Nikita Alekseev interview personal life. Interview with Nikita Alekseev, performer of the hit “Drunken Sun”
Belarusian gambit: the winner of the Eurovision qualifying round gave an exclusive interview to MK
Fashionable, popular and already gifted with bags of music awards throughout the Russian-language pop scene, the Ukrainian starlet ALEKSEEV (Nikita Alekseev) could become a tasty prey for any of the post-Soviet Slavic countries participating in the Eurovision Song Contest. But quite unexpectedly, Belarus left everyone hanging. At the final of the national selection in Minsk last Friday, a performer with “non-Belarusian roots” won for the first time, who will now represent this country at the competition in Lisbon with the song Forever, which already has hit status in the Russian version of “Forever”. Alekseev is already being compared to the “Russian Bulgarian” Christian Kostov, who almost won the Kiev Eurosong last year, losing to the Portuguese Salvador Sobral, but was considered a very fashionable and “advanced” thing...
This weekend, by some miracle, the center of current musical pop life shifted to Minsk. On the same evening, when the “European elections” took place, at the largest venue “Minsk Arena” the grandiose show “Diva” by another Ukrainian pop star Ani Lorak was noisy with the premiere, who, however, was mercilessly expelled from Ukraine for “collaborationism”, like some the number of other stars there. Therefore, we had to start from Minsk. If we add to this seething row the serene demonstration in all Belarusian cinemas of the damned in Russia by Mikhalkov and co. satirical film farce “The Death of Stalin”, it is no longer clear where, in fact, the notorious “last dictatorship of Europe” has shifted...
With Alekseev, who was awarded the “Breakthrough of the Year” award in 2017 and several ZD Awards nominations, including by MK readers, the situation “settled down,” as they put it during perestroika, from the very beginning, as it became known about his participation in national qualifying round of Belarus. Initially, it was clear who the main bet was on, since all the other participants in the race, to put it mildly, looked like helpless spoilers compared to the main candidate. The trend is familiar to us, isn’t it?
However, having, by the will of fate, found themselves in the same city and even in the same hotel at the time of this historical turning point, “MK” happily congratulated Nikita on winning a European trip and tried to figure out, together with the artist, why, why and for what purpose the charismatic musical pop fashionista pricked up his skis for the competition, which snobs always called “the crapest crap for housewives.” But, as it turned out, you can’t take Nikita with your bare hands. He immediately dotted the i's:
My heroes, whose examples I grew up with and thanks to whom I once started making music, are Jimi Hendrix, Thom Yorke, Nicholas Jaar, a large number of underground performers... I have been following Eurovision not so long ago, for the last two years. I don’t know how it was before, but during this time I heard a lot of interesting music there, saw interesting performers, very modern, relevant, correct, deep, so I don’t agree with such “housewife” clichés. It was interesting for me to watch. Moreover, during these years I closely followed the national selections in both Ukraine and Belarus, and I can say that there were several performers whose music I later put on my player.
It’s clear that we don’t remember Russia in the context of the player, since we haven’t had any national selections for a long time... However, I can’t help but pay tribute to the sophisticated castling: you killed two birds with one stone, with a high probability of securing the highest scores from both your native Ukraine and the grateful Russia at the upcoming competition... If so, then this will become a sensational unity, however...
Apparently yes. But I didn't think about it, to be honest.
- Really?! What were you thinking then?
For me, the most important thing was to present a composition that I love very much, in which I believed and which became the determining factor in the decision to participate in the selection. At that moment, to be honest, I did not think about these hidden plans, motivations, assumptions. Such calculations were not my motivation.
- When an artist is going to a competition, and even such a one, it’s natural to think about the result...
Probably, but I haven’t reached that stage yet.
- You are still a thing in yourself, all in art and castles in the air...
Well, that's partly true.
Wouldn’t it be more logical to go to the competition from your native Ukraine? Theoretically, of course, you can represent Australia, this is not prohibited by the rules. Even Russia at Eurovision (2009) was once represented by Ukrainian Anastasia Prikhodko. But still...
This year I was recognized as the singer of the year in Belarus, this is a great honor for me and was certainly one of the determining factors why I accepted the offer to participate in the national qualifying competition.
- The song Forever also has a difficult fate. She was almost removed from the competition...
