Group army composition. Musical group "army" - weapons of mass destruction

13.09.2013 14:02

Yuri Nikitin chose these girls like rare diamonds for the crown of the English queen - for a long time and very carefully. "A.R.M.I.Ya" are five determined beauties who challenge snobbery and hypocrisy.

All participants of A.R.M.I.I. - are not newcomers in show business, they have worked for a long time in the best ballets of the country, have sports categories and the title of Master of Sports.


“They are real pros, so bright, expressive,” says the group's producer Yuri Nikitin. And as practice shows, he rarely makes mistakes.

Just stepping into the Ukrainian show business, the girls made a lot of noise. After all, at the time when pregnant singers leave the stage, one of the soloists of A.R.M.I.I. danced and performed at concerts along with the rest of the participants until the 8th month of pregnancy, while performing absolutely unthinkable for ordinary people choreographic tricks.

A real sensation was made by an erotic photo session with the soloists of the A.R.M.I.Ya group for the cover of the Ukrainian Playboy. The photos were innovative and unique in their kind, because not many people could dare to take a candid photo shoot at the 8th month of pregnancy, as one of the soloists of the A.R.M.I.Ya group did. The girls were on the cover of the popular men's glossy magazine EGO three times.

Girls do not stop developing and conquering new heights. The soloists of "A.R.M.I.I." throughout the year were the hosts of their own sports show "Fitness-ARMY" on a national TV channel, led the fitness and beauty column in a popular women's glossy publication. In the fall of 2010, the A.R.M.I.Ya group took part in the national qualifying round of the Eurovision Song Contest, where they took the lead in the final. In addition, the singers take an active social position, advocate a healthy lifestyle, and do charity work.

In July 2010, Vera Varlamova, the winner of the vocal show "Superzirka" on "1 + 1", joined the group.

Vera Varlamova is the owner of a unique voice for Ukraine with a range of 4 octaves. Gold medalist of the international competition "Black Sea Games", "Krok to Zirok", winner of the Grand Prix of the competitions "Pearl Paradise" and "Songs of Churaivny's Kryla", as well as the silver winner of the vocal show "Superzirka" on the TV channel "1 + 1" season 2010 which made her famous all over the country.

Remarkably, despite the large number of titles and awards, Vera has no musical education, and she discovered her vocal talent at the age of 17 thanks to classes in an amateur circle in her native city of Kharkov. The vocal teachers insisted that the parents allow the young singer to practice vocals and participate in the competition, although they planned a career as an economist or financier for their daughter. At the very first competition, at which Vera Varlamova represented her school, the girl won first place among the secondary educational institutions of the city. After this impressive victory, the young singer decided to devote herself to creativity.
Relatives and friends of Vera note in her one predominant trait in her character - modesty. Vera presented her first serious prize - an apartment in Kharkov, which she won on the show "Superzirka", to her parents. And now he wants to earn money for repairs in it as soon as possible.

In the arsenal of A.R.M.I.I. - single "We did it" (2007), album "Proto" (2008), 8 clips and many hits.

Army of Lovers is a Swedish pop group formed in 1987. They were famous for their controversial looks, videos directed by Fredrik Boklund (some of which were banned from MTV), and costumes designed by Camilla Tullin.
The main initiator of the creation of the group was Alexander Bard. In 1985, in Stockholm, he met French-Algerian travesty actor Jean-Pierre Barda and model and stripper Camilla Henemark, the daughter of a Nigerian and a Swedish woman. Together they decided to create a musical group, which was originally called Barbie.
Acting as part of Barbie, the musicians have achieved some popularity only within Sweden. In 1987, the group decided to change their image and take a new name - Army of Lovers, which referred to the film of the same name by Rosa von Praunheim "The Sacred Band from Thebes", dedicated to the topic of homosexual relations in the army of Alexander the Great. Jean-Pierre Barda and Camille Henemark, who performed at Barbie under the stage names "Farouk" and "Katanga", decided to perform under their real names. Henemark subsequently became better known as La Camilla.
In 1988, Army of Lovers released their first single, "When The Night Is Cold", which also featured a music video. It was released under the Sonet Grammofon label, but soon after the release the musicians signed a contract with the Ton Son Ton studio, which specialized in dance compositions, and a number of the group's subsequent singles were released under this label.

