Laima Vaikule

Laima Vaikule
Vaikule in 2017
Vaikule in 2017
Background information
Born (1954-03-31) March 31, 1954 (age 72)
Cēsis, Soviet Latvia, Soviet Union (now Latvia)
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • actor
InstrumentsSinging
Years active1966–present
Labels
Websitelaima.com

Laima Vaikule (born 31 March 1954) is a Latvian actress, singer, director, and choreographer, best known in Europe and in the former Soviet Union for such popular hits as "Vernissage" and "Charlie," among other songs.

Biography

Vaikule was born on 31 March 1954, in Cēsis, Latvia. Her parents moved to Riga when she was three. Young Laima was fond of music and dancing. In 1966, at the age of 12, she took part in a competition of young singers and was noticed. Between 1970 and 1973, she studied nursing at the Vilnius Medical College, while also continuing to sing with a band. Eventually, she became a lead singer with a local band in Riga, Latvia and worked night gigs at local clubs and restaurants for several years. In the 1980s she studied acting and directing at Moscow State Institute for Theatrical Arts (GITIS), graduating as actress and director.

In 1985, Laima Vaikule made her first hit in the Soviet Union. Since 1986, Vaikule has been enjoying a fruitful collaboration with popular Latvian composer, Raimonds Pauls, and Russian poet Ilya Reznik, who wrote such hits as "Vernisage", "Charlie" and "Skripach na kryshe" ("Fiddler on the roof"). She is among the original organizers of the Jurmala Festival of popular music, along with Raimonds Pauls. During the 1980s and 1990s Laima Vaikule was a regular participant at international music competitions and festivals across Europe. Vaikule was awarded the Golden Lyra at the 1987 Bratislavská lýra, was a guest singer and a host at "Jurmala 92" festival, and also took part at "AU music world" in Monaco, among other festivals and competitions. She was awarded the title Peoples Artist of Latvia (1995) and the Grand Music Award (1996) for her special contribution to the music and culture of Latvia.

Personal life

Vaikule is currently[when?] living and working in Riga, Latvia and owns a second home in Moscow, Russia.[citation needed] She is an animal rights activist and a vegetarian.

Public position

Laima Vaikule is known as an active advocate of animal rights. She is a vegetarian for ethical reasons.

In August 2018, while touring in Odesa, Vaikule said that she would not perform in Crimea, regardless of the fee offered to her. She explained "I'm a citizen of the European Union, I don't have the right to travel there", receiving criticism from Russian Senator Aleksey Pushkov and several Russian cultural figures. Vaikule later went on Russian national television, where she said her answer had been misinterpreted and what she meant was that the law forbids her from going to Crimea, not that she would not want to perform there. When asked by the anchor, whether she would perform in Crimea if no Latvian law forbade it, Vaikule answered positively.

In 2019, in an interview with the YouTube channel A pogovorit?, the singer expressed support for the LGBT community.

In February 2022, she condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

In December 2022, she gave an interview to the television channel Dozhd, in which she commented on claims that her entire career would have been impossible without the Soviet Union.

"I supported the philharmonic; I supported the Soviet Union by releasing my records. Because I was paid 17 rubles while filling a stadium with 45,000 people. If anyone has nothing better to do, calculate how much money I brought the state. The Melodiya record company sold 20 million copies of my record. I received 137 rubles for that," the singer said. "And I am not even talking about Alla. Alla is absolutely number one as a person and a musician; there is nothing to discuss. The biggest star in Russia is Alla. She devoted her entire life to the stage and to these people, but what she got in return was a slap in the face. Not from everyone, but from a small, angry and foolish group… Calculate who supported whom and who paid whom. I did my work, and I supported the entire Soviet Union. And Alla supported all of this Russia that is now making accusations against her. We earned so much money for the USSR that it is embarrassing to even say."

Awards and honors

References

  1. ↑ Novaya Volna. Official site
  2. ↑ USSR Yearbook, 1988. Russia: Novosti, 1988. 42.
  3. ↑ Российские знаменитости устроили акцию протеста на льдах Белого моря против убийства тюленей [Russian celebrities staged a protest on the White Sea ice against murdering of seals]. ИА Регнум. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
  4. ↑ Зона, свободная от убийства [Murder free Zone]. НТВ. 11 March 2008. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
  5. ↑ Зелёные знаменитости: вегетарианство входит в моду [Green celebrities: Vegetarianism is catching on]. Retrieved 3 February 2012.[permanent dead link]
  6. ↑ "Российские знаменитости устроили акцию протеста на льдах Белого моря против убийства тюленей" [Russian celebrities stage protest on the ice of the White Sea against the killing of seals]. ИА Regnum (in Russian). 12 March 2008. Archived from the original on 24 January 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  7. ↑ "Зона, свободная от убийства" [A zone free from killing]. NTV (in Russian). 11 March 2008. Archived from the original on 20 November 2010. Retrieved 17 March 2011.
  8. ↑ "Зелёные знаменитости: вегетарианство входит в моду" [Green celebrities: Vegetarianism is becoming fashionable]. Best-Woman.ru (in Russian).
  9. ↑ "Лайма Вайкуле: в Крым не поеду, какой бы гонорар не предлагали" [Laima Vaikule: I will not go to Crimea, regardless of the fee offered]. RIA Novosti Crimea (in Russian). 11 August 2018. Archived from the original on 12 August 2018. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  10. ↑ "Laima Vaikule: Latvian pop star angers Russia with Crimea snub". BBC. 14 August 2018. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  11. ↑ "Latvian singer Laima Vaikule faces Crimean controversy". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. 24 October 2018. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  12. ↑ "Певица Лайма Вайкуле впервые рассказала всю правду о своей ориентации" [Singer Laima Vaikule spoke for the first time about her sexual orientation]. Dialog.UA (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2 November 2023. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  13. ↑ "Лайма Вайкуле выступила против нападения России на Украину" [Laima Vaikule spoke out against Russia's attack on Ukraine]. Delfi (in Russian). Archived from the original on 8 June 2022. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  14. ↑ ""Какое милосердие?": Лайма Вайкуле эмоционально высказалась о вторжении РФ в Украину" ["What mercy?": Laima Vaikule spoke emotionally about the Russian invasion of Ukraine]. Glamurchik (in Russian). Archived from the original on 7 September 2023. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  15. 1 2 3 "Биография Лаймы Вайкуле". РИА Новости. 1 March 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  16. ↑ "Указ Президента Российской Федерации от 07.07.2011 г. № 900 - О награждении орденом Дружбы Вайкуле Л." Presidential Executive Office (in Russian). 7 June 2011. Archived from the original on 18 April 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  17. ↑ "Certificate of Merit of the President of Latvia". Valsts prezidenta kanceleja. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  18. ↑ ""Русское Радио" подвело итоги года: в Кремле состоялась XXIV Ежегодная Церемония вручения национальной музыкальной Премии "Золотой Граммофон"". Интерфакс (in Russian). 29 November 2019. Retrieved 2 September 2021.