We were forced to change the melody because on May 18, on my birthday, this song, or rather, the part of it with piano, was performed at a festive evening. It was a surprise for us when this circumstance turned out to be a formal obstacle to submitting a song to the qualifying round (public demonstration of a competition song is prohibited earlier than six months before the competition. - Note ed.) And I wanted exactly this song, it, in fact, became the reason for my decision to participate, I believe in it and think that it is very suitable for the competition. I didn’t want to close these doors, and we decided to just transform the song a little...
They changed every seventh note, as I understand it, and voila! Formally, you can't dig it. You have discovered, I must say, absolutely wonderful know-how. We need to share with our Samoilova, otherwise they were knocked off their feet while they were looking for a new song...
Almost like this, although not only every seventh note, we changed a little more there, but in principle the essence is this.
- I don’t remember you singing in English before. How organic is a foreign language hypostasis for you?
Since I started my professional career, I haven't had any songs in English. But before, when I worked in non-profit projects, I learned from the examples of the best performers of Western music. I have been singing in English since I was ten years old. But this is my first experience on the big stage.
In the history of Eurovision there are examples of successful performances with songs not only in English - t.A.T.u. with “Don’t believe, don’t be afraid...” in 2003, for example. And the Serbian Maria Serifovic actually won with her “Prayer” in 2007. Your singing in Russian is very emotional and has a hypnotic effect even on foreigners who do not understand the language. They themselves told me about this...
We tried it, and we - I mean our entire team, producer Oleg Bodnarchuk - really liked how this song sounds in English, it sounds very melodic, it reveals my timbre, I feel it. Of course, we did a lot of work, including on pronunciation - after all, this is not my native language, and it was difficult for me to reproduce some moments. But the difficulties did not scare us, and, it seems to me, the result was very good. I had the last word and I said that I liked it. This is a very good performing experience for me. And then, it’s still interesting to try. The most important thing in music, in creativity, is that everything is organic, in harmony with your inner self. An inner voice told me that this song in this context should be sung in English.
Ukraine is currently hosting its own qualifying competition - a very intense competition with an unpredictable outcome, there are already nine finalists. It turns out that in Lisbon you will compete with one of your envoys. Are you rooting for any of them?
There are a lot of talented musicians in this selection. I know many of them personally. I will be pleased to meet some of them in Lisbon. Of course, I will root for our envoy. In addition, my former music producer Ruslan Kvinta, with whom I spent three intense creative years, the author of the song “Drunken Sun”, which, in fact, gave me a ticket to the big stage, is now the music producer of the selection. Therefore, of course, I am watching with great interest. I can’t draw global conclusions yet, but it’s always very important to sound good live. It depends not only on the performer, but also on the sound production and the director. In general, I don’t want to make hasty conclusions just yet. For example, following the results of the first round, I personally really liked the way Constantine sang, and the audience gave him 2 points...
- It happens that spectators and professionals differ diametrically...
But ideally, the truth is somewhere in the middle... Of course, every participant dreams of winning. And I dream about it. I just never think ahead, I live by today’s tasks, I appreciate today’s moment. At this stage, I understand that it is important for me not to disappoint those viewers who expect a bright performance from me, to justify their hopes. And within me there is an understanding of how and in what direction to move.
It’s one thing to meet the expectations of fans in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, but you also need to win the sympathy of a huge audience that has not yet heard of you...
In principle, I went to this competition for this reason - to look for a new viewer, get to know him and communicate further. I already said that I started following this competition not long ago. I saw Jamala’s performance the year before, I really liked it, and last year for the first time in my life I watched everything from beginning to end. Although I once participated in the selections for Junior Eurovision, twice, but without success.
- And what do you think of last year’s winner, Salvador Sobral? Do you agree with this outcome?
Absolutely! I love when the nature of a musician’s or artist’s vocals coincides with his view, thinking, image, feelings that fill him when he does not play a role, but lives what he does. He had it one hundred percent, and I’ll even say that he was the only one out of everyone who was there last year. Although there were many good performers. But I believed him most of all.
- All that remains is to wish that the audience believes in your performance as well.
Thank you! In any case, our team and I will try to surprise...
His song " drunken sun » at the end of 2015 it topped the Russian iTunes chart and stayed at the top for 6 weeks; now the video for this song has collected almost 30 million views. Young, ambitious, talented Nikita Alekseev in an exclusive interview with GR spoke about the new video, attitude towards fans, favorite music and much more.
