Laima Vaikule

Laima Vaikule became the first ambassador of a pro-Western style on the Soviet stage, both in the presentation of musical material and in the manner of dress. Deep voice, accent, perfected movements, “cabaret surrounded by monumental statues” - in the mid-80s it was “not that”, not as accepted and permitted.

The singer can still surprise with just one appearance on the stage. Time and criticism have no power over the Baltic star.

Laima Stanislavovna Vaikule was born on March 31, 1954 in the Latvian city of Cesis. The family of the future singer was simple and had nothing to do with music. Father Stanislav Vaikulis is a worker, and Yanina's mother worked first as a seller, and then as a store director. The only people who were close to art were Laima's grandmother, who sang in the church choir.

When Laima was 3 years old, the family moved from a provincial town to Riga, to a small one-room apartment. The Vaikulis family was quite large: in addition to Laima, 2 more daughters and a son grew up. In the noisy capital Riga, the girl went to school, and at the age of 12 she made her debut on stage. Before that, she only entertained home and guests with songs. Now it was a competition for young vocalists in the House of Culture of the Riga VEF plant. The girl received a diploma - the first award for talent. This day is considered the start of Laima Vaikule's creative biography.

Lyme did not dream of becoming an artist. The girl saw herself as a doctor, so after graduating from the 8th grade of high school she entered a medical school. In her youth, her views gradually change.

It will soon turn out that "Lyme did not choose the music, it was the music that chose Lyme." It was written for the girl of the family to sing, not heal. The young singer was lured by the scene. At the age of 15, Vaikule successfully passed the competition and became a soloist of the Riga Radio and Television Orchestra, headed by Raimonds Pauls.

Since 1979, Vaikule has performed in the famous variety show “Juras perle” (“Sea Pearl”) in Jurmala. At first, the girl sang in a dance orchestra, but then she became a soloist. She was not going to stop there, realizing that there is nothing to do in the world of music without a special education. In 1984, Laima entered the directing department at GITIS.

Even during Laima's studies at GITIS, the young singer was noticed by the famous songwriter Ilya Reznik. He saw the performer of the composition "Night Fire" in Vaikula. First, the song was played on the radio, then on the popular music program "Song-86". In the same year, the girl, together with Valery Leontyev, at a Soviet-Italian concert of pop stars, sang a new song "Vernissage" (music by Raymond Pauls, words by Ilya Reznik).

It was the rise and recognition of Vaikule as a popular singer. The artist woke up famous, and Lyme's photos were on the covers of the country's main publications.

A year later, the singer consolidated her success by singing the song "It's not over yet." At the same time, Lyme offered her own original interpretation for performance, and the song only benefited from this, hitting the first positions of the radio charts and in music programs.

The creative union of Vaikule, Pauls and Reznik presented the audience with unforgettable hits “I pray for you” and “Fiddler on the Roof”, “Charlie” and “Business Woman”. Lime quail and the composition "Yellow Leaves", the poetry for which was written by the former Latvian Ambassador to Russia, the poet Janis Peters. Stage performances, in which the Baltic star appeared in unique, extravagant outfits, accompanied by bright dance groups, turned into full-fledged clips.

All-Union recognition came to Vaikula in February 1987, after participating in the author's evening by Raymond Pauls at the Rossiya State Central Concert Hall. It was her time, and Lyme worked tirelessly. Without interrupting her studies at GITIS, she prepared a large solo program, which premiered at the Rossiya State Central Concert Hall in early 1988.

This was another convincing step, which proved that the creative biography of Laima Vaikule is not an accident at all, but a clear pattern. The star finally established itself in the pop musical orbit and found its niche.

In 1989, American producer Sten Cornelius invited Laima Vaikule to the USA. The singer worked for seven months in America, recording a new album in the studio of Michael Sembello. In the United States, she signed a contract with the record company MCA - GRP. A documentary about Lyme Vaikul, filmed by the Videofilm studio and American filmmakers, was released on American television screens. The Western press dubbed the woman the "Russian Madonna".

Vaikule continues to work "in tandem" with other performers, trying to repeat the success of "Vernissage". The song "Feelings", which was performed by the singer together with the former member of the "Kar-men" group Bogdan Titomir, did not become a mega-hit, but 20 years later, fans demanded to shoot a modern version of the video featuring two stars.

During her artistic career, the performer has recorded a dozen music albums in Latvia and Russia, 20 million Vaikule discs have been sold in Russia, Europe and the United States.

