Ukrainian musician, actor, author and songwriter, member of the band 5'nizza. Coach of the VII and VIII seasons of the show "Voice of the Country". Participant of the fifth season of the show "Dancing with the Stars" (with his wife Snizhana Babkina).
Biography
Born on November 7, 1978 in Kharkiv. From the age of six, he attended ballroom dancing and figure skating clubs and a school of fine arts, was fond of theater. At school, he participated in school amateur activities, KVK and went to the drama group. He picked up the guitar for the first time at the age of 12, Sergey was influenced by the bands "Bravo", "Chizh & Co", later by Volodymyr Vysotskyi. He graduated from the Kharkiv Lyceum of Arts No. 133 and music school No. 13, majoring in flute.
In 1994, after the 9th grade and children's music school, he entered the theater department of the Kharkiv Lyceum of Arts (graduated in 1996). At the same time, Serhii considered the options of entering a music school (the program for admission was ready) and the orchestra of a military school, but he preferred an acting career. At the lyceum, he met Andriy Zaporozhets. Being a student of Ivan Kotlyarevsky Kharkiv National University of Arts, in February 1999 he went to St. Petersburg to try his luck and enter local theaters, but he returned to Kharkiv.
In 2000, he graduated from the Theater Department of the Kharkiv University of Arts (faculty "actor of drama theater and cinema"). In the same year, together with Andriy Zaporozhets, he founded the band 5'nizza, which in the following years became one of the most popular in Ukraine and Russia. At the same time, he started releasing solo albums, the debut album "HURRY!" released in 2004. Played in the theater, first in the Kharkiv Drama Theater, then in "Theatre 19" and "Beautiful Flowers", played several roles in the cinema.
Music
5'nice
The year of creation of the band can be considered 2000, when the name was invented and the first joint songs of Serhiy Babkin and Andriy Zaporozhets were written. In 2002, at the M.A.R.T. studio in just an hour and a half, the guys recorded all 17 compositions that were written at that time.
In the summer of 2002, they performed at the KaZantip festival, where they met the band leader W.K.? Eduard Shoemake ("Noise"), who later became the manager of 5'nizza. He offered them to play several concerts in Moscow in the fall. 5'nizza accepted the invitation and gathered a full club already at the second performance.
5'nizza's debut album sold a huge amount, the exact figure cannot be established due to the fact that most of it was distributed in a pirated way.
The group gained international popularity, gathering thousands of platforms in Ukraine, the Russian Federation and other countries. In 2005, 5'nizza's second album called "O5" was released, which was much cooler received by listeners.
On June 16, 2007, the band's last concert took place in Krakow (Poland), after which Babkin and Zaporozhets announced the termination of their joint activities. On March 4, 2015, the band announced a reunion. On April 21, a music video for the song "I Believe In You" was published on YouTube, and on May 1, the second song "Vpered" recorded after the reunion was released.
On February 15, 2017, the third album of 5'nizza was released, which was called KU and consisted of 14 compositions.
The band performed at festivals and gave concerts until February 2022. At the same time, both participants continued to perform and record solo.
Solo career
The cover of the album "Hurrah!" Sergey Babkin (2004)
Even after returning from KaZantip in 2002, Babkin recorded with Serhiy Savenk (clarinet) at the studio "M.A.R.T." 30 songs that were written by him independently and were not suitable for 5'nizza. 16 of them appeared in Babkin's debut solo album "Ura!" (2004), the rest of the songs were released a year later as part of the album "Encore!" (2005).
After meeting the pianist Yukhym Chupakhin, Serhii Babkin performed accompanied by keyboards and clarinet for about a year and a half. The third solo album "Syn" (2005), dedicated to the recently born son Serhiy, was also recorded in the same line-up.
After the addition of bass guitarist Igor Fadeev, the album "Motor" (2007) was released. In the same period, drummer Kostyantyn Shepelenko appeared in Babkin's group.
In April 2008, the albums "Amin.ru" and "Vzblatnulos" were released.
In 2010, the double album "Outside and Inside" was released. In the same year, Serhiy Babkin assembled the band K.P.S.S. and released the album "Svynets" under this name.
In 2012, the album STAR'YO was released, which included Babkin's most famous songs under new names, recorded in new arrangements.
