Biography
Now on the Russian stage there are a lot of performers of a wide variety of genres. In an attempt to stand out from the crowd, they use many tools, from the way they present themselves to personal communication with followers on social networks.
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Singer Varvara Vizbor differs from most of her stage colleagues in that she does not know her specific target audience, does not strive at all costs to increase the number of fans at concerts or subscribers on Instagram, and understands perfectly well that she performs non-commercial music. .
“I can do what I want and love. I don't feel starry or popular. If what I do finds a response in hearts, then this is my greatest joy,” this is how Varvara has repeatedly defined her current activities.
Russian singer, granddaughter of Yuri Vizbor and Ada Yakusheva.
Born on February 18, 1986 in the family of Sergei Lobikov and Tatyana Vizbor. In 2007 she graduated from the Theater School. Shchukin (workshop of P. E. Lyubimtsev). In 2007-2009 she studied at the department of plastic expressiveness of an actor in the master's program of the Theater Institute named after. Shchukin. In 2008-2010 worked at the “School of Modern Play” theater. From 2010 to 2013, she was an actress at the Theater on Serpukhovka under the direction of Teresa Durova.
Varvara has a younger brother, Yuri Lobikov. He bears his father's last name. At the family council, it was decided that the daughter would receive the surname of her grandfather and mother - Vizbor. In this way, she will be able to continue the glorious history of this family.
From 2010 to 2020, she performed in Moscow clubs as part of a pop-jazz group called “Vizbor VS Khutas”. The name encrypts the names of the founders - Varvara Vizbor and Sergei Khutas. In addition to Sergei Khutas and Varvara Vizbor, the lineup also included keyboardist Roman Dmitriev, drummer David Tkebuchava, and guitarist Maxim Shibin. It is with this lineup that Varvara Vizbor’s debut album, entitled “Strawberry,” is being recorded in 2020.
In the summer of 2020, Varvara Vizbor, under her own name, is gathering a completely renewed line-up of musicians. Currently, Varvara Vizbor’s musical group is actively performing and recording a new album, which is scheduled for release in the summer of 2020.
The aspiring artist strived for live communication with the audience. She loved to sing and dance. But once from the institute walls to the “School of Modern Play” theater, the young actress was soon disappointed. She really missed singing, music and dancing. Varvara realized that the dramatic actor is rather limited in the means of self-expression. I didn’t like Vizbor and the oppressive atmosphere that reigned in this temple of Melpomene. In addition, she jumped unsuccessfully at the performance and broke her leg. Varya realized that this was a sign of fate, which was pushing her not to stop and to look for her place further.
Soon Varvara Vizbor moved to the Moscow Theater of Miniatures (now “Theatrium on Serpukhovka”). After a conversation with the artistic director of the theater Teresa Durova, the young artist realized that she had finally found herself in a place where she would be comfortable and interested in working.
And so it happened. In this eccentric theater, imbued with creativity and freedom, where each production was extremely dynamic and musical, Varvara felt happy. She successfully debuted in several productions. Varvara herself considers her star role to be the role of Zabava in the musical “The Flying Ship.” She also played in the plays “Bye-bye, Khrapelkin!”, “Flint”, “Klountsert. Adventures in the city of I", "Dragon" and others.
Music
No matter how comfortable Varvara Vizbor felt in the “Theatrium on Serpukhovka,” the singer beat the actress in it. While still a student, she met jazz musicians Sergei Khutas and Zhenya Borts. This is how a project called “VizborV.S.Khutas” appeared.
The musicians worked together for five years and released the album “Strawberry”. These are songs in which love for the land, for Russian roots and spirit runs like a red thread. But at the same time, these are not only folk, but also jazz, sometimes avant-garde motifs. The authors of the poems of the performed compositions belong to different eras, but are connected by a common mood. The album also contains songs by Varvara’s legendary grandfather, Yuri Vizbor.
"Voice"
In mid-September 2020, Varvara Vizbor took part in the “Voice” project. In the blind audition, she performed the surprisingly tender and touching song “Winter,” written by her grandfather. The audience listened to the singer's voice with extraordinary trepidation, but when she finished singing, not one of the four jury members turned to Varvara.
