 2024" (Golden Microphone).

Television Career

Since 1998, Lauris Reiniks has hosted many TV shows for different Latvian channels. He has also appeared in several TV commercials.

In 2010, Lauris won his first National TV award, "Zelta Vilnis 2009" (Golden Wave), for "TV Personality of the Year". In 2016, he received the TV3 Latvia people's choice award "Ekrāna mīlulis" (Screen's Favorite) for his contributions to Latvia's show business.

Lauris Reiniks has hosted many TV shows, including:

1998–2003: "Nošu spēles" LTV
1998–2001: International children music festival "Saules zaķis" LTV
2000: Eurovision Song Contest 2000 spokesperson from Latvia. LTV
2000: VIII Latvian school and youth song and dance festival LTV
2001–2005: "Kam gaišāka galva?" LTV
2007: "Dziedi ar zvaigzni" (Sing With a Star) TV3 Latvia
2008: "Koru kari" (Clash of the Choirs) TV3 Latvia
2009: "Muzikālā banka 2008" (Latvian Radio 2 Music Awards) LTV
2014–2016: "Izklausies redzēts" (Your Face Sounds Familiar) Seasons 1, 2, and 3 TV3 Latvia
2020–2022: "Pasaki to skaļi" (Say It Out Loud) Seasons 1, 2, and 3 360TV
2022–2025: "Supernova" (Latvian Eurovision Song Contest selection) LTV

Dancing with the Stars

On April 8, 2007, Lauris Reiniks won the first season of Latvia's "Dancing with the Stars" (Dejo ar Zvaigzni) on TV3 Latvia. His dance partner was Aleksandra Kurusova, a professional ballroom dancer. In 2008, an American TV channel in California even featured a story about Lauris as a successful musician and the winner of the Latvian "Dancing with the Stars".

Four years later, in 2011, Lauris was invited to join a similar show in Lithuania called "Šok su manimi" (Dance with me) on TV3 Lithuania. After three episodes, Lauris and Aleksandra decided to leave the show.

Acting Roles

Lauris Reiniks has trained as an actor in Los Angeles. He studied at TVI Actors Studio, "The Acting Corps", and "Speiser/Sturges Acting Studio".

His acting work includes:

Playing Rolf in the musical The Sound Of Music in 2004-2005.
Playing Olympus in the musical "Autoplanet" in 2005.
A guest role in the LTV series "Prāts vai Instinkts" (2010).
A role as Edvards, a Latvian soldier, in the 2011 film "Dancis pa trim" (Three to Dance).
From 2010 to 2012, Lauris played a main role in the play "Ladies Night" (Kailie Brieži) at the National Theater in Riga.
In 2016, Reiniks joined the cast of the TV3 Latvia series "Viņas melo labāk" (Women lie better). He played Igors, a character who returns in the 6th season in 2018.
In 2018, Lauris Reiniks got his first main role in a movie called "Jaungada Taksometrs" (New Year's Eve Taxi). He played Andrejs, the taxi driver. This romantic comedy was released in Latvian cinemas on November 30, 2018.
In November 2019, "Jaungada taksometrs 2", the sequel to the first movie, was released. Lauris again played the lead role of Andrejs.
In 2019, Lauris Reiniks was the speaking and singing voice for adult Simba in the Latvian version of Disney's new The Lion King movie.
In 2021, Lauris played a priest in the Tet TV+ series "Pefektās kāzas" (The perfect wedding).
In 2022, Lauris Reiniks told stories to kids in the "Ričija Rū pasakas" (Fairytales of Ričijs Rū) series on Tet TV+ streaming service.
In October 2023, he played Andris Zviedris, a famous actor, in the Tet TV+/STV TV series "No naida līdz mīlestībai" (From hate to love).

Eurovision Song Contest

Lauris Reiniks has been involved with the Eurovision Song Contest several times:

In 2001, Lauris and Linda Leen came in 2nd place at the Latvian National selection with their song "I Wish I Knew".
In 2002, Lauris finished 5th at the Latvian National selection Eirodziesma 2002 with "My Memory Tape".
In 2003, Lauris formed a trio called F.L.Y. with Mārtiņš Freimanis and Yana Kay just for the Eurovision Latvian selection. They won with their song "Hello From Mars" and represented Latvia at Eurovision Song Contest 2003 in Riga.
In 2009, Lauris Reiniks's song "I wish I could pretend", sung by Kristina Zaharova, came in 2nd place in the Irish Eurovision Finals "Eurosong 2009".
In 2010, Lauris's song "Your Morning Lullaby" reached the finals of the Latvian Eurovision National preliminaries "Eirodziesma 2010", finishing 4th.
In 2011, Lauris Reiniks came in 2nd place at the Latvian Eurovision National preliminaries "Eirodziesma 2011" with his song "Banjo Laura". A Spanish version, "La chica del Banjo", was released a month later.

Discography

Planet 42 (2002)
Lidot savādāk (2003)
Tik balti (2003)
Never Look Back (with F.L.Y.) (2003)
Debesskrāpju spīts (2005)
Nakts veikalā (2007)
Es skrienu (2010)
Aš bėgu (2011) Lithuania
Ma jooksen (2011) Estonia
Lauris Reiniks Ziemassvētkos (2012)
Lauris Reiniks – Labāko dziesmu izlase (2017)
Ričijs Rū rīko koncertu (2021)
Ričis Ra su muzika gera (2022) Lithuania
Ričijs Rū rīko koncertu 2 (2023)