EL Кравчук
Freestyle (Russian: «Фристайл») — a Soviet and Ukrainian pop group formed in November 1988 around a collective of musicians from Poltava. Since its foundation, the group's leader, composer and producer has been Anatoly Rozanov. Over the years, Freestyle's principal vocalists have included Vadim Kazachenko, Nina Kirso, Sergey Dubrovin, and later Sergey Kuznetsov and Nata Nedina.
The group's music was built around the melodic pop sound of the late 1980s and 1990s: synthesizers and electronic drums were combined with guitar, lyrical melodies and songs about love, separation and family relationships. Among its best-known songs are «Прощай навеки, последняя любовь», «Жёлтые розы», «Я тебе не верю», «Белая акация», «Больно мне, больно», «Метелица», «Мальчишка из детства», «Ах, какая женщина!», «Кораблик любви», «С днём рожденья, мама!» and «Цветёт калина».
Formation of the Group
The story of Freestyle began in the autumn of 1988. The core of the future group consisted of musicians from Poltava who had previously worked in the touring lineups of other performers.
The original lineup included keyboardist and lyricist Sergey Kuznetsov, guitarists Sergey Ganzha and Vladimir Kovalyov, singer Nina Kirso, vocalist Anatoly Kireev, and keyboardist and arranger Alexander Bely. Anatoly Rozanov became the musical director.
The musicians chose the name «Freestyle» in November 1988 while staying in Moscow. After that, the group returned to Poltava and began recording its own material.
Unlike many studio pop projects of the period, Freestyle was planned from the outset as a touring band as well. The musicians not only recorded songs but also prepared a full concert program using live instruments.
First Album «Получите!»
By February 1989, the first tape album, «Получите!», had been completed.
During work on the record, Vadim Kazachenko joined the group. He had previously performed with the Poltava ensemble «Festival». His younger, lighter voice suited Rozanov's new songs well.
Freestyle's first concert took place on May 16, 1989, in Barnaul. By that point, cassette copies of the album were already circulating across the Soviet Union, and some songs were known to listeners before the group began appearing regularly on television.
The first recordings defined the sound of early Freestyle: electronic pop arrangements, expressive melodies and lyrics about personal relationships. At the same time, the use of both male and female vocals allowed the group to release songs with different moods without changing its core sound.
Vadim Kazachenko and the First Hits
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Vadim Kazachenko became the group's principal male voice.
With his vocals, songs such as «Прощай навеки, последняя любовь», «Жёлтые розы», «Белая акация», «Больно мне, больно» and others gained popularity.
In August 1989, the group recorded its second tape album, «Получите! — дубль 2», followed by the third in March 1990.
In the summer of 1990, Freestyle made its first appearance on a major television program — «50/50» — performing «Жёлтые розы».
In August 1991, material from the first albums was released on vinyl. The record «Получите — раз, два, три!» compiled songs from the first three tape albums, while «Четвёртая серия» was released in parallel.
By then, the group was touring throughout the Soviet Union and effectively lived in a constant cycle of travel and studio work.
Nina Kirso
Nina Kirso was a member of Freestyle from the group's formation and remained its principal female voice for three decades.
Among the best-known songs performed by her are «Я тебе не верю», «Мой милый мальчик», «Грош цена тебе», «Три сосны на бугорочке», «Цветёт калина», «Кораблик любви», «С днём рожденья, мама!», «Капелька» and other compositions.
Her role was not limited to vocals. Kirso handled organizational matters, participated in the design of printed materials and took part in the group's concert operations. She later became Anatoly Rozanov's wife and effectively one of the key figures in the group's internal life.
Freestyle's male and female repertoires existed in parallel. For that reason, reducing the group's history to a single lead singer — whether Kazachenko, Dubrovin or Kirso — is not entirely accurate: a significant part of its recognizable catalog was built precisely around the alternation of different voices.
Vadim Kazachenko Leaves the Group
In the early 1990s, Vadim Kazachenko decided to begin a solo career and left Freestyle.
His final period with the group covered the early 1990s and the album «Фристайл-4». The group's official history dates his membership to 1989–1991.
After Kazachenko's departure, the group needed a new male vocalist.
Sergey Dubrovin
In 1992, singer and guitarist Sergey Dubrovin joined Freestyle.
His voice first became widely heard on material from the «Получите! — дубль 5» period, followed by the albums «Измученное сердце», «Ах, какая женщина!» and «Кораблик любви».
Dubrovin's style differed noticeably from Kazachenko's. While Freestyle's early male repertoire leaned toward youthful pop music, the new vocalist was better suited to the more mature romantic material of the mid-1990s.
