Yesterday, singer Anya Sharkunova became a mother. We congratulate her on the birth of her baby and publish our recent conversation, in which Anya spoke for the first time about the two main men in her life - her husband and son.
When you look at Anya Sharkunova - the fluttering of her eyelashes and hands, meaningful pauses and glances, concentrated femininity - you immediately remember the iconic one from “Pokrovsky Gate” - “I’m so... All contradictory!”
And also, of course, an excerpt from “Thumbelina” about “Spin me! Spin!":
Attention! You have JavaScript disabled, your browser does not support HTML5, or you have an older version of Adobe Flash Player installed.
But what distinguishes Anya from most Belarusian media personalities? The fact that she herself laughs at these associations. And in general, she is the first to laugh at herself. She doesn’t fight off the cliches that come at her: “Yes, blonde, yes - “hihi-haha” in my head, yeah, there’s no depth in me.”
When every second person treats himself with brutal seriousness and claims the uniqueness of his imperishable thoughts, spontaneity, lightness and self-irony increase many times in value. And they become that very “exceptional feature” that everyone claims.
Maybe it's this:
“My brain erases everything unpleasant, literally deletes what I don’t want to remember,” shares Anya. - I love this feature of his! Don’t drag all the negativity with you... But I can’t forgive the lilac yet!
- Which lilac?
“I planted a beautiful lilac near the house for everyone, but all the flowering branches were broken off.” She didn’t even have time to bloom, you know? Well, can’t you just look and be happy, why break it? This really upsets me. I can’t see how some boys in the yard are hitting a small Christmas tree with sticks, knocking off its branches... I’m such a crazy person: I love trees... They’re alive, after all.
About how to live with such sensitivity to the world and not go crazy, about love that lasts ten years and the emergence of a new life inside you - in our conversation.
“We need to somehow turn from Nyuska into an artist”
— Those who know you well say: “Anya is not a fool or a superficial blondie, she’s just comfortable in this image.” Comfortable?
- Well, yes, it’s comfortable. I am a fairly secretive person and only let a few people get close to me. I can open up around them, but slowly. Extremely slow.
This is difficult for me, and besides... Why would anyone know anything about me?
Why do the bulk of people need anything more than the “hihi-haha” you talk about?
Nobody needs anything, no one digs deeper than the surface, everyone thinks only about themselves and their problems.
-Have you always thought that way?
- What do people only think about themselves? Yes, always. And now I think so. Nobody cares at all - don't they?
— Do you only think about yourself when you go on stage?
- No... Because then the performance will end. If I think about myself, and not about people and what I want to convey, if I try to be beautiful on stage, nothing works. Or if I'm wearing a too beautiful dress. You know, there is such a concept - “too beautiful a dress”! And it can ruin everything.
A couple of years ago I tried to play this, be a doll, shoot my eyes, flirt from the stage, but it’s not my thing.
- What’s yours? Immediacy?
- Yes, I think this is the same word. Note: I even move around the stage somehow crookedly. (Laughs.) I don’t swim like a swan, unlike real divas.
Makeup and photography: Svetlana Efimik — And Sharkunova on stage and in life...
“These are two girls,” Anya continues the question. - And they are very different.
Why do I love wearing stage makeup so much? Not to be beautiful. I use makeup as a mask, as an opportunity to get used to different roles.
Although, about the inconsistency: it is masks that I am most afraid of. This is my only phobia. When I see Venetian masks, I get goosebumps... It’s very scary, I don’t know why.
But when the make-up girls paint me a different face, suitable for each role, for each song, I like it. This does not mean that I portray on stage someone who I am not. I had the great happiness of telling stories in songs that were written for me and about me.
— What do you think about before going on stage?
— About the fact that somehow I need to turn from Nyuska — that’s what my producer Volodya Kubyshkin always called me — into an artist. (Laughs.)
—Who is the artist?
- This is such a... Column of energy, I think. Energy that must be given. It’s just that you don’t need that much energy for life, but for the stage it is necessary.
