Singer SHAMAN: “I’m Russian” as if from the other shoulder”

However, in terms of statements, the singer is also not shy. The other day, he announced his unwillingness to participate in Eurovision, explaining such an attitude towards the contest by the fact that he does not see the need for himself to perform at the event with a European vision of music, while he has a lot of opportunities to sing in his country.

Logically, what is there. True, it was somewhat premature due to the fact that no one really called him to Eurovision. And most likely, he will not call, because this competition has become completely alien for us, and for a long time. Nevertheless, in terms of music for internal use, SHAMAN clearly succeeded, especially when, with the tracks “Stand Up” and “I’m Russian”, they focused on an older audience, for which no new artists have appeared for many years. But the people still need a new Gazmanov, even in a situation where he himself still gives peppy concerts.

Probably, the success of SHAMAN’s songs as a sensation of this season can become an occasion for discussions about the degree of cynicism with which the author and performer puts pressure on such sensitive places for the public, especially in the era of total international sanctions, as a look at their history and national self-identification. However, he does this, of course, with musical talent.

In the nineties, in all controversial situations, red-jacketed producers said: “Meet me at the box office,” hinting that the public will judge everyone when voting with a ruble. The box office at SHAMAN concerts is very crowded these days. His first tour has already featured performances in several dozen cities, and a hot summer is likely to be followed by an even hotter autumn. In a conversation with “ZD” SHAMAN discussed the situation, patriotic hits and what will happen after the song “I am Russian”.

– Recently, you have a lot of reasons to praise yourself beloved. Getting into the top 100 most popular clips in the world on YouTube is an enviable success, just like becoming the leader among Russian stars in terms of queries in Yandex. But, when you sit on such a peak, probably involuntarily the question arises: what’s next?

Of course, a peak is always followed by a decline. You need to be prepared for this, including psychologically. Probably, a week after the song “I am Russian” came out, I began to wonder: what should be my next step? I understand perfectly well that “I am Russian” is simply impossible to interrupt, everything agreed with her so much. I’m not striving, but I have a new song ready. I want to present it along with the video, I liked this tradition – to release songs along with clips.

– Your great success is associated with the songs “Stand up” and “I am Russian.” But you also have other singles: “Fly away”, “Wet rain”, “You are mine”, “We are losing love”, which you started releasing since August last year. To be honest, against their background, “Let’s get up” and “I am Russian” are completely different both in sound and in mood. What suddenly came over you?

– Over the fifteen years of my creative activity, I have written two hundred songs, and it is clear that most of them, to put it mildly, are not very good. No one will ever hear them, they are locked with a barn lock. But it’s good that I had the opportunity to sign, and I think the quantity turned into quality. I understand that “Let’s get up” and “I am Russian” seem to come from the other side. But this is just an experiment, I tried, I tried to understand what resonates with me and what resonates with the audience. “Let’s get up” was born on the second of January, and this is the first song of this nature. I understood that it would be well suited for May 9th, and it should be shown on February 23 – this song also goes well with this date. So I did, shot a very budget video, uploaded it on the 23rd, and the next day it scattered everywhere.

– You are probably aware that many immediately saw a certain conjuncture in both “Let’s get up” and “I am Russian.” At the end of February, everything really changed and there was a kind of demand for songs that some call patriotic, others just more serious. How do you feel about the talk that such songs are now good from a business point of view?

– I believe that any conjuncture instantly breaks on the rocks of popular opinion. Fortunately, it is impossible to deceive the people. Especially now, when some people say and reproach me for the fact that the views are cheated and so on. But there is one important circumstance that puts everything in its place: now for us on YouTube, the ability to advertise is disabled. It is impossible to advertise there or somehow wind up, promote the song, so it cannot be a conjuncture and one hundred and thirty thousand comments can appear only on cool organics. Why did the word “get up” come to my mind on the second of January? I dont know. Probably, somehow they gave it to me from above, I never wrote such songs. And I don’t really like the expression “patriotic song”. Why are the songs trying to drive into the genre framework? Probably, it’s easier for people, some kind of certainty appears. But for me, these songs are from my soul.

– Your first successes are connected with TikTok, where there was a lot of excitement around the song “Fly away”. At the same time, you had the opportunity to try yourself on big television as well. First in “Factor A”, then in “Voice”. There are different opinions about such projects of federal channels. Someone considers them an important step in their career. Although it always seemed to me that the producers of these shows are only interested in ratings, and not in the further fate of the artists…

– I have the same opinion. To be honest, I would not go to the first or second television project on my own initiative. In my opinion, this is not a completely sincere story. You can’t sing your own songs there, and in fact it turns out to be expensive karaoke. I had just entered the Gnessin Academy of Music, I had studied there for a month, when I was offered to go to the Factor A casting. I thought: “Well, anyway, it’s nearby, you can go.” And somehow passed. With The Voice it was a little different. At that time I was performing in a cover band, and our director suggested: “Come on, go there, you will be shown on TV, and we will cost more.”

