The lives of stars are always in the public eye. But over time, information about their turbulent personal life disappears from the pages of various media. What's the matter? It’s just that the fame fades away, or rather, the star moves away from his previous sprees and begins to lead a measured life with a changed type of activity. A similar thing recently happened to Natalya Vetlitskaya. So, recently you can rarely see from the TV screen or read about the once popular jazz singer Irina Otieva. What pushed her to a solitary lifestyle and what she is doing now interests her fans. Has Irina really changed her role? Or maybe they just forgot about it?
The singer's childhood and youth
Irina Otieva was born in late autumn in the late 50s. Its homeland is the capital of Georgia - Tbilisi. But she has Armenian roots - both of the singer’s parents are of Armenian nationality. Their family surname is Otiyan, but the future singer changed it, giving it a Russified form. My parents had nothing to do with music; both worked as doctors. Therefore, relatives could not properly evaluate their daughter’s vocal abilities, but they did not interfere with further achievement of the goal.
Irina loved to sing and dance from an early age. Her musical abilities nevertheless prompted her parents to bring their daughter to a music school, which she graduated from in parallel with general education. The girl learned to read music by practicing playing the piano. From the age of 10, Irina successfully participated in various music competitions and concerts. She sang in different VIAs, where she was invited, and from a young age she knew that she would connect her life only with music and the stage.
When Irina was 17 years old, the girl went to the capital for a jazz song festival and returned home as a winner. The unexpected, but hard-won success did not turn the young singer’s head; she accepted the invitation to work in Yuri Chugunov’s team. Only then did the parents believe in their daughter’s talent and known future.
After graduating from school, Irina was admitted to the Gnessin Music College in the pop department in vocal class without any problems. As a student, she improved her vocals in a jazz studio, worked in the orchestra of Joseph Kobzon and in the jazz group of Igor Bril. She did not sit still, but was always energetic and proactive when it came to the creative process. Initiative, strong-willed character and unique masculinity led her to achieve her intended goal - this helps her achieve her plans to this day.
Expelled from Gnesinka in disgrace? Irina Otieva paid dearly for affairs with students
The singer has lost everything: friends, work and lives on one pension.
Irina Otieva, who once shone on the stage, has been leading the life of a recluse for more than 10 years. The celebrity paid dearly for her affairs with students. A recent interview for Malakhov’s show suggests that the jazz star combined teaching work with her personal life and could become a target for the management of the educational institution. Otieva said that, having become a teacher, she did not give a pass to a young 20-year-old student. The relationship began on Irina’s initiative and lasted a year and a half. After the breakup, the guy hastily renounced Irina, and she plunged into the abyss of oblivion and became addicted to alcohol.
Judging by Otieva’s revelations, the woman liked to drink before, but after the breakup, it seems that she leaned much more heavily on the bottle. Most likely, this is not the first time that Irina stared at young men - apparently, her superiors decided to put an end to the singer’s inappropriate affairs and asked her to leave. Perhaps this was done in a harsh manner, since an educational institution with a rich history would hardly tolerate a teacher, even a respected one, exceeding his authority and “attacking” young talents. Was it really expelled from Gnesinka in disgrace?
As a result, Otieva was left completely alone: close friends and colleagues turned away, which seems to torment her soul to this day. However, this was not always the case: the singer, even after leaving and being disappointed on the big stage, continued to radiate feminine energy. The woman admitted that she was attracted to the opposite sex, but her peers did not provide such encouragement and inspiration. Irina spoke in an unflattering manner about Andrei Malakhov, whose employees filmed the interview with a hidden camera.
Moreover, 2 young men paid a visit to the performer’s mother and introduced themselves as the staff of the Domashny TV channel. Otieva was outraged by the actions of the TV journalist, but confirmed that what she said was the pure truth. After disappearing from the stage, Irina, according to her, lost her former charge of energy and does not feel the strength to return to her fans.
Otieva’s personal life did not work out. Vain attempts to build a strong family were unsuccessful, but at the age of 37, Irina gave birth to a daughter, Zlata. True, the identity of the father is unknown and this topic is still under the “taboo” section. Probably, in pursuit of youth, Otieva sought to be closer to the students around her, but the guys, it seemed, did not want a more serious relationship, and even with a teacher, fearing public showdowns and calls to the carpet.
Now Irina has perked up a little and even started a microblog page - who knows, maybe she will delight her fans with concerts, because the singer is establishing interaction with the audience on social networks.
Becoming
After graduating from the Gnessin School, Otieva was invited to the legendary jazz orchestra under the direction of Lundstrem, where all aspiring singers dreamed of joining. Irina became a soloist in a jazz ensemble, where she worked for 5 years. Her repertoire included popular compositions: “Moscow Windows”, “One Hundred Hours of Happiness” and many other interesting works.