On August 13, 1990, the first studio album "Army of Lovers" was released under the name Disco Extravaganza. Initially, the album was released only within the Scandinavian countries, but after the band's successful concerts in Japan, it was decided to release it there as well. A few months later, Disco Extravaganza entered the top 50 most popular albums ever released in Japan.
The album was also released in the United States, but there it was simply called Army of Lovers and included remixes of some songs. In addition, the composition "Viva la Vogue" was chosen as the soundtrack for the American comedy "Not a word to mom about the death of the nanny." Three songs from the album - "Supernatural", "My Army of Lovers", "Ride the Bullet" - were additionally released as singles. In addition, the video for the song "My Army of Lovers", which was a cover of "Barbie Goes Around The World" from the Barbie repertoire, was awarded the Grammy award for Best Video of the Year.
On August 26, 1991, Army of Lovers released their second album, Massive Luxury Overdose. Songs such as "Crusified", "Obsession" and "Ride The Bullet", included in it, became hits. In 1992, however, La Camilla left the band and pursued a solo career. Having found a new soloist - fashion model Mikaela de la Cour - the group re-shot the videos for the songs "Obsession" and "Ride The Bullet". The US version of the album Massive Luxury Overdose, which was released after the change of soloist, included a new song "Judgment Day", which was also released as a separate single.
In 1993, the fourth member, Dominika Peczynski, joined the trio. Due to conflicts with the Swedish authorities, Michaela leaves the group in 1995 and leaves the country, Camilla returns. In the fall of the same year, the quartet released an album of their most popular songs, Les Greatest Hits.
In 1996, Alexander Bard announces the dissolution of the group. However, Dominika and Jean-Pierre assured everyone for a long time that the team was simply tired and they decided to take a long sabbatical. Rumors about the upcoming breakup of the group have been circulating for a long time: since 1995, reports have repeatedly flashed in the press that Alexander was going to “freeze” the group and concentrate on a new project.

Since 1995, the members of the ensemble have each taken up an individual career. Alexander Bard - continues to produce and creates the groups Vacuum, Alcazar, BWO, and he is also known as a sociologist, author of literary bestsellers, businessman. Jean-Pierre Barda was the host of several television shows, worked as an actor and became a well-known makeup artist. Dominica hosts the television show Dominica's Planet, available to viewers in five European countries, and la Camilla takes part in the famous Swedish political talk show.
The group briefly reunited in 2000. They also got together again for one show at G-A-Y in London. La Camilla, the vocalist of the group's first hits, was replaced with an inflatable doll (Alexander addressed the doll after the concert: "Don't you think Camilla has lost a lot of weight?"), while Alexander, Dominika and Jean-Pierre were present. When asked about a possible reunion, they stated that this was not foreseen in the foreseeable future and that their joint work was a "diamond in time" that cannot be repeated.
The group reunited for one day for a big concert of Retro FM Legends, organized by the Moscow radio station Retro FM in Russia. The group performed on December 15, 2007 in one concert with Ace of Base and many Russian artists who were popular in the 1990s.
In 2011, Dominika and La Camilla teamed up to take part in the recording of the song Don't Try to Steal My Limelight, the main performer of which was the Swedish drag queen Miss Inga. A video clip was also filmed for the song.
Alexandre Barda was the brains behind the band, Jean-Pierre Barda was the lead vocalist on hits like Crucified and Israelism. They have been in the group throughout its history. Barda often wore the most provocative and revealing outfits. There is controversy as to whether he ever played any instrument in the band.

Army of Lovers has over 20 Eurochart Top 10 songs, the most famous of which is Crucified, which was one of the best-selling songs of 1991. It also stayed at number 1 on the Eurochart for 8 weeks. Obsession and Sexual Revolution also reached the top of the Eurochart, although their (presence) in the US and Britain was limited by multiple successes in the club charts.
The group has released 5 studio albums (one of them is a compilation), more than 20 video clips, and has achieved great success in Eastern Europe.
Army of Lovers has earned widespread canonical status in gay culture and is often cited as a fine example of postmodernism adopting the ideals of the extraordinary.

Band discography:
Love Me Like A Loaded Gun - 1988
When The Night Is Cold / Shoot That Laserbeam! - 1988
Baby's Got A Neutron Bomb - 1988
Disco Extravaganza - 1990
Massive Luxury Overdose - 1992
Massive Luxury Overdose-2 - 1992
The Gods Of Earth And Heaven - 1993
Glory Glamour And Gold - 1993
Les Greatest Hits - 1994
Greatest Hits - 1997
Le Grand Docu-Soap - 2001
Gods Of Heaven And Earth - 2005
Big Battle Of Egos - 2013

The Army group is a complete exception to the rule. Against the background of most of the existing women's groups (both Ukrainian and foreign), the soloists not only sing well, but also dance. Therefore, the admiration of the audience and the desire of other artists to imitate them is quite understandable.

Founding of the group

The biography of the "Army" begins in 2007. The group was organized in Kyiv. If you believe the information posted on the official website, its founder was the producer of the Girls for the team, he selected for a long time and carefully. Each member of the "Army" is not a novice in show business, some have worked for a long time in the best ballet troupes, others have sports categories behind them, and some have even been awarded the title of master of sports.

