Mikhail Shufutinsky: “My life is full of obstacles and overcoming them”

Childhood and youth

Mikhail Shufutinsky was born in Moscow on April 13, 1948 into a Jewish family. The musician’s father, Zakhar Davidovich, was a participant in the Great Patriotic War, later worked as a doctor and devoted a lot of time to work. He turned out to be a musical person - he played the trumpet, guitar, and sang well. The future chansonnier's mother died suddenly when the boy was five years old, so the singer remembers her little.

Mikhail Shufutinsky in childhood

Due to the father’s difficult shift work, grandmother Berta Davidovna and grandfather David Yakovlevich began raising the child, who not only taught and guided Misha, but also developed the child’s taste and love for art. Noticing his grandson's craving for music, the grandfather began to teach the child to play the accordion.

At the age of seven, Mikhail entered a music school. But due to the fact that at that time the accordion was not taught in Soviet music schools, considering this instrument an echo of bourgeois culture, Misha went to the accordion class - a folk instrument somewhat similar to the one on which the boy began his musical education.

Mikhail Shufutinsky with his father

The future singer loved and appreciated classes at the music school; after a few years he was already fluent in the instrument and was a regular participant in school orchestras and ensembles. Every week, together with his grandfather, the young man organized impromptu concerts in the courtyard of the house where his family lived. Mikhail enjoyed playing the repertoire that he liked.

From the age of fifteen, Misha became seriously interested in a new direction in music - jazz, which only began to appear on Soviet stages, and very unofficially. Thus, being just a teenager, Mikhail chose his life path. Therefore, after graduating from secondary school, Shufutinsky, without hesitation, submitted documents to the Moscow Music College named after Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov.

Mikhail Shufutinsky in his youth

After graduating from music school, having received the qualifications of a conductor, choirmaster, music and singing teacher, the musician and the orchestra leave for Magadan to perform at the Severny restaurant. There Shufutinsky first approached the microphone as a vocal performer, although out of necessity - replacing the main singers. Shufutinsky’s favorite authors were Alexander Vertinsky and Pyotr Leshchenko, whose songs were included in the repertoire of the aspiring artist.

Music

Later, Mikhail Zakharovich returned to Moscow and worked in several musical groups, for example, in the then popular “Accord” and “Leisya, Song”. The last ensemble was a success: the guys recorded records at the Melodiya studio, traveled around the cities of Russia, where the musicians were warmly received by enthusiastic fans.

Mikhail Shufutinsky and VIA “Leisya, song”

Shufutinsky's conflict with the Soviet regime was growing, so in the early 80s the musician immigrated with his family and moved to New York through Austria and Italy.

At first, in the USA, the musician works as an accompanist, playing mainly the piano. Later he creates his own orchestra, “Ataman”, with which he regularly performs in the New York restaurants “Pearl”, “Paradise” and “National”

Singer Mikhail Shufutinsky

In 1983, Shufutinsky presented his first album entitled “Escape”. The album includes 13 compositions: “Taganka”, “Farewell letter”, “You are far from me”, “Winter evening” and others.

When the Ataman ensemble gained popularity in immigrant circles, Shufutinsky received an offer to perform in Los Angeles, where at that moment there was a boom in Russian songs in the chanson style. Then Shufutinsky's fame reached its peak.

Mikhail Shufutinsky – “Russian Autumn”

Shufutinsky's music was listened to and loved not only in immigration, but also in the Soviet Union, which was confirmed by the first tours in his homeland, when the audience filled even large halls and stadiums.

In the 90s, Shufutinsky returned to Russia and after that lived permanently in Moscow. In 1997, the artist published the book “And now I’m standing at the line...”, in which Mikhail introduced fans to the facts of his biography. Later, the collection “Best Songs” appeared. Lyrics and chords."

For the sake of his young lover, 71-year-old Shufutinsky lost 30 kilos and became a fashionista

For the sake of his young lover, 71-year-old Shufutinsky lost 30 kilos and became a fashionista.

Photo: Vladimir VELENGURIN

I Monogamous! — Mikhail Shufutinsky, the performer of the imperishable film “The Third of September,” said in all his interviews. The chansonnier lived in a happy marriage for 44 years with his wife Margarita, who bore him two sons, and they gave them seven grandchildren.

While Mikhail Zakharovich toured Russia, his wife (she was a film editor by profession - Ed.) looked after life on their estate near Los Angeles.

- She was a great martyr. It is very difficult to follow me through life. And to withstand my character... You just had to be a goddess,” the artist admired his wife.