Tours throughout the country and abroad brought her well-deserved success and fame. She rightfully won first places in many international, All-Russian and All-Union competitions. It was at competitions that Irina first began performing jazz compositions in Russian. The singer earned her fame with great effort and natural abilities, which gave her a voice range of 3.5 octaves out of 8 available in nature. Not everyone has such a unique voice - often modern pop singers have 2 octaves. Only those whom nature has endowed with large ranges are considered brilliant vocalists.
It is known that the Soviet government always treated jazz with distrust, because it considered it a manifestation of Western culture - and this is in no way acceptable for a Soviet person. Therefore, the creativity of the singer and her team caused dissatisfaction with the Ministry of Culture and the State Concert. The singer was ignored by journalists, television and the press, was not allowed to participate in international competitions, and was not invited to the radio. It would seem that such an attitude towards a woman should have broken the aspiring singer, but not Irina Otieva. The woman accepted the public challenge and began to seek recognition with renewed vigor.
Since 1985, Otieva has been working at the Mosconcert, gathering her own musical group and beginning a new round in her work. She tours the world and takes part in international competitions, where she receives the highest awards with dignity. Irina herself writes the music and lyrics for the songs performed in her group. Having graduated from the Gnessin School, the singer simultaneously won the highest award at the Russian competition “Step to Parnassus”.
The singer has performed songs in many popular films. As an actress, she stars in thrillers and musicals. Some foreign countries are making films about her work. Her creative career as a singer and composer has been quite successful at the moment.
By winning many international competitions and participating in festivals, Irina Otieva increased the glory of Russia, and not only achieved recognition of the people. The government rightfully appreciated her merits and in the late 90s she was awarded the title of “Honored Artist of Russia.”
At the beginning of this century, the singer was awarded the Order of the Revival of the Fatherland and the title of nobility, which her family had owned even before the coup, was returned. Since the beginning of her creative life, she has released more than 20 albums, won 10 prestigious awards, and performed hundreds of solo concerts in our country and abroad. Irina Otieva celebrated the 20th anniversary of her work with the release of a new album, “Twenty Years in Love,” which was instantly devoured by admirers of her talent. Since 2006, the singer became a vocal teacher at the Gnessin Academy at the pop-jazz department that opened there.
Music
Her first success is considered to be a victory at the Moscow Jazz Music Festival, when Irina was only 17. Otieva was accepted into the pop department at Gnesinka without exams - by that time she had just received a certificate. Irina often said that she attaches great importance to education and theoretical knowledge, which is why she received a second higher pedagogical education. In fact, Otieva was the first certified singer on the Soviet stage.
Irina transformed the surname Otiyan to Otieva, which is more familiar to Russian ears. After graduating from college, she was accepted by a jazz orchestra led by Oleg Lundstrem. In 1984, the masterpiece joint composition “Music is My Love” was recorded, which is still covered by modern stars.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by SINGING BEAUTY BLOGGER ZLATA (@beauty.oti) on Nov 21, 2021 at 1:46pm PST
Despite the fact that at that time it was customary to treat jazz with caution, the singer received a large number of musical prizes and awards as part of the orchestra. The Ministry of Culture prohibited Otieva from entering international competitions and inviting her to radio and television.
Despite the intrigues, in 1982 she managed to receive a prize for performing a Soviet song at the All-Russian competition, then at the Berlin “8 hits in the studio”. In 1983, Irina took first place in another important competition of pop artists, which was held in Sweden. In 1985, Otieva decided to create her own group “Stimul-Band” and became more recognizable and loved, recording albums one after another.
In the early 90s, she toured extensively in Europe and Asia: she was well received in Poland and Vietnam, Bulgaria and Cuba, Japan and Slovakia. Irina gave about 10 concerts in America, where jazz music was especially popular.
In 1995, a project was released to the Russian audience that became incredibly popular in the country for many years - “Old Songs about the Main Thing.” There, Irina, together with Larisa Dolina, performed the song “Good Girls,” after which she became famous not only in jazz circles, but also among the ordinary viewer.
In 1996, Irina released her last album, “20 Years in Love,” which she dedicated to her twentieth anniversary of creativity. She also put an end to their tour schedule by stopping concerts. One of her latest creations is the final song for the popular film “You Never Dreamed of” - “The Last Poem”.
In the early 90s, Irina was compared to Alla Pugacheva. They even said that the two stars quarreled due to rivalry. However, Otieva denied this, saying that she did not seek to become Alla Borisovna’s double. Pugacheva avoided answering questions about comparisons with a jazz star.
