Nikolai Noskov

2.1. Childhood and musical influences

Born on January 12, 1956, in Gzhatsk (now known as Gagarin) in the Smolensk Oblast of Russia, Nikolai Noskov came from a working-class family. His father, Ivan Noskov, who had Romani origins, worked at a meat-processing factory, while his mother, Yekaterina Noskova, was a milkmaid and construction site worker. Nikolai was one of five children in the family. His earliest musical impressions were deeply rooted in folk music, often played on traditional Russian instruments or sung by his mother.

At the age of eight, Noskov and his family relocated to Cherepovets in the Vologda Oblast, a larger city where he completed his schooling. His curiosity led him to experiment with various instruments, starting with the bayan. As he grew older, his focus increasingly shifted to singing. He began performing in the school choir and later as a solo artist, winning his first award at a local singing contest at the age of fourteen. As the lead singer of his school band, he performed hits by Western rock bands such as The Beatles, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd, embracing the burgeoning rock and roll movement among Soviet youth. Initially, his English was undeveloped, and he would transcribe song lyrics phonetically into Cyrillic script. However, later life circumstances prompted him to further develop his English language skills, crucial for his future in rock music. A self-taught multi-instrumentalist, Noskov plays the guitar, piano, and drums.

2.2. Military service and early musical activities

After completing school, Nikolai Noskov fulfilled his compulsory military service, during which he also played the trumpet. Despite his musical talent, he never received formal vocal training, though he did apply to the Gnesinykh state musical college. His knowledge of musical notation was also self-acquired.

Following his military service, Noskov was invited to Moscow for an audition by an entrepreneur. He subsequently participated in several Moscow-based musical ensembles, commonly referred to as "VIA" (Vocal-Instrumental Ensemble). However, these early engagements, including stints with bands like Rovesniki (Peers) and Nadezhda (Hope), were short-lived, as none held his interest for an extended period.

3.1. Collaboration with David Tukhmanov and Moskva

In 1980, Noskov met David Tukhmanov, a composer widely regarded as one of the most progressive in the Soviet Union at the time. Tukhmanov sought to create a genuine hard rock band, choosing Noskov as the lead singer. This collaboration led to the formation of the band Moskva (Moscow), with Noskov also contributing as a guitarist. The band released an album titled NLO (UFO) in 1982. However, Moskva's tenure was brief. After a limited number of live performances and the release of NLO, the band faced suppression and eventual dissolution by Soviet authorities and the press. Their sound was deemed too "hard" for the contemporary Soviet audience. Despite the band's short lifespan, this period was crucial for Noskov, as it provided him with his first significant experience in professional studio work under Tukhmanov's meticulous guidance. In 1987, Noskov also contributed several songs to the musical film Island of Lost Ships.

3.2. Activities in Gorky Park

After approximately eight years of performing in Moscow's restaurants and clubs, Nikolai Noskov experienced a significant breakthrough in his career. In 1987, he joined Gorky Park, a hard rock band formed by Stas Namin. This period coincided with a warming of relations between the Soviet Union and the West, fostering an environment conducive to a Russian rock band achieving success in the United States.

Gorky Park quickly gained international attention. Following a festival where they performed alongside headliners Scorpions, the band secured a contract with PolyGram Records. They began recording their self-titled debut album with renowned producer Bruce Fairbairn. The album's concept aimed to appeal to American audiences by blending hard rock and heavy metal with respectful nods to Russian cultural roots. The song "Bang!", co-written by Noskov, and the album as a whole achieved high rankings on radio charts and MTV. The album even attained gold status in Denmark. During this time, Gorky Park, with Noskov as lead vocalist, toured extensively in the USA, participated in numerous interviews, and enjoyed significant media attention. Noskov also had the opportunity to perform with other rock legends, including Jon Bon Jovi in 1989 and Klaus Meine of Scorpions in 1990.

However, Noskov's tenure with Gorky Park came to an end in 1990. A combination of factors contributed to his departure, including financial difficulties within the band, internal tensions among members, vocal cord strain from incessant touring, and the desire to return home to his pregnant wife in Moscow. Following his departure, Alexander Minkov assumed the role of lead vocalist while continuing to play bass.

