The
presenter: To name it just popularity wouldn't be correct. 10 years ago
there was a mass psychosis in the country. But for the bodyguards, the
singer would have been exactly torn to souvenirs. The cities, stages,
time of the day changed, but the picture remained the same.
Vitas:
You know, I rejoice when people cry at my concerts, I understand that
these are tears of purging (cleaning), I understand that these are tears
of joy.
The presenter: He appeared suddenly, as if an alien who
descended from space on our Earth. And many of his fans still think so
now. Two months after releasing his first album in 2001, Vitas became
the most popular singer in Russia. And as soon as they started to rotate
Opera 2 on Russian TV, everybody understood it's a phenomenon, and it's
likely to be paranormal.
So, now the whole country is tirelessly
discussing if he sings himself, if he has amplifiers in-built in his
vocal chords, which planet he flew from, and, the main thing, if he has
gills.
Nobody thought that such a successful find of the director of the clip Yurii Crimov would cause such a resonance.
There were some cases when, arriving in a new city, Vitas found a bath in his dressing-room.
The
interest was rather spurred on by the fact that Vitas didn't give any
interviews. His producer Sergey Pudovkin undertook all communication
with press. Whether it was also a successful PR step, which kept
journalists pending hungrily; or it was dictated by other reasons, we
will, apparently, never know, 'cause some files with stamp Vitas haven't
been exposed yet.
Vitas: I divide communication in a pleasant one
and non-pleasant. There are some people who are not pleasant to
communicate with. And I try to avoid such situations.
The
presenter: But there was another Vitas who nobody knew. The very
personality of Vitas, non-ordinary, subtle and vulnerable, remained
aloof the show-business PR, rumours, trumpery and lived in lyrics and
music which Vitas composed. And the only person who didn't need this
shining outward appearance, who knew what was happening indeed in his
soul, and loved that, another Vitas, loved infinitely, was his mother.
The
presenter: The ordeal descended on Vitas during his tour in Cochi, when
he was informed about the death of his mother. For him, it was the
strongest blow, which the singer couldn't recover from for a long time.
Vitas will dedicate his mother one song after another, till there are
plenty for an album.
Vitas: When I was born, my mother asked: Who
do I have-a boy or a girl. And she was told that she had a boy, and he's
very loud-voiced.
The presenter: Vitaliy Vladassovich Grachyov
was born in a Latvian city, Daugavpils, on 19 February, 1981. Soon his
family moved to Odessa, where the future star under the name of Vitas,
finished a musical school, an accordion department; worked in the
theatre of voice parodies. Since early childhood, he showed outstanding
artistic abilities and, as a consequence, ambitions.
Vitas: You
know, I think it's God's gift. Maybe the moment I was born, God kissed
me into my crown and gave me the opportunity. In the first place, He
presented me with talent, will-power, unbending intention to win and,
then, certainly, to protect my title.
The presenter: It is very
easy to confuse God's gift with a divine origin, when at your concerts
the blind regain their sight, the disabled, who didn't walk, got up from
their wheelchairs, or just trivially faint.
The presenter: And
then what was to be happened. Sooner or later, any successful PR, such
as a verified to the nines image, begins to work against its owner.
Most
fans stopped believing in Vitas' gills and switched to other epatage
passions of Russian show-business: extrasenses' fights and UFO
programmes.
Vitas with his deep inner world wasn't interesting for common philistines, who live pending a miracle every day.
It's
difficult to answer the question where Vitas is today. Perhaps his
astral body is able to be in many places at the same time. But mainly
you can meet Vitas in China, where the army of his frantic fans numbers
millions, and in some cities there are monuments to the extraterrestrial
Russian singer.
This way, Vitas is greeted in China nowadays. In
distant China brand Vitas causes a sensation not less than the one in
Russia 10 years ago. And it's really a miracle: either Vitas has studied
Chinese so quickly, or the Chinese-Russian.
The presenter: And
here Vitas is on Chinese set. He was taken on for the main role in Mulan
without casting. And, really, why does Vitas need casting? Vitas is
Vitas!
Vitas: In the centre of the desert we are filming a world blockbuster.
The
presenter: It would seem that all the mysteries of the world are open
to Vitas, but even today he is not ready to answer the question why God
endowed him with this voice and this destiny. There is probably a
telephone apparatus in Vitas' study to connect him directly with Heavens
in emergency. But is it worth bothering God at nights?
Vitas: Each of us will have a chance to ask Him about this?