Weapons of mass destruction

The "Army" group developed at a rapid pace. The team even began to be called Bright musical material and dance shows, which accompanied all the songs of the group, brought popularity to the girls.

After an enchanting performance in Chile, the Army soloists gained many foreign fans. Latin Americans would gladly carry girls in their arms, there was no free space in the hotel room, since everything was filled with brought flowers. “What happened there?”, Ukrainian vocalists are asked at corporate parties and weddings. The girls happily share their impressions of participating in the festival and proudly say that they were noticed by the Latin American star DJ Mendez.

Group "Army": composition

The "fiery" vocalist Anastasia Snadnaya and the blonde Irina Stepanova did not leave the original team. For some time, Oksana Zadorozhnaya, the famous dancer Yulia Kavtaradze and the Ukrainian Kumeiko (today she is better known as a soloist) were part of the Army. In 2009, a new member appeared in the group - DJ Matilda, she became famous thanks to her lesbian shows. She has already contributed to the development of the team, and today she performs independently.

After the appearance of girls in the Ukrainian show business, a big hype began. After all, at a time when other singers in position left the stage, one vocalist of the "Army" took part in every concert until the eighth month of pregnancy, and she managed to perform choreographic tricks that were absolutely incredible for a simple person.

The real sensation was the erotic photo session of the soloists of the group for the men's magazine Playboy. The photos were unique, because not every woman dares to pose frankly, being 8 months pregnant, as one of the participants did. The girls got on the cover of the popular glossy magazine for men EGO three times.

The last line-up changes took place in 2010: Vera Varlamova, the finalist of the Superzirka talent show, joined the Army. Nature endowed her with a unique voice with a range of 4 octaves.

Performances on international stages

The musical group "Army" has repeatedly represented their country at the international music festival in Chile "Viña del Mar" - the largest in South America (it is compared with Eurovision in terms of scale). All participants must sing live, the use of a phonogram is prohibited. The group performed with dignity on the same stage with Sting, Pitbull, received the audience award from the mayor of the city, and journalists called the team a Ukrainian sensation. Extravagant outfits, candid interviews and provocative antics of girls were described on Latin American channels and in tabloids for another two weeks. One of the vocalists fought for the crown of the queen in the national beauty contest, and, it should be noted, quite successfully: she was ahead of local beauties and even famous models.

As mentioned earlier, the group's participation in the festival ended with an acquaintance and collaboration with the popular rapper DJ Mendez. After meeting with the girls, he dedicated a new track Let me be to this unforgettable group, for which they jointly filmed a video in Ukraine.

Albums of the group "Army"

On account of the team, the single "We did it", released in 2007, 6 clips, the album "About it" and a lot of hits.

The record "About this" was released in 2009 and was instantly sold out, and in a huge circulation. The release of the album was as much of a surprise as the very idea of ​​the appearance of the "Army". The main problem of modern show business is the similarity of artists and their repertoires. The Army group became an exception to the rule, which aroused the admiration of the audience.

The music of the group makes the days bright and pushes to conquer more and more new heights. The Army group sings about what is interesting. Their songs teach girls how to fight back against a maniac, and make guys look at themselves more ironically. The music of "Army" is full of cheerfulness and positive.

Why is the band called A.R.M.I.Ya.? Ginger (R) - I have been answering this question for 3 years! Nana (N) - Because the word ARMY has 5 letters. This is not a transcript of our names. Ryzhik has a preparation for this

R. - A - Excitement, R - Rhythm, M - Music, I - Impulse, I - Brightness

Why through a dot? N. - Because each letter means that we are complete individuals. As a dot is put at the end of a sentence, showing completeness, so each letter with a dot means the character of each of us

R - But now the name has changed and now we are called "ARMY and Vera Varlamova". Faith is our fifth element

And - But we are still one and it does not matter what we will be called in the future

And it's true that for one of the soloists, Svetlana Loboda demanded a good retreat under the contract! N - It was a long time ago. The main thing is that Ira is now with us and we will not give her away to anyone else.

And - Even for expensive? B - Even for expensive) N - We maintain relations with Svetlana, everything is in order

And - Yes, she is a good person who understands

Q - Well, how could she bury such a talent in ballet?! Thanks to her for letting Ira join us! Where and how do you like to relax? R - The most basic rest - at home on the bed. We love to sleep)) We have an active lifestyle, once a year we go to resorts and travel together all the time. We cannot live without each other for a long time. Vera has not yet had the experience of joint trips, but everything is ahead. Follow the publications, we will publish our family vacation. Wait! - Which country do you like the most? R - We rested in Crete, we liked it very much

And - I have a dream to go to Cuba, dance there, light a party with cool machos)) C - We like to relax in different countries, but most of all we love Ukraine. I am a patriot, I love Lviv and Kyiv. I am happy that I live in Ukraine