Svetlana Urazova is 30 years younger than the chanson star

Photo: Vladimir VELENGURIN

Alas, four years ago the singer’s wife died after a sudden heart attack. According to the singer’s relatives, Shufutinsky was supported at that moment by Svetlana Urazova, a dancer from his group “Ataman”.

Svetlana is 30 years younger than Shufutinsky. She has a daughter from her first marriage. Until recently, Urazova and Shufutinsky did not advertise their relationship. They first appeared together a month ago at the Victoria Music Awards dinner.

- This is my favorite! — the singer introduced the statuesque blonde to reporters.

At the international festival “Legends of Retro FM” Shufutinsky appeared again with Svetlana. Everyone noticed how the master of chanson looked younger next to his new companion. Mikhail Zakharovich sported Balenciaga youth sneakers for 50 thousand rubles. The singer’s bright jacket also created a sensation. The collar of the artist's costume was encrusted with shiny sequins. In a boutique of a famous Italian brand, a similar jacket costs from 250 thousand rubles. It seems that the 71-year-old artist now goes shopping in the same boutique with Philip Kirkorov.

The chansonnier lived with Margarita for 44 years.

Swims and works out in the gym

As the singer’s new companion told Komsomolskaya Pravda, Shufutinsky became prettier not only because he fell in love, but also because he began to take more care of his health.

— Mikhail Zakharovich lost 30 kilos a long time ago. Now he is also on a diet and continues to reduce his weight. True, he is no longer losing weight in such large quantities, but gradually,” Svetlana Urazova, who recently became the administrator of the team and Shufutinsky’s personal manager, told KP. — Mikhail Zakharovich eats right and plays sports. He generally goes to the pool every other day, if his tour schedule allows it. In general, he maintains his physical shape with all his might, because excess weight affects not only your appearance, but also your health.

According to Svetlana, the singer does not have a stylist; he chooses his concert looks himself.

- He is, of course, a fashionista. “He loves comfortable, high-quality things,” notes the singer’s friend.

However, Shufutinsky’s beloved does not want to tell the details of her affair with the musician.

“It’s not that I’m embarrassed by the attention of the press. I just think that some things should remain personal,” the artist’s passion emphasized in a conversation with Komsomolskaya Pravda.

BY THE WAY

Eligible groom

Mikhail Shufutinsky is a very popular artist. Thus, a corporate performance by a singer costs more than 2 million rubles.

In addition to the estate in Los Angeles, Mikhail Zakharovich has a cottage in Philadelphia. And at the beginning of the 2000s, the musician built a two-story mansion in the Moscow region with an area of ​​913 square meters in the “Sapozhok” cottage village.

Personal life

A stately, impressive man (Mikhail’s height is 187 cm, weight is 100 kg) has always attracted the attention of the opposite sex. But unlike many public people, Mikhail Shufutinsky is an excellent family man. The musician was married only once. In 1971, he married Margarita Mikhailovna, whom he had known for several years. In this marriage, Shufutinsky had two sons - David, born in 1972, and Anton, who was born two years later.

Family of Mikhail Shufutinsky

Now the brothers are separated by an ocean. Anton lives with his wife and four children in Philadelphia, where he teaches at a local university and is writing his doctoral dissertation. David, his wife and three children permanently live in Moscow, engaged in production activities.

To be closer to Anton, Shufutinsky bought a house not far from him. Together with his wife, Mikhail started renovations in the mansion, which took a long time. It was assumed that the couple would live there together, visiting relatives. But the intention could not be realized.

Mikhail Shufutinsky with his wife Margarita in his youth and now

At the beginning of 2020, grief happened in the singer’s family - Shufutinsky buried his faithful life partner Margarita, who died in America while visiting the family of her youngest son. The cause of Margarita’s death was heart failure, which the woman suffered from for many years.

At the time of her departure, Mikhail was on tour in Israel. There were no signs of tragedy. When the woman stopped answering her husband’s calls, he did not attach any importance to it, because the difference in time zones was significant. After a while, the sons also noticed their mother’s disappearance. They were able to enter the apartment only with the help of the police.

Mikhail Shufutinsky with his wife

Mikhail considers the death of his wife the most difficult loss in his life; for the singer, Margarita forever remained the keeper of the hearth and his personal guardian angel. The couple lived happily together for 44 years.

