Fomins & Kleins

Fomins & Kleins was a Latvian rock duo from Liepāja, Latvia, formed in 2002 by singer Ivo Fomins and guitarist Tomass Kleins. Both musicians were already well-known in Latvian rock music before coming together. They first collaborated in the 1980s Soviet era, playing in an underground band called Saldās sejas (Sweet Faces) with other notable Latvian artists. The duo Fomins & Kleins is best known internationally for representing Latvia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 with their song “Dziesma par laimi”.

Formation and Early Success (2002–2003)

Ivo Fomins and Tomass Kleins officially formed Fomins & Kleins in 2002. That year, they signed with Latvia’s biggest record label, Mikrofona Ieraksti (Microphone Records). Early on, they found success on Latvian radio with their first singles. The debut song “Sniegs” (“Snow”) became popular on radio stations and even won 3rd place in a national music video competition. Their next single, “Solījums” (“Promise”), also received heavy airplay and its music video was nominated for Best Music Video at the Latvian Music Awards. These early hits raised the duo’s profile in the Latvian rock scene.

In 2003, Fomins & Kleins performed at the Baltic Song Contest in Sweden, an international festival, where they achieved a strong fourth-place finish. That same year, they released their debut album Muzikants (“Musician”). The album’s title track “Muzikants” became a huge hit in Latvia. Fomins & Kleins entered the Latvian national selection for Eurovision in 2003 with “Muzikants” and earned an impressive second place. Notably, their performance was the only song in Latvian at the competition that year. This early success cemented Fomins & Kleins as rising stars in Latvian rock music.

Eurovision 2004 and Major Milestones

In 2004, Fomins & Kleins reached the peak of their joint career. They released their second album Dzimis Latvijā (“Born in Latvia”), continuing their streak of rock music with Latvian lyrics. The duo again competed in the national Eurovision selection, this time with the song “Dziesma par laimi” (“Song of Happiness”). Once again, it was the only Latvian-language song in the contest, and this time Fomins & Kleins won the national final. As a result, “Dziesma par laimi” was chosen to represent Latvia at Eurovision 2004 in Istanbul. The band stood firm in performing in Latvian and dismissed suggestions to switch to English lyrics.

At Eurovision 2004, Fomins & Kleins competed in the newly introduced semi-final round. They delivered an energetic rock performance true to the “Liepāja sound” (a term for the rock style of their hometown). However, they finished 17th out of 22 in the semi-final and did not advance to the grand final. Despite the result, the duo remained upbeat about the experience and gained international exposure.

Apart from Eurovision, Fomins & Kleins continued to give popular live concerts across Latvia. They described their style as “lyrical rock ’n’ roll,” a blend of melodic and hard rock elements unique in the local scene. During their active years, the group’s lineup also featured other members on bass, drums, and keyboards, but Fomins and Kleins remained the core of the band. The duo’s collaboration was relatively short-lived; they were active until about 2005–2006. In that time, they produced several hit songs in Latvia, such as “Sniegs,” “Solījums,” and “Kur esi tu”, which enjoyed chart success and radio play.

Ivo Fomins – Early Career and Solo Work

Ivo Fomins was born in Liepāja and began his music career in the 1980s. Early on, he performed with several Latvian rock groups. In 1989, Ivo gained wider recognition by competing in the Jūrmala Young Pop Singer Competition, where he won 3rd place and earned the audience’s choice award.

Ivo Fomins comes from a musical family – his older brother, Rodrigo Fomins (known by the stage name Igo), is a legendary Latvian rock singer. By the time Ivo formed Fomins & Kleins in 2002, he was an experienced performer. The duo’s success in the early 2000s made Ivo Fomins a household name in Latvian rock.

After Fomins & Kleins disbanded, Ivo Fomins pursued a solo career in music. He preferred a harder rock sound, which became evident on his 2006 solo album Palikt vienam (“Stay Alone”). In the years that followed, Ivo continued to record and perform as a solo artist. He released several albums, such as Pulss (2011) and Nekas jau nebeidzas (2015), and more recently Cilvēks (2021), maintaining his popularity in Latvian rock music. He has been celebrated as one of the most distinctive voices from Liepāja’s rock scene. In 2008, a compilation album Labākās dziesmas (“Best Songs”) was released to honor Ivo’s career to date, highlighting his hits from both the duo and his solo work.

Tomass Kleins – Early Career and Later Projects

Tomass Kleins is a guitarist and songwriter born in 1966 in Liepāja. He has been involved in Latvian rock music since the early 1980s. Tomass was a member of several bands before the Fomins & Kleins duo. In the 1980s he played in the band Neptūns, which was led by composer Jānis Lūsēns. More prominently, Tomass Kleins spent over ten years as a guitarist in the famous Latvian rock band Līvi. Līvi is an iconic band in Latvian rock, and Tomass’s tenure there (through the 1990s) established him as a leading rock guitarist. After years with Līvi, he teamed up with Ivo (who is Līvi singer Igo’s brother) to form Fomins & Kleins in 2002. Tomass composed all the music for the Fomins & Kleins songs, while Ivo provided vocals. This collaboration allowed him to showcase his songwriting skills in a new project, and it brought him renewed fame during the duo’s successful run.

When Fomins & Kleins split up, Tomass Kleins explored different musical directions. One reason for the breakup was creative differences: Tomass was interested in a more pop-rock sound, whereas Ivo leaned towards heavier rock. Following this, Tomass formed a new band called Cacao in 2006 with young pop singer Andris Ērglis. In Cacao, Tomass switched to a more mainstream style. The band achieved a major pop hit with the song “Ripoja akmens” (“The Stone Rolled”)However, Cacao was short-lived – the group had a very public breakup, and by 2008 it was disbanded.

After the Cacao experiment, Tomass Kleins returned to his rock roots. He joined forces with former Līvi members to form a new rock band called Leģions around 2008. In Leģions, Tomass took up the guitar and songwriting role again, collaborating with veteran rock musicians. The band released an album Nekad nesaki nekad (“Never Say Never”) in 2008.