Through hardship to the stars
It is impossible to talk about the biography of the Factor-2 group without recalling such imperishable hits as “Beauty”, “War” and, of course, “Slut”, which, without exaggeration, are the anthem of the youth of the 2000s. The path to fame for Ilya Podstrelov and Vladimir Panchenko was not easy - at first, ordinary guys from the outback were not included in radio rotation or invited to music channels. But despite all the difficulties, the guys from the Factor-2 group still managed to achieve real popularity. Their songs were heard in every courtyard, on every radio station, music channels recognized their work, and fame came to the guys.
Clips
- "I'll try to forget"
- "Gorgeous"
- "Stepfather"
- "I'm getting married"
- "I know"
Source
Ilya Podstrelov - (born June 17, 1980 in the city of Vorkuta, Komi Republic) - Russian singer, musician, producer, creator and author of the sensational hits of the group "FACTOR-2", of which he is currently the lead singer.
It so happened that since childhood Ilya showed great interest in music! Already at the age of 5, he learned to plaintively ask his aunt, who taught solfeggio lessons and singing lessons, both at a music school and at home, to attend these intriguing classes, where everyone very funny tried, with their mouths wide open, to sing various vowels, breathed in jerks and obediently did various interesting exercises to develop their voice!
His beloved parents, mom (Nina) and dad (Leonid), immediately felt the little, curly-haired boy’s craving for music and decided that they would send him to be torn apart by strict teachers at a music school. And what do you think???? They did just that! Ilya was incredibly happy.
Ilya Podstrelov, wife
In 2005-2007, the group “Factor-2” literally blew up the musical spaces of our country with their slightly hooligan, but still vital songs. Naturally, Ilya Podstrelov, as one of the soloists, was also on the crest of success and fame. Today, unfortunately, both the group itself and the band’s songs are a little forgotten. This is due to the fact that “Factor-2” ceased to exist, and both of its main participants went on a solo voyage, ceasing not only their professional joint activities, but also all communication in general. However, Ilya Podstrelov still decided to return a few years later, in 2012, to again try to conquer the musical Olympus. In this regard, interest in the performer’s personal life, in Ilya Postrelov’s wife Tatyana and his work flared up again.
The performer met his future wife when he was still in the Factor-2 group. The acquaintance happened for a very banal reason - the group needed a beautiful female voice to record one of the songs. Friends advised me to work with a girl named Tatyana, who at that time sang in one of the many girl groups. Work on the song did not work out, but communication with the beautiful girl continued. Ilya Podstrelov and Tatyana were friends for two years, until they finally realized in each other not just a kindred spirit, but a soul mate, which is simply impossible to do without. Now the performer and his chosen one have a strong family. Considering Ilya Podstrelov’s own admission that song lyrics are born from everyday life and events in his personal life, it is easy to guess that it was Tatyana who inspired him with a song called “Tanya-Tanyusha,” which is still popular among young people.
Composition of the group
Speaking about the biography of the Factor-2 group, it is impossible not to talk about its original composition. Initially, the group consisted of Ilya Podstrelov and Vladimir Panchenko. The creative biography of the members of the Factor-2 group is full of both ups and downs.
Ilya Podstrelov was born on July 17, 1980 in Vorkuta. Since childhood, the boy studied music: he graduated from music school and music college with excellent marks. In 1995, Ilya moved with his parents for permanent residence to Germany, but did not give up his music studies. The future idol of the youth of the 2000s writes poetry, tries to combine them with music of his own composition, and dreams of recognition in his homeland.
The second member of the team, Vladimir (Vladi) Panchenko, was born and raised in Kazakhstan, or more precisely, in the village of Tyulkubas on August 28, 1981. Like Ilya Podstrelov, Vladimir had excellent hearing since childhood and was passionate about composing music and poetry. Panchenko regularly attended classes of the Kazakh children's choir and was a regular at school amateur concerts. The Panchenko family, like the Podstrelov family, moved to Germany, where the two future members of the group met.
Biography
It is very sad to see how the main soloists and like-minded people of once mega-popular bands that tore up dance floors stop working together, or even stop communicating with each other altogether. This sad list includes the brothers Gleb and Vadim Samoilov from the cult rock group Agatha Christie, the twins Boris and Konstantin Burdaev, aka the Brothers Grim, as well as Vladimir Panchenko and Ilya Podstrelov from the scandalous Factor-2.
The beginning of a creative journey
The biography of the Factor-2 group began in 1999, when two friends came up with the idea of creating a creative tandem. The theme of the songs was chosen to be quite lyrical - about harsh male friendship, the realities of life and, of course, about girls caught in infidelity.
The only issue that caused a lot of controversy among young people was the name of their group. Many names were invented, some of which were quite original, such as "Berlin Dudes" and "Area 19". Under some of these names, the creative team even managed to perform at a few parties. The final name “Factor 2” was invented after several months of creative activity by the guys.