In 2013, the album "Sergevna" was released, dedicated to the recently born daughter of Serhii Veselyna. The presentation of the album took place at the Sports Palace in Kharkiv and at the Stereo Plaza club in Kyiv.
In 2016, the album "#neubyvay" was released.
Babkin at the Impulse Fest 2016 festival
In October 2016, it became known that Babkin will replace the star coach Svyatoslav Vakarchuk in the chair and will become the new mentor of the Voice of the Country show. The premiere of the new season took place on January 22, 2017.
In 2017, Babkin released the single "Where would I be?" The song was played for the first time at the last gala broadcast of the "Dancing with the Stars" project. The television premiere of the composition of Arta turning point in Serhii Babkin's solo career, and the song itself is one of the most popular in the artist's repertoire. "Where would I be" is one of the most popular Ukrainian songs of recent years, which received a large number of rotations on Ukrainian radio stations.
In 2018, the premiere of "Voice of the Country-8", the second season for Serhiy Babkin as a mentor, took place. The winner of the project was a member of his team, Olena Lutsenko. In the same year, Serhii Babkin took part in the semi-finals of the national selection for Eurovision 2018 with the song "Through Your Eyes", but according to the voting results, he did not make it to the finals.
In September 2018, Serhiy Babkin released his first fully Ukrainian-language album, "Muzasfera". Music journalist and editor-in-chief of the Karabas.Live website Ihor Panasov highly praised the work, noting that "the new album smoothly introduces Sergey into the context of modern pop sound."
"Muzasfera" is a precisely assembled constructor of songs that give a wide palette of moods. The new Babkin dances in one way or another in most numbers, but not headlong, but in his own style, full of lyrical dramas. The artist, who was used to working with complex feelings, did not become shallower or more superficial. It's just that his sadness is now revealed to people in more iridescent tones. »
— Ihor Panasov
In May 2020, Serhiy Babkin, together with other Ukrainian musicians, including Alina Pash, Latexfauna, KRUTЬ, Gurt, YUKO, Constantine and others, took part in the recording of the composition "Different. Levels" — a manifesto of tolerance in support of people of different gender identities and sexual orientations. In June 2020, Babkin released a joint song "Spalakh" with "Kvartalu-95" actress Olena Kravets.
In 2021, two compositions by Serhii Babkin "Bomb-Rocket" and "She Knows" were included in the soundtrack of the TV series "Jack and London" on the 1+1 TV channel.
At the MRPL City Festival, 2018
The release of the new fourteenth album "Kosmotato" was planned for February 25, 2022, but its release had to be postponed due to the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
On August 19, 2022, the maxi-single "I'm a Soldier" (2022 Version) was released - new versions of the hit of the 5'nizza group in Ukrainian, English, Russian, as well as a remix of the track. On August 24, on the Independence Day of Ukraine, Serhii Babkin released a new mini-album - "Next we are ourselves". The mini-album was recorded at Mastermix Studio in Munich. The album consists of seven compositions and four poems. All the songs included in it were created and recorded by Babkin after the start of the war. In addition to original compositions, the mini-album also includes an adaptation of one of Taras Shevchenko's main poems "The Testament", the musical basis for which was Bob Marley's song No Woman No Cry.
On October 7, the single "Face to Face" was released - a joint work of Sergey Babkin, a member of the British duet Eurythmics, musician and producer Dave Stewart, leader of the "Aquarium" group Borys Grebenshchikov and vocalist of the British-American group Fleetwood Mac Stevie Nicks. David Stewart was the producer of the composition. The song was recorded for an international project, the goal of which is to popularize United24 — a global online platform for collecting funds in support of Ukraine, launched at the initiative of the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyi. All money generated from Face to Face streaming also goes to United24.
Only a week later, on October 14, the composition "Bird" was released - a duet by Serhiy Babkin and the young Ukrainian performer Udovenko (Volodymyr Udovenko). The song was written by Volodymyr Udovenk under the influence of the terrorist attack by the Russians in Olenivska colony on June 29, 2022, in which more than 50 Ukrainian prisoners of war died, and is dedicated to the paramedic of the "Azov" battalion with the call sign Ptashka.
