Valery Kipelov

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Valery Kipelovy Валерий Кипелов
Kipelov in 2018
Background information
Birth name	Valery Alexandrovich Kipelov
Born	(1958-07-12) July 12, 1958 (age 63) Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Genres	Heavy metal, hard rock
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instruments	Vocals, accordion
Years active	1980–present
Associated acts	Aria, Kipelov

Valery Alexandrovich Kipelov (Russian: Валерий Александрович Кипелов; born July 12, 1958) is a Russian musician and composer who was the vocalist and a founding member of heavy metal band Aria.^[1] Since 2002, Kipelov leads his own metal band, Kipelov.^[2]

Early life[]

Kipelov was born in 1958 in , Moscow, Soviet Union. During his childhood, he studied at a music school as an accordionist. His first step in music was singing in the amateur band Krestyanskie Deti ("Farmer Children"), which played at parties and weddings. After military service in 1978–1980 Kipelov joined the folk ensemble Shestero Molodykh ("Six Young Men"), where he met an befriended Nikolay Rastorguev.

In September 1980, Kipelov and Rastorguev continued their career in Leysa, Pyesnya ("Go on, Song"). In 1985, the band was officially disbanded due to failing to complete the planned program. Kipelov joined Poyushchie Serdtsa ("Singing Hearts"), produced by Victor Vekshtein. When Holstinin and Granovsky, members of Poyushchie Serdtsa, decided to start their heavy metal project, Kipelov was invited to be its vocalist.

Career[]

Aria[]

Kipelov was among the founding members of Aria, alongside Vladimir Holstinin and Alik Granovsky, although he initially played a less active role in songwriting and the development of the band's style than the other two. For the first four albums, he only composed three songs (two of them slow ballads). Nevertheless, Kipelov's voice was one of the major reasons of band's success^{[citation needed]}. After the breakup in 1987, Kipelov and Holstinin were the only two members who remained with their producer Vekshtein. Sergey Mavrin, Kipelov's friend, was invited into the new lineup to play guitar and Vitaly Dubinin joined on bass.

During the Germany tour 1994, Kipelov's relations with Holstinin and Dubinin became tense. He ceased appearing at Aria's studio and was fired from the band. Then Mavrin refused to play without Kipelov and left the band, too. After participating in a few of Master's concerts, Kipelov tried to form a band of his own, but later returned to Aria following the threat from Moroz Records to sue the band for breach of contract.

Sergey Mavrin offered Kipelov to record together a combined album, which might include their songs, refused by Aria or not fit for its style. In 1997 they released the LP entitled Kipelov and Mavrin - Smutnoye Vremia (Time of Troubles), which included ten tracks. This album helped Mavrin to launch his project 'Mavrik' with vocalist Artur Berkut next year.

In 2002, after the successful release of 'Himera' followed by sold-out tours and headlining the NASHEstvie festival, Kipelov refused to start recording the new album, already written by Dubinin and Holstinin. He stated his wish to start a solo career. He was supported by two of his Aria bandmates Sergey Terentyev and Alexander Maniakin, as well as by the band's manager Rina Lee, opposing the band's leaders Vitaly Dubinin and Vladimir Holstinin, and the producer Yuri Sokolov. This disagreement broke Aria apart after 'Judgement Day', August 31, 2002.

Kipelov (band)[]

Kipelov performing with Tarja Turunen (ex-Nightwish) in 2011

On September 1, 2002, the day after Kipelov left Aria, Kipelov, Terentyev, Mavrin and Maniakin launched a new band named Kipelov (named at Terentyev's suggestion as the bandmembers couldn't come up with any better name). In 2003, they released the live album Put Naverh (Way to the Top), recorded in Saint Petersburg. It contained Aria's songs by Kipelov, Terentyev and Mavrin. The ballad "Ya Svoboden" (I am Free) became a top hit in the Russian rock charts.^{[citation needed]} The "golden" voice of Kipelov enticed many Aria fans to his new project.

Terentyev, and later Mavrin, left Kipelov in the next two years, explaining that the band was too slow in releasing the new album.^{[citation needed]} From 2002 to 2005, the only new release was the EP Babylon. To record his new album, Kipelov invited Victor Smolski. Kipelov's first LP, 'Reki Vremen' (Rivers of Time), came out in 2005.

Personal life[]

Kipelov is married to Galina Kipelova. They have two children: Janna (b. 1980, a music conductor), and Alexander (b. 1989, a student of the Cello at Gnesin School). He also has two grandchildren: Anastasia Vladimirovna Komarova (b. 2001) and Sonia Vladimirovna Komarova (b. 2009).^{[citation needed]}

Kipelov expressed support of Russia's annexation of Crimea, and said it should've been returned to Russia in 1991.^[3] He performed at music festivals celebrating the event in Crimea.^[4][5] He is Orthodox Christian.^[6]

References[]