Grigory Leps
A baritone voice that defined a generation of Russian popular music, evolving from gritty chanson tales to anthemic rock ballads and commercial dominance.
Born 1962 (age 64)·Russian singer·Birthday: July 16·Baby Boomers
Biography
Grigory Leps's journey reads like one of the hard-luck stories he once sang. Born in Sochi to Georgian parents, he spent years playing in Black Sea restaurant bands and battling personal demons before his breakthrough in the 1990s. His early music was rooted in 'Russian chanson,' a genre blending folk and criminal underworld ballads, delivered in his unmistakable, gravelly baritone. This voice—a instrument of weathered experience—found a massive audience. As his career soared, Leps consciously evolved, smoothing his sound into a polished, stadium-ready style of soft rock, collaborating with the country's biggest pop stars. He became a fixture at major concerts and state events, his anthems of love, fate, and resilience resonating deeply. For years, he topped charts and income lists, transforming from a niche troubadour into a mainstream pillar of Russian show business, awarded the title of People's Artist of Russia.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Grigory was born in 1962, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Grigory Was Born
The biggest hits of 1962
#1 Movie
Lawrence of Arabia
Best Picture
Lawrence of Arabia
#1 TV Show
Beverly Hillbillies
Grigory's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1962Born
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1967Started school
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1975Became a teenager
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Could drive
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1980Could vote
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1983Turned 21
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1992Turned 30
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
2002Turned 40
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2012Turned 50
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2022Turned 60
Russia invades Ukraine; Queen Elizabeth II dies
Gas: $3.97/galHome: $348,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"As It Was" — Harry StylesBest Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once
2026Age 64 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Recognized as a People's Artist of Russia, one of the highest artistic honors in the country, in 2022.
- Topped the list of highest-earning singers in Russia for multiple consecutive years in the mid-2010s.
- Successfully transitioned his musical style from traditional Russian chanson to mainstream soft rock, maintaining massive popularity.
- Has released numerous albums that have achieved platinum status and headlined sold-out arena tours across Russia.
Did You Know?
His real surname is Lepsveridze; he shortened it to Leps for his stage name.
He was seriously injured in a 1991 car accident and was told he might not walk again, but recovered and continued his career.
The United States placed him on a financial sanctions list in 2022.
Before his music career took off, he worked as a drummer and singer in restaurants and hotels in Sochi.
“I don't sing songs; I live them.”
