Russian singer Grigory Leps has been recognized as the most successful touring artist of the year, included in Forbes list of 50 most famous celebrities of Russia – and this is despite the fact that he was forced to cancel part of the tour due to a throat illness. Grigory Leps was born July 16, 1962 in Sochi. His father worked in a meat factory, his mother was a nurse. In his youth years Gregory was torn between football and music. Music, fortunately, had the upper hand – at 14, Gregory entered the School of Music at Department of percussion instruments.

Grigory Leps likes to record duets with other artists. He has sung with Irina Allegrova, Rosenbaum, Kobzon and Stas Piekha. This time, he decided to diversify his creativity, and has recorded a song with rap singer Timati.

Sochi has always been a fun city, where night life never stopped. Gregory was involved into it . He played at a dance floor in the park “Riviera”, sang in restaurants. Once he was the lead singer of “Index -398”. Finally, fate brought him to a restaurant “137” in a famous Sochi hotel “Pearl”, which today is proud to be the start point in a career of Grigory Leps.

Leps never worked half-heartedly, and daily, or rather, nightly marathon exhausting to exhaustion. At finally he decided it was time to go to Moscow. Otherwise – a dead end for his creativity, and the life: “I have realized that if I sing in Sochi restaurants, then I’ll die as an artist. Night work with alcohol should be stopped”.

In 1992, the 30-year-old Sochi celebrity arrived in the capital. Gregory had to work in restaurants. Again, whirlpool, now in Moscow. “Nobody was interested in me. I drank a lot, started using drugs. My weight was at 100 lbs. And the people who promised to help once, of course disappeared. That period was not easy for me”.

It was not until 1994, when fate brought him to Evgeny Kobylyansky and Anatoly Dolzhenkov. With the help of these people I recorded the first album “Natalie” and shot the first clip – “Natalie” and “God bless you”. “Natalie” resounded throughout the country and has become a hallmark of the singer, but the artist saw a clip in the Botkin Hospital. For six months, doctors, and his mother, who came from Sochi, fought for life of the singer. From the hospital, Grigory Leps came out a different person.

Since then, the singer has released nearly two dozen albums and has given countless concerts. Live performance with great dedication, unique techniques and unique tone of voice fascinate the public with the first lines of songs. The very first solo concert in the “Russia” in 2003 brought a great success. And next year, Leps sang songs of Vladimir Vysotsky in the Kremlin! The success was overwhelming.

In November 2006, seven thousand spectators of “Olympic” did not let the singer for three hours. In 2008, the Leps gives three great concerts in a row in Moscow Art Theater. For three days in February 2009, about 15,000 people watched the show “Waterfall” in the Kremlin. In 2011, he became the first in the history Russian performer who was able to collect a full house at Crocus City Hall for four nights in a row. And how many cities in Russia, CIS and foreign countries he has traveled!

The list of awards and prizes of Grigory Leps:

1. 2002 – Award “Chanson Year” in the category “His Way” (the song “Heartbreak Tango”)
2. 2004 – Award “Chanson Year” in the “new sound” (a song of Vladimir Vysotsky “Domes “)
3. 2007 – Prize “Golden Gramophone” (a duet with Irina Allegrova “I do not believe you “)
4. The National Music Award “Muz -TV” in the “Best Duo of the Year” (a duet with Irina Allegrova “I do not believe you “) 2008
5. Award “Record -2008” in the “Album Artist” (with the biggest sales of the album “All my life – the road …”) 2008
6. 2008 – Prize “Golden Gramophone” (a duet with Stas Piekha, “She’s not yours “)
7. 2009 – The National Music Award “Muz -TV” in the “Best Duo of the Year” (a duet with Stas Peha , “She’s not yours”)
8. Award of Leonid Utesov (received from the hands of Valery Leontiev on Song of the Year) – 2009
9. 2009 – Prize “Golden Gramophone” (the song “I do not love you “)
10. 2010 – Prize “Golden Gramophone” (the song “Get out beautifully “)
11. 2010 – Diploma for “Best Song of 2010” (a duet with Valery Meladze “Turn Around “)
12. 2011 – The first Russian RU.TV Award in the category “Best Duo of the Year” (a duet with Valery Meladze “Turn Around”)
13. 2011 – Two award “Golden Gramophone” (the song “This Woman” and “The Best Day “)
14. 2011 – Diploma for “Best Song of 2011” (the song “The Best Day “)
15. In October 2011, Grigory Leps was honored artist of the Russian Federation.

Leps has time to deal with multiple parallel projects: building his own production center, recording albums, producing a line of sunglasses and a pince-nez, collecting old icons and books. And all this he does with almost boyish excitement, completely surrendering to a bottom until the new case, the new project. He did not stop for a minute. He experiments endlessly.

After the divorce with his first wife Inga, in 2000, Grigory Leps met his second wife Anna, with whom they have three children – two daughters, Eva (born 2002), Nicole (born 2007) and a son Ivan (born 2010). He also has the oldest daughter from the first marriage.

About education. “In the street there is nothing wrong, because I myself grew up there, but in our time the streets were not so dangerous. Now it’s full of drugs. And I know what is evil, as I myself went through it, unfortunately. One day my body could not withstand years of heavy drinking. I drank out of desperation. After all, Moscow did not accept me as a singer…. Now really want to see me healthy enough, and my children grow older…”