Brainstorm (Latvian band)
Encyclopedia
Brainstorm is a Latvia
n pop/rock band. The band became popular internationally in 2000, when they finished third in the Eurovision Song Contest 2000
with the song "My Star".
The band was formed in the summer of 1989 in Jelgava
, Latvia
by four former classmates – Renārs Kaupers
, Jānis Jubalts, Gundars Mauševics and Kaspars Roga. Soon after, their classmate Māris Mihelsons also joined the band. The title of the band was taken from what one old foreign lady said about their music, who characterized it as a "brainstorm".
In September 1992 Brainstorm released their first single "Jo tu nāc" (Because You Come) and finished 9th in the Latvian popular music contest, the "Michrophones" questionnaire. After this came their first album, Vairāk nekā skaļi (More than Loud) 1993. The main single from that album is "Ziema" (Winter), which has also a video.
1994 was the quietest period in the band's history, although in that year they released the maxi-single Vietu nav (No vacancies) with only 500 copies.
In 1995 one of the band's earlier songs "Lidmašīnas" (Airplanes) became one of the most commercially successful singles in Latvia
and song of the year on Radio Super FM. The band also performed in Germany
and the United Kingdom
.
After experimenting with alternative music, Brainstorm returned to mainstream music and released their next album Veronika. The most popular songs from the album were "Dārznieks" (Gardener), "Apelsīns" (Orange) and "Lidmašīnas" (Airplanes), and attendance at the band's concerts increased.
At the end of the year, Latvian radio stations started to play the song "Tavas mājas manā azotē" (Under my wing is your home), which topped Latvian Airplay charts for 9 weeks and became the biggest hit of 1996.
The next step to success was signing a contract with Microphone Records
, one of the biggest record companies in Latvia
and releasing the next album, Viss ir tieši tā kā tu vēlies (Everything's the Way You Want It) in 1997. The album attained gold status. The main tracks from the album were "Viss ir tieši tā kā tu vēlies", "Mans draugs" (My Friend), "Neatgriešanās" (No Return) and "Tavas mājas manā azotē".
Subsequently the band received offers to manage TV and radio shows and to take part in musical performances at Dailes theatre in Riga as part of The Good Soldier Švejk
, which became the most visited theatre show in Latvia
. Brainstorm's first international single was recorded in 1998 in Germany
with Volker Hinkel, the producer of Fool's Garden. This single was "Under my wing", the English
version of "Tavas mājas manā azotē". The single was aired in the Baltic States
and also other countries. Soon after this, the band was awarded the Grand Prix prize at the Karlshamn music festival in Sweden
.
In 1999 Brainstorm released their fourth album Starp divām saulēm and their first international album Among The Suns, which is the English version of "Starp divām saulēm". The album was recorded in Sweden
and Denmark
. All five singles from the album – "Puse no sirds" (Half of a heart), "Starp divām saulēm" (Among the suns), "Lec" (English version – "Try"), "Prom uz siltajām salām" (Eng. version – "Ain't it funny") and "Tu izvēlējies palikt" (Eng. version – "Welcome to my country") reached the top of the Latvian radio charts shortly after release.
On 13 May 2000 in Sweden
, in only 3 minutes Prāta Vētra or Brainstorm became an internationally noticed band when they participed in the 45th Eurovision song contest
. Their song "My Star" achieved 3rd place among 24 contestants. "My Star" was played internationally thereafter.
In August 2000, after more than 10-years of performing, The best of Brainstorm '89-'99 was released and included the band's most popular, interesting and unreleased songs.
The Online album was released in 2001 or, in the Latvian version, – Kaķēns, kurš atteicās no jūrasskolas. The album featured the track "Maybe." The video was shot in Prague
. The second single "Waterfall" also achieved success, and had a video which was shot in Finland
. Another track "Spogulīt, spogulīt" (Mirror, mirror), contains the lines of the fairytale about Snow White
by the Brothers Grimm
.