Polina Gagarina later explained that she simply did not have time to react, because the composition was quite short and froze unexpectedly quickly. But the audience accepted the excuses of other jury members - Basta, Alexander Gradsky and Grigory Leps - with undisguised indignation, giving the singer a standing ovation.
Surprisingly, after Varvara’s failure, Vizbor gained enormous popularity, even more than some of the past participants.
Personal life
Varvara Vizbor’s personal life is so closed that it is almost impossible to find out the name of her husband. All that is known is that the singer is indeed officially married. She herself says that she protects information about her family and loved ones.
So far there are no children in Varvara Vizbor’s family, but plans to expand the family are already maturing.
Childhood and youth
Varvara Vizbor is a native Muscovite. She was born on February 18, 1986 in a family where everyone lived and breathed creativity. Grandfather Yuri Vizbor is a legendary Soviet bard and poet.
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Varvara Vizbor in childhood
Grandmother Ada Yakusheva is also a famous person, a talented performer of bard songs, poetess and writer. Since childhood, everyone around her has noted Varvara’s amazing external similarity to her grandmother. Mom Tatyana Vizbor is a creative person, works as a television and radio journalist.
Varvara has a younger brother, Yuri Lobikov. He bears the name of his father, an economist by profession. At the family council, it was decided that the daughter would receive the surname of her grandfather and mother - Vizbor - and thus continue the history of this family.
How Varvara’s biography would turn out became clear at school age. The girl did not study very well, but her musical and acting inclinations were clearly expressed. The parents decided that their daughter did not leave them “a single chance” and took her to a theater studio.
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Singer Varvara Vizbor
After graduating from school, Vizbor was unable to enter VGIK the first time. Then the non-admission applicants were greatly supported by their mentor, actor Alexei Batalov. He convinced the despondent guys that under no circumstances should they give up. He also named the most famous names of artists who did not enter the theater the first, and sometimes even the second time, nevertheless they turned into legends of theater and cinema.
Varvara Vizbor becomes a student at the Shchukin Theater School next year. The girl studied with pleasure and graduated with honors. Moreover, Vizbor enjoyed the educational process so much that she entered the department, deciding to stay in teaching. But after 2 years she realized that she was more drawn to the stage, and went to the theater.
Video
Varvara Vizbor (born February 18, 1986 in Moscow) is a Russian pop and jazz performer. Varvara, the granddaughter of Yuri Vizbor and Ada Yakusheva, was involved in a variety of creative processes from an early age. Her first steps in music were classes in the Red Carnation children's choir, where her parents brought her. Feeling a love for singing, Varvara stayed there for all ten school years. In parallel with the choir, she began to actively play music at home with her brother Yura, who sang, composed music and accompanied him on the guitar.
After graduating from school, Varya entered the theater school. Shchukin, where choreography became her new love. After graduating from the acting department, training followed at the department of plastic expressiveness of an actor.
After “Pike”, Varvara performed on the theater stage in Moscow as a singing actress. These were mainly children's musical performances at the School of Modern Play and the Theater on Serpukhovka. His most favorite theater work was the role of Zabava in the musical “The Flying Ship,” which was always popular with young viewers.
Simultaneously with her work in the theater, Varvara began to collaborate with various Moscow musicians. Among them was the talented jazz double bassist and composer Sergei Khutas. It was together with Sergei that a musical group was created, called “Vizbor VS Khutas”. The lineup also included: David Tkebuchava - drums, Roman Dmitriev - keyboards and Maxim Shibin - guitar. Joint concert activities led to the release of the album “Strawberry”, in which different musical genres and trends intersected, ranging from pop jazz, urban folk, ending with the heritage of the Soviet era and the high classical school.
The album includes songs composed by the musicians themselves, as well as several remakes of works by other remarkable authors, including Kira Malygina, Dmitry Sukharev, Yuri Vizbor, etc. Many compositions from “Strawberry” have become an important part of Varvara’s concert program.