Laima Vaikule is a regular guest at the New Wave music competition, which was held in Jurmala from 2002 to 2014. The singer was invited to the jury of the KVN festival "Voting KiViN". Vaikule fans especially remembered the collaboration with the singer Boris Moiseev. The clip "Baltic Roman" has become one of the most popular on music TV channels.

On the rise of a career, trouble came. Doctors diagnosed Vaikule with a tumor. She overcame the disease, but did not stay in America. The singer terminated the contracts, driven by the only desire - to return home.

Returning from the USA, Lyme saw how the world around her had changed. The Soviet Union was no longer there, and the Latvian newspapers called the artist a scout: "The Russian army is leaving, but the agents remain!" But Vaikule survived.

The celebrity soon amazed the audience with revelations about how she fell ill with breast cancer and was on the verge of death. In an interview with TV presenter Oksana Pushkina, the performer told how oncology turned life upside down, made her completely reconsider beliefs and principles and think about the future, looking completely differently at the usual things. Vaikule drew a simple conclusion, stating that one grows up in suffering:

In 2015, Vaikule organizes the International Rendezvous Festival. The celebrity invites performers from Latvia, Ukraine, Georgia and Russia to the event. Show business representatives come to Jurmala. Among them are Maxim Galkin and Kristina Orbakaite, Vladimir Presnyakov and Edita Piekha, Larisa Dolina and Soso Pavliashvili, Verka Serduchka and Zlata Ognevich, the duets Potap and Nastya, as well as Vremya i Steklo.

The personal participation of Laima Vaikule in the organization of such a large-scale festival interested a large number of celebrities. The singer mainly invited her friends and colleagues, popular artists from different countries, to perform together on the stage of the famous Dzintari concert hall. The audience of the festival has repeatedly stated that they are delighted with the bright show and many surprises.

Laima Stanislavovna herself explained in an interview that “Rendezvous” is significantly different from “New Wave” in that it is not a competition, but the festival format is absolutely new. According to her, viewers get much more positive emotions from concerts, where there is always a friendly atmosphere and artists offer viewers new, unique performances and ideas.

One of these surprises is a song about Karaganda. The composition, which Laima Vaikule sang together with Ukrainian performers Verka Serduchka and the duet "Potap and Nastya", immediately received positive feedback from fans.

Laima Vaikule in recent years has increasingly collaborated not only with famous artists. Many young talents learn from the famous pop singer, performing compositions with her. In 2016, the song "I close my eyes" appeared, which Laima Vaikule sang together with Russian singer Stas Piekha. The composition came out on television for the first time on New Year's Eve. The viewers highly appreciated the quality of the performance of the newly-made duo.

Many people immediately began to compare Laima Vaikule's new performance with Evgeny Anishko from the Four Kings group. Then there were even rumors about the affair of a Latvian celebrity with a young vocalist.

Vaikule is known as an active animal protector. The artist is a vegetarian for ethical reasons. She does not wear fur products, constantly opposes circuses with trained animals. Lyme is an ardent opponent of animal fighting, hunting, bullfighting and other cruel entertainment and traditions, where four-legged victims are victims.

Fans love the singer for her inimitable image, her appearance on stage in extravagant outfits always fascinates the audience. Laima Vaikule does not hide her age. And there is no need to do this: she looked great 20 years ago, and is still attractive. The star leads a correct lifestyle, has no bad habits, loves sports and healthy food.

Laima Vaikule's personal life rarely hits the pages of the tabloids and the yellow press. The star did not use scandals to raise the rating and did not share private details.

The first and only common-law husband of Laima Vaikule is Andrei Latkovsky, a former bass player and producer. The couple has been together since 1970 - from the moment they met. For many years Vaikule and Latkovsky have been spouses, best friends and partners in creative work. Andrei was there when Lyme became seriously ill. It was he who helped to withstand, not leaving his beloved a single step.

The couple has no children. Laima Vaikule gives her unspent maternal love to young singers: she was one of the founders of the Jurmala competition for young pop song performers.

The artist is going to age beautifully and is sure that she should not become a slave to her appearance.

Even Vaikule's stage makeup is minimalistic. Lyme claims that she has not yet resorted to plastic. However, according to individual photographs, a number of fans decided that the singer could not do without injections of fillers and botulinum toxin.

Agreeing with the demand of the time, Laima started a personal website and a page on Instagram. Photos in the account illustrate working moments and everyday life, meetings with friends and colleagues. Some pictures show four-legged pets - it is known that Vaikule has especially tender feelings for dogs.

