Remember the hero of the VIA Gra video clip for the song “I Have Another”? No? And when he sang with Meladze the track "Light of the departing sun"? Remembered? If you think that this is an unknown artist who has clung to the stars, then you are deeply mistaken. His name is Vakhtang Kalandadze and he is one of the most popular beatboxers on the planet.
What is beatbox?
Beatbox is closely associated with hip hop. This is a special genre when a performer imitates the sounds of a drum machine, DJ turntables and other musical instruments using his mouth, lips, tongue and voice. In general, a whole person is an orchestra that can accompany themselves or other artists on their own. To do this, he only needs a microphone or a sampler - an apparatus that records short pieces of sounds and repeats them in the necessary sequence. In Russia, this direction is very poorly developed. But there are pioneers, among them Vakhtang, who is among the best beatboxers on the planet.
Georgian beatbox
Vakhtang was born in Tbilisi in 1988. He was fond of music since childhood, so parents gave the talented boy to the choir. Then the family moved to Moscow. Then his father showed his son the records of foreign beatboxers and away we go. The teenager was so carried away by this trend that he decided to make it the meaning of his whole life. After graduating from the Gnesinka in the class of pop-jazz vocals, Vakhtang began to make his way to the star Olympus. The talent of the young man spoke for himself, many artists wanted to work with him to accompany him during the performance. And then the beatboxer was noticed by Valery Meladze, cooperation with which opened the artist to the masses.
VIA gra and Valery Meladze
The producer Konstantin Meladze offered Vakhtang cooperation and he, of course, agreed. He recorded tracks with Valery Meladze "The Light of the Setting Sun", where he sang and demonstrated his skills. This creation has received several music awards. After success, it was decided to record a joint track with the group "VIA Gra". So the song “I got another” was born, which became a real hit of 2014.
One of the best beatboxers in the world
In addition to success on the stage, Vakhtang is actively working to popularize this genre in Russia. He founded the country’s beatbox federation, of which he is still the president. In 2009, he took second place at the world beatbox championship in Germany. And in Russia for seven years he was recognized as the best in the genre. Currently, Vakhtang is actively touring, recording new tracks and winning the hearts of all new fans.