Where is Alexey Potekhin now, the former lead singer of “Ruka Vverh”, what does he do, where does he work? Alexey Potekhin and Sergey.

Recently the group "Hands Up!" won the MUZ-TV award in the category “Best Song of the Fifteenth Anniversary”. The award for the composition “My Baby” was taken by Sergei Zhukov, who appeared on stage without Alexei Potekhin. But once the guys were inseparable.

ON THE TOPIC

Journalists contacted the former member of the team and found out why he was no longer visible. “Yes, I left show business for a while, but I didn’t stop making music,” Potekhin said. “I recently wrote a song for “Buranovskie Babushki.” It will be dedicated to the World Cup.”

The artist did not say anything nasty about his former colleague. “Everyone asks me why I left “Hands Up!” I’ll answer you: because we all became adults, but Sergei didn’t think so, he was comfortable. He’s comfortable now. He always wanted fame, but I didn’t.” ,” Alexey spread his hands.

Apparently, the musicians do not maintain relationships after the breakup of the band. “Are we communicating? Ask him. Although you’re unlikely to get through to him. He’s a VIP,” the performer answered evasively.

If Zhukov continues to lead an active social life and occasionally appear in the news (for example, in connection with a sensational story), then Potekhin has forgotten the sharks of his pen. “Honestly, I’m very surprised that you wanted to interview me. I haven’t been popular for a long time. I’m on the Internet - there’s silence. Nobody writes. Although I’m ready to answer everyone!” – the website “Interlocutor” quotes the artist.

Alexey admitted that even though the whole country sang his compositions, he did not get rich. “The most interesting thing is that out of all the two hundred and thirty songs that we wrote, everyone was interested only in the simplest ones. “La-la-la-la, I hum all day long” - we became famous with such songs. Every girl in the country had cassettes." Hands up!”, but this did not affect our financial situation in any way,” Potekhin complained.
According to a former member of the group “Ruki Verkh!”, all the money went to other people. “Our producers had everything. They had apartments, cars, wives. We had nothing. If you ask how much Andrei Cherkasov, who managed us, and the ARS Records company earned for us, I will answer you: one hundred and forty million rubles. Be sure to write about it!” - asked the artist.

At the end of the 1990s. “Hands Up” have become one of the most successful and popular pop groups. While music critics condemned simple songs and accused their performers of vulgarity and lack of taste, Sergei Zhukov and Alexei Potekhin filled stadiums and forced tens of thousands of fans to dance.

In 2006, the group broke up, but Sergei Zhukov still performs solo, using the same group name. “Hands Up” no longer has its former popularity, but at concerts there are still a lot of young people dancing to the well-known hits “Student”, “My Baby”, “And He Kisses You”, “Alien Lips”, etc.

Group *Hands up*

The leaders and founders of the group, Sergei Zhukov and Alexey Potekhin, met in 1993, when both worked at the Europe Plus radio station. Samara". They decided to create their own musical group, and a year later “Uncle Ray and Company” was the most popular group in Samara and Togliatti. But this scale quickly ceased to satisfy their needs, and in 1995 they moved to Moscow. Sergei Zhukov in interviews always calls this year the beginning of his musical career, since it was then that they began serious work to promote their songs.

Group *Hands up*
At first, nothing worked - without the support of the producer it was impossible to attract attention in the capital, and only rich women “over 50” were called to help them for certain services. They found another way: on pirated cassettes with music by famous artists, they added three of their songs at the end. Soon, hits began to sound from all the stalls in the markets, which were remembered from the first note. One day producer Andrei Malikov heard them and offered Zhukov and Potekhin cooperation. Since then, a rapid rise in their musical career began. The group received the name “Hands Up” and released the first songs “Kid” and “Student”, which very quickly became mega-hits.

Founders and leaders of the group *Hands up*

Sergey Zhukov

Founders and leaders of the group *Hands up*
Since 1997, the group has been actively touring the country and then abroad, performing at dance music festivals. Thanks to the huge number of albums sold, the following year “Hands Up” became multiple winners of silver, gold and one platinum disc. In 1999, the group became a laureate of the annual Russian recording industry award in several categories: “Russian radio hit”, “Album of the year”, “Golden Gramophone” award and “Best love song”.

Sergey Zhukov and Alexey Potekhin

Sergey Zhukov
However, for a long time Zhukov and Potekhin received nothing but public recognition and love letters from the girls. They lived in a rented apartment and dressed at the market. The producer took most of the profits. Then Zhukov and Potekhin decided to go on an independent voyage. They terminated their contract and became an independent group. There were so many people at their concerts that people often tore down barriers and injured each other in the crush. Popularity turned out to be a different side for them: obsessed fans sent them poisoned food and letters written in blood, several girls committed suicide, demolished chairs and stands at concerts, and trampled on each other. Artists could not appear on the streets; they had to often change phone numbers and hide from persecution by fans. In order to get out unharmed after the concert, they often had to change into riot police uniforms and run out with them wearing helmets and masks.

