Singer Sharif, who represented Russia at the 25th anniversary this year international competition Discovery, won first place in the main nomination "Best Male Vocal" and received a prize audience choice. However, having returned to Moscow, the artist, who conquered Russia with his powerful vocal abilities in the show “The Voice”, and is now an artist at the production center of Grigory Leps, spoke about unpleasant incident during your stay in Bulgaria. 35-year-old Sharif Umkhanov admitted to Life that he had repeatedly felt a biased attitude on the part of the competition organizers. According to the singer, it all started long before the competition, when he was asked to indicate his nationality in the application form for the competition. Umkhanov wrote that he is a Chechen.
To be honest, I was very surprised by such a column in the questionnaire,” he said exclusive interview Laif Umkhanov. - After all, nowhere in Europe are they asked to indicate nationality in documents; even in passports there is no such column. It got ridiculous - we had to prove that Chechnya is part of Russia. This was very unpleasant for me!
It is known that the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, is very interested in culture and art, for example, he wants to build an opera house in Grozny. Did he know that someone from Chechnya went to an international music competition?
You know, it was my personal desire to perform at this competition and represent Russia. I didn’t inform anyone in Chechnya; everything happened suddenly. I understand that Ramzan Akhmatovich would probably be interested if someone told him that I went to an international competition.
Did your problems in Bulgaria end with the “national question”?
No, soon they tried to put a spoke in our wheels again. A few hours before the start of the competition, the jury filmed my song, which was approved several months in advance! They referred to the fact that its authors are not Russians, but Italians and that this is a cover version. At the same time, there were no restrictions on authorship in the competition rules. Moreover, they knew in advance who the author of the words and music was and could have checked before the competition. Because of this, I was eliminated from two nominations. We had to urgently change the song at the last minute. You know, the jury members lived in our hotel and had a nice conversation with all the contestants. I was the only one they avoided. They only said hello to me, but sat at the same table with others.
Sharif stated that the reason prejudice to him in Bulgaria, he considers the extreme politicization of music competitions in last years. According to the star of the show “The Voice”, the same thing happened to Sergei Lazarev at the Eurovision contest.
Lazarev entered the competition very deeply politicized. Even from the voting there, it was clear that friendly states vote for their own, regardless of who is better and who is worse. The organizers told me that the competition at which I competed was very honest, without politics. But apparently he has now also not escaped the influence of politics. Despite this, I am grateful to the organizers of the competition and those viewers in 24 countries around the world who voted for me - this was 80% of the television audience.
Sharip Umkhanov, song Still loving you, video, Voice season 2
Young Russian singer Sharip Umkhanov (Sharif) is thirty-two (32) years old. Sharip Umkhanov was born in the Chechen Republic (Russia) in the village of Tolstoy Yurt. Works as a music teacher at school.
Music attracted Sharip Umkhanov from the very beginning. early childhood. He sang and learned to play the guitar. It is curious that Sharip learned the basics of music on his own. Sharip Umkhanov worked in the construction industry until he was twenty-two years old. Then he went to the capital of Kuban, the city of Krasnodar, where he studied at the Faculty of Music Education. In 2007, Sharip Umkhanov was even recognized as student of the year. He repeatedly took part in student competitions at his native university.
After completing his studies, Sharip had to leave music for a while and five years ago (2008) he went to Moscow to work. Sharip took part in the construction of the tunnel, which is located on Marshal Zhukov Avenue in Moscow. But the music pulled Sharip irresistibly, after a difficult work shift, he could not deny himself the pleasure of singing several songs with a guitar for his colleagues.
As people say, there would be no happiness, but misfortune helped. This happened with Sharip Umkhanov. He was injured at a construction site and devoted himself entirely to his studies. musical creativity. Sharip sang in restaurants and at corporate parties. It is interesting that Sharip Umkhanov did not follow the well-trodden and win-win path of chanson - the artist often performed songs in the rock style. And the audience liked the performances of the young Chechen singer.
