Childhood and youth
Singer Alexander Medvedev was born on May 20, 1975 in Novosibirsk. The boy grew up with his mother Svetlana, younger brother Mikhail and grandmother Vera Mikhailovna, who, according to the artist, was of gypsy blood.
Sasha was always sure that his brother was loved more, and over time he found a lot of evidence of this. For example, the musician said that at the age of 9 he ended up in an orphanage, from where his grandmother took him. And the young man learned that his father was not his own when he received his passport, where his mother asked him to write down a different patronymic.
As it turned out, his father, Vladimir Shapkin, lived not far from the Medvedevs’ house, but did not take the initiative to meet and communicate with his son. Svetlana began dating 20-year-old Vladimir, who had just returned from the army, at the age of 17. The girl became pregnant, but the young man did not consider it necessary to marry, but, on the contrary, moved away. After a while, Nikolai Dudchenko became Svetlana’s husband, from whom his second son was born. But this family did not last long.
Having become popular, Shura always tried to support his mother financially, even if, due to conflicts, he had to transfer money not directly, but through his brother or daughter-in-law.
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Shura and his mother
Shura have no musical education. And his schooling ended already in the 7th grade. The boy was expelled with a certificate of incomplete secondary education.
He began his singing career early - at the age of 13. Sasha's first scene was the Novosibirsk restaurant "Rus", where his grandmother worked. The unusual performer was immediately nicknamed the Yellow Suitcase. Apparently, this was due to the guy’s shocking appearance: he came out to perform in a black sweater with fringe, patent leather shoes with high platforms and a black coat that reached his toes.
According to the artist, his grandmother instilled in him a craving for extravagance. Vera Mikhailovna worked as a cook and had an indirect connection to art - she sang romances in front of the mirror, dressed in incredible outfits. She also taught her grandson macramé and embroidery. At one time, in addition to music, Medvedev taught handicraft courses in his native Novosibirsk, which were attended by women of all ages. This activity prompted the future artist to become a florist designer.
Shura graduated from design courses in Riga and immediately came to Moscow with the ambitious intention of conquering the capital.
Childhood and school years
Alexander Vladimirovich Medvedev was born in the late spring of 1975 in Novosibirsk. His family was completely unprepared for the appearance of their first child. The fact is that mother Svetlana Ivanovna Medvedeva was barely eighteen, and twenty-year-old father Vladimir Vasilyevich Shapkin did not at all expect the appearance of his son. The couple's unpreparedness for parenthood led to their quick separation.
The biological father was never interested in Shura, so he stayed with his mother. After some time, stepfather Sergei appeared in the family. But he couldn’t replace the boy’s father, and he didn’t really want to. Throughout his early years, Alexander was beaten by his mother and stepfather, who blamed him for all their troubles in life.
It didn’t get better after the appearance of Misha’s younger brother. Moreover, it was because of him that the future singer lost three front teeth. Once a boy beat his older brother with skittles to such an extent that it was impossible to restore his teeth. When Medvedev turned nine, his mother sent him to an orphanage. There the boy's life became a little more favorable.
However, from an early age he had to earn his living. So, at thirteen, his own grandmother Vera Mikhailovna - the only relative who showed sympathy for the boy - got him a job singing at the local restaurant "Rus", where she herself worked. But the start of a singing career interfered with school studies.
Already in the sixth grade, Sasha was kicked out of school due to poor academic performance with a certificate of incomplete secondary education. Then it became obvious that life needed to change.
Personal life
There have always been many rumors around the singer about his sexuality. Shocking appearance and provocative statements maintained press interest in this topic.
In the end, despite initial statements about homosexuality, the singer introduced his fiancée in May 2010. The couple met at the Opera club, where Lisa worked as a promoter.
On his 35th birthday, the singer, appearing at the capital's Paradise club with his beloved, announced his relationship with Lisa and gave his beloved a Mercedes. The artist's friends and colleagues warmly received the girl. Judging by their joint photos, the lovers have similar facial features. In 2014, Lisa starred in Alexander’s video “Heart Beats.”
In 2011, information appeared in the media that Shura had two children growing up in Kislovodsk. The artist himself categorically denied this information, which was shared with the press by Medvedev’s alleged former lover. The singer went to the studio of the “Let Them Talk” program to find out the truth. Seeing the children, the audience was surprised at how similar they were to the artist, but a DNA test determined that Shura was telling the truth.
