One of the most striking figures on the Russian rock scene is Alexander Ivanov, whose songs are filled with romance and deep meaning. He gained popularity back in the 80s when he worked with the Rondo group. The guys successfully traveled around the world with concerts, but Alexander Ivanov at some point decided to work solo. This brought him such success that he could not achieve while working with the team.
Childhood
Alexander Yulievich Ivanov was born on March 3, 1961 in Moscow. The boy was small and painful, so dad from the cradle began to strengthen his immunity by doing sports and hardening. That is why the young Sasha and ran, and skied, and on top of everything played football well.
When Ivanov was eight years old, his parents sent him to the sambo section, and at the age of 12 he began to practice judo and received a black belt for this type of martial art. Sasha tried very hard, therefore, at competitions both in Moscow and in the region he was always the first. The dream of his childhood was to become a famous athlete, but in adolescence a new hobby appeared that completely determined his future fate, and his name was rock music.
Young years
Alexander Ivanov had a Soviet tape recorder of the Jupiter brand, on which, from a certain moment in his life, he began to drive out cassettes of such “rock dinosaurs” as Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin every day. Sasha, like any normal guy with good hearing, had a burning desire to make friends with a guitar and learn how to create something like that. Fortunately, the instrument of his brother, who at that time served in the army, was lying around at home.
First steps
School years finally passed, and Alexander Ivanov also joined the ranks of the new recruits in the Soviet Army. By distribution, he ended up in the city of Plauen, located in the GDR, where the location of the tank troops was located.
The guy actively participated in the army orchestra and soon put together his group at its base. The musicians performed compositions of famous foreign rocker teams and spoke to their comrades at festivals and constructions.
In the army, Ivanov found a faithful companion - Nikolai Safonov, with whom he worked for many years in Rondo. It was there and then that Sasha realized that his calling was to be a musician. When the guy returned home, he worked as a vocalist in VIA "Rainbow", and then in "Airport" and "Hello".
First experience
Alexander Ivanov’s group “Crater” appeared in 1984, when he played with his two namesakes - Firsov and Ryzhov. They repeatedly performed at large concerts both in Moscow and in other cities of the USSR. A year later, Crater went to the World Youth Festival, but Sasha decided to leave them and start working with the Monitor ensemble of Vladimir Miguli. This group spoke daily to a crowd of thousands, which served as a real hardening for Ivanov, because in the future he had to work much more.
Rondo
A year later, Alexander Ivanov established himself as a talented singer, and Yevgeny Havtan proposed his candidacy for the vacant vocalist position in the jazz group Mikhail Litvin. Also, Evgeny Rubanov was invited to Rondo, because for two years of its existence the group was unable to achieve the necessary successes.
Soon the guys released one album called Turnip, in which you can clearly hear the influence of glam rock. The stage was always brightly decorated, and the musicians were dressed in colorful clothes and made up. Each concert looked like a theatrical performance, so Stas Namin drew attention to Rondo and offered cooperation. He helped musicians with foreign tours and various rock festivals, so very soon they became known overseas.
Popularity
A little time passed, and the clips of the original group began to flicker on MTV, and notes on Soviet musicians appeared in the Daily News and The New York Times. In just two years, Alexander Ivanov and his group manage to perform in the Television Bridge with America program, take part in rock panoramas of central TV and record vinyl in the legendary Melody studio. In addition, the musicians were officially enrolled in the ranks of the Moscow Philharmonic.
And then came the year 1987, which was a turning point in the activities of Rondo. Ivanov and his comrades separated from Mikhail Litvin and continued to work hard to create new material. And the former leader, meanwhile, set off to seek fame in America.
In 1989, the group performed at a festival in Japan called Armenia Aid, which was organized in support of the residents of Armenia affected by the earthquake. In the same year, hits such as “I Will Remember”, “Also a Part of the Universe”, “Get the Bucks” and “Inflatable Ship” were released.
Early 90s
The albums “I Will Remember” and “Kill Me With Your Love” (in English) were released in 1991, and the latter was created after a tour in America. Soon after, the guys went to conquer Asia Minor (Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam), but there they had to face difficulties and even go to jail. The album, recorded in 1994 at the studio of Pugacheva, exudes cheerfulness and fun - as if there was simply nothing bad. By the first anniversary of the group in 1996, a disc entitled “The Best Ballads of Rondo” was released, containing 10 tracks, a concert was also given with Gorky Park as invited guests in the youth palace in the capital.
Solo career
With the advent of 1997, Alexander Ivanov left the group and soon became the winner of the Golden Gramophone award for the song “God, what a trifle.” Then the first solo disc of “Sinful Soul of Sorrow” was released, which included the hits “Night” and “I will lay the sky under your feet”. For this album, Alexander Ivanov was written by Sergey Trofimov, whom he had known since 1995. Working solo, the musician got to the top of the Russian charts, and the disc sold thousands of copies. However, Ivanov soon quarreled with the songwriter and their paths diverged.
The album “When Wings Grow” was released in 2000, it included the songs “My Unkind Rus”, “My Bright Angel” and “Moscow Autumn”.
Own label
In 2003, Alexander Ivanov and the Rondo group came together to put a bullet in the name of Koda in collaboration. Two years later, the rock singer founded his own label A&I, under which in 2006 an album was released titled “Passenger”, which included the hit “Dreams”.
The Neformat disk was released in 2008, it included such songs as Merry Christmas and First Snow. In 2011, the album “It Was Me” appeared, containing the hit “Rain”. The last work of the performer was released in 2017 and is called "This Spring".
Briefly about personal
Alexander is married to Svetlana Fedorovskaya, the couple has a son and daughter, named after them. From his first marriage, Ivanov has a daughter, Karina, who is involved in acting.