EL Kravchuk is one of the most popular singers of the late 1990s. In addition to his singing career, he is well known as a TV presenter, showman and actor. He was a real sex symbol of domestic show business. In addition to the perfect and memorable voice, the guy simply fascinated the fans with his charisma, beauty and magical energy.
His songs were played on all TV channels and radio stations of the country. Thanks to millions of "fans", constant tours in the post-Soviet space, the artist was popular, had lucrative contracts and significant income.
Childhood star EL Kravchuk
Andrei Viktorovich Ostapenko (real name of the singer) was born on March 17, 1977 in the city of Vilnius. The boy's family was very intelligent. His mother is a successful and well-known doctor in the city. The boy's father was a military scientist, professor, assistant professor of philosophy. From childhood, Andrei was taught to art, good manners and decency. He studied well, was interested in music and the humanities.
Due to the fact that the father was invited to work in the capital of Ukraine, in 1989 the family left Lithuania and moved to Kyiv. The boy was enrolled in the famous O. Pushkin Lyceum, which he successfully graduated in 1993.
In parallel with his studies at the Lyceum, Andrei studied music. And since his school years, he dreamed of becoming a famous singer. That is why, after graduating from school, the guy entered the faculty of vocal singing at the Kiev Musical College. Reinhold Gliere.
Parents convinced the young man that, in addition to musical education, the guy should have one more, more fundamental one. In parallel with the music school, Andrey was educated at the National University. M. P. Dragomanova. Here he studied at the Faculty of History.
The beginning of a creative career
Even during the years of study at the music school, Andrei became interested in the work of Alexander Vertinsky. According to the singer, this personality encouraged the guy not to sit still and develop in the direction of his dreams. Thanks to his talent and extreme hard work, the guy was invited to sing in the Singapore music group.
Thus began his creative career. The main "promotion" was the change of the name to a more creative and recognizable one - EL Kravchuk. At first, this strange prefix EL surprised many. Many associated her with the name of the then current President of Ukraine - Leonid Kravchuk. As the artist explained, the prefix was an abbreviation for the word "electronic". After all, it was in this musical direction that the artist began his activity.
Seven years later, the singer radically changed not only his name from "EL Kravchuk" to Andrey Kravchuk, but also his general stage image. Andrey's music has long ceased to be electronic, and the image had to be changed. From rocker jackets and outrageous suits, the artist switched to classic and strict outfits. His songs became deeper, more meaningful and romantic. Fans positively assessed the changes in the singer's work, calling them qualitative. The audience of the singer began to expand rapidly.
Rapid development in creativity
To gain even more popularity, the artist decided to declare himself at a well-known music competition. In 1995, he applied to participate in the Chervona Ruta festival. The jury appreciated the performance of the young, talented musician, and he took the well-deserved 1st place.
After the victory, the artist announced that he would no longer participate in such competitions in principle. But more than 20 years later, in 2018, the singer entered the stage of a music competition on the Ukrainian STB TV channel X-Factor. There he was not a leader, but still reminded of his work.
In 1996, the singer entered into a new agreement with the Musical Exchange production center. He began to actively record compositions and successfully tour the country. There were many fans at his concerts, the girls showed their attention to the star. But it seemed to the artist that he was not developing professionally enough. He entered the Kyiv National Conservatory. P. I. Tchaikovsky.
In 1997, the singer presented the new album "Nobody" and organized a grandiose tour of 40 cities of the country. And in the same year, another pleasant surprise awaited him. In the national competition "Person of the Year" he was recognized as the winner in the nomination "Artist of the Year". This event motivated the star to be even more active, work more fruitfully and conquer new heights.
In 1998, the artist paid considerable attention to his studies. He successfully graduated from three educational institutions at once - the College of Music, the National Conservatory and the National Pedagogical University. M. P. Dragomanova. Having received diplomas, the musician continued to work on a new album, and in 2000 presented it to the public. Thanks to the album "Soldier Kokhannya" Kravchuk enjoyed great popularity. The singer presented a grandiose show under the same name, which was declared the winner in the nomination "Best Show".
The next album "Mortido" (2001) differed from previous collections in its content. It was more refined, associated with classical music and new trends in music.
EL Kravchuk in theater and cinema
Having been at the peak of fame, the artist planned to realize his creative abilities in other areas of art. He switched to film, television and theatre. As the singer says, his worldview and attitude towards modern music has changed dramatically. Therefore, he began to look for new ways to develop his potential.
A friend of the artist, director Roman Balayan, invited him to star in the new Ukrainian film "Trace of the Werewolf". Andrei not only accepted the offer with pleasure, but also independently wrote the music for the film. In 2002, the artist began acting in his second film work - the film "Happy People".
In 2003, Andrei Kravchuk was offered to work in the theater. He got the role of Hamlet. And he devoted all his free time to this work. With the performance, he performed in different cities of Europe a record number of times - 85.
After the tour, Andrei was invited to the role of the host of the TV program “I Want to Become a Star” on the 1 + 1 TV channel.
Resumption of singing career
In 2007, the artist decided to return to musical activity. He was offered cooperation by the famous Ukrainian producer M. Nekrasov. Under his leadership, Andrey Kravchuk, in a duet with Verka Serduchka, performed a new hit "Fly into the Light" at the Tavria Games festival. Then a video clip for this work was released. The artist had scheduled concerts with a completely different program.
Cooperation with Nekrasov was not long. Starting in 2010, the artist went on an independent "swimming" and quite successfully. In 2011, new musical works were released: "Cities", "On the Clouds", etc. In 2012, the artist worked on a large musical concert "Vertinsky's Tango", which toured with great success in Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine and Russia.
In 2012, the artist with the record company Moon Records released the album "Favorites", which included the best songs in 15 years of creativity.
Today, the artist rarely appears on the screens, but continues to delight his fans with new high-quality works.
EL Kravchuk today
In 2021, the artist presented a full-length LP. The record was called "Powder from Love". The collection is topped by 11 cool tracks in a familiar sound.
In autumn, a video was filmed for the track "Amsterdam". In November, the artist shocked the audience by going to the center of Kyiv with a poster “El Kravchuk. Was, is and will be.
