.Vitaliy Vladasovich Grachov (born February 19, 1979), known professionally as Vitas/Витас, is a Latvian-born Russian singer and songwriter. His songs are usually written and performed in Russian, and can be difficult to categorize due to his eclectic style. His career began in 2000 with his performance of "Opera 2," which was released as a single in 2001. Both live performances and the music video have become internet sensations, coming just shy of the meme status achieved by his New Year's performance of "The Seventh Element" for Russian Television.
Since 2005, Vitas has developed a significant fanbase in many parts of Asia, touring extensively in China. His interest in Asian culture has spanned his entire career with him paying tribute to it in several of his songs and music videos, including "Opera #1," "Tibetan Plateau," "Made in China." He has performed duets with many other singers including Demis Roussos, Lucio Dalla, his grandfather (with whom he sings "Friendship"), and his own producer Sergey Pudovkin.
Vitas designs his own stage costumes, which are often flashy and flamboyant. His most notable costumes are those worn during his 2002 concert at the Kremlin, including the one worn during his viral Seventh Element video and his "Guru suit." Other notable costumes include his space warrior outfit for the song "Extraterrestrial Friend" and his string of glittering sequined suits.
Studio Discography:
- 2001 - Philosophy of Miracle
- 2002 - Smile!
- 2003 - The Songs of my Mother
- 2003 - Mama
- 2004 - A Kiss as Long as Eternity
- 2006 - Return Home Part 1
- 2007 - Return Home Part 2
- 2008 - XX-th Century Hits
- 2008 - Light of a New Day
- 2009 - Say You Love
- 2010 - Masterpieces of Three Centuries
- 2011 - Romances
- 2011 - Mommy and Son
- 2013 - Only You, My Love Story, Part 1
- 2014 - I'll Give You the World, My Love Story, Part 2
- 2016 - Come Just For You
Music Videos:
- 2000 - Opera #2
- 2001 - Opera #1
- 2001 - Blessed Guru
- 2002 - Smile!
- 2003 - The Star
- 2003 - Mama
- 2004 - The Bird of Happiness
- 2004 - Kiss as Long as Eternity
- 2005 - Shores of Russia
- 2006 - Lucia Di Lammermoor
- 2006 - Cranes Crying
- 2007 - Jamaica
- 2008 - Tibetan Plateau
- 2009 - La Donna é Mobile
- 2010 - Love Me
- 2011 - One, Two, Three
- 2012 - War Veterans
- 2012 - I'd Like to go up to the Sky
- 2013 - I'll Give you the World
He came here to bring you these tropes:
- Anti-Love Song: Subverted with his song,"I Never Loved You." It would seem like a classic anti-love song with a title like that, but a closer look at the lyrics reveals that it is actually quite lovie-dovie.
- Apparently Human Merfolk/Bathtub Mermaid: "Opera #2" has him as one.
- Breaking the Fourth Wall: Vitas is known for staring seductively into the camera every chance he gets.
- Camp: The Seventh Element being the most obvious example, his performances generally lean towards heavy stylization and exaggerated aesthetics, although he seems to have toned it down (but not by much) within recent years.
- Concept Video
- Cover Album: Songs of my Mother, XX-th Century Hits, and Masterpieces of Three Centuries are all comprised of covers.
- Dramatic Wind: More than a few of Vitas' music videos include scenes where the character poses dramatically while the wind blows around him. These include "The Star," and "Kiss as Long as Eternity."
- Face on the Cover: Many of Vitas' album covers feature his face in some way, shape, or form.
- Glass-Shattering Sound: "Opera #2" features a very high-pitched wail of despair, which results in the explosive shattering of all glass within sight.
- Human Alien: Vitas has been known to invoke this trope in some of his music videos, particularly "Blessed Guru," and his more well known "Seventh Element."
- Some of his costumes tend to have an outer space vibe as well, such as his space warrior costume for "Extraterrestrial Friend."
- Though not explicitly stated to be an alien, the main character in the Opera #2 music video definitely has an otherworldly feel about him. Between his gills and his overall awkwardness in the presence of people, it's not a huge leap to conclude that he may be from another planet altogether.
- Multi-Take Cut: The music video of "Love Me" is made up entirely of the camera panning around Vitas at various angles.
- Older Than They Look: The crowning element of Vitas's otherworldly nature has to be the fact that he has reached forty looking almost half his age.
- One Man Wail: The undisputed czar of this trope east of the Prime Meridian. In fact, his is the first voice you hear singing in the Chinese epic Mulan: Rise of a Warrior. See also Glass-Shattering Sound.
- "Psycho" Strings: "Lucia Di Lammermoor" starts out as a regular old popra cover until about halfway through when the song takes a rather dark turn, at which point the strings become much more prominent.
- Unlimited Wardrobe: Hoo◊ boy◊. Where◊ do◊ we◊ even begin◊?
- Vocal Dissonance: His rendition of Adele's "Skyfall" has the range of a coloratura soprano. Up to and including a whistle note in the ad lib that he effortlessly pull off live.
