Denis Maidanov

Denis Maidanov (, born 17 February 1976, Balakovo, Saratov Oblast, RSFSR) is a Russian songwriter, composer, poet, actor, music producer. Honored Artist of the Russian Federation (2017). Multiple winner of the awards Golden Gramophone Award, Song of the Year, Chanson of the Year, as well as a number of other awards.
Biography.
Early Years.
Denis Maidanov was born on February 17, 1976 in the city of Balakovo, Saratov Region, in a family of officials. The father of the future singer was born in the Mogilev Region of Belarus; in Balakovo he worked at engineering positions of chemical enterprises. Denis's mother, Evgenia Petrovna, was born in the suburbs of Lugansk; when she moved to Balakavo at the age of 20 she worked as an inspector in Saratovgasstroy, later as head of the personnel department in Zhilstroy.
When Denis was eight years old his parents divorced; from that time his mother brought him up alone. Starting from early childhood Denis started to work in order to help his mother: from when he was 13 years old he worked as a janitor and guard in the kindergarten, and washed cars.
At the age of eight Denis Maidanov began composing poetry: he wrote his first poems to his mother for March 8. Later, at the age of 13, he was taught by a neighbor how to play guitar. After that, Denis stopped playing the bayan, which he studied at the music school, and began to write his songs. In parallel with guitar lessons, he learned how to play the piano by himself, visited the poetic and theatrical circles in the Balakovo House of Culture, sang in the vocal-instrumental ensemble.
In 1992, at the age of 16, he got third place at a city competition of variety art with a performance of his own song. Because of this, Maidanov was among the young performers of the studio "MUZ-A" in the city's House of Creativity and in parallel became songwriter of the soloists repertoire. He has consistently worked in the House of Creativity as head of the VIA, methodologist and head of the "Club of High School Students".
At school Denis was successful, but after nine classes he was forced to drop out and enter a chemical technical college because of financial reasons.
While studying at the technical school, the future artist decided to enter the Moscow State Art and Cultural University (MGUKI); for this, he studied at the evening school in parallel with the technical school with the intention to receive a certificate a year earlier before the official deadline. In 1995, when he succeeded, Denis entered the correspondence department of MGUKI in the specialty "Manager-director of show programs"; At admission he had significant competition – 72 people for 6 seats. In MGUKI he studied directing and acting. In parallel to his studies Denis Maidanov worked; first at a car-wash, then his mother managed to arrange him a job as a repairman-fitter at the Syzran oil refinery. Despite the good salary, Denis left the factory after a year of work, realizing that this is not his profession. Also during this period he directed the VIA and theater studio in the Balakovo House of Creativity; There was a recording studio which Denis used to record his first songs and for subsequently selling them to local Volga musicians.
In 1999, Denis Maidanov graduated from MGUKI. Then he became director of the Musical Theater and the head of the music department of the House of Creativity of the city of Balakovo.
In 2001, he moved from Balakovo to Moscow for permanent residence.
Career in Moscow.
In 2001, Denis Maidanov came to Moscow, starting to work there as a composer-songwriter for Russian performers. In the initial period of his life in Moscow he lived with friends with whom he studied at the Moscow State University of Culture and Arts. Over the next two years, due to the lack of permanent earnings, Denis changed 15 places of residence; at times he had to spend the night at the station and in the metro. The first significant earnings (150 US dollars) he received in the same year from producer Yuri Aizenshpis for writing the lyrics of the song "Behind the Fog" for singer Sasha Gradiva. Subsequently, this song became winner of the "Song of the Year 2002" festival, bringing Denis Maidanov his first musical award. Gradually Maidanov received recognition, and many Russian artists began singing his songs, in particular, Nikolai Baskov, Filipp Kirkorov, Turetsky Choir Art Group, Alexander Buinov, Mikhail Shufutinsky, Aleksandr Marshal, Lolita Milyavskaya, Jasmin, Joseph Kobzon, Tatiana Bulanova. He also wrote a number of songs and soundtracks for a number of Russian films and serials.
In 2008 Denis switched from writing songs for other performers to recording and performing his own songs. After he wrote the song "This radio is Avtoradio" which the president of AvtoRadio Alexander Varin commissioned, Varin, having listened to the recording of Denis's solo songs, invited him to put the song "Eternal Love" on the air, insisting that Maidanov should start his own performing career. After about six months, the song entered the rotation of other radio stations, and later Maidanov received the Golden Gramophone for it. "Eternal Love" was the artist's first hit, and still remains among his most famous songs. In June 2009, Denis released his first album "I'll Know That You Love Me ... Eternal Love"; Afterwards they were released albums "World for rent" (2011), "Flying over us ..." (2013), "Flag of my state" (2015), "Half a lifetime on the road ... Unreleased" (2015), "What will the wind leave"(2017). In 2009 at the Moscow International House of Music Denis appeared on stage as a solo artist for the first time.
Maidanov joined the group of Russian performers who participated, at the invitation of Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu, in the new performance of the National anthem of Russia, which was recorded in the autumn of 2013. Along with Denis, Valeriya, Oleg Gazmanov, Larisa Dolina, Aleksandr Marshal, Jasmin, Alsou, Dina Garipova, Vitas and other artists took part in the recording