The next album Dienās, kad lidlauks pārāk tāls or A Day Before Tomorrow was released in 2003. The lead singles of this album – "Colder" and "A day before tomorrow" ("Plaukstas lieluma pavasaris") – were produced by German producer Alex Silva. The majority of the album was Produced by Steve Lyon , UK producer ( Depeche Mode, The Cure , Reamonn, Amplifier). The album was recorded in Germany
and Denmark
.
In 2003 Brainstorm were the support band for The Rolling Stones
at their concert in Prague. Brainstorm presented a saxophone to Mick Jagger
for his birthday.
In 2004, one of the band founders died on the night between 22nd and 23 May in a car accident on the highway between Riga
and Jelgava
– bassist Gundars Mauševics or as his friends called him – Mumiņš.
Despite this loss, the other band members continued working.
In 2004 Brainstorm and a well-known Russian band Bi-2 recorded the song "Skol'zkie Ulitsy" (Slippery Streets), which was included on their album "Inomarki", released on 2 March 2004 and which reached number 1 on radio charts in Latvia, Ukraine and Russia.
In 2005 Brainstorm released their album Četri krasti. The album featured tracks such as "Četri krasti", "Rudens" and "Pilots Tims".
On 21 August 2005, during their Latvian tour Brainstorm set a record for the most people at a Latvian concert with 40,000 people in attendance at their concert in Mežaparks
. It was also the biggest audience in Latvia to ever attend a concert. All the concerts of this tour were sold old in record time.
At the beginning of 2006 Brainstorm released an English version of Četri krasti – Four Shores
. The lead single "Thunder Without Rain" became popular in most of Europe
and received airplay on MTV Europe
and VH1 Europe
.
They received the MTV Europe Music award
for Best Baltic Act in 2006.
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
n pop/rock band. The band became popular internationally in 2000, when they finished third in the Eurovision Song Contest 2000
Eurovision Song Contest 2000
The Eurovision Song Contest 2000 was the 45th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 13 May 2000 at the Ericsson Globe in Stockholm, Sweden, following Charlotte Nilsson's victory in Jerusalem the previous year. It was the first time since 1996 that the contest was held on mainland Europe. The...
with the song "My Star".
The band was formed in the summer of 1989 in Jelgava
Jelgava
-Sports:The city's main football team, FK Jelgava, plays in the Latvian Higher League and won the 2009/2010 Latvian Football Cup.- Notable people :*August Johann Gottfried Bielenstein - linguist, folklorist, ethnographer...
, Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
by four former classmates – Renārs Kaupers
Renars Kaupers
Renārs Kaupers, artistic name Reynard Cowper is a Latvian pop singer and songwriter.He is the lead singer of the Latvian pop/rock band Brainstorm, which came third at the Eurovision Song Contest 2000 with their song "My Star"...
, Jānis Jubalts, Gundars Mauševics and Kaspars Roga. Soon after, their classmate Māris Mihelsons also joined the band. The title of the band was taken from what one old foreign lady said about their music, who characterized it as a "brainstorm".
In September 1992 Brainstorm released their first single "Jo tu nāc" (Because You Come) and finished 9th in the Latvian popular music contest, the "Michrophones" questionnaire. After this came their first album, Vairāk nekā skaļi (More than Loud) 1993. The main single from that album is "Ziema" (Winter), which has also a video.
1994 was the quietest period in the band's history, although in that year they released the maxi-single Vietu nav (No vacancies) with only 500 copies.
In 1995 one of the band's earlier songs "Lidmašīnas" (Airplanes) became one of the most commercially successful singles in Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
and song of the year on Radio Super FM. The band also performed in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
After experimenting with alternative music, Brainstorm returned to mainstream music and released their next album Veronika. The most popular songs from the album were "Dārznieks" (Gardener), "Apelsīns" (Orange) and "Lidmašīnas" (Airplanes), and attendance at the band's concerts increased.
At the end of the year, Latvian radio stations started to play the song "Tavas mājas manā azotē" (Under my wing is your home), which topped Latvian Airplay charts for 9 weeks and became the biggest hit of 1996.