The guys’ first performances could not be called successful, because they had no experience. But during one of the concerts, the then famous DJ Vital (whose real name is Vitaly Moizer) drew attention to the musicians.
[edit] Awards for creativity
The success of the group in 2005 was confirmed by the “Golden Discs” certificates (200 thousand sales), awarded to the musicians on behalf of the National Fund of Phonogram Producers (NFPP) in December. This honor was given to each of the four releases released by the group (“We are fake MCs”, “In our style”, “Life Stories - Super Hard”, “Life Stories - Extra Light”).
In January 2006, the DVD “Give me a vacation!” was released. with a recording of a Moscow concert that took place in December 2005. It also includes video clips and original videos from the “Tell the Truth!” campaign.
In May 2006, at the Russian recording industry award ceremony "Record-2006", the duet "FACTOR-2" won in the "Group of the Year" nomination. This award, the criterion for which was sales of legal media in the calendar year 2005, once again confirmed the success of the group.
During their work in Russia, the group "FACTOR-2" received: 4 GOLDEN DISCS (for more than 800 thousand copies sold), the "RECORD" PRIZE and became the laureate of the "SONG OF THE YEAR" award.
First steps to popularity
Having agreed to collaborate with Vitaly Moyzer, Ilya and Vladi made the right decision - after a while the composition of the group, photos and names of the Factor-2 group became recognizable. At first, Ilya Podstrelov and Vladimir Panchenko gained fame only in Germany, but soon the guys’ songs entered the Russian music market.
But the guys’ path to fame did not end there - after some time the Factor-2 group met the vocalist of the then popular group “Ruki Vverh” Sergei Zhukov. He was engaged not only in his own career, but also in the promotion of young groups, which he helped find a path to fame.
A disc with recordings of the group's songs accidentally falls into Sergei's hands, and he invites Ilya and Vladimir to Russia. As the guys later admitted, they did not dare to leave Germany for a very long time, but the dream of fame turned out to be stronger than the fear of change. As time will tell, Factor-2 did not overcome their fear in vain.
Childhood and youth
In the middle of the first summer month of the 1980 Olympics, June 17, Nina and Leonid Podstrelov, who lived in Vorkuta, accepted congratulations on the birth of their youngest son, Ilya. A little earlier, the couple became parents to their daughter Irina.
It is known that my father graduated from the Moscow Technical University of Communications and Informatics in 1982, and my sister graduated from the Institute of Management, Business and Law. From the family biography it also follows that Mitnovitskaya’s grandmother Antonina Davydovna was a junior lieutenant in the medical service during the Great Patriotic War.
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Ilya Podstrelov in his youth
In due time, the boy went to local secondary educational institution No. 16, where he studied until 1994. Subsequently, the move took place to Serpukhov, and from there to Hamburg. Since childhood, Ilya had a craving for melodic art, and never left his aunt’s side, a teacher of singing and solfeggio, asking his relative to let him take lessons.
As a result, the adults gave in under the pressure of the heir and sent the child to a music school, where he easily mastered the piano, but failed to complete a special school. According to the artist, as a teenager he was strongly impressed by the songs of Viktor Tsoi and “Kino,” as well as Yuri Khoy and “Gaza Strip.” Therefore, it is not surprising that at the age of 14 he composed his first single.
At a German vocational college, the guy met his future colleague and like-minded person Vladimir Panchenko. The fateful meeting marked the beginning of a joint creative journey.
"In our style"
After the start of collaboration with Sergei Zhukov, a new stage began in the creative biography of the soloists of the Factor-2 group. They released two albums, one of which was called “Factor 2”, and the second was “In Our Style”. The compositions immediately gained popularity and rose high in the charts. Even though the group’s songs were not always censored, the popularity of Factor-2 increased day by day.
A little later, a video was released for the group’s hit “Beauty,” which was warmly received by the public. In 2005, Ilya and Vladimir received the Golden Gramophone award, which certainly became an important event in their musical career.
After this, the group goes on their first tour. The musicians visited not only the post-Soviet space, but also Europe. A little later, Factor-2 releases another album called “Stories from Life.” The title of the album directly reflects the themes of the songs included in it. Each listener could recognize himself in one of these stories.
The music and lyrics of the songs of the Factor-2 group did not have a heavy semantic load. They found a way to the heart of the Russian listener with the help of poignant and relevant topics. The album “Life Stories” was released in “light” and “heavy” versions, which were distinguished by the presence or absence of obscene language.
Music
In 1999, Vladimir and Ilya decided to start a joint project. There was no disagreement about the theme of the songs: both Panchenko and Podstrelov preferred romantic ballads, simple rhythmic melodies and touching poems about unrequited love, harsh male friendship and girls who do not know how to be faithful.