And if it exists, the artist receives a return: whether he knows about it or not, a dialogue arises between him and the audience. It’s not for nothing that they say “nothing hurts on stage” - I know from myself: the truth lets go of everything, only the music remains.
— Are you demanding of your team?
- First of all, to yourself. But I can also be demanding of the team, because... I need it more than everyone else! Well, it’s true: if I remain silent, if I don’t say that it’s impossible to do this, everything will remain the same.
You have to insist on your own, search, achieve, overcome people’s resistance. This is especially felt when you work with eminent, established musicians, for whom, to put it mildly, I have not yet found my feet. Upstart! Sometimes such situations cost me my nerves.
Especially before big concerts, when there is little time but many unresolved issues, the tension goes through the roof. Then I might lose my temper... Okay, I might even throw a fit. But then I’ll apologize a million times for this.
I often save myself with Novopassit, but then everything works out, the music sounds in a new way, the way I heard it in my head. And if I need to be bad for this, I’m ready.
— About “Novopassit”: you once said in an interview that you developed psychosomatic illnesses during the touring period. Did you manage?
- Almost... At least I coped with the main disasters. But this took more than one year.
Fatigue accumulated during the period when the workload was crazy, we arrived at night from one concert, and left in the morning for another. And it was not clear why all this.
Goals and tasks were mixed into a mess; I didn’t feel joy from being on stage. Well, I made money, yes... But why have money if you don’t have the time, desire, or strength to spend it?
And you also turn around and realize that you have nothing at all in your life except two solo albums in the glove compartment of your car. Of course, for a small country this is a relative success, but...
- What helped?
— I went to a psychotherapist, but it didn’t work... My loved ones helped. They just held my hand when needed, helped me escape if I couldn’t be with people anymore, hide in someone’s dacha for at least a couple of days... Weeks...
But the main thing: I helped myself. The motivation to be healthy, the desire to have a child, and simply the instinct of self-preservation turned out to be stronger.
But now I don’t want to interfere with my happiness with what drove me to despair, to the point of despair. Maybe I'll talk about this someday.
Makeup and photography: Svetlana Efimik “For 10 years we kept breaking up and then finding each other again”
— At what period did you meet your future husband?
— Ten years ago, when everything was just beginning for me on stage. I was completely fine - well, so it seemed to me. In general, I didn’t think about anything, because the first successes had just happened... Yes, everything was great in general!
We lived in Minsk, but met in Nice, at the “Battle of the Cities” show (something like the “Great Race” with Nagiyev. - Editor’s note), where there were tests with these scary bulls.
Lyosha (Anya’s husband’s name is Alexey, he is the managing partner of the Silver Screen cinema chain) says that he noticed me a long time ago and specially came to Nice during filming to meet me. Well, I don’t know if it’s true or not, but the legend is beautiful!
From the very beginning, Lyosha’s plan went downhill, because his friend was placed in the room next to me, and Lyosha himself was far away, in some barn. (Laughs.)
But we have a mutual friend Larisa Gribaleva, and I think it couldn’t have happened without her - we still ended up in common company.
I don’t remember now what we talked about, whether we talked at all. But I remember for sure: when Lyosha came to the arena to cheer for us, for some reason I took a photo of him. For what? I’ve never done this before... And, you can say, I fell in love with this photo.
And then we said goodbye at the airport. Lyosha asked me for my phone number - and I immediately gave it to him. And she made the first mistake - she had to drag out the intrigue.
And he still jokingly reproaches: “Are you just handing out phones to everyone right away?” (Laughs.)
He didn’t call me - he’s not a man, he’s a rock! - three weeks. And when I called, I offered to meet after “Song of the Year.” And I agreed again immediately. At night I moved from producer Volodya Kubyshkin’s car to Lyosha’s car on some country road...
Volodya also asked: “Are you sure?” "I'm sure!" - I answer. Without any fear or second thought: what if she was some kind of maniac? I was twenty-three years old, the wind was in my head.