Personal life
Having a bright appearance and a frantic temperament, the singer always had many fans among men, but the woman’s life turned out to be such that she never got married. She began to have stormy relationships with men, and had long-term affairs, but it never turned into anything serious. Maybe the reason is that in her youth Irina fell in love with a guy, but did not receive reciprocity and this provoked distrust of all men.
She was not deprived of the attention of the stronger sex - the only thing she asked God to give her was a child. And she begged, although her age was already at the limit - he awarded Otieva with a lovely daughter, to whom her mother gave an unusual name - Zlata. The baby's father is a married man who did not dare to leave his family. Irina did not tell anyone who he was and raised her daughter alone, since she broke up with her lover as soon as she announced to him that she was pregnant. To her mother's delight, the girl grew up smart and beautiful. Currently, Zlata is studying at the university, getting a profession - she is a future journalist.
The singer’s personal life did not stop with the birth of her child. She still has many fans, but the woman chooses much younger men as partners. According to the singer, she is “charged” by them, becomes younger and does not feel her true age at all. Maybe the reason is that her teaching activity extends to young people and she is much more interested in them than with people of her own age. When parting with her next lover, she does not regret anything and often does not remain on friendly terms with them. Irina’s only regret is that she has one daughter; she wanted to have two or even three children.
Irina considers herself a weak woman, but this only applies to the presence of bad habits - the singer cannot give up smoking. As for alcoholic drinks, a woman drinks vodka with tomato juice or soda, since an allergy develops to other alcohol. Irina has a strong intuition and instinct of self-preservation, and has a penchant for mysticism. Irina knows in advance what could happen to her, who decided to betray her, incredible stories happen to her that can be classified as mystical. She is not a public person; she can rarely be seen at parties, in various TV shows or social parties.
The actress said that everyone turned away from her
“I’ll tell you this, it’s very scary when you’ve devoted almost your whole life to work, and now you don’t work. Nobody needs old people anymore. These are moronic young people who can’t sing and don’t know how to do anything at all,” the artist said in a recent interview.
The famous artist, who is now struggling with alcohol addiction, said that none of her colleagues ever called her to support her.
“Everyone turned their backs on me. Even Larisa Dolina, Peskov, Serov and Krutoy. They all left me. When I was popular, they always called and came, walked with me day and night. When they removed me, they no longer needed me. The new position of TV is that it is necessary to remove the old people and replace them with young people. Now no one needs me,” says Irina.
The artist also added that only the most devoted fans are waiting for her return.
The last time Otieva appeared in a musical project was in 2008, she became a member of “Superstar: Dream Team” on NTV. For more than 11 years, the jazz singer has been living away from the stage; the artist is depressed and addicted to alcoholic beverages. Irina gave her first interview in many years, which will be shown on Live. The artist looks very bad. Irina Adolfovna has noticeably lost weight, her face is swollen from alcohol. Irina is very worried about the fact that her fans need her, but her colleagues and friends have decided to turn their backs on her.
Irina Adolfovna says that she even worked as a teacher at the Gnessin Academy for five thousand rubles a month. According to her, she was tired of this profession and left the academy. Now Irina lives on pension.
Irina and her mother Elena said that depression began after none of her colleagues came to the artist’s 50th birthday, but she called and invited many. Only Nikas Safronov came to the anniversary. Since then, the artist no longer celebrates her birthday and prefers to celebrate alone. The artist also added that not long ago Sergei Penkin called her, almost 10 years after the last conversation with him.
“He calls me and says: have you forgiven me? I answered no,” says Irina Otieva.
The singer says that she has someone to live for, for the sake of her 86-year-old mother and 23-year-old daughter Zlata. The artist has already purchased a place in the cemetery for herself and her mother, so as not to shift unnecessary worries onto her daughter in the future. Otieva says she built a house for her daughter. Irina also has two apartments: one where the artist herself lives, and the second where her mother lives. Irina ended the interview by saying that she wants to leave this world as quickly as possible.
Colleagues of Irina Otieva say that it is necessary to try to persuade the artist to go to a rehabilitation clinic and get rid of alcohol addiction. Irina may well become a music teacher.
Last news
2021 has arrived, where and how the famous jazz singer Irina Otieva lives now is of interest to all her fans and more. Having retired three years ago and sadly celebrating this event, Irina did not stop living her life, which had already taken shape. She still teaches at Gnesinka and continues to tour, although not with the same activity. She is invited to sing at corporate events and in various concerts. The singer’s new life may seem dull, but in her own words, it’s enough for her. After all, it is no longer possible to lead a touring life with such activity as in youth.