On November 25, 2022, the release of the collection The Best — the best songs of Sergey Babkin during his twenty-year creative career took place. The compilation includes 23 compositions that were previously released on his solo albums, as well as two new ones - "Prote" and "Sche oshin quite young". These songs were supposed to be published on the album "Kosmotato", scheduled for February 25, 2022, but the release was canceled due to the beginning of a full-scale invasion by Russian troops.
On December 23, the premiere of the classic Christmas hymn Silent Night performed by Serhiy Babkin and the legendary guitarist and singer Jose Feliciano took place. The Austrian singer FaWiJo, who initiated the collaboration, also took part in the recording. The new version of the anthem is part of the FaWiJo & United Artists for Ukraine project, which also includes Billy Ocean, Status Quo, Gipsy Kings and others. Funds from the video monetization of this project will be directed to help Ukraine.
Brussels
In 2010, Svyatoslav Vakarchuk invited Babkin to take part in his supergroup, which also included Dmytro Shurov (piano, electric piano, electric organ, metallophone), Maksym Malyshev (drums, percussion), Petro Chernyavskyi (bass guitar, guitars). The project was named "Brussels". The self-titled album was recorded in August 2011 in Brussels at ICP Recording Studios. The album includes 12 compositions in Ukrainian and English.During the recording of the album and concerts, Babkin performed guitar and flute parts, as well as various lead and backing vocal parts. In addition, his author's composition "Green Tea" was released in the album.
The online presentation of the project took place on December 13 live on the YouTube platform.
In April 2012, an all-Ukrainian tour was held in support of this album.
Civic position
Until 2022
In 2014, after the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian war, he actively continued to perform in Russia (until 2016) and Ukraine (in particular, in the Russian-occupied Crimea) as part of the 5'nizza project with Andriy Zaporozhets, as well as solo. He explained his performances in Russia and the occupied Crimea as a "victory", when "10 thousand people in the center of Moscow sing in Ukrainian". According to Babkin, he spoke in the Russian Federation "not for politicians, but for listeners." Because of this, his position was criticized in Ukrainian society.
On October 2, 2017, local activists in Rivne staged a protest before Babkin's performance with the slogans "No concert on blood", but did not prevent the concert.
On October 7, 2017, Babkin's concert in Lviv was canceled because he refused to fulfill the conditions of local activists who demanded that he publicly recognize Russia as an aggressor country and promise not to give concerts on its territory and the occupied territories of Ukraine. The artist stated that he is "out of politics" and that "the situation is ambiguous."
On October 9, 2017, Babkin's concert in Ternopil was canceled by the organizers after activists of local public organizations published an appeal with intentions to picket the concert.
On October 12, 2017, activists of the Right Sector and "VO Svoboda" set up a picket near the concert hall in Dnipro, where the concert was supposed to take place. They demanded that Babkin express his point of view and cancel his performances in the Russian Federation. This time Serhii publicly declared that he considers the Russian government to be an aggressor and Crimea to be "occupied territory of Ukraine", and the concert did take place.
From 2022
On April 8, 2022, Serhiy released the single "Dali mi sami" about the Russian-Ukrainian war. He promised to transfer the profit from streaming the song and monetization on YouTube to Kharkiv Children's Clinical Hospital No. 1.
In the summer of 2022, Babkin and other Ukrainian artists took part in the recording of the composition "We are from Ukraine".
On August 1, 2022, during the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation into Ukraine, he left with his family for Germany. According to their own data, the family had the status of refugees there, lived in social housing and received 1,500 euros in aid. The children studied at a German school, and their nanny left for Germany with the Babkins. When asked about the criticism of artists who went abroad, Babkin replied that he is doing everything right and does not plan to return, as he cannot earn money in Ukraine. This interview caused a negative reaction in Ukrainian society.
In November 2022, Babkin returned to Ukraine, played concerts in Kyiv and Lviv, performed in "Okhmatdyt", in the 127th brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and in Kharkov near the metro station of Architect Beketov. According to Babkin, he sent all or most of the funds to volunteer organizations that help Kharkiv residents and the Kharkiv City Council.
In February 2023, Babkin conducted a charity tour of Ukrainian cities, playing 12 concerts for the benefit of the 127th brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine[49], for which he and his wife received awards from the brigade commander for raising the morale and psychological state and fighting spirit of the personnel.