In short, I made mistake after mistake... Maybe that’s why Lyosha tested me for 10 years?
- Why do you think these are mistakes?
- Well, because, probably, a decent woman by generally accepted standards cannot immediately give her a phone number, she cannot change into a car at night with an unfamiliar man. It turns out that I behaved, in Lyosha’s opinion, frivolously. So he thought: the girl is an artist, nothing serious...
He never told me about this, but when I analyze it, I understand it. And indeed there was a lot of eccentricity in me, I was such a fluttering butterfly... Not a wife, but a girl.
Probably, this required these 10 years, during which we either separated or found each other again. So that I can grow up and grow up.
Although then it seemed different to me: I thought that he was testing me. That 10 years is too long to decide whether I’m good enough for him...
Makeup and photography: Svetlana Efimik - Were you offended?
“I was offended, that’s why we broke up.” Sometimes we didn’t talk or see each other for a long time, for eight months. I didn’t leave so that he would return me, but for good.
Because relations should develop, but ours stood still. And I really wanted Lyosha to understand himself, make a choice, and finally understand: am I the woman he needs.
Probably, even then I felt that the problem was with me too...
- And Lyosha - what is he like?
- He is good, he is strong. He is the coolest of all the men I have ever seen, heard, felt nearby. Lyoshka leads me along, and I grew up next to him and became a better person. I got rid of many bad habits - mental ones, too. It changes me as a woman, as a person... We have different temperaments, but that’s why it magnetizes us. Otherwise, we would have fled long ago, but now, thank God, we are walking together, on the same road.
— Does Alexey like the fact that you are on stage?
“He never admits that he doesn’t like it... But he often asks: what would I like to do in this life?”
But I’m already doing what I want. Music is serious.
— Are you ready to miss opportunities in your favorite business for the sake of your family?
- But missed opportunities are also my choice, right? And I understand why I’m doing it. I could have signed very lucrative contracts in Moscow... But I didn’t sign. Because Lyosha is more important, and I wanted to stay with him. And I don’t believe in long-distance relationships at all. Yes, and he directly said that I could go, but with all my things at once and for good.
— You never talked about your personal life. Why did you decide?
— Because there is too much talk around this topic, an unhealthy interest that I don’t need at all in my position.
I’m still not sure that I’m doing the right thing by talking about this... I’ve always thought and continue to think that the expression “happiness loves silence” was not just invented.
- Do you feel happy?
- Yes, absolutely. I’m happy that Lyosha and I overcame all these crises, when it seemed that the relationship was going nowhere, and it was impossible to understand who was to blame.
But it turned out that no one is to blame. It’s just that life is an undulating thing: either we cope when it’s stormy and sail on, or we don’t cope.
Thank God that we taxied... And instead of “I” and “he”, “we” appeared. Now I can’t even imagine what would have happened if everything had happened differently... And how I would have lived without this little man... - he lowers his eyes to his stomach.
Makeup and photography: Svetlana Efimik “I have never begged for anything more than for a child.”
—Have you wanted children for a long time?
— Yes, but, as it turned out, you can want a child in different periods of life in different ways. At first it was like this: “It would be cool if there was a little one in my life! Probably cool... Maybe." Somehow I thought so. (Smiles.)
And two years ago it was just a spasmodic desire, to the point of tears: Lord, I really want a child, what an emptiness inside...
I remember praying in church about this... And only at that moment did I understand the meaning of the word “pray.” I've never asked for anything like that, I've never wanted anything like that.
The question “why do I need a child?” by this moment I wasn’t even standing. Not to keep a man, no. I don't need a child for this. And not even in order to realize in the baby what I have not embodied in myself... They also say: you need a child if you cannot take care of yourself... But I don’t want to take care of myself that much, that’s not the point either.
I just want to create a new life and pass something on to it. Living for myself is not what I want today.
— How did you find out that you were going to become a mother?
“I would like to tell you that it was an extraordinary, touching moment that I was able to fully experience... But in fact, there were so many girls around that I couldn’t even realize what happened.