At the television music competition “The Voice,” Sharip Umkhanov performed first with the song of the group “Scorpions” (“Still loving you”). Immediately after the start of the so-called blind audition, all the judges turned to Sharip - Pelageya, Alexander Gradsky, Dima Bilan, Leonil Agutin. They were simply shocked by the voice of the Chechen performer! Sharip chose Alexander Gradsky as his mentor and joined his team.
The amazing fate of Sharif is a ready-made script for a Hollywood film, and sooner or later there will definitely be a director who wants to film it. Agree: an unknown 32-year-old music teacher from a small Chechen village ends up in the popular musical show central TV channel and overnight turns into a nationally famous artist.
This is exactly what happened to Sharip Umkhanov, who reached the semi-finals of the “Voice” project. By the way, composer Igor Matvienko suggested that Sharif take part in the casting. Already at the first audition, the jury of the project gave a standing ovation to its future participant. And during the so-called “blind audition”, when it was decided which of the jury members would become Sharif’s mentor, Alexander Gradsky was the first, after seven seconds, to turn his chair around to face the stage. Pelageya, Dima Bilan and Leonid Agutin lasted a little longer: ballad Scorpions Still Loving You by Sharif won them over in less than a minute.
And now there are hundreds of thousands of views of Sharif’s video on YouTube, a flurry of SMS messages in his support from ordinary viewers, high-ranking officials and famous musicians. And hundreds of questions: where is he from, who is he, what will happen to him after the end of the project.
Sharif was born in Chechnya, in the village of Tolstoy Yurt. After school, I entered the Faculty of Industrial and Civil Engineering, but for quite objective reasons I abandoned my studies - in the late 90s there were enough problems in the republic. Until the age of 22, he worked as a loader and laborer in his native village and at the same time performed at the local cultural center. Then he entered the Krasnodar University of Culture, from which he graduated in 2008, receiving the profession of a secondary school music teacher. And then he went to Moscow, where at first... he worked at a construction site. Then a friend invited him to perform at a restaurant, and away we go.
Grigory Leps was one of the first to notice this amazing singer with an amazing voice of three octaves. In July 2013, Sharif even took part in his charity concert at Crocus City Hall. And when he became a participant in the second season of “The Voice,” Grigory Leps – for the first time – turned to his fans with an appeal to support the talented performer. Therefore, it is not surprising that after Sharif left the show, Leps invited him to become an artist at his production center.
At the end of 2013, the winners of the republican competition were solemnly awarded in Grozny. music competition“National Five 2013”, and Sharif was recognized as the undisputed leader in the “Breakthrough of the Year” nomination.
Everyone who has ever heard Sharif sing is sure: a most talented artist with enormous potential has appeared on our stage, who, without a doubt, will have unprecedented success.
Childhood, family and education of Sharip Umkhanov
Sharip Umkhanov was born on March 29, 1981 in the Grozny district Chechen Republic, in the village of Tolstoy-Yurt. This village has the Chechen name Doykur-Evl and its population is about five thousand people. The future participant in the show “The Voice” spent his childhood in his native village.He graduated high school in difficult times for Chechnya, war time late nineties. Since 1999, Sharip became interested in music, independently mastered the guitar and learned to sing. There was no music school, therefore, the main source of knowledge for the future singer was books on musical themes. The impetus for this hobby was given by the work of the Scorpions group.
A difficult time forced him to go to work in construction right after school. However, he did not give up his hobby, he even performed on stage and decided to continue his education in music.
In 2003, when he was 22 years old, Sharip Umkhanov left his native Chechnya for Krasnodar region. There, in the city of Krasnodar, he entered the first year of the faculty " Musical education» Krasnodar State University of Culture and Arts. While studying at the university, Sharip participated in various creative competitions, showed his talent for singing and in 2007 earned the title “Student of the Year”.
