Сергей Зверев (He Kind of Looks Like the Russian Michael Jackson)

     Before getting into
my main topic, I would like to thank this awesome website called Russiapedia (www.russiapedia.rt.com) that I just found that I think will be very helpful for the rest of the semester!
     Now to the main event: I discovered a prominent young-ish (the "-ish" will make sense in a moment) Russian man who is a famous hairdresser and stylist, and recently a singer and showman. This man's name is Сергей Зверев or Sergey Zverev, he was born in the town of Kultuk which is a part of the Irkutsk Region of Russia. Сергей was born in 1972 but some sources say 1963 (ergo "young-ish"); Сергей carefully hides his detailed biography from the general public, allowing people to know only the facts he wants to share. For some reason this star is very superstitious about dates and numbers, believing that they have a fateful meaning, and often claims that “show business doesn’t bear a nationality or age.”  Сергей's father died in a motorcycle accident when Сергей was only 4 years old, and his older brother, Александр, died from an asthma attack at age 29. Сергей was left with only his mother, after the second death Сергей and his mother moved to Kazakhstan; Сергей considers his mother to be one of his closest and most loved companions.
      Сергей likes call himself “King of Glamour” and "Star of Shock" and Russia would agree for the most part. The public either adores Зверев’s professional skills and unique style, or loathes his narcissistic attitude and superfluous glamour, that apparently verges on the ridiculous. Mass media like to follow him closely and say that he is a star that “startles, exalts, entertains, annoys, admires, amazes and makes people love and abhor him.”
     After finishing secondary school, Сергей attended a hairdressing college in Ust-Kamenogorsk which is in the center of the East Kazakhstan Province of Kazakhstan, and he received a diploma in three specialties: hairdressing, decorative make-up and clothing design. In the '80s, Сергей did his obligatory military service, at one point he altered the soldiers' uniforms and made them look better. After his discharge he was noticed by a prominent hairdresser, Долорес Кондрашова, moved to Moscow, and opened his first salon in the early '90s. In 1996-1998 Сергей won a series of international competitions and became the European Champion and the World Champion of hairstyling, which I did not even know was a thing. Сергей's name has become synonymous with stunning show designs. He has established innovative trends in the industry of hairstyling and fashion, constantly demonstrating his revolutionary ideas and creativity. At the moment Сергей owns a prestigious beauty salon that bears his name in Moscow. Of course with his abundant amount of fame he charges large sums of money just get his advice on styling; his clients consist of pop-singers, celebrities and millionaires and their wives.
      A famous Russian singer named Алла Пугачева encouraged Сергей, who was her private stylist and hairdresser, to start his own career as a singer. Сергей devoted his first song, "Алла" to the pop-queen as his patroness and muse. For the most part Сергей's career as a singer is thought to be a mere whim of the rich superstar. You can judge for yourself whether or not he is good as a singer, here is a link to the song "вера Брежнева": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SONagIxldGc However, clearly he is an amazing stylist and hairdresser which is obvious through the images of himself I have included.        

Сергей as a child, adult before surgery, and adult after surgery.

    At one point in his career Сергей underwent a series of major plastic surgeries to completely alter his face which was seen merely as apart of his lifestyle and his work. The reasons for such an extreme transformation of his face are not entirely clear. Rumors say that in the late 1990s Сергей had an accident, which greatly damaged his face, and doctors did their best to save it, which sounds a lot like what happened to Michael Jackson. A more common rumor is that the he just wanted to look better and became a victim of bad plastic surgeons.
     Сергей has a teenage son who is also named Сергей, the date of the child's birth is unsure to the public and neither is the name of the mother; some say the mother died when young Сергей was little.The boy often accompanies his famous father at official events and parties, usually dressed in a style similar to Сергей Senior’s.

Сергей and Сергей Jr.

      Lastly, I wanted to mention what Сергей Зверев believes about his name, "Зверев means impossibly beautiful, impossibly fashionable and an impossibly big star. It is a colossal work to be a superstar, a king of glamour and to look like me.” This Russian star really caught my eye and I really wanted to share his life, he is such an interesting character that lives in our world today.