Prāta Vētra, better known internationally as Brainstorm, is one of Latvia’s best-loved rock-pop bands, formed in 1989 in Jelgava. Members: Vocals: Renārs Kaupers Guitar: Jānis Jubalts Drums: Kaspars Roga Keyboard: Māris Mihelsons Bass: Ingars Viļums (touring member) Former members: Gundars Mauševics ("Mumiņš", from 1989-2004)) In total, Prata Vētra has received 31 Latvian Music Record of the Year awards . In 2006, the band won the European MTV Award for Best Baltic Group. Prata Vētra is the first Latvian representative in the Eurovision Song Contest — in 2000 , with the song My Star , they came in 3rd place. In 2013, Prata Vētra performed at one of the world's most important music and arts festivals, the Glastonbury Festival. The core members—Renārs Kaupers on vocals and guitar, Jānis Jubalts on guitar, Māris Mihelsons on keyboards, and Kaspars Roga on drums—started making music together when they were still classmates. They first gained national attention in the mid-1990s: their 1995 single “Lidmašīnas” became hugely popular in Latvia, and by then they were already touring abroad. Their early work blended alternative rock with mainstream pop sensibilities, helping them build a strong local following. A turning point came in 2000, when the band represented Latvia at the Eurovision Song Contest with the song “My Star” and finished third—a breakthrough that launched them onto the international stage. ([Wikipedia][3]) Over the years, they’ve released albums in Latvian, English, and Russian, constantly evolving in sound while staying true to their melodic roots. One of their most critically lauded albums, **“Par to zēnu, kas sit skārda bungas”**, came out in 2018. For this record, they collaborated with legendary photographer and director **Anton Corbijn**, whose distinctive vision shaped not only the album’s artwork but also its visual identity. The album features songs in all three languages, showing how the band embraces their multilingual and multicultural appeal. Prāta Vētra has also built a reputation as a powerful live act. They’ve played major festivals across Europe and beyond, and supported huge international artists. Back home in Latvia, they’re more than just a band — they’re a cultural institution, having won multiple “Zelta Mikrofons” (Golden Microphone) awards, among other honors. On August 20, 2016, the band gave their only concert in Latvia — at the Daugava Stadium in Liepāja. In total, the concert was attended by more than 28,000 spectators. The concert was attended by supporters of the band from all over Latvia and the Baltics, as well as the USA, Canada, Australia, Russia and even Japan. The demand for concert tickets was so high that it was declared sold out even before the concert began. At the end of the year, Brainstorm went to Moscow with their solo concert. In 2015 the band presented their latest album "7 Steps of fresh air" in the capital of Russia and it was very well received. During the year the songs from the album managed to not only rank the Russian radio charts but also resound in music festivals – such as "Bosco Fresh Fest", "VK Fest", "A-Fest", "Нашествие", where Brainstorm performed as headliners. The members of BrainStorm decided not to take a break to record a new album, whose preliminary release was scheduled for spring 2018, but to create new material in a rock-’n’-roll tour environment, while travelling and discovering new territories and cities. In the summer, the artists played at the Ukrainian festival Atlas Weekend and in the autumn went on a tour in Russia, which was named "Между берегами" (“Between Shores") and included the following cities: Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Ekaterinburg, Tyumen, Omsk, Perm, Nizhny Novgorod. During breaks between performances and while travelling between the cities, the musicians created material for their album, as they were accompanied by the album’s Swedish sound producers, who, being excellent musicians themselves, took an active part in the onstage performances. Prior to the start of the tour, BrainStorm presented the first single from their future album - the song "Как я искал тебя", recorded with Marina Kravets (Марина Кравец), the only female resident of the Comedy Club. Two more singles followed - the song "Tevis Dēļ”, released in Latvia, and the international composition "My Mind’s So Lost (On You)". Within the framework of the autumn tour, special screenings of the documentary ”BrainStorm: Between Shores”, organised by the cinema network Karo, took place in Russian cities. The “Between Shores” tour was continued in April 2018 and was completed with the release of the new record. At the very end of 2017, BrainStorm announced their first performances of 2018 - a spring series of concerts in Great Britain, Ireland and Lithuania, a summer series in Latvia and participation in the festival “Дикая Мята”. On April 25th 2018, Prāta Vētra released their 13th record with the title "Par to zēnu, kas sit skārda bungas" (latvian version)("About the boy who plays the tin drum" english version and "Wonderful Day" russina version). It features songs in Russian, English and Latvian. To create the art work for the new album, BrainStorm have yet again co-worked with the legendary photographer and director Anton Corbijn. On the eve of the record release, i.e. on 12 April, BrainStorm also released two new music videos. In the Russian-speaking territory and internationally, a video clip for the song "Wonderful Day" was released, whose fragments were shot at the International Space Station by the Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Ryazansky (Сергей Рязанский). And in Latvia, a separate premiere took place - the main track from the album’s Latvian version was released "Par to zēnu, kas sit skārda bungas" ("About the boy who plays the tin drums"). Prior to the album’s release, the musicians announced their participation in two more summer festivals - “Стереолето” in Saint Petersburg and “Кинопробы” in Okulovka, as well as the date of the Moscow presentation of the "Wonderful Day" album, to be held on 13 December in the Crocus City Hall. Apart from the musical announcements, BrainStorm pleased with news about their participation in the Russian film "7 ужинов" (“7 Dinners") by the director Kirill Pletnev (Кирилл Плетнев), to be released in early 2019, where the musicians played themselves in the culmination scene of this romantic comedy. In recent years, they’ve continued to innovate: in 2023 they released the EP *“Pagalmi”*, a deeply personal project reflecting on their childhood in Jelgava. Their concert tours remain massive, and they’ve maintained a strong connection with their roots — all while remaining relevant in the international music scene. In 2025 the band released their newest album Pūķa Lietošanas Instrukcija and announced five tour dates across Latvia. Discography: * Vairāk nekā skaļi (1993) * Vietu nav (1994) * Veronika (1996) * Viss ir tieši tā kā tu vēlies (1997) * Starp divām saulēm (1999) (Released in English as Among the Suns (2000)) * Izlase '89-'99 (2000) * Kaķēns, kurš atteicās no jūrasskolas (2001) (Released in English as Online (2001) * Dienās, kad lidlauks pārāk tāls (2003) (Released in English as A Day Before Tomorrow (2003)) * Veronika (re-release on CD)(2004) * Četri krasti (2005) (Released in English as Four Shores (2006)) * Tur kaut kam ir jābūt (2008) (Released in Russian as ШАГ (2009) and in English as Years and seconds (2010)) * Izlase 2000 - 2010 (2010) * Vēl viena klusā daba (2012) (Released in English as Another Still Life (2012))