Iurij Istomin Singer Date of Birth: 04.01.1975 Country: Russia

1. Biography of Yuri Istomin
2. A Singer
3. A Love for Music and Art
4. A Journey to Germany
5. Moving to Moscow
6. Musical Career
7. Expanding Horizons

Biography of Yuri Istomin

Yuri Istomin was born on January 4, 1975, in the city of Inta. Inta is a northern city located 50 km from the Arctic Circle, although it cannot be considered a resort. In the winter, temperatures drop to 35-40 degrees below zero, and the daylight lasts for only half an hour. However, in the summer, it can get as hot as 35-40 degrees. In the past, the city had camps for prisoners of war and political prisoners, so simple lives and ordinary people were rare to come by. My family was no exception.

A Singer

My father worked in a mine and had two hobbies: fishing and photography. Back then, not every household had a camera, and I was fascinated by the mysterious and almost mystical atmosphere of developing photos. In the darkness, under a red light, the images miraculously appeared from the negatives. My mother worked as a kindergarten teacher, devoting all her time to her job and me. However, she also had side jobs like knitting, darning, and laundry.

A Love for Music and Art

On weekends, we would listen to recordings of Vladimir Vysotsky, Arkady Severny, and Alla Pugacheva at the homes of acquaintances. It was so pleasant to sit in a warm house, listening and feeling the words and sounds that turned into images and dreams, while outside, there was a blizzard and piercing cold. I was drawn to art from a young age: I spent three years studying the balalaika at a music school and practiced drawing and graphic design at an art school. In the fourth grade, I wrote my first song, setting the story of a joke to music by Arkady Severny. At the age of 13, I started breakdancing and performed on the stage of the city's Cultural Center during local festivities.

A Journey to Germany

When I was 14 years old, the neighborhood boys took me to a gym, but they found it difficult to understand the emotional work involved. Indeed, it was never accepted in our community. In the North, strength, not poetry, was what sustained a person. At the age of 15, I visited Germany for the first time. I brought back a small Yamaha PSS synthesizer, the cheapest one. I started composing melodies and, with the help of a neighbor, gained unlimited access to the record library of the city's recording studio. I collected my own "Chanson" collection at home, along with borrowed equipment. I recorded music for my friends and later started writing lyrics. By the time I was 17, I had filled an entire notebook with my own songs. Some were in a street style, while others had a more depressive and fatalistic tone. Despite my passion for music, I had to work. I started earning money from a young age by mopping floors, later working in mines and factories. During those moments, I always had thoughts that I couldn't live like that for the rest of my life. I needed to express myself, write for myself, and share notes and rhymes with people. I wanted to sing.

Moving to Moscow

This desire became much stronger than my love for the place, people, and my parents. I moved to Moscow. In 1991, following a friend's advice, I enrolled in the Institute of Culture in Igor Grigorievich Sklyar's creative workshop, who was a master of organizing mass celebrations. This institute gave me wonderful friends and like-minded individuals, such as Yuri Aizenshpis and Viktor Rybin.

Musical Career

In 1997, I released my first album, "Moscow Banditry." I wrote the title song myself, and Andrey Bayan came up with the name of the group, "Kolyma," on the go. The album sold incredibly well, and I received hundreds of letters for "Kolyma" from all corners of the country. Encouraged by this success, I decided to record another album. Mikhail Tanich gave me one song as a gift, and I wrote the rest myself.

A year later, I recorded the album "Guys" under my own name and filmed a music video for the song "Scarlet Leaves," which was shown on the "Muz-TV" channel and on programs such as "Good Morning, Country" and "Hot Ten." I signed a partnership agreement with "Russian Radio," and our collaboration lasted for one and a half years. There was so much work that my creativity took a back seat. I struggled during the 1998 crisis, and in the beginning, I couldn't focus on writing songs. Only in 2002 did I compile an album called "The Best" from my old songs, titled "Finally Home." Later, I released the albums "Rublevskoye Shosse" and the latest one, "Demobilization," in February 2005. Today, all my music is released on MP3 CDs.

Expanding Horizons

Now, I want to broaden my audience, explore new possibilities, and experiment with different musical genres.