We were celebrating my birthday - noise, commotion - and the girls jokingly forced me to take a test.
I saw two stripes and understood one thing: the party was ruined, suddenly I couldn’t have champagne! (Laughs.)
Well, if I don’t want to be labeled again as “you’re a bad mother.”
Makeup and photography: Svetlana Efimik — Do you already feel this pressure?
- That’s not the right word! Already now the questions are: “how did you work until the 8th month?”, “how did you take a sip of beer?”, “how is it like a fasting day for you? What will the little one eat?”
A whole bunch of stereotypes, and I really feel like this bad mother syndrome is being imposed on me.
Moreover, there is simply no interval during which I was good - advisers are always nearby.
It used to be like this: “How come you don’t have children? What do you have then? Let’s give birth, you won’t have time!” Now this! And after giving birth, how many ideal people will be there?
The pressure is crazy, and even with your brain you understand: this is being imposed on you, don’t be fooled, don’t be fooled, but it doesn’t work out.
This, by the way, is typically ours, Slavic. When I came to America and said that I didn’t have a family yet, I only heard: “Lord, you’re so young, you’re still a child yourself. You first need to make a career, and only then consciously start a family.” Such is the mental difference! We Belarusians live with a constant guilt syndrome...
— By the way, about stereotypes: girls are often afraid that pregnancy and the birth of a child will simply turn them off from life for a long time. Do you have such fear?
- No, I feel good so far, I danced and sang on stage until the ninth month. True, at the last job before maternity leave, I felt that I wasn’t feeling well—my stomach was squeezing, as if my boy was offended by me. And I didn’t go on stage again until I gave birth...
Besides, I don't like my cheeks right now! (Laughs.)
What will happen after giving birth - who knows... I remember there was a film where heavily pregnant women swore an oath to each other not to become whores, to remain in the ranks, to do their hair, manicure and all that stuff... They had such a mantra!
I'm the same now! I tell myself: you can’t “wash yourself”, you can find time for everything, I can’t live without a stage... But no one knows what awaits me. Maybe I, like those heroines in the film, will turn into a mother with a bun on her head!
In general, why does such a question arise in principle, and why do women have fears? Because again - stereotypes, feelings of guilt.
Ay-ah-ah, I’ll fall out of life, people will forget me, what should I do?! Put eyelashes on the maternity hospital and immediately take a selfie to make it clear: I’m generally fine! And the next day - take a picture of a flat stomach for Instagram! And a week later - rock out at concerts!
Well, it's terrible! Do you understand what kind of attitudes we live in? But we must learn to live for ourselves, not in a ostentatious, public way.
— Tell us about the new video that you managed to shoot during pregnancy.
Premiere of the video on the site!
— I really wanted to preserve my current self in this video, to remember myself like this... This is a video for one of my favorite songs “We will be first” with music by Max Aleinikov and lyrics by Vova Kubyshkin. The text is strong, so when I thought about translating it into Belarusian, I realized that this was a huge problem. But there was a person who adapted the text in such a way that it gave me goosebumps. This is Valentin Boyko, for which many thanks to him. Thanks to this person who speaks Language, we have a chance to believe again that the Belarusian language can be beautiful and gentle, we can talk about love and important things. I really really wanted the song in Belarusian to be a living story, and not a set of cliches about busls and lakes. Sometimes it begins to seem that it is impossible to go further than the agricultural theme in a Belarusian song, but this is not so. We got gentle, not vulgar lyrics.
We played the song in the video live, against the backdrop of the station square towers. We did everything to make it clear: this is Minsk, this is Belarus. She can be like this: stylish, beautiful, European.
Misha Bychenok, founder of the MediaCube production studio, helped a lot at the preparation stage. I am very grateful to him for his fresh ideas and help.
The video was shot by talented director Anna Gert together with cameraman Vitya Oskirko. I really liked Anya’s work, but there was another reason why I chose her... I really wanted a girl to shoot the video this time. Boys will not understand me in my vulnerable position. They always get hurt! They have their own conceptual vision, and it doesn’t matter whether you have a green face and a double chin in the final picture or not. (Laughs.) They don’t feel these girlish details... But Anya did.
