WHEN DID YOU REALISE YOU WERE GOING TO BECOME A SINGER?
I was admitted to a music school at the age of five. In the choir, they kept telling me, 'We need to sound like one. Why do you keep standing out?' And I was like, 'I can't help it, I'm sorry.' When I was nine, I suddenly made a sound that I had never heard before. I brought this 'gift' to my teacher, and everything fell into place. We started studying academic vocals and travelling to competitions, including those in Europe. I think my fate took hold of me before I even realized it.
WHAT DOES MUSIC MEAN TO YOU?
When I'm in music, I can be myself. Music will always support and never betray, will not leave, you can fully trust it. That's why on stage I always feel I am in my element.
WHICH COMPOSITIONS SHOULD EVERYONE HEAR?
I think everyone needs to hear Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6 in their life — to live it through, to feel it. Also, Prokofiev's Concerto No. 2 for piano and orchestra. I like the way Evgeny Kissin interprets it. There is a complete sense of alienation in the cadence of the first movement. And then the 'realization of a friend's death' occurs, the orchestra is blown away like a wave — suddenly, tutti comes out of the silence. This moment does not leave anyone indifferent.
WHAT'S ON YOUR PLAYLIST?
On my playlist, Shostakovich's piano concerto is juxtaposed with Rammstein songs and Mongolian folklore. I may even listen to Russian chanson, or I can arrange an evening of classical music for myself — it all depends on the mood. That is the reason, by the way, why I don't use Yandex AI assistant 'Alice' — it doesn't feel my mood.
DO YOU REMEMBER YOUR FIRST ENCOUNTER WITH MUSICAETERNA?
I remember Alexey Retinsky's concert with the musicAeterna Choir and Teodor Currentzis — my classmate worked in the choir and invited me to an open rehearsal. I was struck by the fact that the artists on stage didn't seem to be looking forward, as is often the case, to having a break — it was clear that they were here for something more. And they really were generating something amazing. Five years later, I applied for the Educational Programme of the Diaghilev Festival, and after that — to the Academy.
WHAT MAKES MUSICAETERNA DIFFER FROM OTHER ENSEMBLES?
I've come across people many times who looked at me as a product, a business project: some didn't like my voice, others didn't like my appearance, my figure. When Teodor chose me, I realized how much he was different from the others. During my first tour with musicAeterna in Uzbekistan, we had a talk in the dressing room after a performance. I was happy and scared at the same time, it felt like a dream that could be gone at any second. I confessed my fears to Teodor and told him how many times I had knocked on doors that were closed. He replied, 'Don't be afraid, you're home, we're a family.'
IF YOU WEREN'T A MUSICIAN, WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
In another life, I could have become a chef. I like experimenting in the kitchen and creating new recipes. My signature dish is meringue roll. It's pretty easy to make, but everyone loves it so much that now I make it for all holidays.
WHAT ELSE DO YOU LIKE TO DO?
Recently, I've become seriously interested in fishing: I bought a spinning rod and got a tackle box. I know where and when to catch different fish: walleye, pike, bream. It's such a blessing to go out on a boat to the lake, wait for a long, long time, and then catch something. I enjoy the process, so I often let go of the catch. But sometimes, when you catch a few good walleye, you can put up a smokehouse and smoke the fish for the whole company — I can do that too.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOURSELF AS A YOUNG GIRL?
I am confident in most of my decisions, they have made me who I am. Yet, if I could give some advice to myself, for example, as a sixteen-year-old, I would say: 'Stop whining, get up, go work and never give up!'