Group *Hands up*

Alexey Potekhin

Alexey Potekhin and Sergey Zhukov
By 2001, the band members were tired of the frantic schedule of concerts, and from the harassment of fans, and from each other. In the early 2000s, their popularity began to decline, although albums continued to be released with enviable regularity. The producers had a certain strategy, which remained quite effective for some time: “Within the “Hands Up” group, the clear implementation of a certain super task was required. Every May, when school ended, we had to release an album so that people would take it with them on vacation - to the south, to the country. It was dance music that set the mood for summer. And I admit, we were experienced psychologists, we specifically thought about what topic to write the lyrics on so that the song would become popular.”

Concert in Moscow, October 2011
In 2005, the 13th album “Hands Up” was released. In the same year, the group broke up, but Sergei Zhukov continued to record solo songs, released the album “In Search of Tenderness” and shot several videos. Alexey Potekhin took up producing, and Sergey Zhukov still packs houses in the wake of the popularity of music of the 1990s.

Alexey Potekhin left the duo and disappeared from the sight of fans, colleagues and music critics. What happened to the artist?

Lead singer of the group “Hands Up!” Sergei Zhukov is still popular, his name is well known. But the second member of the duet, Alexey Potekhin, became practically invisible to fans of domestic show business.

The portal site found out what the idol of the 90s looks like now, about whom the girls sighed in vain.

It is possible that you don’t remember Potekhin at all. If on the runway he still appeared in music videos, then later he increasingly remained behind the scenes. Alyoshka was Zhukov's shadow.

Zhukov played the role of a hero, and Potekhin played the role of an anti-hero

Still from the video "Baby" (1997)

In 1997, the group “Hands Up!” released two videos for two hits: “Baby,” with which the guys burst onto music channels, and “Student.”

Still from the video "Student" (1997)

Actually, these are the only videos in which Potekhin can be seen...

Then Alexey was relegated to the background. And this is taking into account the fact that even in the first one he got the roles of anti-heroes: either he is the student who stole the girl Seregina, or the guy with whom the girl has fun while Zhukov is serving in the army. In general, the images are not pleasant.

Zhukov will push Potekhin into the background

In 1998, music channels began broadcasting a video for the song “My Little One.” Russians fell in love with the composition back in 1995, but the video was recorded only three years later. Potekhin appears in it a couple of times: the main focus is on Zhukov.

A similar story is repeated in the music video for the song “Alyoshka”. It looks more than strange. The text talks about the confrontation between Alyoshka and Seryozha, but in fact only Seryozha is shown...

And yet we were able to catch one frame with Alyoshka. Look what Potekhin was like in 2000: a natural brunette turned into a dyed blond.

Still from the video "Alyoshka" (2000)

Group breakup

Alexey was not visible in the videos; at concerts he also stood behind Zhukov.

According to already established tradition, in the video for the super hit “I’m 18 Already,” more attention is paid to the strippers than to the second member of the duet. Although you can see that Potekhin managed to turn red...

The only thing that united these guys into a group was joint photographs on albums. But in 2006, this came to an end: Seryozhka drove Alyoshka away.

Sergey Zhukov and Alexey Potekhin a year before the breakup of the group

Potekhin was 30 years old when he had to start from scratch. He tried to produce performers and groups, but they were not successful. Now 46-year-old Alexey has created a new duet, “Raise Your Hands Up.”

The soloist is a man very similar to Sergei Zhukov... Does it look like an attempt to return to the past?

Well, Potekhin himself no longer experiments with his appearance: he remains a brunette. The musician’s physical form (especially when compared with Zhukov) is beyond praise!

Alexey Evgenievich Potekhin (b. April 15, 1972 (38 years old) Novokuibyshevsk (Samara region) - Russian musician, producer. Member of the group “Hands Up!” (the group officially broke up in 2006).

Biography

Alexey was born into a very musical family: a tape recorder was constantly playing at home and they listened to records. Mom liked symphonic music more, and dad liked pop music. His older brother got him interested in foreign music. The boy had a lively and cocky character, but his parents insisted that he attend art school and the basketball section.

After graduating from school, Alexey went to study in the regional center, Samara. He entered the river technical school, and now he remembers this time with warmth:

There were other teachers there who, despite their venerable age, joked around like young people. This period in my life was the best because I made great friends.

At home, fresh hits were regularly played, and Alexey began to perceive music with interest, at first he simply listened, and then bought a guitar and began composing himself, even managing to work part-time as a DJ at a disco. His tastes included* Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Def Leppard, Foreigner, The Cult, Metallica* and others in the same spirit. He is still a fan of creativity Jimmy Page And Hendrix.