- So you feel vulnerable?
- Yeah! I can no longer conduct working negotiations, which can be quite tough. To do this you need to be a soldier, a strong girl. And I don’t want to be her now...
And there’s only a week left before the boy’s arrival—what kind of work? I’m currently busy with a new important project: which video baby monitor to choose, which night light to buy - with or without a starry sky... It’s a whole new world! Just sit and Google. (Smiles.)
— About vulnerability: this is why many choose partner childbirth.
— I will also have a partner birth: me and the player! (Laughs.)
Seriously, I will give birth to music. I'll pump myself up some hard positive dance songs!
And Lyosha will be nearby, but behind the door. Because this is feminine, only mine, and something tells me that not every man is ready to see this.
Makeup and photography: Svetlana Efimik — By the way, you could have given birth abroad. But you remain in Belarus. Why?
- It's scary because! This is my first child... I don’t know what I’ll have to face. And for me the main thing is that everything is fine with the baby. I don’t think about myself so much as I think about him... Of the two of us, it will be more difficult for him - for him the whole world will happen for the first time.
Therefore, I’m staying at home and will give birth in Minsk maternity hospital No. 2, in a regular ward. And what about Vilnius, for example? Well, they’ll pour champagne, well, the white walls are beautiful... But something tells me that the presence of a children’s intensive care unit is much more important. But in the center that I considered as an alternative, it is not there.
— What do you think about most often these days?
- About the fact that I want my boy to be healthy and happy. And more than that, I don’t expect anything from him and I don’t want to impose anything on him.
This will be another person, separate from me, a free person... And the main thing is to show him this world, tell him about what exists in it, give him all the opportunities. Do not tell in the abstract what is good and what is bad, but live in accordance with this, be an example.
I don’t want to be a waiting mother who, even before the birth of a child, makes plans for his whole life and plays out her complexes.
The child doesn’t owe me anything... He doesn’t owe me anything, but how I wish he loved his mother! (Smiles.)
I'll try to be a good mother. Not perfect, but good. After all, this is my boy... My favorite man on Earth.
My son's height is 52 cm, weight 3280 g. And long dark hair like a rock star! You can braid your hair! - Anna shared with Komsomolskaya Pravda.
PhotoTUT.BY
The boy has not yet been given a name.
Anna said that the baby was in no particular hurry to be born.
There was no hot water in the maternity hospital for two weeks, so he apparently decided to wait so that his mother would not suffer,” the singer laughs.
The singer speaks carefully about the father of her child.
We got married quietly without noise one July day, but there was no wedding,” the singer said.
Photo by Dmitry Rudenko, Komsomolskaya Pravda
It is known that Sharkunova’s husband is the managing partner of the Silver Screen cinema chain. In an interview with TUT.BY, the singer told the details of their romantic acquaintance.
“- And at what period did you meet your future husband?
Ten years ago, when everything was just beginning for me on stage. I was completely fine - well, so it seemed to me. In general, I didn’t think about anything, because the first successes had just happened... Yes, everything was great in general!
We lived in Minsk, but met in Nice, at the “Battle of the Cities” show (something like the “Great Race” with Nagiyev. - Editor’s note), where there were tests with these scary bulls.
Lyosha (Anya’s husband’s name is Alexey, he is the managing partner of the Silver Screen cinema chain) says that he noticed me a long time ago and specially came to Nice during filming to meet me. Well, I don’t know if it’s true or not, but the legend is beautiful!
From the very beginning, Lyosha’s plan went downhill, because his friend was placed in the room next to me, and Lyosha himself was far away, in some barn. (Laughs.)
But we have a mutual friend Larisa Gribaleva, and - I think it couldn’t have happened without her - we still ended up in common company.
