Laima Vaikule (born 31 March 1954) is a Latvian actress, singer, director, and choreographer, best known in Europe and in the former
USSR
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
for such popular hits as "Vernisage" and "Charlie," among other songs.
Biography
Vaikule was born on 31 March 1954, in
Cēsis
Cēsis (), (german: Wenden, liv, Venden, et, Võnnu, pl, Kieś) is a town in Latvia located in the northern part of the Central Vidzeme Upland. Cēsis is on the Gauja River valley, and is built on a series of ridges above the river over ...
, 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
Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health ...
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
Ojārs Raimonds Pauls (born 12 January 1936 in Iļģuciems, Riga, Latvia) is a Latvian composer and piano player who is well known in Latvia, Russia, post-Soviet countries and worldwide. He was the Minister of Culture of Latvia from 1988 to 1 ...
, 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
Great Music Award ( lv, Lielā mūzikas balva), is the highest prize awarded by the Latvian state in the field of music. Award winners receive a monetary prize, and a silver statuette, created by Armands Jēkabsons.
References
External links
* ...
(1996) for her special contribution to the music and culture of Latvia.
Personal life
Vaikule is currently living and working in
Riga,
Latvia and owns a second home in Moscow, Russia. She is an
animal rights
Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all Animal consciousness, sentient animals have moral worth that is independent of their Utilitarianism, utility for humans, and that their most basic interests—such as avoiding s ...
activist and a vegetarian.
Controversy
In a 2018 interview to the Ukrainian press, when asked about performing in the
Russian-annexed Crimea
Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a pop ...
, Vaikule responded "I won't go there, whatever royalties they offer me" and 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
Aleksey Konstantinovich Pushkov ( rus, Алексе́й Константи́нович Пушко́в; born 10 August 1954) is a Russian politician who has been Senator from Perm Krai since 29 September 2016. He is also a former Deputy of the Sta ...
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.
Popular songs
* It's Not Evening Yet
* Yellow Leaves
* Vernisage
* What Does the Pianist Play
* Fiddler On the Roof
* Charlie
* On Piccadilly Street
Awards and honors
*
Zlatá Bratislavská lyra (1987)
* (1990)
*
World Music Awards
The World Music Awards is an international award show founded in 1989 under the patronage of Albert II, Prince of Monaco and co-founder/executive producer John Martinotti. The event is based in Monte Carlo. Awards are presented to the world' ...
(1993)
* Peoples Artist of Latvia (1995)
*
Grand Music Award
Great Music Award ( lv, Lielā mūzikas balva), is the highest prize awarded by the Latvian state in the field of music. Award winners receive a monetary prize, and a silver statuette, created by Armands Jēkabsons.
References
External links
* ...
(1996)
*
Order of Friendship
The Order of Friendship (russian: Орден Дружбы, ') is a state decoration of the Russian Federation established by Boris Yeltsin by presidential decree 442 of 2 March 1994 to reward Russian and foreign nationals whose work, deeds ...
(2011)
* Certificate of Merit of the President of Latvia (2019)
*
Golden Gramophone Award
The Golden Gramophone Award () is a yearly national Russian music award, established by Russian Radio in 1996.p. 241, ''Pop culture Russia!: media, arts, and lifestyle'', Birgit Beumers, ABC-CLIO, 2005, . The awardee receives a gold-colored figur ...
(2019)
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World Music Awards
The World Music Awards is an international award show founded in 1989 under the patronage of Albert II, Prince of Monaco and co-founder/executive producer John Martinotti. The event is based in Monte Carlo. Awards are presented to the world' ...
, -
, -
References
External links
Official site
*
*
/www.youtube.com/watch?v=La1H_kBEClU Laima Vaikule at the World Music Awards 1993
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vaikule, Laima
1954 births
Living people
People from Cēsis
20th-century Latvian women singers
Latvian stage actresses
Latvian film actresses
20th-century Latvian actresses
21st-century Latvian actresses
Winners of the Golden Gramophone Award