The next step to success was signing a contract with Microphone Records
Microphone Records
Microphone Records is a most experienced and well-known Latvian record label and distribution company founded in 1993 by professional radio journalist Elita Mīlgrāve and professional record producer and musician Guntars Račs...
, one of the biggest record companies in Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
and releasing the next album, Viss ir tieši tā kā tu vēlies (Everything's the Way You Want It) in 1997. The album attained gold status. The main tracks from the album were "Viss ir tieši tā kā tu vēlies", "Mans draugs" (My Friend), "Neatgriešanās" (No Return) and "Tavas mājas manā azotē".
Subsequently the band received offers to manage TV and radio shows and to take part in musical performances at Dailes theatre in Riga as part of The Good Soldier Švejk
The Good Soldier Švejk
The Good Soldier Švejk , also spelled Schweik or Schwejk, is the abbreviated title of a unfinished satirical/dark comedy novel by Jaroslav Hašek. It was illustrated by Josef Lada and George Grosz after Hašek's death...
, which became the most visited theatre show in Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
. Brainstorm's first international single was recorded in 1998 in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
with Volker Hinkel, the producer of Fool's Garden. This single was "Under my wing", the English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
version of "Tavas mājas manā azotē". The single was aired in the Baltic States
Baltic states
The term Baltic states refers to the Baltic territories which gained independence from the Russian Empire in the wake of World War I: primarily the contiguous trio of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania ; Finland also fell within the scope of the term after initially gaining independence in the 1920s.The...
and also other countries. Soon after this, the band was awarded the Grand Prix prize at the Karlshamn music festival in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
.
In 1999 Brainstorm released their fourth album Starp divām saulēm and their first international album Among The Suns, which is the English version of "Starp divām saulēm". The album was recorded in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. All five singles from the album – "Puse no sirds" (Half of a heart), "Starp divām saulēm" (Among the suns), "Lec" (English version – "Try"), "Prom uz siltajām salām" (Eng. version – "Ain't it funny") and "Tu izvēlējies palikt" (Eng. version – "Welcome to my country") reached the top of the Latvian radio charts shortly after release.
On 13 May 2000 in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, in only 3 minutes Prāta Vētra or Brainstorm became an internationally noticed band when they participed in the 45th Eurovision song contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
. Their song "My Star" achieved 3rd place among 24 contestants. "My Star" was played internationally thereafter.
In August 2000, after more than 10-years of performing, The best of Brainstorm '89-'99 was released and included the band's most popular, interesting and unreleased songs.
The Online album was released in 2001 or, in the Latvian version, – Kaķēns, kurš atteicās no jūrasskolas. The album featured the track "Maybe." The video was shot in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
. The second single "Waterfall" also achieved success, and had a video which was shot in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. Another track "Spogulīt, spogulīt" (Mirror, mirror), contains the lines of the fairytale about Snow White
Snow White
"Snow White" is a fairy tale known from many countries in Europe, the best known version being the German one collected by the Brothers Grimm...
by the Brothers Grimm
Brothers Grimm
The Brothers Grimm , Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm , were German academics, linguists, cultural researchers, and authors who collected folklore and published several collections of it as Grimm's Fairy Tales, which became very popular...
.
The next album Dienās, kad lidlauks pārāk tāls or A Day Before Tomorrow was released in 2003. The lead singles of this album – "Colder" and "A day before tomorrow" ("Plaukstas lieluma pavasaris") – were produced by German producer Alex Silva. The majority of the album was Produced by Steve Lyon , UK producer ( Depeche Mode, The Cure , Reamonn, Amplifier). The album was recorded in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
.
In 2003 Brainstorm were the support band for The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
at their concert in Prague. Brainstorm presented a saxophone to Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
for his birthday.
In 2004, one of the band founders died on the night between 22nd and 23 May in a car accident on the highway between Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
and Jelgava
Jelgava
-Sports:The city's main football team, FK Jelgava, plays in the Latvian Higher League and won the 2009/2010 Latvian Football Cup.- Notable people :*August Johann Gottfried Bielenstein - linguist, folklorist, ethnographer...
