Victoria Niro
Valery Miladovich Syutkin (born March 22, 1958, Moscow) is a Soviet and Russian singer, musician, composer and songwriter, and an Honoured Artist of Russia. He gained widespread fame as the vocalist of Bravo from 1990 to 1995, and after leaving the band went on to build a successful solo career.
Syutkin's name is closely associated with the songs «Вася», «Я то, что надо», «Московский бит», «Стильный оранжевый галстук», «Любите, девушки», «Дорога в облака», «7000 над землёй» and «Радио ночных дорог». The foundation of his musical language lies in rock and roll, twist, swing, jazz and urban pop music of the mid-20th century.
Early bands and the military ensemble
Syutkin became involved in music as a teenager. In school bands, he played drums and bass guitar, performing songs by The Beatles, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and other Western rock bands.
From 1976 to 1978, he completed his military service in the Russian Far East as an aircraft mechanic. There, Syutkin performed with the ensemble «Полёт», initially as an instrumentalist and later as a vocalist.
«Телефон», «Зодчие» and «Фэн-о-мэн»
In 1980, Syutkin began working with the band «Телефон», which later became a professional touring group. This period is associated with the conceptual tape album «Ка-Ка» and the material known as «Твист-Каскад».
In the mid-1980s, the musician joined the band «Зодчие», where he worked for a time alongside Yuri Loza. Recordings from this period include «Дитя урбанизма» and «Пятая серия».
After «Зодчие», Syutkin formed the trio «Фэн-о-мэн». In 1989, the project recorded the album «Икра зернистая». By the time Evgeny Khavtan invited him to join Bravo, Syutkin already had around ten years of professional stage experience.
Valery Syutkin in Bravo
In August 1990, Valery Syutkin became the vocalist of Bravo. Evgeny Khavtan retained his role as the band's leader, guitarist and principal composer.
With Syutkin, the group's image changed noticeably. The stilyagi aesthetic moved to the forefront, while rock and roll and beat music were combined with swing, twist and Soviet urban culture of the 1950s and 1960s. Syutkin not only sang but also wrote lyrics for the new material.
In 1990, the album «Стиляги из Москвы» was released. It included «Вася», «Я то, что надо», «Мне грустно и легко», «Добрый вечер, Москва» and other songs.
The next important release was «Московский бит» in 1993, featuring «Московский бит», «Стильный оранжевый галстук», «Как жаль» and «Пилот 12-45».
In 1994, the album «Дорога в облака» appeared. The title track and «Любите, девушки» became some of the best-known songs created by the Khavtan-Syutkin line-up.
In the spring of 1995, Valery left Bravo and decided to develop his own project.
«Сюткин и Ко» and «7000 над землёй»
After leaving Bravo, the musician formed the band «Сюткин и Ко». As early as 1995, the album «То, что надо» was released.
The defining hit of this new stage was «7000 над землёй». The song allowed Syutkin to quickly establish a solo identity distinct from the Bravo repertoire and to build his own concert programme.
In 1996, «Радио ночных дорог» was released, featuring the title track, «42 минуты», «Дождь пройдёт» and other songs.
This was followed by the albums «Далеко не всё…» in 1998 and 004 in 2000. Syutkin retained his connection to rock and roll while gradually expanding the arrangements with jazz, swing and a more intimate sound.
Rock & Roll Band and Light Jazz
In later years, Syutkin performed with Rock & Roll Band, continuing to sing both solo material and songs from his Bravo period. In 2012, he released the album «Целуйтесь медленно».
Since 2014, a separate direction in Syutkin's work has been associated with the ensemble Light Jazz. In 2015, the album «Москвич 2015» appeared, on which the musician turned towards a more intimate jazz sound and songs from the Soviet pop tradition.
The collaboration continued with projects such as «Олимпийка» and programmes devoted to songs from the mid-20th century. Syutkin also prepared the project «Атмосфера», featuring jazz interpretations of Soviet songs, although its full release was postponed because of copyright-related issues.
Television and teaching
Alongside his concert career, Syutkin has worked extensively in television. He hosted the programmes «Два рояля» and «И снова шлягер», appeared in music television projects, and in 2019 and 2020 served as a coach on «Голос». He later also worked on the project «Голос. 60+».
From 2004 to 2015, Syutkin served as artistic director of the pop department at the M. A. Sholokhov Moscow State University for the Humanities and taught vocals.
In 2008, he was awarded the title of Honoured Artist of Russia.
Musical style
The foundation of Syutkin's music remains the classic song form. He combines rock and roll, twist, swing, jazz, blues and pop music, avoiding heavy rock textures and overly complex studio constructions.
His period with Bravo is closely associated with the stilyagi aesthetic, but his solo career is considerably broader than that image. In later programmes, jazz standards, acoustic instruments and Soviet pop songs of the 1950s and 1960s have occupied an increasingly important place.
Main discography
With Bravo
- 1990 — «Стиляги из Москвы»
- 1993 — «Московский бит»
- 1994 — Live in Moscow
- 1994 — «Дорога в облака»
Solo career and own projects
- 1995 — «То, что надо»
- 1996 — «Радио ночных дорог»
- 1998 — «Далеко не всё…»
- 2000 — 004
- 2012 — «Целуйтесь медленно»
- 2015 — «Москвич 2015» — with Light Jazz
Major songs
- «Вася»
- «Я то, что надо»
- «Московский бит»
- «Стильный оранжевый галстук»
- «Как жаль»
- «Любите, девушки»
- «Дорога в облака»
- «7000 над землёй»
- «Радио ночных дорог»
- «42 минуты»
- «Москва-Нева»
Valery Syutkin and Russian rock and roll
Syutkin's five years with Bravo became one of the most important periods in the band's history and shaped a substantial part of its 1990s repertoire. After leaving, he did not simply reproduce the same formula, but gradually moved his own music away from retro rock and roll towards a broader combination of swing, jazz and classic pop songwriting.
At the same time, songs from the two defining stages of his career — from «Вася» and «Московский бит» to «7000 над землёй» and «Радио ночных дорог» — continue to form the core of Syutkin's concert repertoire.