Published by Aida Aydın Sunday, May 20, 2018
Shura and the girl Lisa
According to the performer, he deliberately and for a long time hid his personal life from prying eyes, and his affair with Lisa lasted for a long time. Even after public statements, Shura continued to hide his romantic relationship from the press.
The musician talks about another part of his life a little more willingly. Shura does not hide the fact that he and his mother have a protracted conflict. In 2013, the case even went to court. His mother and brother tried to get him out of the apartment where the artist had been registered by his grandmother. Shura did not back down and entered into litigation. Alexander does not need a “one-room apartment” in Novosibirsk; he explained these actions for two reasons.
Firstly, he considers the relatives’ act a betrayal, because no one tried to come to an amicable agreement with the musician; on the contrary, the mother cut off all contacts. Secondly, the man is worried about his mother. According to him, the woman had a new boyfriend, who was suspiciously zealously interested in the financial condition of the chosen one. Shura suspects the man of bad intentions and does not want his mother to end up on the street.
Published by Irina Abdulova Tuesday, May 19, 2020
Shura in his youth
In 2021, the singer tried to make peace with his parent. No one opened the door for the musician, so he began to wait for the woman on a bench at the entrance, but when Shura’s mother went outside, she walked past her son as if she did not recognize him. Medvedev shared this story with television viewers on the “Let Them Talk” show. But, judging by the celebrity’s Instagram, the relatives soon reconciled.
In May, with the participation of Alexander Medvedev, the TV show “Secret for a Million” with Lera Kudryavtseva was released on the NTV channel. The artist spoke frankly about problems that were far in the past, and about his desire to become a father. For the sake of this dream, before the program, the artist passed the necessary tests, and on the air of the TV show he met a surrogate mother who is ready to carry twins. For the sake of future heirs, Shura plans to purchase a country house. Judging by the discussions on that broadcast, Lisa never became the singer’s wife, since the program discussed his possibilities as a single father.
And after some time, Shura encountered a problem, because of which he actually became homeless. Back in the early 2000s, the artist bought an apartment in Moscow for 45 million rubles, which he subsequently transferred to another person under the influence of drugs. The property had new owners who demanded to move out of the occupied meters. At first Shura was in a depressed mood, but then he decided to fight.
Personal life of singer Shura
During the period of his career takeoff, the artist was often spoken of as a representative of a gay person. He did not refute these assumptions, but later called it a PR stunt to maintain interest in his person.
Shura created the image of a gay representative
In 2010, on his birthday, Shura went out with his common-law wife Elizaveta. According to him, they had already lived together for a long time, and met at the Opera nightclub, where his chosen one worked as a promoter. The singer not only introduced his beloved to his friends, announcing the beginning of their relationship, but also gave her a Mercedes car.
For a long time, the artist could not improve his relationship with his mother. According to rumors, she refused to communicate with him for more than 25 years because of the insult, and did not answer calls. But in 2021, they finally reconciled, which he announced on his blog by publishing a photo of them together.
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Music
Shura's debut in the capital took place at the Manhattan Express club. The bet on shocking was correct, and the singer woke up famous. Another important event for the young singer took place in the same establishment - Alexander met the stylist Alisher. Since then, the fashion designer has been sewing stage costumes for Sasha and consulting during shopping trips.
The peak of the pop singer's fame was at the end of the 90s. The artist gained rapid growth in popularity thanks to his shocking manner of performance and appearance: Shura had no teeth and was in no hurry to insert them. According to the man, as children they were knocked out by their younger brother Mikhail during a fight.
The first video for the song “Cold Moon” was released in 1997 and became Shura’s calling card for the next couple of years. He was dressed in a gold suit: tight leggings, a short jacket with feathers on the sleeves and massive women's boots with heels and platforms.
Shura - “The summer rains have ceased to be noisy”
Shura’s most famous songs are “The summer rains have stopped making noise”, “Do good”, “But autumn has just come” and others. The artist's hits have become the subject of numerous parodies. But for many, Shura’s compositions of those years are associated with the period of growing up, and therefore are still relevant today.
In 1997, the first album entitled Shura appeared in the musician’s discography. And in 1998, the disc Shura-2 was released as a continuation.
Medvedev has many musical awards. For the songs “Don't Believe Tears” and “Do Good,” the singer received the Golden Gramophone. In “Song of the Year” Shura sang “You don’t believe in tears” and “The summer rains have stopped making noise.” The awards were received by the compositions “Artist”, “Zimushka Winter” and “Sky for Us”.
