Childhood and family of Igor Rasteryaev
Igor Rasteryaev was born into a family of artists. The artist’s mother is a native of St. Petersburg. The father is from the village of Rakovka, Volgograd region, he is a hereditary Don Cossack, according to Igor.
Igor Rasteryaev
It was in his father’s homeland that the future artist spent his childhood. In Rakovka he made friends who, like Igor, came to the village on vacation to visit their relatives. And one of his friends, Alexey Lyakhov, played an important role in Rasteryaev’s development as a singer: he became his producer and concert director. Igor Rasteryaev - Song about childhood In Rakovka, the folk singer learned to play the guitar, began to write original songs, and later mastered the harmonica. As Igor himself says that he has two homelands - St. Petersburg and Rakovka, he is molded from two parts of the opposite worlds of the city and the rural outback.
Musical creativity
In his youth, Igor learned to play the guitar, then bought it at a thrift store and began to master a used harmonica. I sang songs by different authors for friends and gradually began to compose myself. This is how his first cheerful composition “Combine Operators” appeared.
The main topics that Igor touches on in his work are the breadth of the Russian soul with all its shortcomings and advantages, God, war, native spaces and how difficult, but extremely important it is to remain human in any situation.
Right from the first lines of his songs (both musical and poetic) you can feel that they were written by a gifted person. In one interview, when asked: “What does Igor Rasteryaev believe in?”, the singer answered: “I believe in God, in his absolute strength and in my absolute human weakness.” He attributes the sudden popularity of the song to the intervention of a higher power. Someone took this gift and unleashed it on him, because one’s own desires and efforts alone cannot write so many songs in such a short period of time. After all, before that he had never composed anything and did not even have a musical education.
He cannot really explain how his songs appear. The music itself is born somewhere in the head, and already on the accordion he selects a melody. Then, fingering the keys, words begin to break through the rhythm, gradually forming into lines. It’s especially difficult for him to work on texts; sometimes nothing comes to mind for a whole month.
The first listeners of new songs are always my parents and sister. All the videos are shot by his childhood friend Lekha Lyakhov. It was he who once posted Rasteryaev’s first song “Combine Workers” online. Lech suggested that someone might like it. But he never expected that he would then have to become a videographer for many years.
The song did not immediately bring fame to its creator; in the first six months it gained only 10% on the YouTube channel. But after a link to the video was posted on one of the websites of the popular blogger and writer Dmitry Puchkov at the end of the summer of 2010, there was a real explosion on the Internet. In four days, the song was listened to by almost 300,000 users. By the end of the year, the clip entered the top ten most popular videos in Russia.
From that time on, Igor began recording and posting new compositions online. This is how the country learned his songs:
- "Daisies".
- "Bear".
- "Cossack".
- "Spring".
- "Blizzard in Rakovka."
- "Russian road".
- "Glinishche"
- "Long range."
- "Walk around the city."
- "George Ribbon".
- "Song of the Guardian Angels."
- “It’s winter and night outside.”
- "Bell ringer".
- "The battle".
Rasteryaev’s first concert took place with the Moscow club “Contact” in September 2010. A couple of months later, the singer already performed in his native St. Petersburg on the stage of the Griboedov club. Here he introduced his co-author, his father’s friend Vasily Mokhov, Igor wrote several songs based on his poems.
In February 2011, the debut album “Russian Road” was released. In July of the same year, Rasteryaev performed at the “Invasion” rock festival, where he was awarded the independent music award “Steppen Wolf” in the “Something” category.
A large part of his work is occupied by the rural theme. The village of Rakovka seriously hooked the singer. Perhaps because these are pleasant memories of childhood and summer holidays, when you didn’t have to go to school and work, but only relax, have fun and fish. But, according to Igor, in order to write songs about the village, you need to be a city resident, and periodically come there and observe with an open eye what has changed. After all, if you live in a village, there will be no time for songs. People work very hard there, and natural spaces in the form of rivers, steppes, and hillocks are ordinary for them and do not make any special impressions.
Rasteryaev says to himself that he has dual citizenship - urban and rural. He equally needs both the rural heat of +45 degrees and the St. Petersburg dampness; he, like a battery, is charged by both the smell of wormwood and the rain. This is the success of his songs. Igor managed to catch the string of the Russian soul, which in fact does not want glamorous frills, but simple music coming from the heart.
Now the singer is successfully touring, he has already traveled almost all of Russia, and has also performed in Poland, Belarus and Ukraine.
Study of Igor Rasteryaev
Igor Rasteryaev began his education at a regular St. Petersburg school No. 189, and graduated at school No. 558. Since childhood, the future singer of the people dreamed of becoming Peter Pan, a bell ringer, or catching pickpockets.