Duet "Factor 2"
But the name of the project made the musicians scratch their heads. At first, various options were offered, among which Ilya and Vladi especially remembered “Berlin Dudes” and “Zone 19”. The young group even managed to perform under some of these names. However, they decided to settle on the “Factor 2” option.
The first concerts of the group could not be called particularly successful: the lack of experience affected them. However, these performances still accomplished their main task: during one of these concerts, DJ Vital (also known as Vitaly Moizer) heard the group’s songs.
DJ Vitaly Moyzer
Vitaly offered cooperation to the young people, and after some time the group began to constantly perform with new compositions, gradually winning more and more fans. At first, the names of Ilya Podstrelov and Vladimir Panchenko were known only in Germany, but soon the songs of talented guys began to sound in Russia.
A new round of popularity for Ilya Podstrelov and Vladimir Panchenko was facilitated by their acquaintance with Sergei Zhukov, the lead singer of the popular group “Hands Up” at that time. In addition to his own project, Zhukov also worked with young groups, helping budding musicians break onto the stage.
Sergey Zhukov
The disc with recordings of Factor 2 songs interested Sergei, and he invited the guys to Russia. By their own admission, the young people were at first afraid to leave Germany, but the dream of fame helped Ilya and Vladimir make a decision. And, as it later turned out, it was correct.
Immediately after the start of cooperation with Sergei Zhukov, the group recorded two albums in a row. The first was called “Factor 2”, the second - “In our style”. The compositions from these records instantly gained a foothold on the first lines of all possible charts and charts. And although not all songs were able to “break through” to radio stations, the group’s popularity began to grow day by day.
At the same time, the group’s first video for the song “Beauty” was released, which was also received with a bang by the fans of the group. A separate success of the group, of course, was the coveted Golden Gramophone award, which Ilya and Vladimir received in 2005.
Immediately after this, the team goes on tour, first in Russia, and then in European countries. After some time, Podstrelov and Panchenko released another album - “Stories from Life”. The title of this record reflects the content of the songs, each of which is a small story, funny or sad, but always realistic.
Group "Factor 2"
Every listener could believe in these stories, everyone could imagine themselves as a character in one or another composition. Perhaps it is precisely this simplicity and “closeness to the people” that the Factor 2 group has earned the love of millions of fans. It is noteworthy that the album was released in two versions - “Light” and “Hard”. They differed in the presence and absence of obscene language in the lyrics.
At the same time, Vladimir Panchenko and Ilya Podstrelov worked on filming a new video for a composition called “Stepfather”. The video is notable for the fact that the musicians initially filmed three different versions of the ending. The final option was chosen through a vote held among viewers of the Muz-TV channel.
In 2007, Vladimir Panchenko and Ilya Podstrelov terminated their contract with Sergei Zhukov. The performers themselves admitted in an interview that relations with Sergei had become very complicated by that time, but they did not name the reasons for breaking the agreement. Until 2012, the Factor 2 group managed to release several more albums, as well as discs with recordings of concerts.
Each new composition of the group invariably became popular, so at first no one believed the news about the breakup of the group. However, this turned out to be true - Ilya Podstrelov and Vladimir Panchenko decided to close the Factor 2 project and each went their own creative path.
Vladimir Panchenko and Andrey Kamaev
In one of his interviews, Ilya Podstrelov hinted that the reason for the collapse of the team was disagreements over financial issues. A year later, in 2013, both performers already gave solo concerts. The name of the defunct group “Factor 2” was written on the posters of both.
And after some time, Vladimir Panchenko decided to revive the group and return to its former glory. First of all, the musician invited a new performer to the team - Andrey Kamaev. Andrey harmoniously complemented Vladimir Panchenko’s vocals, and the young people began to conquer the musical Olympus again.
On different roads
In 2007, the guys decide to break the contract with Sergei Zhukov. According to rumors, the contract was broken due to deteriorating relations with Sergei. However, Ilya Podstrelov hinted in one of his interviews that the reason for the disagreements with Zhukov was financial issues. The group's creative activity continued until 2012, the guys released several albums and gave concerts.
Despite the group's continued popularity, Factor-2 announces its breakup. At first no one believed this news, but it turned out to be true - the musicians decided to end their joint career and go their separate ways.
The biography of the Factor-2 group, from where Ilya Podstrelov went into free swimming, has not completed its existence. At the moment, Vladimir Panchenko and new member of the group Andrey Kamaev are recording new songs and performing. A new album was planned to be released this year, but for unknown reasons it did not happen.
Group "Factor 2" now
Now Vladimir Panchenko and Andrey Kamaev continue to record new tracks and delight the band’s fans with performances. According to rumors, the musicians plan to release a new record in 2021, but the exact release date for the album has not yet been announced.
Group "Factor 2" in 2021
In the meantime, you can follow the team’s news on Instagram and other social networks, as well as on fan sites.