Another interesting collaboration between Varvara and the founder of the music studio project “That City”, Mikhail Maksimov, was called “Magic Fruit”. Together with Varvara, Presnyakov Sr., Pyotr Theremin, Alizbar and other performers took part in the recording of the project. The libretto was created based on the works of Anna Retheum, an excellent poet and our contemporary. Love lyrics serve as the basis for music that takes listeners to an ancient world filled with emotions and feelings, medieval secrets and the raging winds of the endless ocean. “Magic Fruit” grew from the poems of Reteum, the music of Maksimov and the voice of Vizbor.
The name of Varvara Vizbor was practically unknown to the general public until the fall of 2020. But everything changed after the girl’s sensational performance on the popular show “The Voice,” where she performed “And there will be a great winter...” by her grandfather, Yuri Vizbor. Despite the fact that the singer did not pass the blind auditions, she became popular and desirable on television channels and festivals.
On December 29, 2020, Varvara Vizbor’s official video for the song “And the winter will be great...” was released on YouTube, which was filmed in the Ural Mountains of the Chelyabinsk Region and in the city of Sysert, Sverdlovsk Region. The video was directed by the Ural hip-hop performers “White Bone. Iceberg".
Together with the group “Uma2rman” Varvara recorded the track “On the Other Shore of Winter”
On June 4, 2020, together with her musical group, Varvara Vizbor performed with great success at the largest jazz festival in the post-Soviet space “Usadba Jazz” in Arkhangelskoye.
On September 5, 2020, the second numbered album “Mitten” was released.
Composition: Varvara Vizbor - vocals, Alexander Rodovsky - guitar, Victor Shestak - bass guitar, Dmitry Ilugdin - keyboards, Alexander Bruni - flute, Petr Ivshin - drums.
Discography: “Magic Fruit” (2015) – as part of the “That City” project. “Strawberries” (03/20/2015), a joint project of Varvara Vizbor and Sergei Khutas. “Mitten” (09/05/2016), “Polyphony” (11/3/2017).
Video clips: “You are my breath” (studio, 01/8/2013) “Isn’t it from you?” (2015)? “Munchausen” (08/5/2015), “And the winter will be great...” (12/29/2015), “Yakutyanochka” (with L'One, 05/13/2016), “Lucy” (05/25/2016), “ Twilight" (06/3/2016), "Somewhere" (12/27/2016), "Below zero" (09/25/2017), "We are an echo" (with L'One, 12/7/2017), "Snow was falling" (12/27 .2017), “In the stone river” (04/18/2018), “The weather is to blame for everything” (06/5/2018), “But we make rockets!” (01/15/2020), “Said and done” (Concert, 05/17/2020).
Internet: Official website Video channel Instagram Facebook VKontakte Wikipedia
Theater
The aspiring artist strived for live communication with the audience. She loved to sing and dance. But once from the institute walls to the “School of Modern Play” theater, the young actress was soon disappointed. She really missed singing, music and dancing.
Varvara realized that the dramatic actor is rather limited in the means of self-expression. I didn’t like Vizbor and the oppressive atmosphere that reigned in this temple of Melpomene. In addition, she jumped unsuccessfully at the performance and broke her leg. Varya realized that this was a sign of fate, which was pushing her not to stop and to look for her place further.
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A post shared by Varvara Vizbor (@varvara_vizbor) on Dec 31, 2015 at 3:18pm PST
Varvara Vizbor on stage
Soon Varvara Vizbor moved to the Moscow Theater of Miniatures (now “Theatrium on Serpukhovka”). After a conversation with the artistic director of the theater Teresa Durova, the young artist realized that she had finally found herself in a place where it would be comfortable and interesting to work.
And so it happened. In this eccentric theater, imbued with creativity and freedom, where each production is extremely dynamic and musical, Varvara felt happy. She successfully debuted in several performances. Vizbor herself considers Zabava in the musical “The Flying Ship” to be her star role. She also played in the plays “Bye-bye, Khrapelkin!”, “Flint”, “Klountsert. Adventures in the city of I", "Dragon".
However, the theatrical stage did not hold back the seeking nature. Varvara admitted in an interview that she pays tribute to her professional colleagues, but wants to admire their performance only as a spectator - the singer beat the actress in it.
It is impossible to find a photo of the singer with her husband online; she believes that flaunting her personal life is not for her, therefore, it is difficult to say who Varvara Vizbor’s husband is and what he does, but the fact that he exists is a reliable fact.
