This year, Sergey Lazarev will represent Russia at the Eurovision 2020 international song contest with a new strong song. Many people believe that the performer wants to make up for a past loss, is this true? What will he sing and how many times has the artist participated in the competition before? The latest news from our editors.
About victory and return
On the thirtieth of April, on the birthday of Philip Kirkorov, artists and fans of the singer gathered in the studio of the “Live Broadcast” program to support the participant, wish him good luck and make a worthy farewell to the competition in Israel. For the second time, the “king of show business” Philip Kirkorov presents the singer on the European stage.
Shot from the program “Live Broadcast”
“Based on the results of 2020, Sergei won the competition based on the results of audience voting, but if the rules had not been changed and secret voting of five people in different countries had not been introduced, then Sergei would not have had to go again,” says Philip Kirkorov.
Shot from the program “Live Broadcast”
“I’m not going there to prove that I’m the best. In general, I took third place and gained great popularity in Europe and Russia. Now I want to show myself again from the other side,” says Sergei Lazarev.
The country sees off Sergei Lazarev to Eurovision // video
Smash!!
Sergei Lazarev’s “adult” career began with the group Smash!!. The singer created it together with his friend from “Fidgets” Vlad Topalov.
The idea to create their own musical group came to the guys back in the days of Fidget. They started making their dreams come true after Vlad’s mother suggested that the singers record an aria from the popular musical Notre-Dame de Paris together. This song was supposed to be a birthday present for Vlad’s father, civil servant Mikhail Genrikhovich Topalov.
The man saw potential in the guys and took on the duties of music producer of the new group, taking as a model the brainchild of Simon Naiper-Bell, producer of the boy band “Wham!” With the song “Belle” in August 2002, Lazarev and Topalov won the first “New Wave” competition in Jurmala. Topalov and Lazarev's video for this song stayed at the top of the charts for about six months.
At the beginning of 2003, the band's debut album Smash!! called Freeway. The record almost instantly received gold status. More than a million licensed copies were sold, and the number of pirated discs sold is incalculable. Russian schoolgirls argued fiercely about which of the smashes was more beautiful: the little black one or the little white one.
In 2003, the guys almost went to represent Russia at Eurovision, but they gave preference to the Tatu group. Perhaps Yulia Volkova and Lena Katina (also, by the way, from “Fidget”) were the only youth group of the early 2000s that could compete with Smash!!. In 2004, Topalov and Lazarev were again one step away from the coveted competition, but unexpectedly for everyone, the “manufacturer” Yulia Savicheva went to Istanbul.
What is the name of the song
This year's song for the Eurovision Song Contest is unconventional and original. Its premiere took place in March. After all, interesting compositions usually win. The Dream Team and Philip Kirkorov prepared the music and lyrics for the competition song “Scream,” which means “Scream” in English. She is completely different in vocal, musical and genre performance. Unlike the song “Let the whole world wait”, which the singer sang in 2020.
Not only the team of Philip Kirkorov, but also the Greek composer Dimitris Kontopoulos worked on the song “Scream”. A new song was recorded in the Greek co-author's studio.
New video for Eurovision // video
Lyrics of the song “Scream” in English and translation of the text into Russian.
Interesting fact: The Russian version of the song “Scream” had not yet been released at the time of the Eurovision Song Contest.
Family tragedy
Sergei did not have a close relationship with his brother Pavel. The younger brother was an obedient, well-mannered and hardworking boy who adored music and creativity in general, while the older brother grew up unlucky, he was attracted by the street with all the ensuing consequences.
In 1999, 20-year-old Pavel was sent to prison for the first time due to fraud. After serving the required 25 months and barely finding himself free, the young man was caught with drugs, but got off with a suspended sentence.
Pavel spent the next five years in freedom, fell in love with a girl, and their daughter Alina was born. In 2007, he committed a theft and paid with a year of freedom. In 2008, Lazarev Sr. attacked a woman, intending to rob him, was caught and sentenced to three years in prison, but was released on parole after a year and a half.
In November 2010, law enforcement officers found heroin in the man's possession during a search. Pavel was accused of drug trafficking on an especially large scale. Upon his release in 2014, Pavel decided to put an end to his criminal past. The brothers became friends as in early childhood. Pavel intended to open his own business and often asked Sergei for advice. The whole family gathered for the holidays. But the idyll did not last long.
In March 2020, Pavel, who had just celebrated his 37th birthday, got into a terrible accident - the car’s tire burst and it drifted into the oncoming lane. He got off relatively lightly: he broke his nose and suffered a concussion. At least, that’s what it seemed to the family until the man developed a fever. He was getting worse. The ambulance took Pavel to the hospital, but the doctors were unable to save him. He died a week after the accident.