– bassist Gundars Mauševics or as his friends called him – Mumiņš.
Despite this loss, the other band members continued working.
In 2004 Brainstorm and a well-known Russian band Bi-2 recorded the song "Skol'zkie Ulitsy" (Slippery Streets), which was included on their album "Inomarki", released on 2 March 2004 and which reached number 1 on radio charts in Latvia, Ukraine and Russia.
In 2005 Brainstorm released their album Četri krasti. The album featured tracks such as "Četri krasti", "Rudens" and "Pilots Tims".
On 21 August 2005, during their Latvian tour Brainstorm set a record for the most people at a Latvian concert with 40,000 people in attendance at their concert in Mežaparks
Mežaparks
Mežaparks is a neighbourhood in North Central Riga, Latvia. The name is literally translated as 'forest park'. The park was built in the early 20th century and was originally called Kaiserwald. It was one of the world's first garden cities...
. It was also the biggest audience in Latvia to ever attend a concert. All the concerts of this tour were sold old in record time.
At the beginning of 2006 Brainstorm released an English version of Četri krasti – Four Shores
Four Shores
Four Shores is an album from the Latvian band Brainstorm. It is the fourth album by the band in English and follows the Latvian version of this album Četri krasti, which was released in May 2005. The album contains 12 songs, from which 10 are in English and 2 in Russian...
. The lead single "Thunder Without Rain" became popular in most of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and received airplay on MTV Europe
MTV Europe
MTV Europe is a pan-European 24-hour entertainment cable and digital television network launched on August 1, 1987. Initially, the channel served all regions within Europe being one of the very few channels that targeted the entire European continent...
and VH1 Europe
VH1 Europe
VH1 Europe, also known as VH1 European, is a music television channel from MTV Networks Europe, based on the American Channel of the same name. This version of VH1 is very different from its American counterpart, since it has never ceased to be a proper music channel, playing a wide variety of...
.
They received the MTV Europe Music award
MTV Europe Music Awards
The MTV Europe Music Awards were established in 1994 by MTV Networks Europe to celebrate the most popular music videos in Europe. Originally beginning as an alternative to the American MTV Video Music Awards, the MTV Europe Music Awards is today a popular celebration of what MTV viewers consider...
for Best Baltic Act in 2006.
Discography
- Vairāk nekā skaļi (More than loud) (1993)
- Vietu nav (No place) (1994)
- Veronika (1996)
- Viss ir tieši tā kā tu vēlies (Everything is exactly as you want) (1997)
- Starp divām saulēm (Between two suns) (1999)
- My Star (2000)
- Among the Suns (2000)
- Izlase '89-'99 (2000)
- Kaķēns, kurš atteicās no jūrasskolas (The kitten who didn't want to give up; the band's translation. Otherwise, it is 'The kitten that refused to go to the sea school'; a Latvian expression that means 'the kitten that refused to be drowned'.) (2001)
- Online (2001)
- Dienās, kad lidlauks pārāk tāls (The days when the airfield is too far) (2003)
- A Day Before Tomorrow (2003)
- Veronika (2004)
- Četri krasti (Four Shores) (2005)
- Four ShoresFour ShoresFour Shores is an album from the Latvian band Brainstorm. It is the fourth album by the band in English and follows the Latvian version of this album Četri krasti, which was released in May 2005. The album contains 12 songs, from which 10 are in English and 2 in Russian...
(2006) - Tur kaut kam ir jābūtTur kaut kam ir jabutTur kaut kam ir jābūt is an album from the Latvian band Brainstorm. It is Brainstorm's sixteenth album in the Latvian language. "Tur kaut kam ir jābūt" is Latvian for "There has to be something". The Latvian version of the album contains thirteen songs. Two singles from the album, "Tur kaut kam ir...
(2008)
- Шаг (Step) (2009)
- Years and Seconds (2010)