During March-December 2022, Babkin played 70 charity concerts in Ukraine, the USA, Canada, Germany, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Switzerland, Ireland, Spain in Cyprus as part of the project "Good evening, we are from Ukraine!" , and solo. He handed over all the fees for the performances to volunteer organizations that take care of the residents and the City Council of Kharkiv Region.
Theater actor
In January 1999, while studying in the 3rd year of the Kharkiv University of Arts, Serhiy was enrolled in the staff of the Kharkiv Drama Theater, where he worked until 2002.
He met Igor Ladenko in the theater. While still a second-year student, Ladenko staged a two-hour play "Emigrants" based on the play by Slawomir Mrozek, in which his actor friends Serhiy Babkin and Oleg Didyk played. The play remained in their repertoire for the next 12 years. After "The Emigrants" the plays "Luboff" and "Paul I" were staged. All three productions became the basis of the repertoire of the newly created theater, which received the name "Theatre 19".
Management of the theater named after Pushkin, where all three worked, was dissatisfied with the emergence of a new theater, and Ladenko was dismissed from the position of master of the assembly shop. The next day, Serhii Babkin and Oleg Didyk left of their own accord.
Serhiy Babkin played in "Theatre 19" for 12 years, until 2012. He has such roles as X ("Emigrants"), Bis ("Chmo"), Captain ("Doors"), Hamlet ("Our Hamlet"), Ptashikha, Sosnovsky ("I praise Hulya!"). It was here in 2007 that he met his future wife, Snezhana.
In 2013, together with Snizhana, he joined the recently formed Kharkiv theater "Precious Flowers", which worked in the wordless genre of funk-futurism,using body plastic and improvisation. "Beautiful Flowers" participated in theater festivals in Germany, Poland, Azerbaijan, Costa Rica.
Movie actor
Babkin's film debut was an episode in the film "Russian" (Mosfilm, 2005). The film was shot based on the works of Eduard Limonov. Filming took place in Kharkiv.
In 2007, Serhii took part in the filming of the film "Radio Day", where he played himself.
In 2009, he played the main role in Volodymyr Lert's film "Rejection". Bohdan Stupka also starred in the film, and the soundtrack to the film was written by the Boombox band. Their clip "Alone" was shot right on the set of the film, and Serhiy Babkin was one of the main characters of the clip.
In 2014, with his wife Snizhana, Serhii took part in the film "Olexandr Dovzhenko. Odesa Dawn" (2014), where he played the role of young Oleksandr Dovzhenko.
He also acted in episodes of the following films:
"How to Get a Woman" (2013) is a graveyard
"Happy End" (2013) - player in "Mafia"
"Treasure: A Scary New Year's Tale" (TV, 2007) — Max
Phenomenon (2005) - episode
"I, You, He, She" (2018) is a hooligan
"11 children from Morshyn" (2019) - guard Yuzik
"Black Raven" (2019) - hermit Bartholomew
Dubbing and dubbing in Ukrainian
Year Ukrainian title Original title Role Actor of the original J.
2018 The Grinch English. The Grinch Grinch Benedict Cumberbatch
TV
In 2017, Serhiy and Snizhana Babkina became participants in the 5th season of the Dancing with the Stars show. In the first episode, the couple took first place in terms of points, beating the rest of the contestants. Serhii and Snizhana reached the quarterfinals, leaving the show after the eighth live broadcast.
In 2017-2018, Serhii Babkin was a star mentor in the show "Voice of the Country" on channel 1+1 for two seasons. In the eighth season (2018), a member of his team, Olena Lutsenko, won the show.
Discography
Albums
2004 - YAY!
2005 — BIS!
2005 — Son
2007 — Motor
2008 — Amen.ru
2008 — Vzblatnulos
2010 — Outside and inside
2012 — STAR'YO
2013 — Sergevna
2016 — #don't kill
2018 — Muzasphere
EP
2022 — Next we ourselves
Singles
2017 - Hello God
2017 - Where would I be?
