Igor Yevgenyevich Kornelyuk was born on November 16, 1962 in Brest, Belarus. He began his musical education at age six and later played keyboards in the ensemble of the Palace of Dance Culture in Brest. In 1978, Kornelyuk moved to Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) to study music. Kornelyuk's professional career started in 1988 when he reached the final of the TV show Song of the Year with "Bilet na Balyet" ("Ticket to the Ballet"). He composed over 200 popular songs recorded by notable Russian singers. Kornelyuk also wrote soundtracks for films and TV series directed by Vladimir Bortko, including Gangsters of Saint-Petersburg, The Idiot, Taras Bulba, and The Master and Margarita.