I don’t remember now what we talked about, whether we talked at all. But I remember for sure: when Lyosha came to the arena to cheer for us, for some reason I took a photo of him. For what? I’ve never done this before... And, you can say, I fell in love with this photo.
And then we said goodbye at the airport. Lyosha asked me for my phone number - and I immediately gave it to him. And I made my first mistake - I had to drag out the intrigue.
And he still jokingly reproaches: “Are you just handing out phones to everyone right away?” (Laughs.)
He didn’t call me - he’s not a man, he’s a rock! - three weeks. And when I called, I offered to meet after “Song of the Year.” And I agreed again immediately. At night I moved from producer Volodya Kubyshkin’s car to Lyosha’s car on some country road...
Volodya also asked: “Are you sure?” "I'm sure!" - I answer. Without any fear or second thought: what if she was some kind of maniac? I was twenty-three years old, the wind was in my head.
In short, I made mistake after mistake... Maybe that’s why Lyosha tested me for 10 years?
- Why do you think these are mistakes?
Well, because, probably, a decent woman by generally accepted standards cannot immediately give her a phone number, she cannot change into a car at night with an unfamiliar man. It turns out that I behaved, in Lyosha’s opinion, frivolously. So he thought: the girl is an artist, nothing serious...
He never told me about this, but when I analyze it, I understand it. And indeed there was a lot of eccentricity in me, I was such a fluttering butterfly... Not a wife - a girl.
Probably, this required these 10 years, during which we either separated or found each other again. So that I can grow up and grow up.
Although then it seemed different to me: I thought that he was testing me. That 10 years is too long to decide whether I’m good enough for him...
- Were you offended?
I was offended, that’s why we broke up. Sometimes we didn’t talk or see each other for a long time, for eight months. I didn’t leave so that he would return me, but for good.
Because relations should develop, but ours stood still. And I really wanted Lyosha to understand himself, make a choice, and finally understand: am I the woman he needs.
Probably, even then I felt that the problem was with me too...”
However, everything worked out. And now Anna is a happy wife and mother. By the way, until the ninth month Sharkunova danced and sang on stage.
True, at the last job before maternity leave, I felt that I was not feeling well - my stomach was squeezing, as if my boy was offended by me. And I didn’t go on stage again until I gave birth,” the singer said.
She sang in the school choir.
Graduated from music school (piano class)
2007 - graduated from the Belarusian State Pedagogical University named after. M. Tanka (specialty - musical art and social pedagogy.
2005 - first fame - participation in the musical project "Star Stagecoach" (STV), within the framework of which - acquaintance and beginning of cooperation with producer Vladimir Kubyshkin.
2006 - victory in the round of the television competition "Song of the Year" (ONT) based on the results of the summer (debut, fourth place).
2008 - a joint tour of the cities of Belarus with Georgy Koldun, became the face of the insurance company "B&B Insurance" and the Citroen brand in Belarus.
In the semi-final of the national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 (song "We will be first") - 991 points, 7th place.
Discography
- "Heart of a Beauty" - debut album. Producer - Vladimir Kubyshkin ("Summer", Anya Bogdanova, "Blueberry")
Songs
- "White Flag", "Last Leaf" (music by M. Aleinikov, lyrics by V. Kubyshkin).
- “Farewell”, “Heart of a Beauty” (music by V. Penzin, lyrics by V. Kubyshkin). “Heart of a Beauty” was very popular, she starred in the television project “Song of the Year - 2006”, and according to the results of the audience voting, she won with a margin of more than 10,000 votes from second place.
- The song “Farewell, my last love” was in good rotation on all Belarusian radio stations; with this hit, it was featured in the “Silver Gramophone” project on the ONT TV channel, where it remained in the lead for more than a month.
Festivals
- "Slavic Bazaar" (Vitebsk, 2007, 2008)
- "Dozhinki" (Orsha, 2008).
Awards
- 2007 “Best pop singer” (Belarusian “MTV” awards, Minsk)
- 2008 - 5th place (album "Heart of a Beauty") at the "Mystery of Sound 2008" awards (based on sales in Belarus).
