Ivan Doroschuk

Ivan Eugene Doroschuk (/ˈdɒrəstʃʌk, ˈdɒrəʃʌk/, French pronunciation: [ivɑ̃ øʒɛ̃ dɔʁɔʃyk]), born 9 October 1957, is a Canadian musician.[1] He is the lead vocalist and founding member of Men Without Hats, with the hit song "The Safety Dance".

Ivan Doroschuk
Doroschuk performing in June 2011
Background information
Born (1957-10-09) 9 October 1957[1]
Champaign, Illinois, U.S.
OriginMontreal, Quebec, Canada
GenresSynthpop, new wave
InstrumentsVocals, guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, synthesizers
Years active1977–2004, 2010–present
Associated actsMen Without Hats
Website

Early life

Ivan Doroschuk was born on 9 October 1957 in Champaign, Illinois to Ukrainian Canadian parents, Eugene and Betty Doroschuk.[1][2]

Doroschuk and his younger brothers, Stefan and Colin, were born in the United States while their father was pursuing a doctorate at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.[1] Eugene Doroschuk received his Ph.D. in 1962, and accepted a teaching position at the Université de Montréal.[1] Betty Doroschuk became a member of the music faculty at Montreal's McGill University, teaching classical voice.[3] The three brothers, all classically trained musicians, grew up in the Montreal borough of Outremont, Quebec.[1]

In 1976, at the age of 18, Doroschuk briefly studied law in the south of France, returning to Montreal in 1977.[4] At McGill University, he was a student in the Film and Communications program.[5]

Musical career
Further information: Men Without Hats

Doroschuk formed the Canadian new wave/synthpop group Men Without Hats in 1977, earning worldwide success with "The Safety Dance" in 1983 and "Pop Goes the World" in 1987. Men Without Hats started out as a new wave band, but the band's sound changed throughout the 1980s, adding more rock influence and transitioning to hard rock by the end of 1990.[6]

In 1997, recording under the name "Ivan," he released a solo album, The Spell, which was followed by a 1999 tour to promote the album.

Doroschuk attempted to revive Men Without Hats in 2003 with his release of the band's comeback album, No Hats Beyond This Point, but did not reform the group for a tour or live performances. The studio album used material originally intended for Doroschuk's unreleased second solo album, Mote in God's Eye. Apart from a 2003 interview on VH1's True Spin, and a 2008 SOCAN Awards Gala where he was presented with an award for "The Safety Dance",[7] Doroschuk made few public appearances during the 2000s.

In 2010, a full revival and reformation of the group Men Without Hats took place, with Doroschuk recruiting three new members. In 2012, they released the album Love in the Age of War, in which Doroschuk returned the band to its early-1980s synthpop sound by creating an intentional follow-up album to 1982's Rhythm of Youth.[8]

Personal life

Doroschuk married in the late 1990s but later divorced. He has one son, age 17–18, and was a stay-at-home father prior to reforming Men Without Hats.[6] He resides in Victoria, British Columbia.[6]

References
  1. Barclay, Michael; Jack, Ian A. D.; Schneider, Jason (2011). Have Not Been the Same: The CanRock Renaissance 1985–1995. ECW Press. p. 128 – via Google Books.
  2. Jean, Michaëlle (26 May 2008). "Speech on the Occasion of a State Dinner in Honour of His Excellency Mr. Victor Yushchenko, President of Ukraine, and Mrs. Kateryna Yushchenko". Canada. Archived from the original on 24 December 2016.
  3. Weisblott, Marc (15 May 1997). "A guy called Ivan". Eye Weekly. Archived from the original on 14 June 2006.
  4. Dent, Nick (4 February 2016). "The strange, happy life of the guy who wrote 'Safety Dance'". Time Out. Sydney, Australia. Archived from the original on 12 May 2016.
  5. Sakadakis, Stella (March 1994). "Where Do the Boys Go?": Tracking the Development of Careers in the Music Industry (PDF) (M.A. thesis). Montreal: McGill University. p. 35. Archived from the original on 23 December 2016.
  6. Barry, Chris (20–26 October 2005). "No hat needed: Ivan Doroschuk enjoys the weather out West, raises a kid and lives off his legacy". Montreal Mirror. 21 (18). Archived from the original on 14 December 2006.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  7. Quill, Greg (18 November 2008). "SOCAN awards homegrown musical talent". The Star. Toronto. Archived from the original on 1 June 2020.
  8. Nagy, Evie (12 June 2012). "Q&A: Men Without Hats' Ivan Doroschuk on New Album, Meeting Carly Rae Jepsen and the Return of New Wave". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 16 April 2016.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
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