Ukrainian singer, guitarist, member of the musical group "Tabula Rasa". He is one of the founders of the Ukrainian New Wave.
Biography
Oleg Laponogov was born in the city of Brody, in the Lviv region, in the family of a retired pilot and a primary school teacher. Oleg spent his entire childhood in Sumy, about which he speaks quite warmly and brightly in his memories. He studied at schools No. 12 and No. 26. In his youth, he dreamed of becoming an astronaut, a pilot, an artist, and even a surgeon. Oleg's mother gave him his first Orpheus guitar, which he bought for 50 rubles when he was in the 8th grade. Starting to play music, Oleg did not experience much success at that time. Like his father, he joined the Sumy Aero Club and received the rank of "Junior Lieutenant". After obtaining secondary education, he applied to the "Stavropol Higher School of Vocational Training", and at the last exam he decided to change his specialty and entered the Kyiv Theater University. The musician himself describes his admission to the university rather comically: after drinking a bottle of beer for courage, he danced a "rope" and hit his back against the load that was holding the stage, which eventually covered him. The following year, he entered the course of Valentina Zimnaya and Yuriy Vysotskyi. According to him, he did not know anything about all subjects except acting. Quasimodo from "Notre-Dame de Paris" played in the graduation performances. I really wanted to get a job at the "Youth Theater", but only Kyivans were accepted there. Director Volodymyr Begma wanted to take Oleg to the opera house, but the acting troupe voted for another actor. Oleg saw an announcement on a tree opposite the entrance to the institute that the group "Abris" (the future "Tabula Rasa") was looking for a vocalist. At first, the guys played something like art rock, but with the arrival of Oleg, the repertoire changed radically and the name was changed. Oleg offered his songs to the group, and it is possible to count the start of his musical career from 1989.
The group "Tabula Rasa" (from Latin - "clean slate"), created by university friends, received all-Ukrainian recognition only with their fifth album. But then awards poured in from all sides. In 1997, "Tabula Rasa" received the "Golden Firebird" award in the nomination "the best pop band of Ukraine". The national music rating "Profi" put the group in second place in two categories at once - pop and rock performers. But, being at the peak of popularity, in 1998, Oleg decided to stop playing music and disappeared from the music radar for almost five years. According to him, he just wanted to abstract himself from society. The release of the album "Flower Calendars" can be considered the official revival of the collective. The comeback was more than successful - 2005 was a fruitful year for the band for various awards and prizes. The team received the "Song of the Year 2005" award from the Inter TV channel. It was recognized as the "Art Brand of the Year" in the nomination "Best domestic and foreign performers and groups" at the awarding ceremony of the winners of the National Rating "Brand of the Year 2005". According to Oleg, now his main goal is simply to create quality music. "If you want to give love, then you will do your job well and everything will come. Only those songs with a lot of love become popular for many years," he believes.
Oleg periodically comes to Sumy to visit his parents and sincerely loves the city where he grew up. "Sumy is my favorite city, there is no other city like it. There is a favorite street, childhood friends. I am happy to return now. No matter where you are, it still pulls you home. I'm like a cat: I walk and walk, and then I still come home. In Sumy there are specific people and a special mentality that cannot be conveyed. In terms of humor, there is no such thing anywhere. Other times, it is impossible to express in printed text, and it becomes inconvenient," says Oleg.
Discography
Tabula Rasa
1990 - "8 runes"
1993 — "Side by Sun"
1993 - "Journey to Palenque"
1994 — "Radiodonor"
1997 — "The Tale of May"
1998 - "Betelgeuse"
2003 — "Tabula Rasa. Rock Legends of Ukraine"
2005 — "Flower calendars"
2007 — "Music of the Bird Peoples"
2014 — "Drawings on the floor"
2017 — "July"