Lazarev did not want to advertise the loss, but during the concert, which took place on the eve of Pavel’s funeral, he could not stand it, burst into tears right on stage and told fans about his brother’s death.
At the funeral, Sergei saw his own father. The tragedy brought them closer, and Lazarev forgot about old grievances. Father and son restored communication. But exactly 2 years and one day after the death of Pavel Vyacheslav Yuryevich passed away - the ulcer made itself known. “But just yesterday he wrote to me, ‘Let’s remember Pashka,’” Sergei lamented.
Caring for Pavel's daughter, Alina Lazareva, fell on Sergei's shoulders. The singer spoils the girl, and, probably, thousands of subscribers on her Instagram are largely due to his authority.
Why not a new singer
This is the most popular question on the Internet now: why is Sergey Lazarev going to Eurovision again for the second time, aren’t there other good performers in Russia? In fact, the singer was chosen by the VGTRK channel and the “king of show business” Philip Kirkorov, who prepared the song for the performer. There was no public selection for the competition.
“I worry and root for Seryozha. He is a worthy candidate and there is no one more professional than him. Let him win. When we went for the second time to the competition with Dima Bilan, second place was a loss for us,” says producer Yana Rudkovskaya.
Shot from the program “Live Broadcast”
The art group Soprano Turetsky, the singer Alexander Panayotov and, of course, Olga Buzova would captivate with her charm. After all, Buzova manages to record popular tracks and videos.
Business
A big fan of four-legged friends, Sergey Lazarev founded an original pet business. Since 2014, he has owned the Poodle Strudel animal confectionery. Since sweets are harmful to dogs, the store sells cakes with the appropriate flavors: beef, chicken, fish.
Sergei was inspired to create an unusual bakery by the mongrel Daisy, whom he “adopted” after a visit to an animal shelter. He saw dog desserts on sale during a tour of America and Europe and wanted to please his pet with the same. But it turned out that dog cakes had not yet reached Russia. Then Sergey decided to strike while the iron was hot, and soon the grand opening of the “Poodle Strudel” took place.
What are Sergei Lazarev's chances of winning?
Now it is much more difficult to win because the rules have changed, the system has become not as transparent as before. A strange jury has appeared, voting in secret.
Interesting fact: The 2020 secret jury did not include professional musicians, but rather working-class people. No one still knows by what criteria they were selected for the jury.
“For me he is a real winner. He gives himself everything and is a great hard worker,” says Lena Katina, a participant in the 2003 competition.
Shot from the program “Live Broadcast”
“In 2020, Sergei Lazarev was condemned by the judges, when according to televoting the artist had from 8 to 12 points, then twenty-three jury members pointedly gave zero points. There was a political demarche against Russia, and the singer became a bargaining chip,” says Philip
Shot from the program “Live Broadcast”
“I would like there to be no politics at the wonderful Eurovision contest and at press conferences not to push back on political issues. Politics interferes in sports and music, and the participants are already fed up with this,” says Sergei Lazarev.
Politics: Lazarev received 17 zeros
Our Sergei Lazarev was among the top three winners at the Eurovision song contest, which ended in Tel Aviv. And, as usual, the audience ratings turned out to be much higher than the official jury ratings. In any case, congratulations to Sergei, he performed brilliantly!
It’s also nice that first place went to the performance of Dutch performer Duncan Lawrence, where the singer simply sat down at the piano and sang. Without any overlap or gender ambiguity.
Coming onto the stage of the Eurovision final, Sergei Lazarev already knew that the voting results of the Belarusian judges would be annulled. An inexplicable, forbidden leak to the Internet about the preferences of the Belarusian jury in the semi-finals hit Russia, and Sergei.
“It was a shock for us, we really counted on the support of the jury of Belarus, we missed 12 points,” said Lazarev.
It’s strange, but the TV presenter from Belarus reads out not the opinion of her experts, but a certain paper from Geneva, the average score of an unknown reserve jury, where Russia did not get a single point.
Some people violated the protocol, points were taken away from others, which means they had to sing impeccably, hoping that the audience would hear this “Scream.” The song was received very warmly. Israeli television viewers rated Lazarev's performance at the highest level - 12 points, while a member of the jury from this country put a bold zero in the "Russia" column. Maybe tens of thousands of fans and amateurs don’t know anything about music and can’t judge Sergei’s vocal abilities? But here is the opinion of professionals.
“I listened carefully to everyone. Sergey is wonderful! I first became acquainted with his song, and then with him. I wish him good luck with all my heart,” said Kobi Marimi, Israel’s Eurovision 2019 participant.