In the summer of 2018, Laima Vaikule successfully held another Rendezvous festival in Jurmala. The leading concerts in the Dzintari hall were popular Latvian performers - Intars Busulis, who is known in Russia, and Janis Stibelis, a participant in the national selections for Eurovision. Ani Lorak and Alexei Chumakov, Artur Pirozhkov and Tamara Gverdtsiteli, Uma2rman and Alekseev arrived on the Baltic coast. Philip Kirkorov was twice asked to perform the hit "The color of the mood is blue". Valery Leontiev presented a new composition "Wind violinist".

A month later, Vaikule went on tour to Ukraine, where, in an interview with Odessa journalists, she stated that she would never go to Crimea, no matter what fee was offered. The singer also said she was happy with the collapse of the Soviet Union. A flurry of angry criticism and insults fell upon the artist. Colleagues in the shop reacted to Laima's words in different ways. Some left the singer the right to their own opinion, others accused her of hypocrisy and the fact that Vaikule "bites the hand that feeds her."

Vaikule later shared her impressions of the situation. Lyme, by her own admission, does not watch TV, but is aware of what people think of her.

And journalists, according to the singer, are liars and provocateurs. The concert director also supported Laima. According to Aleksey Yakovlev, nothing terrible happened, Vaikule's words are "twisted and bloated."

The scandal had a negative effect not only on the image of the singer. The tax authorities of Russia became interested in Vaikule's activities. The officials, in particular, had questions about the legality of Laima's performances at private parties and corporate parties, since foreign artists are presented with a number of requirements that they must comply with if they want to work on the territory of the Russian Federation. If it turned out that the Latvian star had committed violations, the artist would have been fined or banned from performing in Russia.

Later, the internal affairs bodies reported that there were no grounds for bringing the celebrity to justice. And Vaikule herself said that after the sanctions were lifted, she would immediately come to Crimea and sing for free.

1986 - The first season. Eighties "1992 -" I pray for you "1993 -" Laima Tango "1994 -" Darling, goodbye! " 1996 - "I went to Piccadilly" 1996 - "Viss nāk un aiziet" 1998 - "Latin Quarter" 1999 - "Mirror" 2000 - "Best Songs" 2002 - "Names for All Seasons" 2005 - "What is the pianist playing about?" 2013 - "Atkal Mājās"

Laima Vaikule 's estimated Net Worth, Salary, Income, Cars, Lifestyles & many more details have been updated below.

Let's check, How Rich is Laima Vaikule in 2020 ?

Laima Vaikule Net Worth 2021

Laima Vaikule 's revenue is $1.9M in 2021. It is an approximate forecast of how rich is Laima Vaikule and could vary in the range between $644.6K - $1.5M.

Laima Vaikule Net Worth 2020

Laima Vaikule 's revenue is $1.4M in 2020. It is an approximate forecast of how rich is Laima Vaikule and could vary in the range between $614.2K - $1.3M.

Laima Vaikule Net Worth 2019

Laima Vaikule 's revenue is $1.5M in 2019. It is an approximate forecast of how rich is Laima Vaikule and could vary in the range between $866.7K - $1.9M.

Laima Vaikule Net Worth 2018

Laima Vaikule 's revenue is $1.7M in 2018. It is an approximate forecast of how rich is Laima Vaikule and could vary in the range between $897.9K - $1.5M.

Laima Vaikule Net Worth 2017

Laima Vaikule 's revenue is $1.1M in 2017. It is an approximate forecast of how rich is Laima Vaikule and could vary in the range between $564.3K - $1.7M.

Laima Vaikule Net Worth 2016

Laima Vaikule 's revenue is $1.8M in 2016. It is an approximate forecast of how rich is Laima Vaikule and could vary in the range between $903.1K - $1.1M.

Laima Vaikule Net Worth 2015

Laima Vaikule 's revenue is $1.8M in 2015. It is an approximate forecast of how rich is Laima Vaikule and could vary in the range between $801.1K - $1.5M.

It is an overall forecast for the net worth of Laima Vaikule. The evaluation covers the latest 5 years and an approximation for next year. See above to learn how much money does Laima Vaikule makes a year.

The range above shows an estimation based on evaluation generated by public information about sponsorships or other sources found on the internet. It's summarized data from Laima Vaikule's projects existing in AidWiki's repository. It's an approximation of the revenue compiled by AidWiki and may not correspond with the real amount.