Nikit, my first question will be related to the filming of the video “I Feel with My Soul”, why did you decide to outsource the entire production overseas?
First of all, we are used to trusting professionals in their field, and we have been filming the last 4 films with the eminent director Alan Badoev. Inspired by the work of writer and philosopher Oscar Wilde, Alan came up with a script for a video based on the story of Dorian Gray, and he proposed filming it in California. The picturesque landscapes of the video were filmed in Los Angeles, and the main scenes were filmed in the suburban part of the city. I had never been to the USA before, it was a great trip, I really enjoyed it. One of the best memories of my life! Therefore, I am very glad that we trusted foreign specialists. The team was half ours, half American.
- But they agreed on the script with you?
- You know, Alan always calls very suddenly at night (laughs), and there is no point in resisting him, if he already believes in it, you need to trust him. If a hint of doubt creeps in, then you don’t need to start working. If you see a common goal, a seed sprouts. When we were filming “Drunken Sun,” he completely changed the script, called literally two days in advance and said: “It will be completely different,” when almost everything was organized. It was almost always like this (smiles).
- What kind of story happened with the lead singer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers during filming?
- This is a wonderful story! Today I read an interesting comment from a friend of mine, she is also in Los Angeles now. At the hotel, the actress who played Sarah Connor in “The Terminator” approached her quite by chance, asked her something casually, and moved on. In principle, this was the case with me. We shot the last frame of the video on the ocean shore, we were already quite tired, it was the most difficult period of acclimatization... I looked down, then I looked up and saw a little girl timidly walking and showing me with her thumb: “Look back,” I looked back and saw Anthony Kiedis running. I couldn’t believe my eyes, he was the idol of my childhood! I screamed like a child, perhaps even scared him (laughs).
“It was a sign, because the girl might not have known him at all.”
Yes, she was only 10 years old, maybe she had parents with good musical taste. I grew up listening to his music, and if I met him at such an important moment for me, this is a good sign and the beginning of something new in my life.
- In the CIS countries, you are also already a legend. In less than 3 years, you have collected all possible awards, singles in rotation on all major radio stations and music TV channels. For you, a young man, it happened quite quickly; some people take a very long time to achieve such success. How did your body cope with this?
- It seems to me that when this happened to me, I was not ready and the team was not ready. We didn’t really have a team. It was a big surprise for everyone - such recognition, so there was no need to be particularly happy and hope for victories. We could not fully understand and realize what was happening, and there was still a lot of work ahead; we were only at the start. The most important thing is that both then and now I understand that you don’t need to focus on your own success, in six months everything could end, and you won’t be ready again. Every new day we look only to the future.
What's the hardest thing you've faced in show business over the years? Maybe it’s communication with people who don’t play the game fairly, or the stress of touring?
I have been preparing for the stress of touring all my life, I get great pleasure when I go on stage, and as for people, I am lucky, I meet only sincere and kind people on my way, and so far I have not had to deal with lies. Last year alone we gave more than 150 concerts. My debut tour took place in support of the release of the album “Drunk Sun”, and everywhere the halls were full! It is such a joy when already in the second part of the concert all the spectators get up from their seats and dance and sing along with me. And so it is in every city, in every country. We visited more than 20 countries and capitals. The schedule is planned six months in advance... Therefore, there is no time to think about difficulties, there is only time to sing.
Tell us, who did you start with? And what kind of team do you have now, are there any plans to expand, create your own label, any ambitious goals?
Now we are starting work on our second album, and this is the main task facing our large team, it is a very interesting process. As for the team, at first there were only 4 of us, and now 4 people are just sitting in this room, there is also a very large team at home - in Kyiv. There are more and more of us. The main thing is not to stop.
You constantly say “we”, “us”, do I understand correctly that you have not been affected by star fever? More often than not, artists still say “I”.
It’s always better to see from the outside, it’s very difficult for me to judge this. Of course, I really want the venues to become larger and the geography of concerts to expand. Maybe it's star fever, when I look at my schedule and see that there aren't as many concerts this month as last month, it's kind of disappointing.
- These are rather creative ambitions. It's a fine line, of course. The main thing is not to lose your head. What is the most desirable site at the moment?
- Since childhood, I dreamed of going to a stadium where there would be a large number of people singing my music. This dream has been with me all my life. I don’t know when this will happen, but I firmly believe that someday it will happen, I’ve been preparing myself for this for 13 years now. I may have to wait longer for this moment, but I hope that it will happen someday.