It is also known that they met near the service entrance of the Moscow Art Theater. Gorky, so we can assume that the singer’s husband has something to do with the theater. Varvara herself is a professional actress - in 2007 she graduated from the Theater School. Shchukin, and later improved her skills at the department of plastic expressiveness in her master’s program. After working for two years at the School of Modern Play theater and three more at the Theater on Serpukhovka under the direction of Teresa Durova, she set off on a free voyage, organizing the group Vizbor VS Khutas, with which she performed in Moscow clubs. In 2020, Varvara Vizbor recorded her first album, “Strawberry,” with the musicians of her group.
Among the songs included in the album are works by her famous grandfather, actor and bard Yuri Vizbor. With his song “Winter”, Varvara came to the television competition “The Voice”, but, despite the fact that it was very warmly received by the audience, the jury was not impressed by this performance, and none of its members turned to the performer. However, this failure on the show brought the singer enormous popularity - the video recording the song is very successful on the Internet, and users are still outraged that she was not appreciated by the Voice mentors. Varvara Vizbor herself is not offended by the jury - she is critical of her performance and believes that it is difficult for mentors to decide, since all the participants in the show are very talented and it is very difficult to make a choice in favor of someone.
The singer generally never judges those around her strictly - she adopted this attitude towards people from her grandmother Ada Yakusheva, with whom she was always very close. Varvara often remembers her childhood, and these memories help her, especially when her heart is heavy. At such moments, she loves to be alone, especially to take a walk alone, however, now Varvara Vizbor’s husband does not really let her go. She remembers how she started singing - her parents brought her to the House of Creativity to send her to dance, but they said that she should have started earlier, and then Varya went to the choir, which she did not part with all her school years. This was her pleasure and outlet after school, which seemed like real torture to her, especially physics and mathematics, which were given to her with great difficulty. Later, when her younger brother Yuri grew up, they began to sing together - he played, and Varvara sang.
At first, with their performances they delighted only their households, and then they began performing in clubs.
Varvara Vizbor and her brother inherited their love for music from their parents, with whom they were always very close. The singer calls herself “daddy’s daughter,” and just like her father, she loves music, and is also interested in sports and literature. He sent his daughter to the taekwondo section, where she studied alone among the boys, but now sports training helps Varvara - thanks to this, she has become more resilient, sports instilled in her a love of movement and dancing. True, the singer bears the surname not of her father, but of her mother - this is what her parents decided when she was still a teenager, so that the surname would be passed on from generation to generation. Varvara thinks that her future children will also bear this surname, although they will decide this together with her husband. Vizbor does not talk about who her husband is, but says that he is the closest and dearest person to her, with whom she would always like to be close. In contact with
Music and TV projects
While still a student, Varya met jazz musicians Sergei Khutas and Zhenya Borets. This is how a project called “VizborV.S.Khutas” appeared. The friends worked together for 5 years and released the album “Strawberry”. These are songs in which love for the land, for Russian roots and spirit runs like a red thread. But at the same time, these are not only folk, but also jazz, sometimes avant-garde motifs.
Varvara Vizbor - “Margulis’ Apartment”
The authors of the poems of the performed compositions belong to different eras, but are connected by a common mood. The album also contains songs by Varvara’s grandfather, Yuri Vizbor.
Participating in the television project “Margulis’ Apartment,” the granddaughter of the famous bard said that she did not like the author’s song, which surprised the press a lot. However, over time, Vizbor explained that “the phrase is outdated.” At that moment, she was starting from childhood memories:
“Quite often I found myself in a circle of people who sang their own (and other) songs with a guitar. And it wasn’t always healthy or appropriate.”
The next item in the discography is called “Magic Fruit”. The performer created the album together with the talented composer Mikhail Maksimov. Vladimir Presnyakov Sr., Pyotr Termen, Alizbar and others took part in the recording. And the poetry of modern poetess Anna Reteum was able to breathe life into the project.
Varvara Vizbor - “Yakutyanochka”
In mid-September 2020, Varvara Vizbor participated in the “Voice” project. At the Blind Auditions, she performed the surprisingly tender and touching song “Winter,” written by her grandfather. The audience listened to the singer's voice with extraordinary trepidation, but when she finished singing, none of the 4 jury members turned to Varvara.
