On July 21, 2026, Nani Bregvadze will turn 90. The queen of romance, People's Artist of the USSR (a title she received in 1983, earlier than Iosif Kobzon and Edita Piekha), never chased fame, she simply loved her craft. But the path to recognition proved thorny.

The future star received her unusual name thanks to her actor father, Georgy Bregvadze, who starred in the film "Golden Valley," where the character Nato Vachnadze was named Nani. After the war, her father left cinema and engaged in logging. The main role in the singer's formation was played by her mother, Olga Alexandrovna Mikeladze, who came from a princely family. She recognized her daughter's talent for singing: already at six years old, Nani soulfully performed the romances "Kalitka" and "Ne uezzhay ty, moy golubchik," which she heard from her grandmother and aunt. Nani graduated from the conservatory as a pianist, but even without vocal training, she became a sought-after performer. During her student years, she performed in the Tbilisi State Variety Orchestra "Rero," and at 21, she won the World Festival of Youth with the romance "Potushila ya svechu." Then Leonid Utyosov predicted a great future for her as a singer.

VIA Star

In 1964, Bruno Coquatrix, impresario and director of the Parisian "Olympia," arrived in Moscow. Nani Bregvadze took the audition for the "Moscow Music Hall" lightly, considering herself not a professional singer. The artist admitted that she always treated many things "carelessly": "I bought one dress for the entire season; I didn't count how many minutes people applauded after a performance, who sang one song at a concert, and who sang seven. All this didn't bother me and, as I understand now, saved me everywhere and in everything. It was important what people thought about my singing, especially those who understood music well." Nevertheless, Nani won the competition and went to conquer Paris. There, Charles Aznavour himself noticed her, and the local press actively wrote about the chansonnier's compliments to the Georgian woman. However, nothing serious happened between them, as contacts with foreigners were extremely undesirable for Soviet citizens. Bregvadze enjoyed the two-month tour, befriending Lyudmila Zykina and Yuri Gulyaev.

Upon her return, the singer performed with "Rero" for some time, and then joined the VIA "Orera" at the Georgian Philharmonic. In a group of 10 young men, Nani quickly became one of them. For 15 years with the ensemble, the artist traveled the world, often in dirty train cars with damp bedding. "I still hate trains," the star confessed. "I shudder remembering long journeys on broken buses, shabby hotels. And we received pennies — eleven or fourteen rubles, despite the fact that 'Orera' was the most in-demand group in the country. Now even aspiring singers have different conditions: their own impresario, driver, luxurious hotel rooms."

In 1966, Vakhtang Kikabidze joined the VIA, with whom Bregvadze became close friends. Those around them believed the artists were having a romance, but this was far from the truth. When years later they played a couple in the film "Love with an Accent," the singer joked that she had fulfilled the dreams of fans, at least on screen. Kikabidze's death in 2023 was a blow to Nani Georgievna. "His daughter called me from the hospital. He couldn't speak. I asked: 'Vakhtang, do you want me to come to you? Blink your eyes if you do!' He smiled and blinked. It was a signal. His gaze is still before my eyes. He wanted to see me! But... we didn't make it!" the star lamented.

Nani Bregvadze's Solo Career

After her first creative evening at the Moscow Variety Theater, accompanist Medea Gongliashvili persuaded Nani Bregvadze to start a solo career. The artist initially brushed it off but then thought about it, and when the "Orera" ensemble began to break up, she formed a duo with Medea. In the 80s, the singer was already called the queen of romance: she tenderly performed compositions like "Snegopad," "Tolko raz v zhizni byvaet vstrecha," "Ya pomnyu valsa zvuk," "Snilsya mne sad," and "A naposledok ya skazhu." Bregvadze's voice was heard on records and in films, and in 1983, she became a People's Artist of the USSR. "At first, I tried very hard to justify the title, and then I thought: 'Does it mean anything special? You can't fool people with awards. You start singing, and they immediately forget whether you're famous or not, it doesn't matter to them,'" the star reflected.

The title also brought practical benefits: Nani's fee increased to a thousand rubles, which allowed her to buy a car and a dacha. In the new century, the situation changed: in 2017, Bregvadze, who lived in two countries, complained about a meager pension of 180 lari (about 4000 rubles) and admitted that her main income came from performances in the Russian Federation. In recent years, the artist has not visited Moscow and plans to celebrate her anniversary in Georgia.

The Singer's Personal Life

Just as Nani Bregvadze took up music at her mother's suggestion, she also married with her blessing. Her mother invited young men from good families to their home, and one of them was the construction engineer Merab Mamaladze. He subtly pushed aside all the artist's other friends, began to escort her home, give her flowers and books. Bregvadze felt an attraction to him, but she didn't think about marriage. After a short conversation with her mother, who was convinced of her daughter's affection, Merab's parents arrived at the house. Only then did Nani realize that the relationship had gone too far. Timid attempts to refuse the marriage were unsuccessful: her mother declared that it was "not a game" and that one could not disappoint the expectations of a respectable family.

The singer almost went to another extreme: she wondered if she should shift all her attention to her husband, but her mother warned Merab — he could not forbid Nani from performing. It seemed Mamaladze heeded the demand, but the more successful his wife became, the more he became jealous and irritated. When their daughter Ekaterina, nicknamed Eka, was born, Olga Alexandrovna took over her care, just so the artist wouldn't abandon music. The engineer, meanwhile, was at work until evening, so he didn't particularly help around the house. When the couple was alone, Merab became affectionate and generous.