And - True, you watch the news, various cataclysms occur in the world and you think how good it is that I live in Ukraine

B - Nana loves Bulgaria very much, and I love Georgia. My father is Georgian and this year I visited this country for the first time. I think that when the opportunity to rest arises, it will be Georgia

S - Vera cooks khachapuri very well, we are looking forward to when she cooks this dish

Vera (V.) - Being a producer is very difficult. Big responsibility, being in charge of five beautiful girls. So think carefully first. And we can just chat in fan clubs

Ira (I.) - Start with money, open a bank account)) Sveta (C) - We love our Yura Nikitin very much and are not going to change him! Are you planning a tour of Ukraine? I - Yes

S - in the near future

N - We had a mini-tour all over Ukraine in the summer. We stopped in Kyiv for 2-3 days to change our suitcases and drove on to other cities. In the spring, with the first flowers, we will definitely arrange a mini tour of Ukraine. And we will introduce once again our new vocalist Vera

R - And we will also present our new program

And - In the near future, you can see us in Dneprodzerzhinsk and Alushta, we will perform on the square

Have there been moments in your life that changed your life dramatically? What were these situations? And - When we got into the A.R.M.I.Y. group, it changed our lives a lot

S - Yes, we are glad that A.R.M.I.Ya. found us! B - They haven’t gotten married yet, so A.R.M.I.Ya. so far the main thing

It is known that Ukrainian women are the best. But what qualities do you think Ukrainian men lack? What, so to speak, do we need to strive for in order to correspond to you? N - A man needs to be himself, to be the head of the family. A woman likes to be weak, to feel masculine strength. Men love us and we will love you

B - Ukrainian men are the best

And - Most importantly - love women! S - We need so little from you, just a few kind words

What kind of men do you like best? B - Appearance is not important. A person may be inconspicuous, but with charisma

And - The mind is important ... but, for me, appearance is also important

B - Of course, it's cool when the appearance matches the internal qualities

What style of music do you consider your work to be? B - You can talk a lot about this - dance, power, sports

R - This is a musical fresh from all ingredients

I - We have found our style, we will carry it and hope that you will appreciate it

Which European star is your idol? R - Lenny Kravitz, Madonna, Michael Jackson

N - Lately I started listening to Sade, Norah Jones and Sting. Probably because we have more energetic music, and sometimes you want to listen to something calm

B - There are a lot of favorites. And my favorite is Stevie Wonder, I would really like to meet him and sing a duet

S - I like Robbie Williams, he conquers with his eccentricity, work on stage, recklessness

And - We recently went on tour and listened to a cool Bon Jovi concert, I really like it. I also listen to Rihanna and Beyoncé

Who in your group is considered the main one, because there is always a leader in the teams? Q - We do not have a chief commander, everyone is equal. There are some ideas, and we listen to every opinion

R - The main thing is that we have one goal - to succeed, to do creativity. Competition is good - but team spirit is better

S - We found 5 elements and they are all in front of you! - How was the first acquaintance of the group with its new member, Vera? B - They beat me - a joke))

N - We met at the Superstar project, and after the first concert we laid eyes on her. We became friends and supported her throughout the project. But we had to wait for the final, because only after the end of the program we were able to take Vera to us. They took her away in front of everyone))) But she did not resist for a long time

C - Vera has a range of 4 octaves, a reckless vocalist. We are glad that she is in our team, so everything will be great! We want you to come to our concerts, we are ready to surprise you

What has changed in your group with the arrival of Vera Varlamova? Do you still communicate with Oksana Zadorozhnaya? R - We communicate with Oksana. We ask about creative plans, we are interested in how she lives in general. You know that she had a beautiful baby girl. With the advent of Vera, a new breath, fresh blood appeared in our team

I - Meat))) B - Thank you

N - She helps us a lot, because she looks at everything with the eyes of a new person, brings constructive criticism

Q - Thank you, I love you very much too)) Tell me, when will your new album be released? R - Working on it now

Q - We are working on new tracks, it will be a new style for the band. We hope that the release will be immediately after the new year

R - We are actively working on the material, we want to please you. Wait, very soon everything will appear

Do you want to start a solo career? were there any suggestions? And - Of course, every day)) N - We have not had enough of each other to sing solo. We are so comfortable together and even if there were offers, we would say NO! S - We want to conquer Ukraine, Europe, the world with our current line-up. We have many plans. We are one force, we want to be together

Q - There are many solo vocalists, I think that A.R.M.I.Ya. unique in its own way and this uniqueness cannot be lost. We will only move forward together

What plans do you have for the future? B - Get some rest. Now we had an active preparation for Eurovision. These are constant trainings, rehearsals. We hope you enjoy our performance. And by the New Year we will present new tracks.