2018 - Who's Next
2018 — Through Your Eyes
2018 - Breathe Slowly
2019 - My Love
2019 — Eve and Adam
2019 — Nov
2020 — Flash (feat. Olena Kravets)
2020 — Bomb-rocket
2020 - Rocket Bomb (ALL2NIN Remix)
2020 — Your Love
2020 — Because You Love
2021 - She Knows
2022 - Next We Are Ourselves (feat. Sidor)
2022 - I'm a Soldier (2022 Version)
2023 — Impenetrable
Compilations
2022 — The Best
Joint works
2017 - DUDA ft. Serhii Babkin - Wings
2020 — Alina Pash, Serhii Babkin, Constantine — Various. Levels (feat. Гурт , Krutь, Latexfauna, Daniel Shake, Secret Avenue, Kulshenka, Ofliyan, Lucas Bird, U:lav, Shy & Wwwaaavvveee)
2022 — Dave Stewart, Boris Grebenshchikov, Serhiy Babkin — Face to Face (feat. Stevie Nicks)
2022 - Serhii Babkin, UDOVENKO - Bird
2022 - FaWiJo feat. Serhii Babkin & Jose Feliciano (United Artists for Ukraine) — Silent Night
2022 — MONATIK, Serhii Babkin, KAZKA, DANTES, Alina Pash, Roxolana, Bohdan Cooper — At one table
K.P.S.S.
2010 - Lead
Family
Serhii met his wife Snizhana Babkina (maiden name Vartanyan) in 2007, when she joined Theater 19. They got married on May 11, 2008, and registered their marriage on March 27, 2009. Serhiy and Snizhana are raising three children: daughter Veselin, sons Artur and Elisey.
Babkin often notes that his family is the most important thing in his life. The couple tries to spend all their free time with their children, planning tour schedules in such a way that they are often at home and are absent as little as possible. Neighbors were sure for a long time that Serhiy Babkin was unemployed, as they regularly saw him when he was walking with his children.
Serhiy Babkin also has a son, Ilya (from his first marriage).
Father is a retired lieutenant colonel.
Mother is a kindergarten teacher.
Brother (born in 1972) is a military officer with the rank of major.
Interesting Facts
Previously, at many concerts, he applied make-up of a "smiling little man" on his face, the idea of which he borrowed from Oleksandr Litvynov (Venya D'rkin).
Serhii Babkin often performs barefoot at his concerts.
The nickname "Otets rodnoy" appeared after the release of the program about Vysotsky. Yuri Lyubimov, the director of "Theatre on Taganka", said that after his son's funeral, Vysotsky's father said: "He was buried next to Stolyarov himself!" And Lyubimov added from himself: "Father Rodnoy." Serhiy liked it, he told Andriy Zaporozhets, from that moment the nickname stuck to him.
In his youth, he was forced to work part-time, cleaning old basements for offices with his friends; engaged in packing macaroni into bags; working as a loader; a glass washer of cars standing at traffic lights; a seller of bread and buns in the subway. During the summer holidays, staying with his grandmother during the wheat harvest, he worked as a combine harvester's assistant. During his student years, he worked as a waiter, worked as a "mime - a living statue" in the "Mask" nightclub.
While working in the theater named after Pushkin received a summons from the army. Arriving at the military commissariat, he found out the list of necessary things for the assembly point. On the way backafter talking with the ensign, he told that he works in the theater and that he is playing in a play today. The ensign joked, saying "Well, at the end, you'll come out and say, say, goodbye, see you in 2 years" and added that "our general, Holovkom, is going to see you today for a performance." The next day, Serhii came to the theater management to collect the documents, but the director did not want to lose a promising actor, called the "headmaster" and began to ask, explaining that this was a very needed young actor Serhii Babkin. To which he answered so loudly that it could be heard from the receiver that he was tired of giving indulgences to you artists. That the other day he rejected the metropolitan for his son, period, he will go to serve like everyone else. The director threw up his hands. But a few minutes later the bell rang. It was the same head. He asked "Was this Babkin in the play yesterday?". He was answered: "Well, of course, he played the main role. He was so shaggy, he ran around the stage." The general said "I'll call you back now." Everyone in the office froze and waited in amazement. After 3 minutes, the general called and said "Okay, let him play quietly, but his wife said, you will take Babkin to the army, I will leave you!"
My favorite cartoon is "Hedgehog in the Fog".
Awards
2019 — Top Hit Music Awards, winning the Song of the Year (Male Vocal) nomination for the song "Where Would I Be?"