Shura - “Don’t believe in tears”
After a quick takeoff, Shura disappeared from the eyes of fans for some time due to illness. Returning to the stage in the late 2000s in an updated image, he became a guest on popular shows. In the “Musical Ring” his opponent was Boris Moiseev.
In 2007, the artist appeared in the program “You are a superstar!” on NTV. The new image allowed the celebrity to reach the finals, where he lost 1st place to Aziza. The number that impressed the audience was the song “Let's Pray for Our Parents.” The singer sang this hit in a duet with Soso Pavliashvili.
At the end of 2010, Shura presented a new composition called “Balloons”, and also shot a video for it. The video begins with a colorful travesty ballet, and the artist himself appears in his usual image: bright makeup, a shiny suit and elegant high-heeled shoes.
In 2015, the performer celebrated 20 years of creative activity. In the same year, the singer appeared in the transformation show “One to One!” on the TV channel "Russia-1". A year later, he began a large tour “New Life. New image”, in which he presented the songs “Penguins”, “Our Summer”.
Shura - “Cold Moon”
In July 2018, the man became a guest of Andrei Malakhov’s evening show “Hello, Andrei!”, the episode of which was dedicated to the stars of the 90s.
Shura did not forget about creating new hits. In 2021, he gave fans a new single, “Girlfriend.” A year later, he announced on Instagram the release of the song “Important Something,” which caused a storm of positive emotions from subscribers. In the summer, his solo concert took place at GlavClub Green Concert.
In the summer of 2019, Alexander appeared on Nastya Ivleeva’s YouTube channel, giving an interview for her program AgentShow. He spoke about the period when he was a drug addict, spoke about the difficult relationship with his mother and recalled the period when he struggled with the disease. According to the artist, at that difficult moment, of all his friends, only a few remained close to him, after which the man reconsidered his outlook on life, deciding to more carefully select his social circle, something he had not thought about at all in his youth.
Shura (singer)
Shura, real name - Alexander Vladimirovich Medvedev. Born on May 20, 1975 in Novosibirsk. Russian pop singer.
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Alexander Medvedev, who became known to the general public as Shura, was born on May 20, 1975 in Novosibirsk.
Father - Vladimir Shapkin.
Mother - Svetlana.
Maternal brother - Mikhail.
He didn't remember his father. When his parents met, his mother was 17 years old and his father was 20; he had just returned from the army. Apparently there were no serious feelings between them, because even after his mother became pregnant with Alexander, Vladimir Shapkin did not want to marry her.
Soon his mother got married and he had a stepfather, Nikolai Medvedev. Svetlana registered her son in his last name, but kept his father’s middle name. Another son was born into the family - Mikhail.
Later, Shura will find the grave of her biological father and even find out that he lived very close: “The most offensive thing is that he lived across the house from me and never came and said: “Hello, it’s me.” And I will come to you. Now I have a dad, only now,” he said, standing at the grave of Vladimir Shapkin.
In addition, he recalled how in childhood he wanted to have a father: “All my life I was like my younger brother, Nikolaevich, and my mother says: “Write Vladimirovich.” I felt bad, I realized why I always pulled my hands: “Daddy, daddy, daddy,” and my stepfather looked at me like I was a fool.”
Shura's parents
The mother soon divorced her stepfather and was left alone with two children. Shura’s relationship with his mother did not work out; she loved his younger brother more. And at some point she even gave him to a shelter. True, he did not stay there for long - his grandmother Galya, who raised him from the age of 9, took him.
He essentially had no relationship with his mother since adolescence. In May 2016, on camera (for the show “Let Them Talk!”), he tried to reconcile with her - he bought flowers, waited on a bench, handed him a bouquet, but she walked past, not even wanting to talk to her son.
Shura in childhood
From the age of 13, after school, he sang at the Novosibirsk restaurant “Rus”, where his grandmother Galina worked as a cook.
According to him, he had many teachers who tried to teach him how to sing, but he chose to refuse any training because due to missing teeth and improper breathing, vocals were difficult for him. He never learned to control his voice, which, however, he did not regret much, passing off his inability as some kind of special performing extravagance.
Since childhood, he loved to pretend to be a pop singer. In addition, he loved to cook, sew and embroider, weave macrame, and even led a handicraft club for some time. He took part in amateur performances, and at school parties he most often played the role of Baba Yaga.
He did not finish high school - he was expelled after the seventh grade with a certificate of “incomplete secondary education.”
For four years I went to the camp as a pioneer leader.
After school, he went to Riga, where he completed courses for florist designers and received a master's diploma in ikebana design.