- She became a finalist in such television projects as “Star Stagecoach” on STV, “Eurofest” on the 1st National Channel and the first reality show “The Magnificent Seven” on the LAD TV channel.
Fees
Execution time - 30-40 minutes
- on New Year's Eve - 5,000,000 Bel. rub.
- from December 20 to 30 - 2,500,000 BYN. rub.
Many people want to court the singer, but she doesn’t see anyone worthy
Summer has always been a low season for artists. And then the crisis arrived. Therefore, our stars had no choice but to relax on the seas for a week or two, lock themselves in their stuffy apartments, or, as a last resort, move to their dachas and wait. And if earlier they were waiting for autumn, now they are wondering when these notorious economic difficulties will end. But there are people on our stage who don’t care about anything. Among them are Anya Sharkunova and German. Even in this not the best time, they are touring their native lands, drawing full houses. Real stars, what can I say! With whom else but their producer Vladimir Kubyshkin (pictured), discuss the topic “How to become a star?”
— Is there show business in Belarus? Quite a few copies have already been broken on this score. Vladimir, I would like to hear your point of view.
- Of course have. You just need to understand what business is? If the money invested in a business makes a profit, it is a business. So: you can also make money from music. Another question is that this is a low-profit business. The economic feasibility of investing in this industry is not high. The main reason is the size of our small country. This is an objective reality that must be treated calmly. We don’t have many cities, or rather concert venues, where you can perform and, therefore, earn money. Even the most beloved artist cannot sing several times in the same place. I am sure that even Valery Meladze could not gather a concert hall in Minsk every Friday. And automatically his fee from 30 thousand euros would drop to a thousand dollars, like ours. The money invested in Valery Mela-dze would never have been recovered on the territory of Belarus.
— Since you remembered the Georgian Meladze, tell me why Belarusian artists can’t break into Russian show business?
- I don’t agree with you. There are more Belarusians who have entered the post-Soviet space than Uzbeks, for example. Let's take Serega, Bianca, Lyapis Trubetskoy. All work successfully in Russia, Kyiv.
- Why don’t you, Anya and German try your luck in those parts?
— I do Belarusian show business and I want it to be more profitable in this territory. When we suddenly decide to make ourselves known in Russia, we will act completely differently.
“But today ninety percent of Belarusian artists would like to get on the Russian stage. And this is natural: a higher level, different money...
“They just can’t do anything here, so they want to leave.” It's unnatural. Someone should do business here too. For promotion in Russia, completely different amounts are needed. Therefore, without an investor, we have nothing to do there. And finding it, as you understand, is not easy. No matter how talented a singer you are, going to Moscow with a hundred dollars in your pocket is ridiculous. And until I find a person or company willing to invest at least a million dollars in us, I won’t go there. We have something to lose here. My artists are now the first in Belarus. These are not just the words of an overly confident producer. Anya Sharkunova is one of the few who pack the halls in such a difficult time. Herman is also on the rise.
— Vladimir, do you know how to recognize a future star?
— I saw Anya and German in the STV project “Star Stagecoach”. But it's not that simple. If Anya occupied a niche, it means that someone left there. There is tough competition. And the best one wins and survives. I needed a young pretty girl. And I searched. The same situation with Herman. By the way, I searched for two years. To start a business, I needed specific people. Everyone can stand beautifully on stage, many can sing, but only a few can hypnotize people in the audience. After all, there are a lot of examples where artists fight like fish against ice for ten years, but cannot achieve at least some popularity and audience love.
— How much do you need to invest in a person for him to become a star?
— You have to invest your soul and intellect. I know examples where a hundred or even two hundred thousand dollars were invested in an artist, but he never became a star. Money in this situation is not the main thing, although you can’t live without it. Many girls argue: if Kubyshkin had taken up not Sharkunova, but me, then I would also have become a star. This is wrong. Any businessman, investing money, expects profit. All my expenses are reasonable. It’s stupid for us to spend fifty thousand dollars on a video, since this money will not come back. Please note that most of our popular artists have practically no videos. In our situation, video does not bring additional work. It's just an image.