Polina Gagarina later explained that she simply did not have time to react, because the composition was quite short and froze unexpectedly quickly. But the audience accepted the excuses of other jury members - Basta, Alexander Gradsky and Grigory Leps - with undisguised indignation, giving the singer a standing ovation.
Varvara Vizbor - “Winter”
Surprisingly, after Varvara’s failure, Vizbor gained enormous popularity, even more than some of the past participants. A real persecution of mentors began on social networks. Most users did not understand why no one turned around, and some gave their verdict: “Because there is no Poly.”
Harsh words of condemnation rained down on the jury not only from ordinary spectators, but also from the “stars.” Thus, Maxim Vitorgan issued his verdict on Facebook, writing:
“And the judge is naked...”
The performer herself took the defeat seriously and promised that she would stop all attempts to participate in such shows. But at the same time, she admitted that “The Voice” brought her to an unprecedented wave of popularity and recognition. Warm words of support and admiration are now being written by thousands of fans of the singer’s talent.
Varvara Vizbor - “Lucy”
Internet search engines had difficulty determining the genre of the disc “Mitten,” which Vizbor presented to the public in 2020 – either pop or jazz. The album is an unexpected cocktail of songs performed by Vladimir Vysotsky, Ada Yakusheva, Valentina Tolkunova, Alla Pugacheva: “You are my breath” and “Lucy”, “The Ballad of Two Dead Swans” and “On My Street”.
Critics noted Varvara's personal style, traceable in arrangements, beats and melodic declamation with elements of jazz, funk and R'n'B. The singer said that she is inspired by the early work of Tupac Shakur and Radiohead, Erykah Badu and Chizh and Co.
Soon, rapper L'One approached the girl with an offer to record a joint track. The artist, who loves to experiment, agreed with pleasure. As a result of this collaboration, “Yakutyanochka” and a video of the same name appeared. The next composition “We are an echo” was included in the rapper’s album “1985”.
Group "Umaturman" and Varvara Vizbor - "On the Other Shore of Winter"
With the group “Umaturman,” Vizbor performed “On the Other Shore of Winter,” which the Kristovsky brothers included in the studio album “Sing, Spring!”
Varya herself recorded the album “Polyphony” with 11 songs by Ada Yakusheva and Yuri Vizbor, including “Below Zero”, “The Rain Is Wandering”, and gave a concert-presentation at the Vegas City Hall.
Music career
Despite the comfortable work at the Theater on Serpukhovka, over time the desire to become a singer got the better of the actress. While still a student, the girl met jazz musicians Zhenya Borts and Sergei Khutas. This is how their joint project called “VizborV.S.Khutas” was born.
The talented musicians worked together for 5 years and released the album “Strawberry”. It includes songs that reflect the love for the land, Russian roots and Russian spirit. However, there are not only folk, but also jazz and even avant-garde motifs in places.
The authors of the poems of the performed compositions belong to different eras, but they are all connected by a common mood. The album also includes songs by the legendary Yuri Vizbor.
Another musical project of the girl called “Magic Fruit” was a collaboration with the talented composer Mikhail Maksimov. It is curious that Vladimir Presnyakov Sr., Pyotr Termen, Alizbar and others participated in the recording of the album. The poetry of contemporary poetess Anna Retheum breathed life into the project. The album was very warmly received by fans of Varvara Vizbor's work.
In September 2020, Varvara Vizbor took part in the television show “The Voice”. In the blind audition, she sang the surprisingly touching and tender song “Winter,” written by her grandfather. The audience in the hall listened to the singer's voice in awe, but when she finished singing, not one of the four jury members turned to Varvara. And although the girl did not enter the project and did not become its participant, the audience gave her a standing ovation.
And it was after such a failure that Varvara Vizbor gained enormous popularity in the country, even more than some past participants. The performer herself took her defeat seriously and even promised in her hearts that she would no longer make any attempts to participate in such shows.
But at the same time, she admitted with surprise that “The Voice” lifted her to an unprecedented wave of popularity and recognition among a wide audience. Thousands of fans of the singer’s talent write warm words of support and admiration for her performance on social networks.