In the mid-1990s, taking the pseudonym Shura, he began working as a “mass entertainer.” And he succeeded - incl. Thanks to his specific appearance (and the absence of front teeth), he successfully entertains the public. He was noticed. Also, despite having a lisp and lack of vocal abilities, he began to sing - he performed songs by the Novosibirsk composer Pavel Yesenin.
In the end, producers became interested in such an unusual singer and decided to turn his flaws into a stage image.
Shura - Do good
Shura's popularity peaked at the end of the 1990s. He gained fame due to his shocking manner of performance and memorable appearance - a feature of the performer until some time was the absence of front teeth.
He performed in a minimum of clothing, demonstrating incredible thinness, in extravagant outfits.
Shura - The summer rains have ceased
A number of his hits - “The Summer Rains Have Stopped Noise”, “Do Good”, “Cold Moon”, “Don’t Believe Tears”, etc. - became the objects of numerous parodies. Which, however, only helped the singer to promote himself and become even more popular.
Shura - Cold Moon
He starred in several films, in which he also performed his songs. In particular, he can be seen in the crime comedy “8 1/2 dollars” directed by Gregory of Constantinople.
Shura in the movie "8 1/2 Dollars"
Shura's disease
At the peak of his popularity, Shura disappeared from public view. It later turned out that he became a drug addict. In addition, he was diagnosed with cancer. Therefore, the singer had to undergo chemotherapy, go under the surgeon’s knife and take drugs for drug addiction.
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As Shura said, his cancer was discovered quite late. “Everything turned out to be very urgent. I had metastases. Everything was already very bad,” he said. Then he underwent surgery at the Odintsovo military hospital.
“They cut off one of my testicles. I think, okay, so we need to get through this and move on with our lives,” he said.
The complex operation marked the beginning of a long, grueling treatment. The artist underwent rehabilitation in the best clinics in Russia and Switzerland for five years. I spent about a million dollars on treatment.
Then he returned to the stage very plump, bald and with teeth inserted.
He took part in shows on central television channels.
In 2007 he took part in the show “You are a Superstar!” on the NTV channel, where among the singers, thanks to rebranding, he turned from a shocking one into a brutal and stylish man and took 2nd place after Aziza.
In 2015, he took part in the third season of the show “One to One!” on the Russia-1 channel.
In 2014 he recorded the song and video clip “Laughter and Tears”, in 2016 - a video for the song “Penguins”, in 2017 Shura presented the video clip “Girlfriend”.
Shura. Homecoming. Let them talk
Shura's height: 175 centimeters.
Shura's personal life:
It has long been believed that Shura belongs to people with a non-traditional sexual orientation, which he himself did not deny when he made his career as a singer. However, Shura later stated that homosexuality was part of his image.
In May 2010, Shura introduced his fiancee named Lisa to the public, whom he met at the Opera club, where she worked as a promoter.
Externally, the couple is very similar. It has been suggested that Lisa is a transsexual.
Shura and Lisa
Filmography of Shura:
1999 - 8 1/2 dollars - cameo + vocals 2001 - Lisa Alisa - singer at a party + vocals (song “Summer Rains”) 2007-2015 - My Truth (Ukraine, documentary)
Shura's discography:
1997 - "Shura" 1998 - "Shura-2" 2001 - "Thank you for the second wind" 2003 - "News" 2011 - "New Day"
Shura's singles:
1999 — “Fairy Tale” (exclusive single) 2004 — “Forbidden Love” (feat. Irina Berezhnaya) 2012 — “The Heart Beats” 2012 — “Prayer” (feat. Svetlana Surganova) 2014 — “Laughter and Tears” 2015 — “Dreams” 2015 - “Our Summer” 2021 - “Heart Beats” 2021 - “Penguins” 2021 - “Girlfriend”
Shura's video clips:
1997 - “Cold Moon” 1998 - “Don’t Believe Tears” (concert) 1998 - “The Summer Rains Have Stopped” 2000 - “Do Good” 2001 - “Take a Step” (Unreleased) 2003 - “Hello” 2004 - “Forbidden Love” feat. Irina Berezhnaya 2010 - “Balloons” 2012 - “Heart Beats” 2012 - “Prayer” feat. Surganova and the Orchestra 2014 - “Laughter and Tears” 2021 - “Penguins” 2021 - “Girlfriend”
Songs of Shura:
The summer rains have ceased making noise Don Don Don Are You Ready Cold moon Eternity Winter winter You don’t believe in tears Wreck-wound Day outside the window Fairytale Treasured land Do good And just autumn has come Artist Take a step Please say hello Old artist On the cheeks of Peace and goodness (Do good 2) Or or New day Balloons Heart beats Laughter and tears Dreams Our summer Penguins Girlfriend
Style and appearance
Shura’s appearance is a separate topic, discussed first in the press and then on the Internet, from the moment she appeared on the scene. In the late 90s, shocking was different than it is now. These days, it is difficult to recognize Alexander Medvedev as that young man without teeth, jumping in a fur coat and swimming trunks on stage during the Golden Gramophone Award.
