Fomins & Kleins was a Latvian rock group formed in 2002. Its members Ivo Fomins and Tomass Kleins were already accomplished and recognized

rock musicians Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

. Both are from the western Latvian port city of

Liepāja Liepāja () (formerly: Libau) is a Administrative divisions of Latvia, state city in western Latvia, located on the Baltic Sea. It is the largest city in the Courland region and the third-largest in the country after Riga and Daugavpils. It is an ...

Previous collaborations

Both have worked together previously, in Soviet times forming the underground group "Saldās sejas" (Sweet Faces), which also featured well known Latvian musicians

Zigfrīds Muktupāvels Zigfrīds is a Latvian masculine given name derived from the Germanic given name Siegfried. People bearing the name Zigfrīds include: *Zigfrīds Anna Meierovics (1887–1925), Latvian politician and diplomat * Zigfrīds Račiņš (1936–1998) ...

and Guntars Račs — with whom a creative relationship continues to this day, since Račs himself is the author of the

lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer, ...

to all of Fomins & Kleins' songs.

Ivo Fomins

Singer Ivo Fomins, also educated as a chef, has taken part in many musical projects in Latvia, performing together with the band "Liepājas Brāļi" (Brothers of Liepāja) and as a solo artist. At the Jurmala Young Pop Singer Competition Ivo reached 3rd place in 1989 and received the viewer's choice award. Ivo's older brother Igo is a popular Latvian singer and is well known throughout the

Baltic countries The Baltic states or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term encompassing Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone, and the OECD. The three sovereign states on the eastern co ...

and Russia due to his work with the

maestro Maestro (; from the Italian '' maestro'' , meaning " master" or "teacher," plural: maestros or maestri) is an honorific title of respect, sometimes abbreviated Mo. The term is most commonly used in the context of Western classical music and oper ...

Raimonds Pauls Ojārs Raimonds Pauls (born 12 January 1936) is a Latvian composer and a pianist who is well known in the Baltic countries and Eastern Europe. He was the Minister of Culture of Latvia from 1988 to 1993. His songs were performed by such popular si ...

, which led to the formation and massive popularity of the band Remix.

Tomass Kleins

Tomass Kleins is the group's guitarist, as well as the author of all the group's music. In his time, he has formed many groups and has played in the famous group Neptūns (Neptune), led by Zodiaks (Zodiac) producer and composer

Jānis Lūsēns Zodiac (, ) was a Latvian space disco band active in the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic between 1980 and 1992. The band was extremely popular in the Soviet Union and has been credited by critics as the Soviet answer to the French band Space wh ...

Eurovision

The group's debut album "Muzikants" (Musician) was released in 2003, and the album's title track became a huge hit after the duo successfully performed at the Latvian National Eurovision Competition and finished in second place. In 2004, they again found themselves singing the only Latvian-language song in the country's Eurovision pre-selection. This time they won, and the song "

Dziesma par laimi Latvia was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 with the song "", composed by Guntars Račs, with lyrics by Tomass Kleins, and performed by Fomins and Kleins. The Latvian participating broadcaster, (LTV), organised the national fin ...

" was selected as Latvia's entry for the

Eurovision Song Contest 2004 The Eurovision Song Contest 2004 was the 49th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Istanbul, Turkey, following the country's victory at the with the song " Everyway That I Can" by Sertab Erener. Organised by the European B ...

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

. Due to the poor result of the previous year's Latvian entry, Fomins and Kleins had to take part in the novelty of a Eurovision semi-final, in which they failed to achieve the top-ten placing needed to advance to the grand final, finishing 17th in a field of 22.

Membership

Together with Ivo Fomins and Tomass Kleins, the group is rounded out by bass guitarist Egils Mežs, drummer Valery Inutin and keyboardist Jānis Lūsēns Jr., and drummers Nellija Bubujance and Tālis Gžibovskis.

Discography

Albums

*''Muzikants'' (Musician) – 2003 *''Dzimis Latvijā'' (Born in Latvia) – 2004

Radio singles

*"Sniegs" (Snow) – 2002 *"Solījums" (Promise) – 2003 *"Muzikants" (Musician) – 2003 *"Kur esi tu" (Where are You) – 2003 *"Tālu prom" (Far Away) – 2003 *"Man vairs nav vienalga" (Now I Care) – 2004 *"Aizejošās dienas" (Departing Days) – 2004 *"Nekas" (Nothing) – 2004 *"

" (Song of Happiness) – 2004

Videos

*"Solījums" (Promise) – 2003 *"Tālu prom" (Far Away) – 2003 *"

" (Song of Happiness) – 2004

References

External links

Fomins & Kleins homepage
{{Authority control Musicians from Liepāja Latvian rock music groups Musical groups established in 2002 Musical groups disestablished in 2006 Romani in Latvia Romani musical groups Eurovision Song Contest entrants