«Измученное сердце»
In December 1993, the group completed its sixth tape album, «Измученное сердце».
By this time, Anatoly Rozanov and Sergey Kuznetsov had become regular authors of most of the new material, while poet Tatyana Nazarova played an important role in the lyrics.
It was the collaboration between Rozanov and Nazarova that soon led to the creation of the group's most famous song.
«Ах, какая женщина!»
«Ах, какая женщина!» was written in 1995. The music was composed by Anatoly Rozanov, with lyrics by Tatyana Nazarova.
The song was originally intended to be offered to singer Felix Tsarikati. On the advice of poet Simon Osiashvili, Rozanov decided to keep the composition within his own project.
The first performer was Sergey Dubrovin.
The song appeared on Freestyle's album of the same name, released in the autumn of 1995. A year later, it was performed in the final of the television festival «Песня-96»; diplomas were awarded to its authors, Anatoly Rozanov and Tatyana Nazarova. In 1996, the song also became one of the recipients of the «Золотой граммофон» award.
«Ах, какая женщина!» quickly became Freestyle's most recognizable song. Its success, however, sometimes creates a misleading impression of the group's chronology: Freestyle had already existed for seven years and built a large catalog long before the hit appeared.
Кораблик любви
In 1997, the group released its eighth numbered album, «Кораблик любви».
It included «Фонари», «Кораблик любви», «Белая орхидея», «С днём рожденья, мама!», «Улетай, самолёт», «Говорила мама», «Белая сирень», «Подруга-ночь» and other songs.
The album clearly captures the character of mature 1990s Freestyle: the electronic foundation remains relatively simple, while melody and vocals receive the greatest emphasis.
Material from this period, together with the early songs featuring Kazachenko, later formed the basis of compilation albums and concert programs.
«Звёздный дождь»
In 2001, the ninth studio album, «Звёздный дождь», was released.
It included «Ламбада-бамбина», «Звёздный дождь», «Он никогда не растает», «Crazy Baby», «Свет зари», «А на небе луна», «Ты ни в чём не виноват», «Скажи мне “да”» and other compositions.
The group attempted to bring the arrangements closer to the more contemporary pop sound of the early 2000s. As a result, the album differs noticeably from its classic recordings of the late 1980s and first half of the 1990s.
Sergey Dubrovin Leaves the Group
In August 2001, Sergey Dubrovin left Freestyle. He later continued a solo career and regularly performed «Ах, какая женщина!» at his own concerts.
After his departure, the group worked with several other male vocalists for a time, but the male repertoire gradually passed to Sergey Kuznetsov.
Over the following years, disputes repeatedly arose between the official group and former members over use of the name «Freestyle». The official band continued to exist in Poltava under the leadership of Anatoly Rozanov.
Sergey Kuznetsov
Sergey Kuznetsov is one of the members of the original lineup and one of the group's principal lyricists.
In the early period, he was responsible for keyboards, the computer-programmed elements of the arrangements and backing vocals. Over time, he also began performing the male repertoire in concert.
His songwriting partnership with Rozanov continued for decades. A substantial part of Freestyle's catalog — from early hits to songs of the 2000s and 2010s — was created through their collaboration.
Studio Freestyle
The group's own studio base in Poltava played an important role in its history.
Freestyle had already been able to record music independently, but in February 2012 a new professional facility, Studio Freestyle, opened.
The studio was used not only for Anatoly Rozanov's own projects. Other artists also recorded there, while Poltava remained the group's main creative base regardless of its touring geography.
«Юбилейный № 10»
In 2014, the group's tenth numbered album appeared — «Фристайл — Юбилейный № 10».
For this reason, widely circulated online lists that identify «А ну-ка, девушки», «Целуй меня горячей», «Остров любви», «Белая метелица» or «Письма любви» as studio albums do not correspond to the group's official discography.
Some of these titles refer to individual songs, reissues, thematic compilations or releases incorrectly attributed to the group.
Nina Kirso's Illness
On June 1, 2018, Nina Kirso suffered a severe stroke at her home in Poltava.
She fell into a coma and was unable to return to performing.
At first, the group continued concerts with a male lineup, but a substantial part of its repertoire had been written specifically for a female voice, creating the need for a new vocalist.
Nata Nedina
In February 2019, Odesa singer Nata Nedina joined Freestyle.
Before that, she had trained professionally as a vocalist and worked as a singer in Odesa. Anatoly Rozanov had already met her at one of her previous performances.
On February 3, 2019, Nedina visited the group's studio in Poltava for the first time, and on February 15 she appeared on stage as the new lead singer.
She faced a difficult task: Nina Kirso's older songs were already very familiar to the public, so the melodies and character of the original versions had to be preserved without turning the performances into direct imitation.
