Concert director Benish spoke about the tours and corporate events of Pugacheva and Leontyev

— Alexander, has the hierarchy on pop Olympus changed recently?

– It seems to me that nothing has changed. It’s just that our stars of the first magnitude have stopped especially advertising themselves and focusing attention on themselves. Everything works as it always did. And even some Ukrainian artists perform at closed events.

– In Russia?

– Yes, sure. There are no regular concerts, but corporate events, closed, they are as they were. They stopped advertising and advertising, that’s all.

— Can Verka Serduchka also be invited?

“It wouldn’t occur to anyone to invite Andrei Danilko, and he, of course, won’t go. But the whole point is that Danilko stopped coming to Russia long before the start of the SVO. And, rather, not out of conviction, but for health reasons.

— Danilko once told me in an interview that he drinks heavily, so much so that in the morning he checks the condition of his jeans. And he only really gets a kick out of writing music for films.

“The current situation is unlikely to improve his psychological state…

— What is the situation with Sofia Rotaru?

“She is tied to her son, whom I can call to the front at any moment; they still remember how he tried to escape from the territory of Ukraine by boat. So it’s even surprising that with such a “leverage of influence” Rotaru has not yet been forced to become the voice of propaganda; apparently, there are influential patrons.

— Which of the Ukrainian stars canRead for earnings in Russia?

— Meladze has maintained a neutral position and can count on the Russian entertainment market.

— Is there a drop in demand for concerts this year?

As for ticketed concerts, with an advertising campaign, with seats in the hall, it seems to me, on the contrary, there is an increased demand. People are so tired of the negativity, of the same pandemic, when no one went anywhere for a long time, that there is no shortage of demand at all. And this is not just in a single club, it is in the whole country. All children’s performances sell very well. Semin travels around cities with a button accordion, attracting sold-out crowds, Diana Ankudinova is now actively touring, everything is more or less good for her. Maidanov began to fill the halls much better, although before he did averagely. The guys from the group “Sadko” also came to the audience. Choral, polyphonic singing is in great demand. Groups such as Perfomen, Quatro, Viva, Pyatero are interesting to the viewer: and when they sing acapella, without accompaniment, that is, when only pure voices sound without a soundtrack, people are fascinated by the live polyphony and they understand what they paid their money for. So basically, everything is great.

— What is the situation of our pop “monsters” today?

— Of the “monsters,” we only have Rosenbaum left. Stas Mikhailov doesn’t work, apparently he doesn’t want to, or he works somehow selectively. His clearing is occupied by Yaroslav Sumishevsky. Irina Allegrova doesn’t work, doesn’t want to – she’s probably tired. The singer Slava occupies her clearing. Well, a holy place is never empty.

Valery Leontyev is a truly irreplaceable person and it is unlikely that anyone will appear in his niche in the near future. But the point is that, on the contrary, it would be more correct for them all to work now, but for some reason they are not working.

—Did Valery Leontyev not tell the producers that he was leaving? There were such rumors…

— Valera, on the one hand, is a very private person, on the other hand, he is completely indifferent to gossip, hence a lot of rumors about his person are born: he sold his apartment in the capital! Moved to permanent residence! In reality, nothing has changed for him at all: he lives as he lived. Contrary to various fakes, he spends quite a lot of time in Moscow. He and his wife bought a house in the States for thirty years: in the summer, Lucy always flew to Russia, went on tour with her husband: Crimea, the Caucasus, and in the winter he warmed up in Miami. True, during Covid times Valera suffered severe pneumonia, and then, yes, he needed sea air. Therefore, Valery Leontyev, if not left, then somehow “absent from big sex.” But he knows that he has his own audience that will always accept him, so he doesn’t worry.

— That is, if Leontyev agreed to tour now, the demand would be very high?

– Yes, I think it’s huge. He has been gone for more than three years; he interrupted his tour even with the onset of Covid, because there were also many forced cancellations due to the imposed quarantines, and this meant big financial losses. You won’t work at a loss. Well, plus he’s not made of iron, he also caught Covid then.

– Well, maybe he’s right that he took a break during all this difficult Covid and post-Covid time?

– No, I’m wrong. He always differed from all performers in his meaningful songs; good poets and good composers collaborated with him, and his songs were distinguished by their meaning. Why is Grymov’s theater sold out? Because there is meaning, there is content, there is content. Why is Rosenbaum being torn into pieces and it is impossible to get a ticket? Because every song is a dialogue with the viewer. Valera always had this, he just always diluted it all with a show. And now people are ready to just come and listen to songs by the same Tukhmanov and other composers, but with meaning. Even without a show. And they know that they will receive incomparable pleasure. Leontiev no longer needs to arrange any fireworks, feathers, explosions, tinsel.

– What about ballet, light? He is also the legislator of show programs in Russia, the first who started doing this back in the USSR…

— Yes, Leontyev’s show was the coolest in its time with a laser and takeoffs and flights. It is clear that now, due to certain factors, he cannot afford to fly over the dome; it is very expensive. We can see all these shows on TV. And to go see it live, pay 6, 8, 10 thousand rubles for it today, especially somewhere in the provinces – the country is big, not all of St. Petersburg and Moscow – just few people can afford it.

— Is three years a long break for an artist?

– Certainly. People are bored. The public is generally tired of the cheap subculture with soundtracks, and wants to listen to good quality music. This is where our pop mega-stars, like Leontyev, win, because he is also a classic, just pop. And people in any musical field want quality material, quality music, not fake, real. A unique voice. Professional manner of performance. All this is now of great interest to the public.

