Laima Vaikule managed to create her own special, easily recognizable image on the stage. Her repertoire and manner of performance invariably contain notes of aristocracy, sophistication and Baltic charm. In her personal life, the singer never gave cause for gossip, since she has been happy for 40 years with one man - her producer Andrei Latkovsky. Nevertheless, not everything in the fate of Vaikula turned out the way she would like. She regrets that, due to the mistakes of her youth, she could not experience the joys of motherhood.
From doctors to singers
Vaikule was born into a large Latvian family, she grew up with two older sisters and a brother. The parents of the future singer were ordinary people who made a hard living, so at preschool age, Lyme spent five days a week in a 24-hour kindergarten. She is sure that this difficult experience forever deprived her of the feeling of her home and made her grow up ahead of time. However, Vaikule does not hold a grudge against his father and mother, realizing now how hard life was for them.
From an early age, the girl surprised teachers with her musical abilities, but their development was hampered by the cramped conditions in which the Vaikule family lived. There was simply no room for a piano in the only small room. In addition, the parents dreamed that their daughter would receive a more reliable and respected profession - a doctor. Lyme shared their opinion, she liked the profession of a surgeon. After 8 classes of school, she readily entered the medical school.
Prvada, music from the life of the future star also did not disappear due to a happy coincidence. At the age of 11, Laima took part in the competition for young vocalists for the company with her friend. The singer Leonid Zakhodnik drew attention to the talented girl, he took her under his wing and taught her to sing for free. Teacher Vaikule collaborated with composer Raimonds Pauls, so very soon the aspiring performer found herself auditioning for one of the most famous musicians in Latvia. Fortunately, she managed to make a positive impression on the master. Pauls invited the girl to the place of the soloist of the Riga Radio and Television Orchestra. At the age of 15, Lyme had to make a difficult choice and leave the medical school, although the profession of a doctor is close to her to this day.
Life lessons
Vaikule grew up early, so at the age of 15 she indulged in far from children's entertainment. Together with a friend from school, she ended up in a dubious company, where she began to drink alcohol and tried soft drugs. In addition, she was seduced by one of the guys and soon, to her horror, the girl found out about the pregnancy. Lyme had an abortion without even informing her casual partner. However, she regrets this act all her life, because it caused the further infertility of the singer.
In her youth, men began to actively pay attention to Lyme, and she liked to play with them, meeting with several boyfriends at once. On her 16th birthday, the girl arranged for them to meet together, hoping to see the guys fight for her attention. However, they were only amazed at the treachery and ingenuity of Vaikule and left, breaking off any relationship with her.
The young singer made another fatal mistake when she left the orchestra of Raymond Pauls to tour with the Adjara Philharmonic. That experience ended in failure. The musicians with whom the singer performed in the Caucasus became participants in an armed conflict with a local resident. Lyme was brought to trial as a witness. After experiencing severe stress, she returned to Riga and recovered in a medical school, which she successfully graduated from. However, it was not destined to continue studying at the Vaikule Institute.
Partner and ally, but not a husband
In 1970, young Laima met the musician Andrei Latkovsky. He was 5 years older than the girl, so at that time he did not take her seriously. The next meeting took place three years later, when Vaikule moved to Leningrad. A friend of the pianist asked her about this, as his group urgently needed a soloist. Andrei Latkovsky also worked in this musical group, he was a bass player.
The young man immediately surrounded Vaikule with care and attention. She herself did not notice how she fell in love. Since then, Andrei has been her faithful companion in life for over 40 years. Over time, he took over the functions of director and producer of the pop star. The singer calls him her closest person and faithful friend. But she doesn't like the word "husband" at all. Moreover, over the years of their life together, Lyme and Andrei never made it to the registry office. True, once they arranged a wedding ceremony in Las Vegas, but in the homeland of Vaikule, such a wedding has no legal force.
The singer explains her fundamental rejection of marriage by her independence and rejection of standard norms of behavior. Moreover, the stamp in the passport will not change anything in their relationship with Andrei. The singer admitted that a significant part of their property is already recorded on him, and she will also make a will, indicating the beloved man as the only heir.
However, the relationship of the couple was not always cloudless. When the singer left for Moscow in 1984 and entered the directing department of GITIS, Latkovsky went after her. Vaikule decided to arrange a test of their feelings and offered to live separately. However, they spent only a month apart.
One of the most dramatic moments of his life, the celebrity calls the fight against cancer. Lyme underwent treatment in America, and Latkovsky readily experienced the most difficult and difficult moments with her. His support and care helped the singer return to life, successfully defeating the disease.
Although Vaikule is saddened by the absence of children, she is not sure that she could become a good mother. The singer devoted her whole life to music and serving the public, and her personal life has always remained in second place for her. Perhaps that is why Lyme still ignores the institution of marriage. After all, all these years she remains, by her own admission, "married behind the scenes."
