Alexander Solodukna is a Soviet, Belarusian and Russian pop singer. His best known songs are "Здравствуй, чужая милая" (Hello, Alien Darling) and "Виноград" (Grapes)
Background
Alexander Solodukha was born on January 18, 1959 in village Kamenka, Zagorsky District, Moscow oblast, Russia. Now the region is called Sergiyevo-Posadsky District. Solodukha's father did military service there.
Solodukha's father and mother come from Belarus, both born in 1932. His father, Anton Solodukha, was born in Brest region, Baranovichski District, village Polonichka. His mother was born in village Voshkaty, Kopyl, Minsk region. She was a teacher.
Education
When Alexander was 6 years old the family moved to Kazakhstan, to the town of Priozersk. He went to a local secondary school. Alexander only had best grades for sports and music; he wasn't an excellent pupil. He saw a film about belarusian music band 'Pesnyary' and their leader Mulyavin on TV and fell in love with their music. Solodukha mentioned the influence of Edward Hil, Alexander Gradski, Yuri Antonov.
Solodukha learned to play the piano at a music school and mastered guitar by himself.
He entered Karaganda State Medical University but soon realized that medicine was not his thing. Nevertheless Solodukha finished his education in Minsk State Medical University. As a first-year student he already formed a pop group to perform amateur in the university. He was also performing in restaurants while studying in Karaganda (Qaraghandy).
Career
After graduating Solodukha went to Kazakhstan to work in a construction gang and returned to Minsk to work at a sanitary-epidemiological service. After a yer he dropped and started worked for 4 years in fish supervision.
In 1987, while singing in a hotel in Minsk, he attracted the attention of Konstantin Orbelyan, the conductor of the Armenian State Orchestra, who helped him start his career as a lead singer in the Belarusian State Concert Orchestra.
In 1989 he started his collaboration with the 'Theter of Song' of Jadviga Poplavskaja and Alexander Tikhanovich.
Solodikha began his solo career in 1991 with joining the band 'Karusel'. They performed russian and belarusian pop songs. He was nicknamed 'Merry Milkman' (Весёлый Молочник). Soloducha takes part in TV and Radio shows, gives gigs in CIS countries. Although performing a lot, he doesn't compose music or lyrics himself.
In 1995 he went to Russia and produced his album "Здравствуй, чужая милая" (Hello, Alien Darling), which became his hit. The title song is a remake of the song, performed by many soviet artists. Solodukha produced a music video to the song.
Several years after Solodukha went to Russia again and issued another music video for the song "Kalina" (Snowball tree). His album Kalina (2000) sold well in Russia. There followed more albums: "Hundreds of Kilometers to Love" in 2005 (Сотни километров до любви) with its hit song "Grapes" (Виноград), "You for me Fulfilled" with a music video for the title song in 2010, "Shores" (Берега) in 2011, "Faithful Heart" (Верное сердце) in 2014. Celebrating the 20th on-stage anniversary Solodukha gave a recital in 2007.
A documentary film about his life and career came to life in 2011 (Дочки моей глаза, My Daughter's eyes - a line of one of his hit songs).
Connections
He is married and has two sons and a daughter. His wife's name is Natalya