Initially, Medvedev's concerts were accompanied by a voluminous wardrobe, which toured with the artist. Between performances he liked to change clothes, but invariably each of his appearances on stage was bright and memorable. The performer could perform in women's shoes with high heels or platforms, a bright floor-length fur coat, tight leggings of golden or silver color, he was very fond of leopard print and simply bright clothes that provoked public discussion.
Five minutes of despondency Remember, in the nineties there was a singer Shura, who stood out for his lack of front teeth?
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Shura without teeth
All this accompanied Shura's concerts in the late 1990s and early 2000s. But after the artist disappeared from the stage during treatment for cancer, and then reappeared, he changed in appearance, and his image also changed. The plump singer no longer looked so bright, although his preferences still remained on the side of shocking images: floor-length shirts, shiny jackets, yellow socks, a multi-colored coat and, of course, glasses of different colors, shapes and sizes. By the way, at the same time he also solved the problem with his teeth - according to Alexander, 8 million rubles were spent on going to the dentist.
Disease
In the 2000s, Shura’s creative biography was interrupted for a long time. As it turned out, he was seriously ill. Evil tongues started talking about the singer’s drug addiction and alcoholism. Medvedev confirmed drug addiction, calling it the main cause of the disease - cancer. But the man managed to overcome the terrible illness, although it took a lot of time: the oncology was discovered in an advanced form.
Treatment began in a military hospital in Moscow. Shura underwent a complex operation, but this was only the first stage on the path to healing. Next came chemotherapy, which was carried out simultaneously with treatment for drug addiction.
The singer’s mother even flew in from Novosibirsk to help get him into the clinic. Friends supported the artist, helped him in word and deed: a large amount of money was needed for treatment and rehabilitation. Shura continued his course of treatment in one of the Swiss medical centers.
The disease receded, thanks to the support of his close circle, the man recovered, overcoming both cancer and cravings for narcotic substances. But a new problem arose: the musician recovered in every sense of the word, the exhausted body reacted to the treatment in an unexpected way - Shura gained a lot of weight. With a height of 175 cm, the artist’s weight reached 140 kg.
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Shura now
However, Medvedev managed to overcome this obstacle. Four courses of liposuction helped get rid of fat deposits. The renewed singer reappeared on television and began touring. The outrageousness diminished, but the story of a terrible illness and miraculous healing became the calling card of the artist who returned to the stage, causing a new surge of interest in his person.
2018 also started off hard for him. Shura had problems with his hip joint, so he decided to have surgery to replace it. For this reason, the singer went to Kurgan - to the Russian Scientific Research Institute named after Academician G. A. Ilizarov. The planned operation was successful, and as a sign of gratitude after the treatment, Shura organized a solo concert for the residents of Kurgan.
Another emergency operation awaited the man in March 2020. He developed a hernia on the esophageal opening of the diaphragm, which needed to be removed because it began to degenerate into a new cancer. According to doctors, the tumor appeared due to excessive obesity; doctors recommended going on a special oncology diet, which will help get rid of the extra 30-40 kg. Alexander immediately began to follow doctors’ orders.
Shura now
Shura still regularly shocks the public with his statements. Another such incident occurred in the summer of 2021, when he began to prepare for his own funeral. The artist drew up a script for this sad event and purchased a white coffin worth 400 thousand rubles. and prepared a place at the Troekurovsky cemetery, which had previously been given to him by a close friend. I decided to use the headboard of my own bed, made of black metal, as a fence.
At the same time, Shura hastened to calm everyone down - while he is not going to die, but he understands very well that he will die someday, and instead of burdening his loved ones, he decided to organize everything on his own.
At the same time, the performer did not stop his creative activity. He continues to appear in public in various programs, although the number of his concerts has recently decreased noticeably. At the same time, the artist has not ceased to arouse the interest of fans and does not refuse to collaborate with other musicians. So, in April 2021, Dj ML released a remix of Medvedev’s song “The Heart Beats.”