After graduating from technical school in 1991, he entered the Samara State Technical University - as Alexey himself recalls,

“Mom influenced.”

He graduated from it in 1996 with a specialty* in systems engineering.*

Worked at a radio station "Europe-plus" in Samara, hosted the program "Rhymes from Potekhin". Created a group in Tolyatti "Uncle Ray and Company" together with Sergei Zhukov. This was the beginning of a great future called "Hands up!". But so far these were only hopes that could not even bring income. To earn some money, the duo held a series of discos in Tbilisi.

Then they returned to Moscow and began working at a recording studio "Baboon Records", creating arrangements for other groups for the right to simultaneously record songs for their own. By that time, a new name had been chosen - "Hands up!".

With the involvement of a professional producer, the music business began to develop. The group became incredibly popular after the release of their first album. "Breathe evenly", and the musicians began touring around the country and abroad. Since then, countless concerts have been held and many songs have been written. "Hands" many awards were awarded. After the closure of “Ruk” in 2006, Alexey has been producing young performers such as Superboys, J Well(ex-member of the group Discomafia).

During the period 2006/2008, 3 collections of dance music Potexinstyle were released, combining many young performers and hits of famous groups such as. Currently, Alexey is working on his new project TRACK&blues, to which he invited ex-vocalist Gr. Turbomod (Vladimir Luchnikov) and ex-member of the Svoi group Ruslan Achkinadze. In 2007 Alessandro Materazzo, a member of the TV show DOM-2, with whom the group toured in the summer of 2008 in the south of Russia and abroad, was invited to the TRACK&blues group.

Alexey has a hobby:

Alexey has an older brother Andrey, a former member of the gr. T*urbomoda, Boys, Revolvers.* Today Andrey is the manager and organizer of performances of Alexey’s new project TRACK&blues.

At the turn of the century, the group “Hands Up” churned out one teenage anthem after another. The duet of two charming guys won the hearts of the Russian audience and even surpassed “Tender May” in the number of performances. Ex-member of the group Alexey Potekhin continues to write music to this day and release compositions aimed at both time-tested audiences and young people.

Childhood and youth

Potekhin Alexey was born on April 15, 1972 in Novokuibyshevsk (Samara region). His father worked as an engineer, and his mother worked as the head of the personnel department. Despite the fact that the parents were not creative people, music was constantly playing in the house. Mom was a fan of symphony orchestras, and dad listened to pop music. Older brother Andrey also instilled in Alexey a love for foreign performers (Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, The Cult, Metallica)

At school, Potekhin earned a reputation as a hooligan. He drove teachers to nervous breakdowns and often made fun of his classmates. The obstinate young man also could not boast of exemplary studies. Teachers gave him grades for drawing wall newspapers.

Parents, in order to rein in their son who had gotten out of hand, sent him to the basketball section. There they “knocked the crap out of Alexei.” He was not only instilled with a love of sports, but also taught to strictly follow a daily routine (after classes at 2 p.m. he went to art school, then at 5 p.m. to training).

After graduating from school, Alexey went to study in the regional center - Samara - and entered a technical school there. Having received a diploma as a shipbuilding technician, the guy continued to gnaw on the granite of science already at the Samara Technical University, from which he graduated in 1991 with a degree in systems engineer.

But, as time has shown, Alexey did not turn out to be a “techie.”

"Hands up"

And Alexey Potekhin worked at the radio station “Europe Plus” (Samara), where Sergey hosted a musical program (“Hit-hour”), and Alexey hosted a humorous program (“Rhymes from Potekhin”). Despite the fact that the guys worked side by side for a long time, they only met in 1991.

Even at that time, the fame of radio presenters did not cover the tirelessly growing ambitions of young people. They decided to take it to the next level and create the group “Uncle Ray and Company.” The next three years were spent in creative search and musical experiments.

In 1994, at a rap festival in Moscow, where they got there by chance, their performance was recognized as the best. But from a commercial point of view, the project was unsuccessful. Fame came to the musicians only two years later, when they finally moved to the city of great opportunities.

Producer Andrei Malikov, who had previously worked with the Tekhnologiya and Van-Moo groups, helped Zhukov and Potekhin rise to the heights of musical Olympus. The guys met him in 1996 at the Baboon Records studio. First of all, the man recommended that the guys change the long, non-binding name of the group to the capacious and sonorous “Hands up!” Malikov then convinced the record company J.S.P. invest in filming the first videos and releasing the band's debut album.

The first hits of the group “Hands Up!” – “Kid” and “Student” - “blew up” the radio airwaves. Later, videos were shot on them, which were often broadcast by both TV channels and radio stations. The songs quickly gained popularity and became favorite disco hits of the time. Inspired by the success, the creative team released the album “Breathe Evenly.”