Sometimes she is invited to different shows, but not as a singer, but as an expert or guest. At one of them, no one recognized the famous singer. She looked very bad: haggard and thinner, with loose skin and disgusting makeup. This program blew up the entire Internet; fans decided that Otieva was seriously ill. It’s good that these assumptions were not confirmed, but the fact that she is undergoing a weight loss course is 100% believed. Only with a sharp weight loss and ignoring physical exercises does the following picture occur: the skin sags, and facial features “blur”. Irina has always been a lady of average weight and looked beautiful and familiar to the viewer. Having sharply lost weight, she began to look not like a slender, well-groomed middle-aged woman, but turned into a tired lady of indeterminate age. It’s just that when going on a diet, you shouldn’t forget about physical exercise so that your skin is toned and not flabby - this is advice for those who want to lose weight. But the singer got what she got.
Irina lives a simple life, maintains close contact with her numerous Armenian relatives, and in the summer she goes to the dacha with her household, where she loves to dig in the beds and, by the way, grows a good harvest. She rarely goes to social events because she is bored there.
According to the singer herself, she is not friends with anyone from show business, and she simply doesn’t want to drink “according to protocol” - in this evil type of activity it is almost impossible to find real friends due to constant tours or elementary envy of the successful. Having joined the Yabloko party, the woman did not show much zeal in this - today she is an ordinary member, sometimes taking part in various propaganda programs.
However, Otieva has not ceased to be the idol of millions of people. Her voice and manner of performance will forever remain in people's hearts as an example of jazz creativity. And it doesn’t matter whether she performs at concerts, sings in various programs and on the radio, true fans of her creativity will never cease to admire her voice. As a result of the presented fact, the woman is happy with her new and calmer life - the idol of millions is happy, which means that the best is yet to come.
Irina Otieva: “I self-isolated before the coronavirus outbreak”
Singer Irina Otieva considers the long 90s to be a successful period in her life, largely due to the fact that she had a lot of work. In addition, during this period the artist became a mother and was able to buy an apartment in Moscow.
“Now I’m retired and happy with what I have. And in general, I am not a spoiled person and am used to living with the money I have. If it’s less today, that means I’ll live on it today.
If it’s more, I can do something nice for mom and daughter. People born in the Soviet Union generally do not tend to buy some expensive things that cost $200,000,” says the artist.
Honored Artist of Russia, singer Irina Otieva noted that in the 90s, rampant banditry really took place. But even among the owners of “raspberry jackets” there were truly pleasant people with whom you could work and communicate.
“God, of course, had mercy on me to come into contact with inveterate scoundrels,” says Irina Otieva. – But I communicated with those who are usually called businessmen.
Now, with hindsight, I understand that their income can hardly be called honest, but then, due to life circumstances, when I had to pay off debts, do renovations in the apartment, then I got pregnant, I had to think about how to raise a child alone, I didn’t think twice about it. about these things,” says the artist.
The singer admits that she went to the maternity hospital almost from the stage, and a month after the birth of her daughter Lada she went on tour.
According to Irina Otieva, she has been accustomed to being content with little since childhood. The singer's parents were doctors, received a small salary and did not particularly spoil the girl. But thanks to this, Irina learned to enjoy little things, for example, ice cream for 15 kopecks. The ability to accept difficult situations also helps her during the pandemic.
— Irina Adolfovna, how much has the coronavirus reduced your income?
- Considering the fact that I am at home, I even increased it. To be more precise, costs have simply been significantly reduced. I can order some products - for five or six days, for a week, or go to the pharmacy - that’s all. My daughter helps me in many ways. I already have everything else. And we isolated my mother in another apartment so that she wouldn’t catch anything from us.
- So you're not complaining?
- Please note that those who usually complain are those who have accumulated in their stashes, be healthy - enough for their grandchildren and great-grandchildren. But this is not typical for normal people raised in the Soviet Union. This is a different generation. Our generation, in a sense, is without silver.
— You, like many other artists, probably lost extra money from performing...
— I self-isolated before the coronavirus hit. At some point I told myself that I don’t want to see this show business anymore. You could say I was terribly tired. If in my youth I still endured it, then I later thought, why do I need this masquerade of mediocrity?
They all hide their true faces under masks. And then I said to myself: “That’s enough, I’ve already worked hard.” When I was on tour, I didn’t have enough time to read. And now it has come.
- What are you reading?
— I love philosophy and at one time I collected a very good collection of books on art. The only one I haven't been able to overcome is Aristotle.
Nikolai Drozdov. Photo: Boris Kudryavov. Archive "EG"
