Vitas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Vitas
Vitas in 2002
Background information
Native name	Витас
Birth name	Vitaly Vladasovich Grachev
Also known as	Vitalik Vitas
Born	(1979-02-19) 19 February 1979 (age 46) Daugavpils, Latvian SSR, Soviet Union
Origin	Odesa, Ukraine
Genres	Operatic pop orchestral pop techno pop dance-pop folk-pop synth-pop electroclash alternative rock
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter
Years active	2000–present
Labels	Iceberg Music CD Land Квадро-Диск CICAC KHAM Gemini Sun Records Universal Music Taiwan Никитин Media Land Creative Media Monatomic Music 反正靠谱
Associated acts	D.I.V.A. (Д.И.В.А.) Aleksandra Pakhmutova Alexander Alexandrovich Morozov (artist) Lyubasha Nappy Roots

Vitaliy Vladasovich Grachev, known to the world as Vitas (pronounced VEE-tas), is a famous Russian singer. He is super well-known for his amazing high singing voice, called a falsetto. This means he can sing notes much higher than most male singers!

Vitas mixes many different music styles. He combines operatic pop (like opera but more modern), techno, dance, classical, and folk. His unique sound made him very popular in Russia and other Eastern European countries in the early 2000s.

He also became a huge star in Asia, especially China, starting in 2005. You might know him from his viral videos like "Opera #2" and "The 7th Element." These videos became super popular online because of their unusual and memorable style.

Vitas has worked with big music companies like Universal Music Group. He has also toured all over the world. He even designs his own cool stage costumes! When he performs live, he has a special backing band called DIVA.

Early Life and Musical Beginnings

Vitaly Vladasovich Grachev was born on February 19, 1979, in a city called Daugavpils. This city was part of the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic back then. Soon after, his family moved to Odessa, Ukraine, where he grew up.

Vitas has a mix of backgrounds, including Russian, Latvian, and Jewish roots. His grandfather taught him to play the accordion when he was just 5 years old. Vitas wrote his first song, "Rain in Tbilisi", at age 6. He later said he had written at least 1,000 songs by the time he was 12!

He went to an art school in Odessa starting at age seven. As a teenager, he appeared in many plays. His teacher at the art school even called him "a gift from God."

Music Career Highlights

Vitas' signature

Vitas started his career performing in nightclubs in Odessa. He would sing, dance, do comedy, and even magic tricks! He also worked as an actor in an experimental theater.

In 1999, a local TV station in Odessa made a music video for his song "Opera #1." Later, a Russian producer saw him perform "Opera #2" in a nightclub. This producer encouraged Vitas to move to Moscow.

Becoming a Star in Russia

In Moscow, Vitas started working on his first music for a wider audience. He recorded a music video for "Opera #2." In the video, Vitas played a unique, lonely man who lived in a bathtub with fish. This video came out in December 2000 and quickly got a lot of attention. People started comparing him to a famous character called Ichthyander, who was half-fish.

On February 27, 2001, Vitas had his first solo concert show in Moscow. This was a preview for his "Philosophy of Miracle" tour, which started soon after. He performed in many places, from concert halls to TV shows. In March 2002, Vitas even toured in the United States for the first time.

In late 2002, a famous Italian composer named Lucio Dalla invited Vitas to sing the song "Caruso" with him in Moscow. Mr. Dalla was so impressed that he invited Vitas to Rome to work on a modern opera.

Vitas released two albums, "Mama" and "The Songs of My Mother", to honor his mother who passed away in 2001. "The Songs of My Mother" featured classic Soviet songs that his mother loved. While making this album, Vitas became friends with the famous Russian composer Alexandra Pakhmutova. She even appeared in his music video for her song "The Bird of Happiness."

His first tour, "Philosophy of Miracle," ended in October 2003. Then, in November 2003, he started his second tour, "The Songs of My Mother." This tour was more traditional, focusing on classic Russian songs. He toured Russia, the United States, Germany, and other countries with this show until 2006.

Besides singing, Vitas also acted in a TV show called "Beloved Scoundrel." He played a pop singer with a very high voice. He also appeared in a comedy film called Crazy Day.

Success in Asia and Films

In June 2006, Vitas was invited to perform in Beijing, China, for a big event called The Year of Russia in China. He sang "The Star" and "Opera #2." This was the start of his huge popularity in China.

His "Return Home" tour began in 2006. This tour also had a more traditional feel, similar to "The Songs of My Mother." A concert from this tour in Saint Petersburg was later released on DVD.

In 2009, Vitas performed a special concert in Sichuan, China, to remember the victims of a big earthquake there. He also released a song called "Mommy and Son" in their memory. This song later became the main track of his 2011 album, also called Mommy and Son.

Vitas also started acting in Chinese films. He played a character named Gude in the movie Mulan, which came out in 2009. He also recorded music for the film. In 2011, he played a historical figure, Grigori Voitinsky, in the Chinese film The Founding of a Party. He also starred in a musical called A Night to Be a Star.

His "Mommy and Son" concert tour started in Russia in March 2011. A big concert in Kyiv, Ukraine, in 2012 was shown on TV and released on DVD. In 2013, he brought this tour to Germany.

In 2012, Vitas appeared on Russian talk shows like Let Them Talk. This was one of the first times he spoke openly on Russian TV after being private for about ten years.

Recent Years and Viral Fame

Vitas in 2015.

In 2019, Vitas released his fifteenth album, Bit Bombit. He celebrated 20 years as an artist with a new concert tour in Moscow in April 2019. He also appeared on a TV show called Evening Urgant on his 40th birthday.

He worked with Australian DJ Timmy Trumpet on a song called "The King." They even performed together at a big music festival in Belgium called Tomorrowland. In August 2020, Vitas released a special album in China called OPERA20 for his 20th anniversary. This album had songs in English, Russian, and Chinese, and included a song with Chinese singer Elvis Wang.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, Vitas mostly performed in Russia. Since March 2022, he has been focusing more on his family and performing less in public.

Personal Life

Vitas is a citizen of both Ukraine and Russia. He married his longtime girlfriend, Svetlana Grankovska, in 2006 in a private ceremony in Odessa. Their first daughter, Alla, was born in 2008. Their son, Maksim, was born in 2015, and their third child, a daughter named Alisa, was born in 2021.

For many years, Vitas was very private and rarely gave interviews. His producer tried to keep him away from journalists. However, in the early 2010s, Vitas became more open. In January 2012, he gave his first in-depth interview on the Russian talk show Let Them Talk. He even showed his wife and daughter publicly for the first time.

Later, he appeared on another TV show called Everybody Is At Home. He even sang and danced with a man's mother on the show, showing he had no hard feelings after the man falsely claimed to be Vitas's father.

Discography

Studio Albums

DVDs

Singles and EPs

Music Videos

Concert Tours

Filmography

Movies and TV Shows

Awards and Achievements

See also

In Spanish: Vitas para niños

• Russian pop music