- If you don’t want to say how much it cost you to promote Anya, at least tell me how much a rich dad should pay for you to make a star out of his daughter?
“I repeat once again, there is no need to measure everything with money. By the way, we don’t buy songs, we write them ourselves. Yes, we spend money on dresses, etc. Recording a song costs about two to three thousand dollars. Just do the math, if there are twelve tracks on an album, then it costs about thirty-five thousand. If a dad comes to me with his daughter and says: “Here’s thirty-five thousand dollars for you, make a star out of her,” nothing will happen. First of all, you have to be born a star. Secondly, to maintain your popularity, you need to work and work. It is important that it be meaningful. Every movement should be a consequence of something and lead to the next step. Ninety percent of our artists work chaotically. They have set a goal, but don't know how to achieve it.
— Since everything is so thought out and calculated for you, tell me, how long will your projects last?
— We must make a reservation, these are not projects. I am doing everything possible so that Anya and German are primarily perceived as individuals, heroes. And so it is. All the girls imitate Anya. Moreover, the mothers of these girls love her. Because Sharkunova is a good example to follow. Almost all men in our country love Anya. And not only because she is a beautiful girl, although this is important for an artist. She just has an image. And people go to concerts not only to listen to songs (for this you just need to buy a CD or turn on the radio), they want to look at the person. It doesn’t matter what songs Kobzon sings, the audience just goes to him, Joseph Kobzon. We have the same super task. Anya and German will grow along with their audience. I'm sure the number of fans will increase over the years.
- This will only happen if you are nearby?
- Now this is already possible without me. I have already done the main work. And now I’m just coordinating the forward movement. There is a ceiling in Belarus. It is impossible to achieve more than a certain level. And when we have nowhere to grow, we will need to expand to other territories. Don't think that it's bad for us here. We feel very good! I still have offers to work in the third and fourth echelons of Russian show business. But I immediately reject them. If we go, then only to the highest level.
- Anya and German are indeed the most popular performers at the moment, but you also have a failed project - the group “Chernika”...
“The problem was that the girls were absolutely unprepared for the stage. For them, this is a hobby that never became a job. Those two years were a bright period in their lives. They graduated from school, entered universities, priorities changed, and the girls ran away. Now I want to turn an amateur group into a professional one. What remains from Cherniki is wonderful musical material. Since September we have been launching a new project, which does not yet have a name. This will be a completely new girl band.
— Tell me, why are there so few rumors and gossip around your artists? After all, this is an integral part of show business?
— There are just as many rumors as needed. Everything's under control. There is no such thing as random gossip. If you read something nasty about an artist, it means that his PR manager thought it was appropriate. In Russian show business, such things are well paid for by the artists themselves. It just so happens that few people are interested in creative plans; dirty laundry is much more attractive. This doesn't work in Belarus. Moreover, Anya and German are now in such a position that they do not need dirty PR. You also need to remember that any thoughtless shocking behavior can bring the opposite result. An example of this is Polina Smolova. Having left for Moscow and having lost popularity in her homeland, she decided to attract attention to herself in another way. I don’t understand what her team was thinking when they launched the news about a joint project between Polina and Paul McCartney?
- But Polina is happy with her next loved one. And Anya Sharkunova is alone. They say that according to the contract she is forbidden to marry?..
- We don't have a contract. We live in a civilized European country, we do not have slavery. We work together because we feel comfortable. And if suddenly something changes in our friendly company, we will separate amicably and peacefully resolve all financial issues. In a word, we will find civilized solutions. But at the moment we are interested in each other.
Lack of privacy is the downside of popularity. What kind of man would like Anya’s lifestyle? Who needs a wife who comes home exhausted after midnight? This must be a very wise and noble person. So far, Anya has not encountered anything like this. Although, to look after her, there is a queue to Vladivostok. I sincerely wish Anya that her personal life will develop and that a man worthy of her will appear.