The creative path of the artist can be safely called thorny. Irina Otieva is one of the first performers of the Soviet Union who dared to perform jazz.
Due to her musical preferences, Otieva was blacklisted. She was not published in the newspapers, despite her obvious talent. In addition, Irina was not invited to music festivals and competitions. Despite this, the artist persevered and was able to prove that she is the best in her business.
Childhood and youth
Charming woman from Tbilisi. Irina Otiyan (real name of the star) was born in 1958. She is Georgian by nationality. Irina's parents worked as doctors, but despite this they loved music, and in particular they were interested in the folk works of their country.
Parents raised two daughters - Natalia and Irina. The eldest daughter did not dare to argue with her father, so after receiving a matriculation certificate, she entered the medical institute. The same was expected from the youngest daughter, Irina, but the girl let her parents down.
Parents did not pay attention to the creative potential of Ira. At one time, the girl asked her mother to enroll her in a music school. The teacher told the parents that the girl had an amazing voice. He advised to develop Otieva's vocal abilities.
After graduating from a music school, Ira was already part of a vocal and instrumental ensemble. Together with the rest of the team, Otieva toured Tbilisi. Actually, it was from this that the start of her creative career began.
Irina Otieva: Creative way and music
At the age of 17, an event happened that radically changed her life. The fact is that she won the Moscow Jazz Competition. Then, without entrance exams, she was enrolled in the prestigious "Gnesinka" in the pop department. Even then it became known that education in the life of Otieva occupies a paramount role. After Gnesinka, she also entered the Pedagogical University. Thus, Irina became one of the first certified singers on the Soviet stage.
Around the same period of time, the creative pseudonym "Otieva" appears. Irina considered the new surname easier to understand. Soon she joined the ensemble led by Oleg Lundstrem. In the mid-80s, the artists released a conscientious composition. We are talking about the track "Music is my love."
At that time in the Soviet Union there was a special attitude towards jazz. Despite this, fans loved the work of Otieva. As part of the team, Irina managed to put on her shelf many prestigious awards. As a result, the Ministry of Culture banned the singer from performing at international competitions. In addition, she did not have the right to appear on television and radio.
Despite the fact that she was on the so-called "black list", at the beginning of the 80s she managed to perform at the All-Russian competition, then also at the Berlin "8 Hits in the Studio". A year later, she performed in Sweden. It was from there that she left with a victory in her hands.
Creation of your own team
In the mid-80s, Irina matured to create her own project. The brainchild of the singer was called "Stimulus Band". The artist is becoming more and more recognizable, which allows her to record new LPs one after another.
In the early 90s, Irina toured the world. The singer was warmly welcomed in different parts of the world, but American music lovers were especially warmly received by the Russian jazz performer. Otieva in the United States of America held more than 10 concerts.
In the mid-90s, Russian viewers watched the development of the musical project "Old songs about the main thing." At the show, Otieva and Larisa Dolina presented the audience with the song "Good Girls". The presented track was accepted with a bang by jazz fans. Irina's popularity has increased tenfold.
In 1996, the discography of the performer was replenished with another novelty. We are talking about the album "20 Years in Love". The release of the collection was timed to coincide with the anniversary. The fact is that Irina devoted 20 years to working on stage. Then it became known that Otieva put an end to concert activity. One of the last works was writing a track for the film “You never dreamed of” - “The Last Poem”.
At the beginning of the 90s, the jazz performer was compared with the Russian pop prima donna - Alla Borisovna Pugacheva. It was rumored that on the basis of competition, the singers even quarreled. Otieva herself says that she never wanted to be in the role of Pugacheva's double.
Details of the personal life of the artist Irina Otieva
She was constantly in the center of male attention, but despite this, she did not officially legalize relations with any of her men. For a long time she lived under the same roof with Alexei Danchenko, the concert director of the band. But in the mid-90s, it became known about the separation of the couple.
At the time of the breakup, she was 32 years old. Irina already had a great career behind her back, but she did not experience real female happiness. Otieva dreamed of children.
In 1996, she became the mother of a beautiful daughter named Zlata. Interestingly, Irina did not disclose the name of the biological father of the child. In one of the interviews, Otieva mentioned that she was dating a married man then, but as soon as she found out about the pregnancy, she broke off relations with him.
After the birth of her daughter, Otieva took a short creative break. During this time, she was repeatedly seen in the company of younger men. She says that young guys charge her with the necessary energy. Irina says without shame in her voice that her favorite hobby is making love. She loves men 20+.
Irina cannot be attributed to weak and fragile women. She was used to solving all problems on her own.
Irina Otieva at the present time
Today, Otieva rarely performs at corporate parties and musical events in her native country. She preferred a moderate life. Irina teaches at Gnesinka.
In 2020, Andrey Malakhov prepared a whole program about a celebrity. The TV presenter said that against the backdrop of a decline in popularity, Otieva began to abuse alcoholic beverages. On the air, she confirmed that today she is going through hard times. The stars with whom she used to perform on the same stage have long forgotten about her existence. The turning point in the life of Irina was the celebration of the anniversary. Then, out of hundreds of invited guests, only Nikas Safronov came to the celebration.
Natalia Gulkina, the day before the filming of the television show, asked Irina not to appear in the program. According to Natalia, such shows are built on dirt and lies. Otieva was personally convinced of this, since a ton of dirt poured on the artist in the studio. The artist asked Andrei a question about since when he began to "poison honored pensioners."
Later, the artist will tell that on the eve of filming she had a high fever. Irina's condition went to the film crew on the "hand". Thus, they had “arguments” that confirmed that Otieva had indeed begun to drink alcohol. After the filming, Irina removed the refutation and compared the incident with the “Armenian genocide”.
