Biography
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Years Active
2010 – present (13 years)
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Founded In
Dallas, Dallas County, Texas, United States
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Members
- Andy Leo
Denis Alexandrovich Shaforostov (Ukrainian: Денис Олександрович Шафоростов; born 4 May 1992), also known by his stage name Denis Stoff, is a Ukrainian musician and current vocalist of the British metalcore band Asking Alexandria. Shaforostov showcased an early interest in music through his YouTube channel "above92" which contains vocal and guitar cover videos of songs dating back to as far as 2008. At the peak of 2010 and around this time, his channel gained a big popularity with mass subscribers while a part of the Russian metalcore band Origami in his adolescent years. He furthered the momentum of his YouTube popularity through the formation of Make Me Famous. After Make Me Famous broke up, he founded Down & Dirty before leaving to join Asking Alexandria after the departure of original vocalist Danny Worsnop.
2010-12: Make Me Famous
Main article: Make Me Famous
The first major project Shaforstov involved himself in was metalcore act Make Me Famous which he helped form in 2010 with members Serj Kravchenko on lead vocals, Sergei Hohlov on bass, Dusty Boles on drums and Igor Yestrebov on guitar. The band gained recognition on the video sharing website YouTube, where Shaforostov previously released covers of songs and would eventually gain members after contacting each musician after gaining a following. The band released their debut album in March 2012 via Sumerian Records and successfully charted in the US top 200, peaking at 151.
In late 2012, Shaforostov had announced that he had quit the band, which itself had announced to be disbanded after their final headlining tour that same year, officially disbanding in early 2013.
2012-15: Down & Dirty
After the news arose that Make Me Famous had broken up, Shaforostov quickly announced a new band named Down & Dirty. The band was officially announced under the Sumerian Records label like his last project, and released their first single and music video in December 2013 titled "Move It". The band also released a second single and music video in December 2014 titled "I Will Never Lose My Way". After these songs, Shaforostov later announced he would be joining Asking Alexandria, which was followed by Down & Dirty confirming he was no longer a part of the group.
2015-2016 Asking Alexandria
Main article: Asking Alexandria
On 22 January 2015, lead singer Danny Worsnop announced his departure from Asking Alexandria to focus on his new band We Are Harlot, of which it was quickly stated that his replacement was already found. On 26 May 2015, Shaforostov was officially announced as the new lead vocalist when they released their first single together titled "I Won't Give In" on 27 May. Speculation regarding Shaforostov's involvement started shortly after Worsnop's departure due to similarities between Asking Alexandria and Make Me Famous (who were said to have been ripping off the band's); the fact that they were label mates would have made the transition easy for Shaforostov to make, and on his personal YouTube account he had covered multiple Asking Alexandria songs.
Ben Bruce was asked if he considered anyone else for the role and he stated that "it has to be Denis" going on to praise his much greater vocal range and since he was inspired by Worsnop in the earlier stages of Asking Alexandria he can perform their songs live much better than Worsnop could, however when Shaforostov himself was asked how he would distinguish himself from him, he stated he would not make any comparison since he is a completely different person.
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