“Sergey is wonderful! You have wonderful stage designers, what an idea with the mirrors! And Sergei has an amazing voice,” says Luka, a participant in the competition from Switzerland.
The competition was high. On this day, Tel Aviv residents applauded Duncan Lawrence from the Netherlands and danced to the composition of the Swede Jon Lundvik, but when the young Israeli Kobi Marimi appeared on stage, the screams drowned out the speakers.
As soon as it was time to vote, world pop star Madonna appeared in front of the fans. Traditionally performing in the style of a political pamphlet, alas, this time to the detriment of the vocals, members of Madonna's group attached Israeli and Palestinian flags to the corps de ballet's clothes.
First minutes of voting. Azerbaijan gives preference to the song by Sergei Lazarev. An explosion of joy in the Russian sector. And again tense anticipation. 41 countries vote. First, a professional jury. And at this moment Sergei feels déjà vu, as if a time machine had transported him three years ago to Sweden, where the audience made him first, and judges from 23 countries gave him a “zero”.
“The second time with me, with Russia it’s the same story, that many countries ignore our performance. 17 countries, to be precise, voted “zero,” Lazarev noted.
This can only be explained by politics. The jury does not hear or see one of the best vocalists in Europe, while the audience of the same countries votes for Lazarev and his Scream.
Here is just a fragment of aesthetic disagreements between viewers and experts.
In Israel and the Czech Republic, television viewers gave the Russian singer the highest score - 12. The judges gave a zero. Music lovers in Portugal rated Sergei 10 points. The judges gave it a zero. Fans of the song from Serbia, Georgia, and Germany gave eight points each. The judges gave it a zero. Residents of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Moldova awarded the Russian the highest score, when the judges gave two, three, four, and even twelve times less points.
The so-called professional jury was created to destroy the camaraderie of spectators from fraternal countries and peoples, who traditionally supported each other from competition to competition. But it turned out that the panel of judges does not work in terms of music. The judges consistently and unceremoniously rob the audience of their competition, imposing their dubious ideas of good and evil on Eurovision.
Information appeared that Duncan performed a song from his repertoire two years ago, violating the most important rule of the competition, which means he could be disqualified. In this case, the winner in the audience category will again be Sergey Lazarev. The song must sound. Show must go on.
Who are Russia's rivals at Eurovision?
According to the bookmaker's office, the main rivals at the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 are the Netherlands, followed by Switzerland, Italy and Sweden.
Shot from the program “Live Broadcast”
“It all depends on how the artist performs his song and shows the number. Now the rates are very approximate because none of the countries have yet shown their presentation of songs,” says Lazarev.
Preparation for Eurovision
Singer Sergei Lazarev, together with Philip and the team, flew two weeks in advance to Israel, where they presented the number. After all, you need to prepare thoroughly for a performance. The reaction from the contestants at the first rehearsal was clear. On the sidelines of the competition they began to say that he was the absolute favorite and would win. The Eurovision Song Contest has never seen such a performance. What are the room details? On stage during Lazarev’s performance there will be eight of his own holograms filmed in advance and rain will pour on them.
Shot from the first rehearsal
In one song he will simultaneously pray, speak and look for a way out. The whole indescribable gamut of childhood fears of an adult’s soul will be shown. The song “Scream” shows how a grown man fights and overcomes childhood fears.
Still from the Scream video
From the latest news it became known that at the second rehearsal, technical problems were discovered in the performance details. The screens do not burn or leak water. The singer was very upset.
Shot from rehearsal
Childhood
Sergei was born on April 1, 1983 in Moscow, in the family of Vyacheslav Yuryevich and Valentina Viktorovna Lazarev. The family's 5-year-old son, Pavel, was already growing up. When Seryozha was 5 and Pasha, respectively, 10, their father left the family. It happened suddenly - one day the man simply disappeared and stopped communicating. Later he had a new family; Sergei has a half-brother Andrei.
Despite the absence of his own father, Sergei never felt flawed or unloved. Her mother, Zhanna Petrovna, helped Valentina raise her children. The woman's character was ironclad - you can't spoil her. So Seryozha, willy-nilly, became accustomed to ideal order in everything. Sometimes the artist thinks that he suffers from mysophobia - the fear of catching some kind of bacillus.
Later Valentina Viktorovna got married. Sergei Lazarev's stepfather's name was Mikhail Alexandrovich. Now he and the artist’s mother are divorced.
From the age of four, the future singer was engaged in artistic gymnastics, won competitions and received a youth rank, but at 8 he was forced to leave the sport due to health problems. In high school, Sergei returned to training - being the youngest in the class, he was rather puny, and decided to gain muscle mass in order to be able to fend for himself.