After this, tours of Russian cities began. Tickets for the concerts were sold out long before the group's arrival, and the artists' performances were sold out.

Alexey Potekhin in the duet "Hands Up"

When the project began to generate serious income, Zhukov and Potekhin “escaped” from Malikov and opened their own production center, “Dancing Men” (2000). Having failed to defend his rights to the name and songs, the producer tried to promote other artists and made the sensational “Rat-Jealousy” with the then little-known artist. But the man could not achieve such stunning success with anyone else.

In 2006, fans were shocked by the news that their favorite group had broken up. Fans had only one question: why did Alexey Potekhin leave? The answer was simple: the once best friends could no longer exist harmoniously within the framework of one project. Their views on what product should be released to the masses differed. The mental connection was lost.

Zhukov was tired of being a hostage to the image of “the guy singing about Alyoshka.” The charismatic performer wanted to develop further and conquer new heights, but alone.

Each of the participants went their own way. Potekhin began producing young performers, and Sergei took up a solo career, continuing to use the popular name of the group in his work.

Zhukov explained this by the fact that an agreement had previously been concluded with Potekhin, according to which the rights to “Hands Up,” which previously belonged to both of them, passed into his sole possession. Alexey claimed that he was a victim of deception and at one time even planned to sue his former colleague, but it never came to the point of lawsuits and noisy proceedings.

During its existence, the “Hands Up!” team released 14 official and 12 unofficial albums. Each new song of the group became a hit. “My baby”, “He kisses you”, “Ataman”, “I’m already 18”, “Alyoshka”, “Territory”, “Tears are falling” - this is not a complete list of tracks that fans all over the world still know by heart country.

Among other things, the guys have repeatedly become prize-winners and laureates of prestigious music festivals, charts and awards (“Album of the Year”, “Golden Gramophone”, “Song of the Year”, “Russian Radio Hit”).

Solo career

After the collapse of “Hands Up!” Alexey Potekhin released a collection of dance music Potexinstyle-3

In the spring of 2008, the artist, together with the vocalist of the Turbomoda group Vladimir Luchnikov and member of the Svoi group Ruslan Achkinadze, toured the country.

Their group "Track and Blues", despite their soulfulness, did not find popularity among young people. And even cooperation with the notorious participant in the reality show “Dom-2” Alessandro Materazzo (2008) did not bear fruit.

In 2013, the artist and his wife presented a new track “Summer-Winter” as part of the Russian internet television (PeoplestarTV) project. In 2014, the Arena Moscow club hosted a presentation of the singer’s debut solo album entitled “I Can’t Do Otherwise.”

Later, the enterprising composer returned to the “Track and Blues” project and changed both the name and the lead singer of the group. At the moment, Alexey, together with his good friend Sergei Bogdanov, is promoting their common group “Raise your hands up”.

Personal life

In the “Popular Truth” program (2011), Potekhin said that in his biography there was a moment when, in his youth, he and his best friend Sergei Zhukov fell in love with the same girl. At that time, the guys’ priority was friendship, and neither one nor the other thought about organizing their personal lives. The comrades agreed that no one would care for the beauty.

It is reliably known that the performer was married twice. The man met his first wife, Irina Tolmilova, as part of the “Hands Up!” team. The girl danced and “sang along” to the duet to the soundtrack. The charismatic young lady won the heart of the romantic, and in April 2002 the young people legalized their relationship.

For two years the couple tried unsuccessfully to have a child. There were rumors that while married to Alexei, the woman had a miscarriage, and Irina could no longer have children. Potekhin and Tomilova unanimously denied this information. Before finally parting, the young people lived separately from each other for a short time. The “pause” did not become a “savior” and finally separated the lovers.

On September 12, 2009, Potekhin married for the second time. Alexey's chosen one is called Elena. The girl has nothing to do with show business and before meeting the singer she worked as a veterinarian. Despite the fact that the couple did not sign “incognito”, this event was not covered in the press. The fact is that on the day of their wedding there was also a wedding at and, so the media’s attention was focused on the eminent figure skater and music producer.

In March 2010, the artist shared the news with fans that he had become a dad. The wife gave birth to Potekhin's daughter, whom it was decided to name Maria. During the birth, the musician was in Moscow and personally delivered his wife to the Family Planning Center.

Despite the fact that Elena left work for her daughter, the young mother does not sit idle: the young lady works as a makeup artist and often participates in professional photo shoots.

Alexey Potekhin now

At the moment, Alexey continues to tour the country, performing at concerts songs both from his personal repertoire and the beloved hits of the group “Hands Up!” It is reliably known that the star of the 90s is now working on new material and promises to release a fresh composition in the near future.