- In what country, for example? Maybe this stadium is in England or in Los Angeles?
- It doesn't matter. Wherever it happens, I'll be glad.
- Most recently, YouTube awarded you a silver button for reaching 100 thousand subscribers on the official YouTube channel, and now this figure has increased to 135 thousand. The number of followers on your Instagram is approaching half a million. A whole army of fans follows your work.
- This is a great responsibility for me - all those real people who live behind these statistics and numbers. On the other hand, this is my main reward. Not those dozens of figurines that gather dust on the shelves, but the emotions that we share at concerts, full halls, their support and activity. I often re-read comments on social networks, and sometimes some of them really inspire me.
- Do you communicate with your fans, for example, at fan meetings? And what do you think about their opinion?
- I think every artist lives for the sake of his audience, the opinion of my listeners has also always been important to me. As for communication, this mainly happens at concerts. There is not always time for long meetings; often you need to quickly leave for the airport or fly to the next city. But when there is an opportunity, we are happy to organize fan meetings, and I see that people need it, that the audience gets a lot of pleasure from it. If it were up to me, we would meet more often, but they are waiting for us in other cities.
- Do you have a lot of haters? And what is the attitude towards them?
- I treat everything calmly and with great understanding. If I see that a person does not like my work, then I will not convince him or force him to listen to me. This is absolutely normal, especially in music, especially in our time... For me, getting to know the work of musicians that interest me takes a lot of time. And to say that I am the only one who should be liked is absolutely wrong; now there are many worthwhile musicians.
- What kind of music do you turn to for inspiration? When you want to be alone and listen to music, what do you turn on?
- The last time I had a great performance, which I still remember with a smile, it was a big open air, we were the headliners, more than 50 thousand people came. When I was driving to the venue, I was listening to Jimmy Hendricks. I was setting myself up.
- Are they always different performers?
- I named this artist so as not to take up a lot of your time; I grew up listening to his music. My music list is very long. In general, I listen to underground music, but in any case, I know all the basics. Michael Jackson is also my friend, and I always resort to him (smiles).
- Which contemporary artists do you like?
- Nikolas Jaar, Micah, he is not entirely modern, but his work is close to me.
- What is your view of everyday life?
- You should always greet a new day and new people with a smile.
Photographer: Veronika Arakchieva
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In 2016, he won the Ukrainian YUNA music award in the “Discovery of the Year” category and the Russian “Muz-TV” and RU.TV awards in the “Breakthrough of the Year” and “Best Song” categories. This award was brought to him by the song “Drunken Sun”, which became the first Russian-language composition to enter the Top 100 of the world Shazam chart.
Childhood and family of Nikita Alekseev
The stunningly successful vocalist, whose musical composition in 2015 spent a month and a half in 1st place on the Russian iTunes chart, was born on May 18, 1993 in Kyiv. Nikita was raised by his mother, a doctor by training, and her sister, whom he often warmly called his second mother. His father was against his birth and left his mother when she refused to terminate the pregnancy. 
Nikita has never seen his father, but he knows that he, a successful, wealthy doctor, lives abroad, is married and has two twin sons. Despite the circumstances preceding his birth and the complete lack of material help from his father, the young man never held a grudge against him and dreamed of getting to know him and his brothers.
The singer considers his rapid rise to the musical Olympus not only his merit or the will of chance, but also a certain magic of his surname. It turns out that he got it from his grandfather Nikita’s friend at the front, who saved his life by shielding him from a bullet. In memory of him, my grandfather changed his surname - Chumak - to the surname of the deceased soldier.
In early childhood, Nikita had to travel a lot. At 6 months old, his mother took him to Chita for two years, then returned with her son to the Ukrainian capital. From the age of three, now on the initiative of an enterprising aunt, he was periodically sent to visit a Spanish family to study a foreign language. Once he spent about 8 months with “foster parents” who did not have children of their own.
As a result, he spoke Spanish as well as his native language, and the couple wanted to adopt him. But Nikita’s mother, of course, was against this turn of events, although he himself (to her horror) did not want to return home - the Spanish family treated him like their own child.
Nikita Alekseev answered fans' questions
During his school years, he played tennis for five years, which contributed to his harmonious physical development, improved coordination, rhythm, and cultivated the will to win. These qualities also came in handy in music, which came into his life at the age of ten, when Nikita began attending vocal lessons with a well-known teacher in professional circles, Konstantin Pon. The teacher helped him develop his performing skills, instilled in him a refined musical taste, a love for the classics of world rock and high-quality pop music.