3.3. Solo career

In 1994, Nikolai Noskov found himself at a crossroads and made the deliberate decision to embark on a solo career, starting anew. This period marked a significant transformation in his artistic vision. Gradually, his hard rock preferences evolved into a deeper, more introspective musical style, leaning towards ethnic ballad art rock. While his more recent albums still feature discernible hard rhythms, they are often characterized as funk.

A pivotal change in his solo career was his decision to sing primarily in Russian for a Russian audience, abandoning the "foreign bloke" pretense he felt during his time with Gorky Park. He expressed this sentiment, recalling a reunion performance of "Bang!": "...when I started singing 'Bang!' I suddenly felt so far aloof from this song... I felt that it did not stir my heart at all. I finished singing and asked myself: what was that for? Something from my past life, unbidden, some foreign language words..." He dropped English after his first solo album, Mother Russia, released with the band Nikolai in 1994.

In 1998, he released his official solo debut album, Ya tebya lyublyu (I Love You), also known as Blazh (Whim). In 2002, Noskov established the "Wild Honey" foundation, dedicated to supporting ethnic music. His fourth solo album, Po poyas v nebe (Waist-deep in the Sky), released in 2006, notably incorporated Eastern musical motifs, featuring instruments like the Quray, a Bashkir reed flute.

In 2011, Noskov performed Muslim Magomayev's song "Melody" on the television music show Property of the Republic, winning the competition. The following year, in 2012, he recorded the album Bez nazvaniya (Untitled), also known as Honey, in Germany at the studio of producer Horst Schnebel. That same year, he participated in Gorky Park's 25th-anniversary concert. In 2015, he served as a jury member for the second season of the reality TV series Glavnaya Stsena. Noskov continued to record new music, releasing his album Zhivoy (Alive) in 2019. This album included songs such as "Net ni gody", "Ono togo stoit", and "Sedye deti", and featured an upcoming duet with singer IVAN.

4.1. With bands and ensembles

• Ensemble Moskva** (Москва^Russian)
  • NLO (НЛО^Russian, UFO, 1982)
• Band Grand Prix** (Гран-при^Russian)
  • K teologii (EP) (К теологии^Russian, To Theology, 1988)
• Band Gorky Park**
  • Gorky Park (1989)
• Band Nikolai** (Николай^Russian)
  • Mother Russia (1994)

4.2. Solo albums

• Ya tebya lyublyu (Я тебя люблю^Russian, I Love You, 1998) (also titled Blazh, Блажь^Russian, Whim)
• Styokla i beton (Стёкла и бетон^Russian, Glass and Concrete, 1999) (also titled Paranoia, Паранойя^Russian, Paranoia)
• Dyshu tishinoi (Дышу тишиной^Russian, Breathing the Silence, 2000)
• Po poyas v nebe (По пояс в небе^Russian, Waist-deep in the Sky, 2006)
• Ono togo stoit (Оно того стоит^Russian, It's Worth It, 2011, unreleased)
• Bez nazvaniya (Без названия^Russian, Untitled, 2012) (also titled Myod, Мёд^Russian, Honey)
• Zhivoy (Живой^Russian, Alive, 2019)

4.3. Compilation albums

• Luchshiye pesni v soprovozhdenii simfonicheskogo orkestra (Лучшие песни в сопровождении симфонического оркестра^Russian, Best Songs Accompanied by a Symphony Orchestra, 2001)
• Luchshiye pesni (Лучшие песни^Russian, The Best Songs, 2002)
• Okean lyubvi (Океан любви^Russian, Ocean of Love, 2003)
• Luchshiye pesni (Лучшие песни^Russian, The Best Songs, 2008)
• Dyshu tishinoi (DVD, Дышу тишиной^Russian, Breathing the Silence)
• The Best (2016)

4.4. Singles

• "Noch" (Ночь^Russian, Night, 1984, re-released in 2012)
• "Zhivoy" (Живой^Russian, Alive, 2019)