Sharip's creative path
In 2008, Sharip Umkhanov graduated from Krasnodar State University culture and arts, but did not go to work in his specialty. It seemed that he had completely abandoned the creative path, because his path lay in Moscow, to work as a builder. He worked at a Moscow construction site for quite a long time.The construction team to which he belonged was building a tunnel located on Marshal Zhukov Avenue. Colleagues say that after work he often performed various songs, accompanying himself on the guitar. Sharip's repertoire included not only banal and win-win chanson, but also rock and classical opera repertoire. The singer was invited to perform at nightclubs and corporate events.
Therefore, when he was injured at work and broke his leg, he left the construction site and devoted himself entirely to music. He sang in restaurants, and was very often invited to do this. He changed the stereotypical chanson repertoire of restaurants to rock, which was unusual for many, but so beloved by him.
In addition, Sharip in 2009 became the winner of the “Karaoke with a Star” show, which was held in one of the Moscow nightclubs on one of the FM radio stations. There he was noticed and appreciated by people from the top show business. These were: composer Evgeny Kobylyansky, who produces Grigory Leps, and the president of the CD LAND recording company, Yuri Tseytlin. They judged the competition and rightfully appreciated the extraordinary talent of the singer, who easily covered all 3 octaves.
Sharip Umkhanov on the show “The Voice”
In the summer of 2013, before participating in the qualifying round of the show “The Voice - 2,” Umkhanov Sharip took part in big concert Grigory Leps. The singer personally recommended young singer Sharipa to the public. On the show “The Voice - 2” singer Sharip went with the song of his favorite group “Scorpions” - “Still loving you”.During the qualifying “blind audition”, he was chosen from the very first notes by all the mentors at once. Sharip himself chose Alexander Gradsky as his mentor on the show, who in turn very highly appreciated Umkhanov’s performance of the song of the Scorpions group. He said: “Great! And besides, he fucking kills the audience right away, knocks everyone out. He sings it better than the original. By the way! Because there are shouts, but here there is absolutely even pressure.”
During his participation in the show, Sharip Umkhanov won a huge number of admirers of his voice and reached the semi-finals in triumph. In the semi-final, in the audience SMS voting, despite the enormous support of many, and even the President of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov, who personally sent 278 SMS in support of him, Sharip Umkhanov lost to the singer from Belarus Sergei Volchkov.
He performed a great song in the semi-finals Italian composer Middle Ages Gregorio Allegri "Miserere". And he left the show gracefully, having big creative plans for release solo album and continuing his singing career.
Personal life and interests of Sharip
Personal life of Sharip Umkhanov, despite his publicity in Lately, is shrouded in secrecy. It is only known that the singer is not married and his heart is in this moment free. During his participation in the show "The Voice - 2" there were various rumors about his affairs with the participants. Especially with Gelya Sergeeva, with whom Sharip often appeared in the pavilions, holding hands. 
In addition, the participants shared their impressions of what a great massage Sharip can give. There was even a queue of participants for the massage. Sharip Umkhanov names such singers as Luciano Pavarotti, Grigory Leps, Alexander Gradsky, Larisa Dolina and groups such as Aria, Queen and, of course, Scorpions as his favorite performers.
Favorites classical composers singers are Tchaikovsky, Glinka and Rimsky-Korsakov. Sharip loves Italian, Caucasian and Russian cuisine. His particular preference is for pilaf and pasta with seafood, which he knows how to cook himself. What the singer values most in people is loyalty to their word, sincerity and kindness.
Sharip Umkhanov was born on March 29, 1981 in the Grozny region of the Chechen Republic, in the village of Tolstoy-Yurt. This village has the Chechen name Doykur-Evl and its population is about five thousand people. The future participant in the show “The Voice” spent his childhood in his native village. He graduated from high school during the difficult wartime times of the late nineties for Chechnya. Since 1999, Sharip became interested in music, independently mastered the guitar and learned to sing. There was no music school in the village, so books on musical topics became the main source of knowledge for the future singer. The impetus for this hobby was given by the work of the Scorpions group. A difficult time forced him to go to work in construction right after school. However, he did not give up his hobby, he even performed on stage and decided to continue his education in music.