As a teenager, Nikita, dreaming before going to bed, often imagined himself on stage in the spotlight in front of an applauding audience. And he did everything possible to achieve his dream: he tried to get to Junior Eurovision, organized the rock group “Mova” (translated from Ukrainian as “Rech”) at school.
Once, the singer recalled, when he was 12 years old, he was preparing to perform with the song “We are the champions” by the British group Queen, and his mother gave him incomparable white trousers especially for the concert. And in the height of his feelings, he rode in them on his knees on the mastic-covered parquet floor of the stage and hopelessly ruined them.
After graduating from school, he chose a specialty that, as he then imagined, would allow him to have a stable income and support his family - he began studying to become a marketer. From his first year, in parallel with his studies, he worked part-time in call centers and in a karaoke bar. Despite his workload, he could not give up music - after about six months, he and his friends put together another rock band. In addition, he attended the Kiev Institute of Culture as a free listener.
Musical career of Nikita Alekseev. Alekseev
The artist’s first attempt to enter the “Voice of the Country” competition (analogue of the Russian project “Voice”) in 2012 turned out to be a failure. But for the second one, undertaken in 2014, he came with the firm intention of getting to the producers, having prepared 35 songs for listening at once. This circumstance impressed the girl editor at the initial stage of casting, and she sent him to the next round.At the so-called “blind auditions”, of all the jury, only Ani Lorak turned to the contestant, predetermining his future fate with her choice. He confidently overcame the first stage of the show, but did not reach the final. To support and console the mentee, the mentor assisted him in creating the first video clip for the song “Drunk Sun”. This song and the accompanying video became a sensational event in the domestic show business, marking the beginning of the successful creative path of the vocalist.
The video director was the famous music video director Alan Badoev. Filming took place on the Kiev Sea during a suddenly violent storm. For the singer then there was a real danger of ending up in the water and drowning, but, fortunately, everything worked out.
Alekseev – Drunken Sun (2015)
In April 2015, he congratulated singer Irina Bilyk on her birthday by recording a cover of her song “And I’m Swimming.”
In 2016, he released his debut mini-albums “Drunk Sun” and “Hold.” Philip Kirkorov himself gave a high assessment of the musician’s creative potential. In October of the same year, he presented to the public a new song, “Oceans of Steel.”
Alekseev's songs conquered iTunes and half the world afterwards
The video for the song “Snov Oskolki” with Ukrainian model Stasya Smerechevskaya, like the previous video, caused a stir. Most listeners found it insightful, quality and moving.
Alekseev – Dream fragments (2016)
The Kiev resident, together with a team of like-minded people, continues to hone his skills, rightly emphasizing that talent is only a small part of success, the rest depends on perseverance and work. The artist actively tours, is always in search, works on himself, filling the gaps in studying music theory, pays special attention to solfeggio, because he wants not only to perform songs, but also to write music.
The most mysterious Russian-speaking singer, performer of the megahit “Drunken Sun” is going to Eurovision 2018.
Six years ago no one knew about him. Nikita did odd jobs, earning pennies. And now the 24-year-old guy performs under the pseudonym ALEKSEEV (yes, in capital letters) in halls of thousands, he has substantial fees, his videos are gaining tens of millions of views, and soon he will perform on “” from Belarus. If the artist’s last name seems too common and unmemorable to you, it doesn’t matter. Still, almost everyone has heard his hit “Drunken Sun.” What sets him apart from the crowd of pop musicians is his special timbre and incredible charm. A barely perceptible alienness, detachment from the ugly world of show business and idle parties.
TV Program magazine found out how much he received for unskilled labor, why he lived in a foster family, where he proposed to his beloved for the first time, and why the upcoming competition could change his life.
- You are going to "". But why not from our native Ukraine, but from Belarus?
— I consider myself a Belarusian singer as well (the artist was born in Kyiv, but his uncle is from the Gomel region of Belarus. — Author). In 2017, according to the largest Belarusian TV channel, I became artist of the year. My songs are well known in the country. Last year we visited more than 15 countries with concerts, so I could represent any country in which I am popular. I think that I will receive support from Ukraine at the competition.
