Bera Ivanishvili ( ka, ბერა ივანიშვილი; born 23 December 1994), also known as simply Bera, is a Georgian singer, rapper, songwriter, record producer, and entrepreneur. Bera established his music career in both
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
and the United States, and is additionally the founder of the Georgian record label and production studio Georgian Dream.
Early life
Ivanishvili was born in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
on 23 December 1994 to Georgian parents
Bidzina Ivanishvili
Bidzina Ivanishvili ( ka, ბიძინა ივანიშვილი, also known as Boris Grigoryevich Ivanishvili ; born 18 February 1956) is a Georgia (country), Georgian politician, billionaire businessman and philanthropist, who serv ...
and Ekaterine Khvedelidze.
His family returned to Georgia after his birth, settling in
Tbilisi
Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the Capital city, capital and the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia, lying on the ...
.
Ivanishvili is the second of four children; his siblings include brothers Uta and Tsotne, and sister Gvantsa. He was born with the condition
albinism
Albinism is the congenital absence of melanin in an animal or plant resulting in white hair, feathers, scales and skin and pink or blue eyes. Individuals with the condition are referred to as albino.
Varied use and interpretation of the term ...
; Ivanishvili's brother Tsotne also has the condition.
Career
Ivanishvili began experimenting with music as a child, and was classically trained. By age four, he could play piano, drums, and the violin. Ivanishvili went on to begin his music career officially in 2010, working with producers such as
Rodney Jerkins
Rodney Roy Jerkins (born July 29, 1977), also known by his stage name Darkchild, is an American record producer, rapper, and songwriter. He has collaborated with a broad range of popular artists.
Jerkins has won multiple Grammy Awards. Among hi ...
, and later released his debut single "My Favourite Things" in 2011. Later in 2011, Ivanishvili founded the record label and music studio Georgian Dream Studio, where he worked with other Georgian musicians such as
Nina Sublatti
Nino Sulaberidze ( ka, ნინო სულაბერიძე, born 31 January 1995), better known by her stage name Nina Sublatti ( ka, ნინა სუბლატი), is a Georgians, Georgian singer, songwriter, and model.
Sublatti a ...
. The name went on to become influential in Georgian society, with his father Bidzina Ivanishvili launching his
political party of the same name around the same time. Bera released the single "Georgian Dream" in support of his father's political aspirations. In 2012, Ivanishvili released his debut studio album ''Gpirdepi''. In 2018, Ivanishvili received widespread attention after releasing the single "Legalize". The song sought to protest the restrictive drug laws passed by the
Parliament of Georgia
The Parliament of Georgia ( ka, საქართველოს პარლამენტი, tr) is the supreme national legislature of Georgia. It is a unicameral parliament, currently consisting of 150 members; of these, 120 are proportio ...
, and stand in solidarity with protesters demonstrating against the violent anti-drug raids by police forces at nightclubs such as
Bassiani
Bassiani ( ka, ბასიანი) is a nightclub in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. Founded in 2014, it is located in the building of the city's largest sports venue, the Dinamo Arena, and utilizes a disused swimming pool as the main dancefloo ...
.
Bera collaborated with Kiff No Beat on their song "Ne Change Rien", Patoranking on "Fire to the Sun" and "Wilmer".
Personal life
Ivanishvili married Georgian model and fashion blogger Nanuka Gudavadze in November 2018 in an
Orthodox
Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to:
Religion
* Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pa ...
service at
Svetitskhoveli Cathedral
The Svetitskhoveli Cathedral ( ka, სვეტიცხოვლის საკათედრო ტაძარი, ''svet'icxovlis sak'atedro t'adzari''; literally the Cathedral of the Living Pillar) is an Orthodox Christian cathedral located ...
in
Mtskheta
Mtskheta ( ka, მცხეთა, tr ) is a city in Mtskheta-Mtianeti province of Georgia. It is one of the oldest cities in Georgia as well as one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the World. Itis located approximately north of T ...
, after having dated for several months and gotten engaged that September. The guests were asked to send a donation to local foster home organizations instead of buying gifts. In April 2019, they confirmed that Gudavadze was pregnant with their first child, which was later confirmed to be a boy the following month. Their son was born in November 2019.
Controversy
As the son of Georgia's richest man, phone recording leaks revealed that Bera Ivanishvili was using high-level government officials to track and terrorize people who criticized him and his music on social media, including minors. Prime Minister
Irakli Garibashvili
Irakli Garibashvili ( ka, ირაკლი ღარიბაშვილი, also transliterated as Gharibashvili; born 28 June 1982) is a Georgian politician and a former business executive who serves as the prime minister of Georgia since 22 ...
, who is a close confident of Bera's father, is heard encouraging the retributions on the covertly recorded tapes. Ivanishvili and the
ruling party
The ruling party or governing party in a democratic parliamentary or presidential system is the political party or coalition holding a majority of elected positions in a parliament, in the case of parliamentary systems, or holding the executive ...
have offered contradicting positions on the leaks, with some arguing the authenticity and that the recordings were doctored, while some have noted that the recordings were from 2010 - the period when Bera was himself a minor and his father's ruling party was yet to take formal power in the country.
Discography
Albums
Singles
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ivanishvili, Bera
1994 births
21st-century male singers from Georgia (country)
English-language singers from Georgia (country)
Expatriates from Georgia (country) in France
Expatriates from Georgia (country) in the United States
Living people
Musicians from Tbilisi
People with albinism
Pop singers from Georgia (country)
Rappers from Georgia (country)
Record producers from Georgia (country)
Singers from Paris
21st-century French male singers