"Okean Elzy" is a Ukrainian rock band whose "age" is already well over 20 years old. The composition of the musical group is constantly changing. But the permanent vocalist of the group is the Honored Artist of Ukraine Vyacheslav Vakarchuk.
The Ukrainian musical group took the top of the Olympus back in 1994. The Okean Elzy team has its old loyal fans. Interestingly, the work of musicians is very popular with young and more mature music lovers.
History of creation and composition of the group
Even before the music world accepted the Okean Elzy group, the musical group Clan of Silence arose. The group included: Andrey Golyak, Pavel Gudimov, Yuri Khustochka and Denis Glinin.
At that time, almost all members of the team were educated in higher educational institutions. But after the lectures, young people united to make music. At that time, they often performed at student parties and local restaurants.
For several years of its creative activity, the musical group has already gained local “fans”. The group began to be invited to various festivals. However, in 1994 Andrey Golyak left the musical group. The fact is that his musical tastes no longer coincide with the tastes of other members of the musical group. In 1994, Andrei became the leader of the Separate Territory group.
In the same year, Pavel Gudimov, Yuri Khustochka and Denis Glinin met Svyatoslav Vakarchuk. For the period of their acquaintance, the guys rehearsed the recorded track. And Svyatoslav helped to correct the musical composition. It was this story that became the starting point for the creation of the Ukrainian team Okean Elzy.
On October 12, 1994, the Okean Elzy musical group was created. The name of the musical group was given by Svyatoslav Vakarchuk, who really liked the work of Jacques Cousteau. The Ukrainian group entered the territory of show business so confidently that no one had any doubts that they would become popular.
The voice of Svyatoslav Vakarchuk is a real musical magic. Whatever composition the singer took, it immediately turned into a hit. Thanks to the unusual presentation of musical compositions, the Okean Elzy group traveled half the continent.
Music of the Ukrainian group "Okean Elzy"
For the period of acquaintance of Vyacheslav Vakarchuk with the members of the group, he already had an arsenal of poems and compositions.
Then the band members added a few more songs from their old works and prepared the first musical program. In the winter of 1995, the Okean Elzy group performed in front of a large audience. The musicians were able to win their first "fans", they were greeted with a standing ovation.
In the same 1995, the musicians recorded all the musical compositions on a cassette. They called this "album" "Demo 94-95". They sent the recorded cassette to various radio stations and production studios. The leaders of the group presented several copies to relatives and friends.
The newcomers were spotted on television. In 1995, the musicians took part in the recording of the Deka television program. Then the Okean Elzy group went to conquer the hearts of millions by performing at the Chervona Ruta festival.
The creative biography of the group began to develop rapidly. In 1996, the guys took part in a number of festivals. They took place on the territory of Poland, France and Germany. In their hometown, they played a number of concerts. By that time they were already popular outside of Ukraine.
Then everything developed even more rapidly - the release of the maxi-single "Budinok zi Skla". As well as the premiere of a biographical film about the Ukrainian group on the TET TV channel. And in 1997, the first all-Ukrainian tour took place. The musicians worked very hard and found the long-awaited success.
New members and new plans for the Okean Elzy group
In 1998, members of the Okean Elzy group met a talented musician and producer Vitaly Klimov. He convinced the guys to move to the capital of Ukraine - Kyiv.
In the same 1998, the musicians decided to leave their native Lviv. They moved to Kyiv and almost immediately released their debut album "There, where we are dumb."
In 1998, a video clip was shot for one of the musical compositions of the debut album. The clip was broadcast not only on Ukrainian channels, but it also hit the charts in France and the Russian Federation. And the group has grown an army of fans.
A few more years have passed since the release of the debut album. The musical group received awards in the nominations: "Debut of the Year", "Best Album" and "Best Song".
In 1999, the group participated in the Russian music festival "Maksidrom". It was held in the sports complex "Olympic". And what was the surprise of the musicians when the audience began to sing the song "There, where we are dumb."
In 2000, the musicians released their second album, "I'm in the sky buv." And this year, the Okean Elzy group said goodbye to Vitaly Klimov.
Also this year is famous for the fact that the group has undergone changes. The talented keyboardist Dmitry Shurov joined the group. Several musical compositions became the soundtracks for the film "Brother-2".
New album and massive tour Demand More
In 2001, the musicians presented one of their best works - the album "Model". Some time later, the group organized a massive Demand More tour, which they organized with Pepsi. By the way, thanks to this collaboration, the musicians were able to perform for their fans with a number of free concerts.