Mikhail Shufutinsky now

2018 turned out to be an anniversary year for the artist - in April Mikhail Shufutinsky celebrated his 70th birthday. The artist celebrated the beginning of the year with a performance at the “Chanson of the Year” concert with the song “She Was Just a Girl” and a duet with Anastasia Spiridonova “Peter-Moscow”. Thanks to these compositions, the singer again became a laureate of the prestigious award.

Anastasia Spiridonova and Mikhail Shufutinsky - “Peter-Moscow”

On the eve of the celebration, the singer visited the studio of the humorous program “Evening Urgant”, became a guest of Boris Korchevnikov’s show “The Fate of a Man” and the release of the “Once Upon a Time” program on the NTV channel. For the anniversary concert, Mikhail Shufutinsky gathered fans in the Crocus City Hall. Stas Mikhailov and Elena Vorobey took the stage that evening. Shufutinsky’s longtime friend, Vyacheslav Dobrynin, also arrived at the celebration.

In May, the singer visited the filming of the “Tonight” program, which was called “Legends of Chanson.” Guests of the Channel One studio also included Igor Krutoy, Vladimir Vinokur, Alexander Rosenbaum, Lyubov Uspenskaya and others. Now Mikhail Shufutinsky plans to visit Israel on a tour, and in the fall he will continue touring Russia.

Mikhail Shufutinsky and Svetlana Urazova

On the eve of the anniversary, changes arose in the personal life of Mikhail Shufutinsky. In the spring, the artist introduced his beloved dancer Svetlana Urazova to the public, who turned out to be 30 years younger than the singer. This age difference does not prevent Mikhail and Svetlana from being happy, but when asked about the wedding, the singer jokes that he is still too young to get married. The couple has already appeared in public, as evidenced by joint photos of lovers in the media.

Beautiful girlfriend of Mikhail Shufutinsky. Who is she?

Mikhail Shufutinsky came out for the first time with his chosen one, who is even younger than his sons! What connects the chanson legend with this woman? What experiments is Mikhail ready for? Is it true that Shufutinsky decided to go into rap? Read more in Channel Five's Gossip Chronicle program.

The artist turned 71 this year. Most recently, he appeared in the company of a woman who is 30 years younger than him.

Still from the program “Gossip Chronicle”

Shufutinsky lived in marriage for 44 years and more than once claimed that he was monogamous. In 2020, his wife Margarita died of heart failure. The singer took the loss seriously. At that time, he was supported by his family, colleagues, and also a young dancer from the show ballet, who constantly tours with Mikhail.

Svetlana Urazova, that’s the name of Shufutinsky’s current companion, has been working with him for 15 years. According to the girl, she had long been sympathetic to the chansonnier, but admitted her feelings after Mikhail was widowed. Over time, Shufutinsky was able to reciprocate her feelings.

Now they don't have to act to show their feelings on stage. Together Mikhail and Svetlana work and relax.

"What are we doing? Not hard to guess!" - the singer jokes.

Shufutinsky's friends and colleagues note that he seems to have become younger over the past few years. For Svetlana’s sake, the artist even lost 30 kilograms. But the artist is not going to propose marriage to his companion yet.

Young chansonniers also have time for creative experiments. He recently recorded a track with rapper ST. In two weeks, the video for the song collected about a million views on the Internet.

Mikhail Zakharovich claims that he has no goal of attracting young people to the ranks of his fans.

“I have my own huge audience, I endlessly perform in all concerts at different venues. And basically they gather these venues, full halls for me. Therefore, well, I feel quite self-sufficient, I’m not looking for opportunities to realize myself in this way.”

Shufutinsky noted: he is ready for any duets, the main thing is that he likes the song.

“For me it doesn’t matter at all what genre it is written in. If I can cope with this task and can fulfill the role assigned to me, I will fulfill it. Regardless of whether it’s a rapper - my partner, or a rock and roll artist, or he’s older than me, or we’re the same age, or he’s completely much younger than me.”

Mikhail Shufutinsky claims: he is not looking young at all. He feels his age and is proud of what he does.

“I’m no longer young, I’m already old, but I’m full of energy. And what I do, I love. I don't need to change. Those who are unlucky today and who are not doing well today need to change. Everything worked out for me."

Shufutinsky certainly succeeded. At 71, he is a highly paid and in-demand artist. The cost of his concert starts from 25 thousand dollars. This is more than one and a half million rubles. True, now he rarely performs and tours, prefers to be with his sons and grandchildren and devotes time to his young companion.

Earlier, 5-tv.ru wrote that Mikhail Shufutinsky is preparing for the wedding.