Personal life
Varvara Vizbor’s personal life is so closed that it is almost impossible to find out the name of her husband. The singer herself says that she deliberately hides information about a loved one. It is known that the husband is fond of Thai boxing, and on vacation in Thailand, the lovers “exchanged” tattoos instead of traditional wedding rings. Varvara has no children yet, but plans to expand the family are already maturing.
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Varvara Vizbor's hairstyle
On Instagram, the girl captivates with her difference from other girls her age. In the photo, Vizbor appears in outfits from not the most popular brands, but you can’t deny her exquisite taste. The owner of a model appearance (height 172 cm, weight - just over 50 kg) does not scatter pictures in a swimsuit - there are only a couple of them. And Varvara had to talk about her hairstyle separately. Platinum color and shaved temples appeared when the artist, feeling the onset of a new stage in her life, wanted something more aggressive and at the same time comfortable.
Childhood and adolescence
A native Muscovite, Varvara Sergeevna Vizbor was born on February 18, 1986 into a creative, intelligent family. Varvara’s grandfather is the famous poet-bard Yuri Vizbor, her grandmother is the talented poet and writer Ariadna Yakusheva.
Varvara Vizbor in childhood Unfortunately, the girl was born a year after her grandfather’s death, but she became acquainted with his work in early childhood. His parents bought a collection disc containing his song “Night Road,” which sank into Varya’s soul from the first chords. How surprised she was when her mother told her that this was her grandfather’s song! I was very surprised, because in our family there was no cult of grandfather - for us he was an ordinary person, father and grandfather, a member of the family. Since childhood, the girl was surrounded by a creative atmosphere , which could not but influence her worldview and future fate. Representatives of the capital's bohemians often gathered in the house, sang, played music, read poetry and staged impromptu performances. Her parents instilled in her a kind attitude towards people and the ability to communicate freely with a variety of people, and from her grandmother Varya inherited a sense of humor and an optimistic attitude towards life.
Yuri Vizbor is the grandfather of Varvara Vizbor. The girl’s parents, Tatyana Vizbor and Sergei Lobikov, also people of creative professions, immediately recognized their daughter’s artistic and musical abilities and took her to a theater studio. Having become a first-grader, Varvara enrolled in the school choir “Red Carnation”, in which she sang until graduation.
Photo shoot of Varvara Vizbor for Vogue She studied at an intermediate level and preferred to spend her free time not with textbooks, but at choir rehearsals or in the children's theater. With his brother Yuri, they often organized home concerts: Yura played, and Varya performed songs from the repertoire of her beloved Alla Pugacheva. The girl also studied drawing and macrame. Varvara and Yuri Vizbor - You are my breath After finishing school, Varya tried to enter VGIK, but did not pass the competition. Failure did not dampen the ardor of the ambitious girl, and on the advice of Alexei Batalov, a year later she applied to the Shchukin School. This time her efforts were rewarded: Varvara became a student at a prestigious theater university, which she successfully graduated in 2007.
Varvara Vizbor is very similar to her grandmother Ada Yakusheva
Varvara Vizbor now
Being an extraordinary girl, Varvara dreamed of performing at unusual venues - on the roof, in an abandoned factory. And the singer succeeded.
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Varvara Vizbor in 2020
In 2019, the tradition continues with concerts on the roof of the St. Petersburg nightclub Roof Place. Moreover, tickets are sold 3 months before the performance. Before this, Vizbor fans heard their favorite artist at the Cosmonaut club; the event became a kind of gift for Valentine's Day.
Another event in the singer’s creative life is the “17 Moments” International Film Festival named after Vyacheslav Tikhonov in the Moscow region. The festival included concerts, creative evenings, as well as master classes and lectures for children and adults.
Varvara Vizbor: “Delicious food can be inspiration”
What is the most important thing in music for you?
For me, it is very important in music to feel its energy. When it is there, the music evokes emotions, it means everything worked out.
Still, at what point do you realize that the music has worked? Does it depend on your own reaction or on the reaction of the listeners?
No, I think that, of course, this happens in advance, long ago. I can feel something even before the song has its final arrangement. That is, I feel some kind of grain, and it inspires me to further work with the composition.