2003 was no less fruitful for the Ukrainian group. The artists released the disc "Supersymmetry". And immediately after the presentation of the disc, the team went on a large-scale Ukrainian tour. The musicians played concerts in 40 cities of Ukraine.
In 2004, there were some changes in the composition of the group again. Shurov and Khustochka left the musical group. Then the guys with this line-up performed with a big concert on the territory of Donetsk. And they were joined by new members - Denis Dudko (bass guitar) and Milos Yelich (keyboards). A year later, guitarist Pyotr Chernyavsky replaced Pavel Gudimov.
The musicians presented their fifth studio album in 2005. The Gloria album has been certified platinum several times. For 6 hours of sales, about 100 thousand copies were sold out. It was the success that the leader of the group, Vyacheslav Vakarchuk, was so eager for.
The musicians dedicated their sixth studio album Mira (2017) to the memory of Sergei Tolstoluzhsky, the sound producer of the Ukrainian band. In 2010, the Okean Elzy group presented the album Dolce Vita. Then Svyatoslav Vakarchuk decided to develop himself also as a solo artist.
Svyatoslav Vakarchuk took a break
In 2010, Svyatoslav Vakarchuk took a break. He recorded the disc "Brussels". The album included tracks that were filled with calmness, loneliness and notes of romance.
He did not even think of leaving the Okean Elzy group. This break did him good. After all, in 2013 he again began to create as part of a Ukrainian rock band.
In 2013, the musicians presented the new album "Earth". The group celebrated 20 years since its inception. In honor of this, the group members organized a big concert, which was held at the Olimpiysky sports complex.
During the existence of the Ukrainian group, musicians:
- released 9 studio albums;
- recorded 15 singles;
- filmed 37 clips.
All musical groups aspired to this, but only a few succeeded in repeating the fate of the Okean Elzy group.
Interesting facts about the Okean Elzy group
- The leader of the group Vyacheslav Vakarchuk began to sing songs when he was barely 3 years old. He performed Ukrainian folk songs. The love of creativity was instilled in him by his grandmother.
- The first fee the band received for the show was $60.
- Vyacheslav Vakarchuk wrote his first musical composition at the age of 16.
- In 2005, Svyatoslav won 1 million UAH on the show "First Million". He donated money to the Charity Fund.
- "911" is the only song by the band that has numbers in its title.
Return to the stage after a break in creativity
In 2018, the musical group returned to the big stage after a long break. They returned for a reason, but with the compositions “Without you”, “To the sky for my wife” and “Skilki us”.
On the Independence Day of Ukraine, the Okean Elzy group performed before the public with their favorite compositions. For 4 hours, the band members delighted the listeners with high-quality music.
In 2019, the Okean Elzy group went on a tour of the cities of Ukraine. The musicians planned to hold concerts in the cities of their native country. The next concert was planned in Lviv.
Today there is a musical composition "Chowen" on YouTube, and who knows, perhaps this track was released ahead of the release of the new album. In addition, Svyatoslav Vakarchuk was engaged in political activities.
After a long silence in 2020, the team of O.E. presented two video clips at once. The first composition was released at the beginning of autumn and was called "If we become ourselves." The main role went to Varvara Lushchik.
At the end of 2020, the musicians presented the clip "Trimai". This is the band's second single from their forthcoming tenth studio album. The video was directed by Andrey Kirillov. The main role went to Fatima Gorbenko.
Okean Elzy group in 2021
The Okean Elzy team in February 2021 presented the track “#WithoutYouMeneNema” to fans of their work. The musicians also presented an animated video for the composition, which told the audience about the amazing story of cats in love.
On the first day of June 2021, the rapper Alena Alena and the Ukrainian rock band "Okean Elzy" specially for the International Children's Day presented the musical work "The Land of Children". The artists dedicated the song to Ukrainian children who suffered from the war and terrorist attacks.
In 2021, the musicians presented two more unrealistically cool singles. They recorded them in a collab with other Ukrainian artists. We are talking about the compositions “Misto of Spring” (with the participation of “One in a Canoe”) and “Peremoga” (with the participation of KALUSH). The release of the tracks was accompanied by the premiere of clips.
It also turned out that Okean Elzy will go on a grandiose world tour with a new LP in 2022. Recall that the tour is timed to coincide with the release of the 9th LP.
Okean Elzy group today
Fans held their breath in anticipation of a new LP from their favorite Ukrainian band. And the musicians, meanwhile, at the end of January 2022, presented an incredibly atmospheric single "Spring". The track is saturated with the best elements of funk and electronics.
The cover of the single is inspired by Michelangelo's "The Creation of Adamo" fresco, only the roles of God and Adam are played by snowmen.
