Green Gray is the most popular Russian-language rock band of the early 2000s in Ukraine. The team is known not only in the countries of the post-Soviet space, but also overseas. The musicians were the first in the history of independent Ukraine to take part in the MTV awards ceremony. The music of Green Gray was considered progressive.
Her style is a combination of rock, funk and trip-hop. He immediately became popular among the youth. The band members are outrageous guys who are used to surprising their listeners not only with songs, but also with their behavior, appearance and style of communication.
Their concerts are real, bright, driving, spectacular, show performances that interest different audiences. But all fans of the group are united by a love for high-quality music and lyrics with deep meaning that make you think. According to the participants, the group's success lies in the fact that their hits, like themselves, are real, "without makeup and soundtracks." The team is considered the founder of new Ukrainian rock music.
The history of the creation of the Green Gray group
The history of the creation of the Green Gray group began with the friendship of two Kyiv guys - Andrey Yatsenko (Diesel) and Dima Muravitsky (Murik). The guys were fond of music, in particular, new progressive directions, and decided to create a team that the country could be proud of.
The ideological inspirer, author of lyrics and music was Diesel. The idea was realized in 1993. The guys started with cheerful youth music, which was played in local clubs. Gradually, their creativity was on a new level. In 1994, the musicians decided to try their luck and increase their popularity. They applied to participate in the popular rock festival "White Nights of St. Petersburg".
The group performed so well that MTV President William Rowdy awarded them a personalized prize and invited them to sing at several concerts in London. It was a success followed by popularity.
Green Grey: Developing musical creativity
After performances in Britain and several interviews with local TV channels, the musicians returned to Ukraine famous and motivated. They surprised the audience, using real explosive pyrotechnics, laser shows, ballet at concerts. Thanks to such musical performances on stage, the audience received a real explosion of emotions. The musicians also made a "breakthrough" in the national rock music and were the first to perform with a DJ.
The first "explosive" hit of the group "Let's get up in the rain" conquered millions of listeners and constantly sounded from the air of all radio stations. At the festival "Generation-96" the song received the Grand Prix.
In addition to constant concerts, active work began on the creation of the band's debut album. The disc with the same name Green Gray was presented in one of the Kyiv clubs in 1998. The songs from the first album were so popular that they were sung for a long time both in Ukraine and in Russia.
In 2000, the band released their next studio album, 550 MF. Two hits were very popular with the audience - "Depressive leaf fall" and "Mazafaka".
The musicians became very successful. An Internet survey showed that Green Gray is the most popular and sought-after group in the post-Soviet space. As a result, the musicians were invited to represent Russia at the MTV Europe Music Awards. And in 2002, the group already performed in Barcelona, where the ceremony took place.
Inspired by the performance in Spain and the attention of the European public, the group released the next disc "Emigrant". The song under the same name became the key and most popular in the album. A stylish, emotional video for the song, filmed in New York, won the hearts of listeners and gained millions of views.
The peak of popularity of Green Gray
For 10 years of creativity, the Green Gray group has managed to reach the top of the musical Olympus. All European music reviewers and popular glossy magazines wrote about the Ukrainian rock band.
Albums sold out in millions of copies immediately after the release. And the musicians continued to delight and surprise domestic and foreign listeners with new hits. The group decided to celebrate their first anniversary (10 years) on a grand scale. She gave a big concert at the Opera House of the capital in 2003.
The performances were unformatted for the audience, the musicians performed hits with a symphony orchestra, piano and acoustic guitar. And they were accompanied by ballet numbers and theatrical mise-en-scenes. In order to have memories of the creative anniversary, the group released the disc "Two Epochs", which included all the songs from the concert.
During its activity, the group managed to sing on the same stage with The Prodigy, DMC, and also with Lenny Kravitz, C & C Music Factory, etc. But a few years after the release of the fourth album, “hard” music ceased to surprise listeners. And the group released several more melodic hits - "Stereosystem", "Moon and Sun", etc.
As a result, a new album "Metamorphoses" (2005) was presented, unlike all the previous ones. In 2007, the Green Gray group received an award in the nomination "Best Group" (according to "Hit FM"). And in 2009, the musicians won the Best Ukrainian Act (MTV Ukraine) nomination.
Band life outside of music
It cannot be said that the collective is engaged only in the development of musical creativity. You can often see them in other projects as well. The musicians claim to be a "social" group. And they never remain aloof from the problems of the country and society.
The group cooperates with the organization "Greenpeace Ukraine" and participates in charity. And also defends the rights of national minorities on the territory of Ukraine, promotes Ukrainian culture in the world. In 2003, the musicians starred in the New Year's musical Cinderella, in which they played the roles of itinerant musicians.
Personal life of musicians
The friendship between Murik and Diesel has been going on for over 30 years. As the artists say, they had no disagreements. Despite the fact that the musicians have to be together almost constantly (concerts, rehearsals, tours), they always find a common language and compromise on controversial issues. But, in addition to creativity, each of the men also has a personal life.
Andrey Yatsenko (Diesel)
Despite his brutal and informal appearance, the artist is distinguished by his intelligence and calm character. The man graduated from the conservatory and he has a medical education, which he received abroad. So he is well versed not only in rock and punk.
For over 16 years, Diesel has been in a relationship with Zhanna Farah, who is also into music. The couple has no children. He prefers not to talk about his civil wife, and ignores all the questions of journalists on this topic. A year ago, the artist celebrated his 50th birthday with a stormy party in one of the nightclubs in Kyiv. The musician has strength and energy, plans include new hits and projects.
Dmitry Muravitsky (Murik)
The musician, before he got into the group, studied at the Kiev Medical University. But he never managed to become a doctor. The love of music won, and the guy left his studies without receiving a diploma.
Since 2013, the artist has been officially married to Yulia Artemenko and has a son. Considers himself a non-public person. Therefore, it is very rare to see his photo with his family on social networks.