How long do you work on one song before you are happy with the result?
There is no specific time period for any song. I can work on one track for a year, on another – for a month, for example.
What are your main sources of inspiration?
Inspiration can come from delicious food.
And have you had such an experience? Were you inspired by food?
Well, no, of course (laughs), there is no such specific experience.
I know that there are artists who completely immerse themselves in music, and at the time of recording an album they are not engaged in any other activity. What type are you?
Life itself cannot be stopped because of the recording of an album, so of course I fully account for my time. But, you see, in recording an album it’s not like you’re constantly doing it for 24 hours, this process is like life itself. It flows very brightly, intensely, but is still very connected with ordinary life.
You have a huge genre range of compositions, but is there anything you're really excited to try? Some kind of experiment with sound and style?
Yes, although the spectrum is very wide, I haven’t tried much. As for any interesting thoughts, I don’t know about them yet, because they come in the process.
What do you think about competition formats like the show “ The Voice ” ? Are the vocal abilities of a participant so important or are they judged by the cover?
I think the show is vocal, of course the title speaks for itself. This is a show about the voice, but sometimes the vocal abilities are not enough to win. You need to work on your external image too.
How realistic is it to appreciate the potential and creativity in such shows?
It's hard to appreciate a person's creativity when he performs only one song, you don't know anything about him, you see what's happening at that moment. You can only appreciate this particular composition, voice and charisma. But this may not be enough.
Did the fact that none of the judges turned around affect you in any way?
Yes, I was very upset at that moment.
Read more about the performance at Usadba Jazz. What were your emotions and impressions of the festival?
I have wonderful impressions from that performance. By the way, we performed as part of the Jazz Estate in four cities: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Voronezh and Yekaterinburg. I really like the open air format, especially in beautiful and unusual places. In estates, on rooftops... I always feel a special mood at such concerts.
Do you prefer open air format or indoor concerts?
These performances have a different atmosphere. This is a different energy. If we are talking about a festival, then people came to see different artists, and they need to be won over. It's interesting too, and it's more difficult than a solo concert when people know where and who they came to see.
Do you have any favorite songs by Yuri Iosifovich? Which ones may have somehow influenced your work (if they have) or that you just really like to listen to?
Of course, I have my grandfather’s favorite songs. They are the cornerstone of everything I do. All the favorite songs that I noted for myself are on my albums. And they will be on my next album, which is currently in the works. It’s still a secret what compositions will be included there.
After working together with L'One, have you ever thought about recording something with rappers again? Are you attracted to anyone from this genre?
It happened, we recorded “Yakutyanochka” and “Echo” with Levan. And I’m not ashamed of both compositions. He was the initiator of this duet with Levan, for me it was a pleasant surprise, and I didn’t think about who else I would like to work with from the hip-hop scene, artists. For me, Levan is more likely not from hip-hop, but simply a talented person. Rap, of course, rules the global industry today, but because of this, a huge number of upstarts and bad taste have appeared.
Are you enjoying being an independent artist now? Would you like to try working inside a label?
Since I haven't tried it, I have nothing to compare it to. It so happened that there is no other experience. And I didn’t really think about whether I wanted to try working like that.
Who are your favorite musical artists in Russia and abroad?
There are a lot of them. For the sake of variety, today I will name: “Mikhey & Jumanji”, Zemfira, “Kino”, Noggano, Sade, Jamiroquai, Frank Ocean, Skunk Anansie and my latest discovery - the Minsk group “Soyuz”.
What are your immediate plans and goals?
We have a new album in the works. There are plans to perform on June 15 in wonderful Lipetsk at the “Jazz on the Pond” festival; there will be a lot of interesting things there. Then on June 20 we will be in our beloved St. Petersburg, giving a summer concert on the roof as part of the Roof Fest. And the first performance in Latvia on July 19th.
When can we expect the album?
If only I could know this myself. (Laughs.) But not earlier than autumn - that’s 100 percent.
Will there be any experiments with sound and lyrics in the new songs on the upcoming album?
Yes, in this album we really want to add a little more deep house than in the last record “Polyphony”. We will move in this direction.