Igor Rasteryaev - singer from the people
A little later, the future artist wanted to become a journalist. But having matured, Igor did not choose any of the directions and entered the St. Petersburg State Academy of Theater Arts, which he graduated in 2003 with honors.
And despite a successful career as a musician and songwriter, the artist does not have a musical education.
Education
Rasteryaev studied at Leningrad schools No. 189 and 558. By the end of the tenth grade, his mother advised her son to further study as a journalist. He would not have been able to attend technical universities, since he was not at all good at chemistry and physics, but he wrote essays well.
Having received a certificate of secondary education, Igor almost became a student at the journalism faculty, completed preparatory courses and even had recommendations from the admissions committee. But there he would have to study English and other subjects that he did not like. And Rasteryaev dreamed of a highly spiritual future, so he took his documents and entered the theater institute. Although before that I had never been a real theatergoer, I didn’t actively go to premiere productions, I didn’t follow theatrical life, and I knew almost no actors.
During my studies, I didn’t stand out in anything special. In student productions, he was entrusted with minor roles. He played the main role of the major of the veterinary service only in the graduation performance of the institute.
I studied for five years and for a year attended the school of life in the White Theater troupe. We traveled to small towns and villages in the Leningrad and Moscow regions, staged children's plays in village clubs, abandoned cinemas and almost idle cultural palaces. They dressed up in homemade costumes and played for children sitting in cold halls wearing hats and mittens.
Career of Igor Rasteryaev
After graduating from the institute, Igor Rasteryaev went to work at the St. Petersburg Buff Theater. Within its walls, the artist played many roles, both dramatic and comedic. As the actor himself says, most often he played alcoholics.
Igor Rasteryaev is an actor by profession.
Igor Rasteryaev was not spared by domestic cinema either; he managed to star in several famous films: “Secrets of the Investigation-6”, “The Dog is Missing” and “June 22. Fatal decisions" along with famous artists, including Anna Kovalchuk, Ville Haapasalo and Alexander Lykov.
Igor Rasteryaev himself claims that he never wanted to be a “star,” but fate decreed otherwise. The folk singer's real popularity was brought to him by his original song about combine operators. A childhood friend, Alexey Lyakhov, recorded a video of the performance of the future hit on his mobile phone and posted it on YouTube; in three months the video received more than a million views and entered the top ten most popular videos on RuTube.
Igor Rasteryaev - Combiners Igor is sure that the video for the song “Combiners” captivated the audience with its sincerity and simplicity, because the filming location was a simple kitchen with an ordinary setting.
In 2012, the artist became one of the contenders for participation in Eurovision from Russia, but much to the regret of his fans, Igor Rasteryaev refused this offer.
“I don’t look like a hero-lover”
— You once admitted that in the movies you play narrow-minded operatives, and in the theater - alcoholics. Is your career still balancing between operatives and alcoholics?
— I haven’t acted in films for 5 years. My entire film career is in videos. There Lyokha Lyakhov fully realize ourselves. And in the theater you have to play small episodic roles: soldiers, all sorts of servants, including alcoholics. Well, look at me: I don’t look like a hero-lover. He wasn’t tall enough, and he had to have a different face to sing serenades in a white scarf in front of the balcony. It's not about me. He doesn't look much like a social hero either. The face does not inspire confidence. What remains are the charming klutzes. Lately I've been given roles as fathers. Moreover, the children are played by actors who are usually two years older than me. My first experience as a “father” failed miserably. It was the play “The Forest”, where I played the father of the merchant Vosmibratov. Apparently it wasn’t enough, and I was given the role of Hermia’s father Aegeus in the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In general, I leave on the fact that I grew a mustache. Everyone just says that my voice is too young. I haven’t learned how to change my voice yet or I’m just lazy.
— Music is closer to you than theater?
— I have always been drawn towards authorial self-expression.
Personal life of Igor Rasteryaev
Igor Rasteryaev is one of the most mysterious artists of our time. Absolutely nothing is known about his personal life and family.
Igor Rasteryaev does not talk about his personal life
Moreover, every journalist in an interview asks questions about girls, to which Igor laughs it off and answers that sometimes he has time for a serious relationship, and then tries to change the topic. Apparently, with this tactic the artist is trying to separate work and family.
Weddings can be very difficult.
- And what brings you more money?
— Theatrical history does not bring any money at all. We have a pop theater, so everyone tries to hold some events at the same time. I used to officiate weddings myself. Which, by the way, helps in conducting concerts. Whether it’s a wedding or a concert, it’s a tempo story. You must understand that you have a certain number of songs and competitions that need to be connected somehow so as not to lose the rhythm. At a wedding it can be very difficult. On the one hand, we must not disturb people. On the other hand, there cannot be long pauses. I once officiated at a friend’s wedding in Germany. This is such a horror from an organizational point of view! It was very difficult to gather people. As I’m used to: we enter the hall. “Dear friends, let’s sit down at the table.” He drove everyone in, everyone stood up on command, listened to the toast, and drank. On command we took a bite. And in Germany, not a damn thing. You walk in, and there’s a buffet table. Everyone crawled into the corners with glasses in threes and twos. No collectivism.
