Леонид Агутин (RU)

About

Also known as: Leonid Agoetin, Leonid Agoutine, Leonid Agutin, Λεονίντ Αγκούτιν, Леонид Николаевич Агутин

Few Russian pop artists have managed to blend jazz sensibility with mainstream chart success quite like Leonid Agutin. The Moscow born singer and songwriter broke through in 1994 with his debut album Bosonogi Malchik (Barefoot Boy), which swept the Russian Grammy awards for Singer of the Year, Song of the Year, and Album of the Year all at once. Hits like Hop hey, la la ley made him one of the biggest names in Russian pop through the 1990s alongside Philipp Kirkorov and Valeriy Meladze. His most ambitious project came in 2005 when he recorded Cosmopolitan Life with legendary jazz guitarist Al Di Meola. The album earned him recognition well beyond Russia, boosted by a performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival that prompted Austrian directors Hannes Rossacher and Rudi Dolezal to make a full documentary about Agutin and Di Meola. He has released ten studio albums in total, and has collaborated with his wife, singer Anzhelika Varum, on several recordings.