At the same time, new material began to be written specifically for Nata, allowing her own vocal style greater freedom.
Death of Nina Kirso
On April 30, 2020, Nina Kirso died in Poltava at the age of 56, almost two years after her stroke.
She remained a member of the group in practice until the end of her life, although she had been unable to perform after 2018.
Kirso participated in the recording of all of the group's major albums up to her illness and performed virtually the entire classic female repertoire of Freestyle.
«Дети Фристайла»
Alongside the main group, Anatoly Rozanov developed the younger project «Дети Фристайла», created in the mid-2010s.
It was originally connected with the children of members of the main group and a younger pop-rock repertoire.
Freestyle and «Дети Фристайла» regularly performed together, but they are two separate groups. Their discographies should not be combined.
Ukrainian-Language Period
After 2022, Ukrainian-language songs became significantly more prominent in Freestyle's repertoire.
Some classic compositions were newly adapted. In 2023, a Ukrainian version of «Ах, какая женщина!» appeared under the title «Ось яка паняночка!». Anatoly Rozanov's original music was retained, while the Ukrainian lyrics were created on the basis of Tatyana Nazarova's original text.
During the same period, Ukrainian versions of other songs were released, including «Біла метелиця», «З днем народження, мамо», «Корабель любові» and new compositions.
As a result, the group's modern catalog increasingly exists in two historical layers: the original Russian-language recordings of the 1980s–2010s and the newer Ukrainian-language material.
Freestyle in the 2020s
The group continues to perform live.
The mid-2020s concert lineup includes Sergey Kuznetsov, Nata Nedina, Sergey Ganzha, Yuriy Savchenko and Yuriy Zirka. Anatoly Rozanov remains the project's leader and composer.
The concert repertoire combines songs from different periods — from early material associated with Vadim Kazachenko and Nina Kirso to «Ах, какая женщина!», later compositions and new Ukrainian-language versions.
Musical Style
The core of Freestyle's sound is melodic pop music characteristic of late Soviet and post-Soviet popular music.
Arrangements from different periods have used synthesizers, electronic drums, electric guitar and programmed sequences. The influence of eurodisco and synth-pop is especially noticeable in the early recordings, although the group never fully moved into club-oriented electronic music.
The song melody always remained the central element.
Most of the lyrics focus on relationships: love, jealousy, separation, loneliness, memories and family emotions. This allowed Freestyle's songs to move easily from dance-oriented repertoire toward more traditional pop music.
The group is sometimes described as chanson because of the themes, delivery and audience of its later period, but the bulk of its catalog is more accurately classified as pop.
Key Members
- Anatoly Rozanov — founder, leader, composer and producer;
- Nina Kirso — vocalist from 1988, principal female voice of the classic lineup;
- Sergey Kuznetsov — keyboards, vocals, lyricist, member of the original lineup;
- Sergey Ganzha — guitar, member of the original lineup;
- Vadim Kazachenko — vocals, 1989–1991;
- Sergey Dubrovin — vocals and guitar, 1992–2001, original performer of «Ах, какая женщина!»;
- Nata Nedina — vocals since 2019;
- Yuriy Savchenko — member of the group since 2004;
- Yuriy Zirka — member of the group since 2008.
Main Studio Albums
- 1989 — Получите!;
- 1989 — Получите! — дубль 2;
- 1990 — Получите! — дубль 3;
- 1991 — Фристайл-4;
- 1992 — Получите! — дубль 5;
- 1993 — Измученное сердце;
- 1995 — Ах, какая женщина;
- 1997 — Кораблик любви;
- 2001 — Звёздный дождь;
- 2014 — Фристайл — Юбилейный № 10.
Creative Journey
The history of Freestyle spans several clearly different periods. In the late 1980s, the group became known through Vadim Kazachenko and tape albums that circulated rapidly across the Soviet Union. At the same time, Nina Kirso's female repertoire was taking shape and would later become an equally important part of the catalog.
After Kazachenko's departure, the male vocal role passed to Sergey Dubrovin. It was with him that the group recorded «Ах, какая женщина!» — a song that appeared only in 1995, when Freestyle had already been a well-known group for years.
In the 2000s, the band retained its studio base in Poltava, continued releasing new songs and remained active on tour. After Nina Kirso's illness, the female repertoire passed to Nata Nedina.
Modern Freestyle preserves songs from all of its major periods while continuing to record new material and Ukrainian-language versions of its older repertoire. As a result, the group's history today is not merely nostalgia for a handful of 1990s hits, but a continuous discography that began with the tape album «Получите!» in 1989 and has continued for more than three decades.
