Irakli Charkviani
Encyclopedia
Irakli Charkviani (November 19, 1961 – February 24, 2006) was a Georgian
poet, prose writer, and musician, lately known under his pseudonym
Mefe (მეფე, "The King"). Charkviani was known for his eccentric image and poetry, and for eclectic music, which spanned alternative rock
, electronic music
and hip hop
.
Charkviani was born into an élite family in Tbilisi
, the capital of then-Soviet Georgia. His father, the journalist and diplomat Gela Charkviani
is Georgia’s current ambassador to the United Kingdom
, and grandfather Candide Charkviani
was the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Georgian SSR Communist Party from 1938 to 1952. His greatgrandfather was a prominent Georgian artist Mose Toidze.
Charkviani graduated from the Department of Western European and American Literature, Tbilisi State University
. His debut in 1976, with the indie rock
project Arishi, passed unnoticed, but the later band Taxi had a greater success and recorded the homonymous album in 1988. In the 1980s, several of Charkviani’s lyrics and short stories, noted for their rebellious character, were published in Georgian literary press. Early in the 1990s, Charkviani emerged as one of the leading artists on Georgia’s alternative and electronic scene. Leading the projects Children’s Medicine (1991-2), and Georgian Dance Empire (1993), he performed throughout Georgia as well as abroad, particularly in Moscow
and Eastern Europe
. Charkviani’s debut solo-album Svan
Song was recorded in Germany
in 1993 and proved to be a significant influence on the Georgian alternative music of the 1990s. He composed music for the feature film "Orpheus’s Death" in 1995 and went on to record his second album Ap’ren in 1997, followed by the single Sakartvelo in 1999 and the albums Amo and Savse in 2001 and 2004, respectively. Around the same period, he chose the pseudonym of Mefe, meaning in Georgian "the king". Charkviani also authored several poems, stories and a novel, but his music remained the principal source of his popularity.
He died, reportedly of "heart problems", at his home on February 24, 2006, leaving several unpublished songs which were subsequently released as the album Dzirs Mefe ("Down with the King") in 2007.
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
poet, prose writer, and musician, lately known under his pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
Mefe (მეფე, "The King"). Charkviani was known for his eccentric image and poetry, and for eclectic music, which spanned alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
, electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
and hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
.
Charkviani was born into an élite family in Tbilisi
Tbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
, the capital of then-Soviet Georgia. His father, the journalist and diplomat Gela Charkviani
Gela Charkviani
Gela Charkviani is Georgian diplomat, educator and television personality. He is currently the Georgian ambassador to the United Kingdom and Ireland....
is Georgia’s current ambassador to 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...
, and grandfather Candide Charkviani
Candide Charkviani
Candide Charkviani was Georgian party and government official, First secretary of the Communist Party of Georgia from 1938-1952. [1]-Early life:...
was the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Georgian SSR Communist Party from 1938 to 1952. His greatgrandfather was a prominent Georgian artist Mose Toidze.
Charkviani graduated from the Department of Western European and American Literature, Tbilisi State University
Tbilisi State University
Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University , better known as Tbilisi State University , is a university established on 8 February 1918 in Tbilisi, Georgia. TSU is the oldest university in the whole Caucasus region...
. His debut in 1976, with the indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
project Arishi, passed unnoticed, but the later band Taxi had a greater success and recorded the homonymous album in 1988. In the 1980s, several of Charkviani’s lyrics and short stories, noted for their rebellious character, were published in Georgian literary press. Early in the 1990s, Charkviani emerged as one of the leading artists on Georgia’s alternative and electronic scene. Leading the projects Children’s Medicine (1991-2), and Georgian Dance Empire (1993), he performed throughout Georgia as well as abroad, particularly in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
and Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
. Charkviani’s debut solo-album Svan
Svans
The Svans are a group of Georgians that mostly live in Svaneti, a region of Georgia speaking the Svan language. The self designated Svan is Mushüan, known to the ancient authors as Misimian.-History:...
Song 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...
in 1993 and proved to be a significant influence on the Georgian alternative music of the 1990s. He composed music for the feature film "Orpheus’s Death" in 1995 and went on to record his second album Ap’ren in 1997, followed by the single Sakartvelo in 1999 and the albums Amo and Savse in 2001 and 2004, respectively. Around the same period, he chose the pseudonym of Mefe, meaning in Georgian "the king". Charkviani also authored several poems, stories and a novel, but his music remained the principal source of his popularity.
He died, reportedly of "heart problems", at his home on February 24, 2006, leaving several unpublished songs which were subsequently released as the album Dzirs Mefe ("Down with the King") in 2007.