In 2003, when he was 22 years old, Sharip Umkhanov left his native Chechnya for the Krasnodar region. There, in the city of Krasnodar, he entered the first year of the Faculty of Music Education at the Krasnodar State University of Culture and Arts. While studying at the university, Sharip participated in various creative competitions, showed his talent for singing, and in 2007 earned the title “Student of the Year.”
Creative path
In 2008, Sharip Umkhanov graduated from the Krasnodar State University of Culture and Arts, but did not go to work in his specialty. It seemed that he had completely abandoned the creative path, because his path lay in Moscow, to work as a builder. He worked at a Moscow construction site for quite a long time. The construction team to which he belonged was building a tunnel located on Marshal Zhukov Avenue. Colleagues say that after work he often performed various songs, accompanying himself on the guitar. Sharip's repertoire included not only banal and win-win chanson, but also rock and classical opera repertoire. The singer was invited to perform at nightclubs and corporate events.
Therefore, when he was injured at work and broke his leg, he left the construction site and devoted himself entirely to music. He sang in restaurants, and was very often invited to do this. He changed the stereotypical chanson repertoire of restaurants to rock, which was unusual for many, but so beloved by him. In addition, Sharip in 2009 became the winner of the “Karaoke with a Star” show, which was held in one of the Moscow nightclubs on one of the FM radio stations. There he was noticed and appreciated by people from the top show business. These were: composer Evgeny Kobylyansky, who produces Grigory Leps, and the president of the CD LAND recording company, Yuri Tseytlin. They judged the competition and rightfully appreciated the extraordinary talent of the singer, who easily covered all 3 octaves.
In the summer of 2013, before participating in the qualifying round of the show “The Voice - 2,” Umkhanov Sharip took part in a big concert by Grigory Leps. The singer personally recommended the young singer Sharip to the public. On the show "Voice - 2" singer Sharip went with the song of his favorite group "Scorpions" - "Still loving you". During the qualifying “blind audition”, he was chosen from the very first notes by all the mentors at once. Sharip himself chose Alexander Gradsky as his mentor on the show, who in turn very highly appreciated Umkhanov’s performance of the song of the Scorpions group. He said: “Great! And besides, he fucking kills the audience right away, knocks everyone out. He sings it better than the original. By the way! Because there are shouts, but here there is absolutely even pressure.”
Best of the day
During his participation in the show, Sharip Umkhanov won a huge number of admirers of his voice and reached the semi-finals in triumph. In the semi-final, in the audience SMS voting, despite the enormous support of many, and even the President of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov, who personally sent 278 SMS in support of him, Sharip Umkhanov lost to the singer from Belarus Sergei Volchkov. In the semi-finals, he performed the magnificent song “Miserere” by the Italian medieval composer Gregorio Allegri. And he left the show gracefully, having big creative plans for releasing a solo album and continuing his career as a singer.
Personal life and interests
The personal life of Sharip Umkhanov, despite his publicity recently, is shrouded in secrecy. It is only known that the singer is not married and his heart is currently free. During his participation in the show "The Voice - 2" there were various rumors about his affairs with the participants. Especially with Gelya Sergeeva, with whom Sharip often appeared in the pavilions, holding hands.
In addition, the participants shared their impressions of what a great massage Sharip can give. There was even a queue of participants for the massage. Sharip Umkhanov names such singers as Luciano Pavarotti, Grigory Leps, Alexander Gradsky, Larisa Dolina and groups such as Aria, Queen and, of course, Scorpions as his favorite performers. The singer's favorite classical composers are Tchaikovsky, Glinka and Rimsky-Korsakov. Sharip loves Italian, Caucasian and Russian cuisine. His particular preference is for pilaf and pasta with seafood, which he knows how to cook himself. What the singer values most in people is loyalty to their word, sincerity and kindness.