— In our country, perhaps, only Leontyev and Pugacheva are eternal artists, like, say, Muslim Magomayev. Do they have a lot of star power? Can they be “forgotten”?

“The people who have always loved them will always love them.” Here they are completely protected. And there are millions of these people. Another thing is that even these millions are getting older and older, their financial capabilities are less and less, and, of course, there is a natural decline in the public in love. Therefore, for any artist! – it is necessary to constantly win over a younger audience. We see how this happens in the West, when mega-stars do projects with modern rappers, joint collaborations – this was not invented by us and leads to the fact that stars of an older generation are recognized by young people.

– Have any of our artists followed this path?

– Shufutinsky, for example. He made a video with Yegor Creed, and now he has mega-collections. Because the new generation of Yegor Creed recognized Shufutinsky, and who knew his song “The Third of September”? – our generation and the generation of our parents. But it goes away.

— How is Pugacheva doing in terms of corruption?

– Well, Pugacheva has not performed anywhere at all, except in Moscow with an anniversary solo album – a one-time option, and at some national concerts. She is, of course, a great singer, but, in fact, she has not been in the box office for a long time. Philip Kirkorov – yes, he is present. I recently went on tour and everything is fine with him. This is his life, profession, calling. He’s great, he doesn’t lose his tempo.

— And what about Philip Kirkorov’s constant competitor Nikolai Baskov?

— Nikolai Baskov has not been working concerts for a very long time.

– What does he live on?

— It’s hard to say: some kind of filming, corporate events.

— Does participation in the filming of New Year’s programs affect the artist’s popularity?

— It’s difficult to answer unequivocally, I think, unless it can bring some dividends to the unknown. I personally haven’t watched these New Year’s programs for a long time. The same thing, I’m tired of it. I think a lot of people do the same.

— Now many corporate events (and participation in them is probably the most profitable job for an artist) are often organized outside of Russia: in the United Arab Emirates, in Turkey. What stars are the organizers of these corporate events interested in?

— A variety of people have left for those parts today for various reasons. Often intellectual, who does not like a la Buzova. And, surprisingly, it’s not artists who go there, but people like Irina Khakamada, with some kind of master classes or reflections on life.

But, I understand, no matter who leaves, people are cut off from the Russian-speaking environment, from the Russian cultural space, from their past, their whole lives lived in Russia – this is always a big psychological trauma, people suffer, no matter how much they swagger. And the artists whom you have listened to all your life, who for you are the personification of the country, help soften this psychological trauma. Of course, the same Pugacheva, Leontyev – that is, our pop elite – will always be in great demand there. This is the very cultural code by which people determine their belonging to their homeland. It seems like here you are, your Russian-speaking friends, the most famous Russian artists, which means you are at home.

— And those corporate events that will be in Moscow, dear? For example, is the sum of half a million dollars relevant for Pugacheva, or do such prices not exist? And how true is the information from one telegram channel that Leontiev allegedly lowered the price tag?

— Pugacheva and Leontyev are invited by their regular customers; these are already, consider, good friends from among the business and political elite. And they, for their part, also know that they will not be refused – this is very important, because they also have their own guests, their own tastes, their own ambitions. Yes, there can be the most unexpected amounts. But we won’t recognize them and won’t see photographs from such corporate events. And their directors and intermediaries – various concert agencies – have prices for other stars; the costs are not such a secret.

— Under what conditions could Pugacheva tour the country now?

“With Pugacheva, everything is much more complicated. Now this trail of contradictory statements is already trailing behind her. Therefore, it seems to me that little will save her. Well, of course, she can turn to the Russians, explain herself, and find the right words. Actually, she has already begun to do this, just remember her last statement, where she subtly separates the public and her critics, reminds them of her merits and confesses her love to the viewer.. Half a century of popularity gives her great carte blanche.

— Alla Borisovna recorded new songs, this indicates, at a minimum, that she has retained her interest in singing and her voice. But why, if not to perform?

— For the same corporate speeches, for promotion in the Internet space.

“She worked for about three hours and is said to have recorded three songs. Is this time enough for this kind of work? Or will the voice simply “hold out” later?

— For a performer of Pugacheva’s level, it’s more than enough. Of course, there will be mixing work, but this is a common thing.

– They say that Pugacheva recorded the most ordinary songs, without any frills: love, family… What kind of songs are in trend today?

— Nothing has changed in the Russian stage. Both directions were popular and remain so. This is chanson and rock. Rockers have become mega-popular, they’ve been collecting better than pop singers for about three years now. And Sukachev, and Butusov, and Kinchev. And chanson has long occupied its niche; there is a lot of competition among performers, among composers, and among poets.

Well, individual idols can still afford to sing whatever they want.

—Isn’t the public still sick of chanson?

— Sometimes it seems that no one needs the classics anymore, but again, it’s worth looking at the sales. At the Moscow Conservatory, for example, there are constant sell-outs, which means there is an increased interest in academic classical music. There is great demand for all ballets; Eifman’s ballet sells out in three days. Russian National Ballet is in high demand. I’m friends with Fabio Mastrangelo, he is the chief conductor of five philharmonic societies. There are no problems with spectators or ticket sales.

The times today are such that people value money very much, so the better the product, the more famous the brand that represents it, the greater the demand. This also works in show business. It’s one thing to do it for free on the Internet, and quite another to pay for it in the hall. So it’s better for the variety recruits, until they get out of the network and come out to the public live, not to flatter themselves about themselves. Star status is verified by the audience ruble and nothing else.