Renārs Kaupers (sometimes anglicised as Reynard Cowper; born 1 September 1974, in

Jelgava Jelgava (; german: Mitau, ; see also other names) is a state city in central Latvia about southwest of Riga with 55,972 inhabitants (2019). It is the largest town in the region of Zemgale (Semigalia). Jelgava was the capital of the united Duch ...

) is a Latvian pop/rock singer, instrumentalist, and songwriter who is the vocalist of the band Prāta Vētra (known internationally as Brainstorm).

Biography

Kaupers graduated from

University of Latvia University of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Universitāte, shortened ''LU'') is a state-run university located in Riga, Latvia established in 1919. The ''QS World University Rankings'' places the university between 801st and 1000th globally, seventh ...

in 1996 with a degree in journalism. He can speak at least three languages with fluency: English, Latvian, and Russian. Kaupers' ancestors were probably Baron

Friedrich von Stuart Baron Friedrich von Stuart (1761-1842) was a Courland nobleman and landowner. He was married to Henrietta Kant, a niece of Immanuel Kant. They are ancestors of Count Eric Stenbock, the ambassador Henning von Wistinghausen, Baron Dmitri Stuart, a ...

from

Courland Courland (; lv, Kurzeme; liv, Kurāmō; German and Scandinavian languages: ''Kurland''; la, Curonia/; russian: Курляндия; Estonian: ''Kuramaa''; lt, Kuršas; pl, Kurlandia) is one of the Historical Latvian Lands in western Latvia. ...

(1761–1842) and

Immanuel Kant Immanuel Kant (, , ; 22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German philosopher and one of the central Enlightenment thinkers. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works in epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and ...

's niece

Henrietta Kant Henrietta may refer to: * Henrietta (given name), a feminine given name, derived from the male name Henry Places * Henrietta Island in the Arctic Ocean * Henrietta, Mauritius * Henrietta, Tasmania, a locality in Australia United States * Henr ...

. He is the lead singer of the Latvian pop/rock band Brainstorm, which came third at the

Eurovision Song Contest 2000 The Eurovision Song Contest 2000 was the 45th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Stockholm, Sweden, following the country's victory at the with the song "Take Me to Your Heaven" by Charlotte Nilsson. Organised by the Europea ...

with their song "My Star". In 2001, Renārs received the Latvian Film Prize as the best actor for his role as Juziks in the film ''Vecās pagastmājas mistērija'' (''The Mystery of the Old Parish House''). He hosted the

Eurovision Song Contest 2003 The Eurovision Song Contest 2003 was the 48th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Riga, Latvia, following the country's victory at the with the song " I Wanna" by Marie N. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) a ...

Riga Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Ba ...

, Latvia, with co-host Marija Naumova (stage name

Marie N Marija Naumova-Bullīta (born and professionally knows as Marija Naumova 23 June 1973) is a Latvian singer of Russian descent. Under the stage name Marie N, she sings a broad range of music ranging from pop to musical theatre and jazz, and has ...

), and also hosted ''

Congratulations Congratulations may refer to: Film and television *'' Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest'', 2005 television programme to commemorate its fiftieth anniversary Music Albums * ''Congratulations'' (album), an album by ...

'', the Eurovision 50th anniversary concert in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

, with

Katrina Leskanich Katrina Elizabeth Leskanich ( ; born April 10, 1960) is an American musician and the former lead singer of the pop rock band Katrina and the Waves. Their song " Walking on Sunshine" was an international hit in 1985. In 1997, the band won the ...

. Kaupers' sons Edgars and Emīls run the indie-pop group

Carnival Youth Carnival Youth is a Latvian indie band formed in Riga in 2011. The band consists of twins Edgars Kaupers (guitar, vocals) and Emīls Kaupers (drums, vocals), Roberts Vanags (keyboards, vocals) and Kristiāns Kosītis (bass). On May 26, 2014, t ...

Decorations

* 2005 Fifth Class

Order of the White Star The Order of the White Star ( et, Valgetähe teenetemärk; french: Ordre de l'Etoile Blanche) was instituted in 1936. The Order of the White Star is bestowed on Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic ...

of the

Republic of Estonia A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

. * 2008 Fourth Class

Order of the Three Stars Order of the Three Stars ( lv, Triju Zvaigžņu ordenis) is the highest civilian order awarded for meritorious service to Latvia. It was established in 1924 in remembrance of the founding of Latvia. Its motto is "Per aspera ad astra", meaning "Thr ...

of the

Republic of Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

Filmography

Actor

# ''Erik Kivisüda'' (aka ''Erik Stoneheart'', 2022) as Versac (Estonia) # ''

Georg Georg may refer to: * Georg (film), ''Georg'' (film), 1997 *Georg (musical), Estonian musical * Georg (given name) * Georg (surname) * , a Kriegsmarine coastal tanker See also

* George (disambiguation) {{disambiguation ...

'' (2007) as Caesar (Estonia) # ''Vecās pagastmājas mistērija'' (aka ''The Mystery of the Old Parish House'', 2000) as Juziks (Latvia)

Soundtrack

# Premiya Muz-TV 2008 (2008) (TV) (music: "Thunder Without Rain") (lyrics: "Thunder Without Rain") ... aka Премия Муз-ТВ 2008 (Russia) ... aka The Muz-TV Music Awards 2008 (International: English title: informal title)

Self

# Premiya Muz-TV 2008 (2008) (TV) (as Brainstorm) .... Himself ... aka Премия Муз-ТВ 2008 (Russia) ... aka The Muz-TV Music Awards 2008 (International: English title: informal title) # '' Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest'' (2005) (TV) .... Himself – Host # Eirodziesma (2005) (TV) .... Special Guest # The Eurovision Song Contest (2003) (TV) .... Host # Eurolaul (2003) (TV) .... Member of the jury # The Eurovision Song Contest (2001) (TV) .... Latvian vote presenter # Eirodziesma (2000) (TV) .... Himself # The Eurovision Song Contest (2000) (TV) (as Brainstorm) .... Latvian entry (3rd place)

References

External links

Brainstorm website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kaupers, Renars 1974 births Living people People from Jelgava Latvian male film actors 21st-century Latvian male singers Eurovision Song Contest entrants for Latvia Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2000 University of Latvia alumni Lielais Kristaps Award winners 21st-century Latvian male actors Recipients of the Order of the White Star, 5th Class