– For a director, a completely normal approach …

– Well, of course. At that time, “Voice” thundered, it was 2014, the third season, and we really raised the price bar for some time, then it, however, went back down. But not the point. This allowed me, in any case, to rent an apartment in Moscow. After moving to Moscow for two and a half years, I lived in a hostel, in a small room, where, besides me, there were three more pianists. It was a good time, real student years. In general, I have three musical educations: a music school, a music college and the Gnessin Music Institute.

– I can imagine with what contempt you look at your colleagues, many of whom do not even know the notes …

– In no case! I try to find my advantages in all music. Again, you can’t fool people. If the music that is now popular on TikTok and other networks was not done in an honest way, then millions of schoolchildren would not stick to it. I watch young artists go crazy at concerts, and I understand that they are passionate about their work and this captures a young audience. Musicians transmit or try to transmit the spirit of freedom, and it is precisely this spirit that young people like, it’s just that it is presented in such a playful way.

By modern standards, you had a rather long start. It must be difficult to see the success of others at a time when your business is slipping. Have you thought about quitting everything?

— To be honest, sometimes I had a hard time convincing myself that everything would work out. At some point, I just prayed. This may sound too intimate, but that’s how it was, I asked the Almighty for help, tried to have a dialogue with him, ask what I should do next. Difficult. I’m almost disappointed. And during the pandemic, I wanted to quit everything, because you try, you try, but nothing works. But then the song “Fly away” came out … I remember that day: I wake up, open TikTok, look, and there is a huge number of subscribers who came literally overnight, the song vomits, and for me it was a personal victory. Maybe someone will ask: “Why did you choose music? You won’t earn much money in this profession anyway.” But I don’t regret anything. I believe that every musician who wants to stay for a long time must have a difficult path, and the harder it is, the longer the musician will stay on stage.

You have quite a lot of powers. You are the author, and the producer, and the director of the concert show, and you come up with the clips yourself …

— Well, first of all, it’s free (laughs). It so happened that all these fifteen years I made my way on my own. Nobody helped me, and I didn’t ask anyone, because I thought that I had to reach everything with my head and soul. And write a song, and come up with a concert program, and make an image. He was also invented by me, without the involvement of any stylists, makeup artists, image makers. Here in the comments they write that somehow they dress me wrong, I need to change the stylist. But please don’t scold these innocent people, scold me, because I’m to blame for everything.

Are dreadlocks your idea too?

– Of course. Everyone who watched the clip “I am Russian” remembers how I was there in the field … So, dreadlocks are the national Russian hairstyle, similar to our spikelets.

Did they appear along with the stage name?

– Yes, they are probably two and a half years old. But in general, in my understanding of the laws of the stage, it would be wildly boring if, while performing “Let’s get up”, I stood at attention at the microphone, buttoned up with all buttons, with a tie, with some kind of traditional hairstyle. I think no one would be hooked that way, so I like to work on breaking the pattern. A person who listens to the song “Let’s get up” does not expect to see in the frame a type with all these things, in such a suit. Why is that? But because. I feel very natural, in my world everything somehow gets along. Well, let’s be honest: this is just a visual feature that allows the eye to catch on to the performer, linger for a certain number of seconds, or even minutes, listen to the song, maybe be fascinated, maybe disappointed, but not remain indifferent .

– If all your released singles are combined into an album, then it will turn out to be very colorful in sound. You both sing and read, but when you approach the sound, it’s as if you don’t think about a certain style …

“People who just listen to songs don’t care what the style is. They are not required to understand and understand the genres: hip-hop or rock. Sometimes you look at someone’s playlist, and there is Tchaikovsky, and then Pharaoh. And that’s okay. People either like it or they don’t like it.

I wonder what’s on your playlist?

– Very different songs. There is Vertinsky and the Depeche Mode group. Ozzy Osbourne yesterday listened, oddly enough. Fadeev Maxim, I am a fan of his work. And, by the way, he also said good things about me, recorded a voice message for four minutes about me, I am extremely pleased, because I have been listening to him since I was fifteen. I really like Nine Inch Nails. Weeknd is cute. When you write music yourself, you no longer simply perceive it as a listener, but try to break it down into components and ask yourself questions: what is it made of, what details are there, what sounds are used, what arrangement, what tempo. In general, I would like to be remembered precisely as a musician, not a singer. I never wanted to just sing beautifully. I understand that the ligaments in the throat are a rather fragile structure. And I already have an alternative: I can write songs, I can sell them, I can produce other people, I understand, plus or minus, how it all works, so in which case I won’t be lost. I have a small studio at home, so I will sit there and do shamanism.