— What is the most important thing in hosting a wedding?
— The main thing is not to disturb people when they go to dance. And it happens that some presenters start 20 competitions that they downloaded from the Internet, to practice on unfortunate people. There is no need to do this.
— Are you a rebel in spirit?
- Nope, rebels are those who break something, call people somewhere and drag people along with them. I don’t like dragging anyone along with me and having someone boss me around. Therefore, I am more of an observer.
— How does observer Rasteryaev perceive the events in Ukraine?
- Like all normal people. With a feeling of pain. Hitler's dream is being fulfilled before our eyes: the Slavs are clashing heads.
“From the mouths of young people your age, I began to hear the phrase more often: “We have to get out, nothing good will happen here.” And they go to the same Europe.
- What Europe?! I have 2 sisters living in Tallinn. The eldest travels all the time to work, either to England or somewhere else. The son of relatives from Latvia actually went to Canada in search of work. They are all there looking for work. And who needs me there with the Russian language and an accordion? I don’t even have a profession that I could use to earn money. So I don’t want to leave here anywhere.
- So you are a patriot?
— I don’t like these questions.
Igor Rasteryaev today
In 2015, Igor Rasteryaev celebrated the fifth anniversary of his career on stage. After gaining popularity, the singer from the people traveled all over Russia, visited Ukraine, Belarus and Poland. But, as Igor himself says, he does not hold more than three concerts a month and still participates in productions of the St. Petersburg Buff Theater.
Igor Rasteryaev at “Invasion”
Igor is loved not only for his unstoppable drive at his concerts, but also for performing cover versions of hits by famous performers: “Leningrad”, “King and the Jester”, “Gas Sector”, “Disco Accident”, “DDT” and others. Rasteryaev also does not lose the opportunity to communicate with his fans using notes from the audience.
It is known that Igor became a Laureate of the All-Russian Variety Artists Competition in 2006.
During his popularity, the performer had something to tell admirers of his work, and he wrote the book “Volgograd Faces” for them. Its presentation took place in December 2012. The book is completely unique of its kind, Igor included stories about his small homeland Rakovka, about Volgograd nature, about village friends, the author supplemented life stories with drawings in the “Rasteryaev style” with a simple helium pen, thereby making the book very sincere.
Igor Rasteryaev is working on new songs.
Igor Rasteryaev has already established himself as a singer from the people. Such artists should be on the stage; they are the ones who introduce us to the lives of strangers and bring us closer to each other. Rasteryaev is not like fashionable and stereotyped performers; it is very pleasing that throughout his entire career he remained true to his style.
Military theme
— You have a lot of songs on military themes, the same “Horn”, “Kurgan”, for example...
— “Kurgan” is generally dedicated to Stalingrad. “Everything they say about the Motherland is true, but they don’t understand one thing: that she doesn’t need a huge sword so that people somewhere will be horrified, but to hold it high away from people so that they never reach it.” I came up with this in the vestibule of the Volgograd-Moscow train.
— In “St. George’s Ribbon” you seem to condemn the people who wear these ribbons...
“Today you can wear this ribbon on a bag, you can wear it in the form of a brooch, but I remember very well, even without ribbons, how my grandmother didn’t throw away the crumbs,” I had such a status on VKontakte, a long time ago, even before any songs. To tie a ribbon, you must have the moral right. But I don’t feel any negative emotions towards people who wear them on their chest or tie them to the handle of their car. I don't blame anyone for this. But the fact that they were simply handed out on the street reduced their value.
— In the song “Rostov” you glorify the Rostov men. Do any special people live there?
- Yes, special. It’s as if it’s written on their foreheads: “I know that you all want to cheat me. But I’ll throw you in myself.” You get into a taxi and ask: “Commander, how long until,” he answers. We start to move, and the taxi driver says: “Well, maybe a little more.” There are also a lot of sports guys in Rostov. You can’t just step on their toes, you’ll have to justify it and apologize for a long time. One day, Rostovites asked me: “Is it true that you have gay pride parades there in St. Petersburg?” “Yes, there seemed to be something like that,” I answered and asked, “What about you?” “Not anymore,” they answered me. “We opened a gay club here, but the boys from the central market went there to warm up. And it was immediately closed.”
— Can your music be called rock?
— If rock is a certain set of instruments - bass, guitar, drums, etc., then my music is not rock. If we agree that rock is the quality of the issues explored in the lyrics, then in this case, maybe there is something rock in my songs.
