Mirage (pop group)
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| Mirage (Mirazh) | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Russia |
| Genre(s) | Euro Disco Eurodance Italo Disco |
| Years active | 1987–1989 |
Mirage (Russian: Мираж, Mirazh) were a 1980s Russian pop group founded in Moscow in 1987 by Russian composer/keyboard player Andrey Litjagin. The original lineup of Mirage included Litjagin, lyricist Valery Sokolov, guitarist Alexey Gorbashov, guitarist Sergey Proklov, dancer Svetlana Razina (also the girlfriend of Litjagin), vocalist Natalia Gulkina and classically trained vocalist Margarita Suhankina. Their music came at a time when perestroika was radically changing the Soviet Union and their energetic disco sound captured the mood and feeling of their generation.
Mirage borrowed their musical style from other disco groups of the time such as Modern Talking and Bad Boys Blue
Gulkina and Suhankina shared vocals on the debut album The Stars Await Us. However Suhankina was trying to become a professional opera singer and was reluctant to tour with the group. The group toured without her and sang to a pre-recorded tape featuring her vocals.
Following the success of the first album the demand for live appearances was high. Litjagin decided to create several "doubles" of Mirage which would tour different cities in Russia simultaneously and perform using pre-recorded tapes of the original studio vocals by Gulkina and Suhankina.
Financial and create disagreements led to Gulkina quitting the group in 1988. Gulkina rightly felt that she should be allowed to perform under the name Mirage as she provided most of the vocals. However Litjagin and Sokolov disagreed and they retained the right to use the name Mirage. Gulkina went on to form a new group called "Stars".
The second album Together Again was released in 1989 and featured only Suhankina on lead vocals. The album was a greater success than the first and was greatly received. It featured some of the group's most well know songs including Music has connected us and Together again. Once again the group toured with dancers performing with pre-recorded tapes however the media soon realised that Suhankina was the real hidden vocalist and the group shamefully disbanded.
Many of the former members of Mirage have gone on to have successful solo careers in Russia. Suhankina now performs as a classical singer. Litjagin revived Mirage in 2003 with three new girls performing to remixed versions of old Mirage songs. The new project enjoyed limited success. The second revival was attempted by Gulkina and Sukhankina (the original vocalists of Mirage) in 2005, and it caused a serious conflict with Litjagin. As the project was quite successful, they've eventually come to terms.
[edit] Discography
- 1987: The Stars Await Us
- 1989: Together Again
- 2003: Drop It