— The song Forever, which you chose to perform, is essentially a translation of the song “Forever”, which has already been made public. And according to the conditions, you can perform with a composition voiced no earlier than September 2017. Will you be disqualified?
“We didn’t choose this song, it chose us itself.” First, we posted the track on YouTube - and without a video, it instantly gained 5 million views. As for the legal difficulties, it was like this: on May 18, on my birthday, at one of the concerts I sang a small fragment of this song, a piece. Piano version. So the entire song was not performed. The European Broadcasting Union confirmed that there was no violation.
Nikita has been playing tennis for a long time, but also loves to play football. Photo: instagram.com
“If a beautiful girl appears nearby, I will not let her go”
— You spent part of your childhood in Spain. And they even seemed to look like a Spaniard. How did this happen?
“I ended up there at an early age on the initiative of my aunt, who wanted me to master Spanish. And as soon as the opportunity arose, I was sent to the town of Mula, a four-hour drive from Madrid, to a foster family. Aunt knew that my mother would not approve, so she carried out the operation without her: she received permission from a notary and sent me to Spain, I was three years old. The family I lived with had no children, and I literally became family to them. I flew there for the summer every year, lived there for quite a long time - and at some point my adoptive parents even wanted me to stay. I learned the language and felt free. And once upon returning home, right at the airport, I announced that I wanted to return to a Spanish family. This is where the trips ended. We didn’t communicate with Fernando and Pepa for 16 years, and last year they found me on social networks. They are incredibly happy that my fate turned out this way. I’ll try to see them when I fly to Madrid as part of a promotional tour before Eurovision.
— Who else would you like to meet?
- With father. He left us when I was very young. Initially, he insisted that my mother not give birth, and then he left for another family. Once, when things were not easy for us, my mother turned to him for financial help, but he refused. Not because there is no money, but because she didn’t listen to him and gave birth to me. However, I want to find him. I know that he lives in Israel and may see my performance during the European tour or at the competition itself.
- Do you really have no bitterness, resentment, anger left?
— I can’t say that I grew up in a dysfunctional family. Every day I was blessed with a huge portion of love. Friends and family did everything to fill the gap that might arise. I had a wonderful childhood, the best teenage years. And I have nothing to hold a grudge against my father for and nothing to forgive him for either. And one more thing: I dedicate the song that I will sing at Eurovision to him. Maybe this will awaken some feelings in him.
Nikita grew up with his mother, and loved to go to Spain in the summer to visit Pepa and Fernando’s family. Photo: *details | pr&communications — They say that your song “Drunk Sun” is dedicated to parting with your beloved. Is it true that you proposed to a girl in Spain three years ago?
- Yes, in Barcelona over dinner I proposed to her. But I didn’t hear a positive answer. I was very worried, but I can’t say that it bothers me now. It was difficult then, I won’t hide it. Now another stage.
— Maybe after that incident there is an internal block inside you, which is why new relationships are not born? Is work a way of protection?
- No, there is no such thing. And what I do shouldn’t be called work. I try to enjoy what happens to me. And if a beautiful girl appears nearby, whom I want to hold tightly by the hand, then I will not let her go.
Pepa and Fernando's family. Photo: *details | pr&communications — Now ALEKSEEV is a star. Take one look and any girl will jump on your neck. Was it the same before?
— I composed songs inspired by bright feelings for girls. Of which I only had two during my studies. A wonderful and pure relationship that I remember with a smile. We don't communicate, but it was a great songwriting experience, let's say (laughs).
— So, any experience goes into songs?
- Absolutely!
“I stood in a prince costume in a cosmetics store.”
— What did you have to do during your hungry student years to earn money?
— These were positions I hated. Absolutely uncreative. Although it was there that I learned to communicate with people and understand and feel them. This is important for a musician - to find out a person’s thoughts and understand what worries him. He sold satellite dishes, worked as a loan officer and promoter, sang karaoke, and stood in a prince costume in a cosmetics store.
— So every girl who listens to you and dreams of meeting you as a prince on a white horse could do this in the store?
- Six years ago.
— What is the maximum number of concerts per week you give?
- Differently. There have been five concerts in the last week.
— Do you consider yourself a rich person? A millionaire, for example.
— Remember what Bob Marley said about wealth? “What do you mean when you say rich? Does property make a person rich? I don’t have this kind of wealth, my wealth is life.” I don’t need it, but you definitely shouldn’t discuss fees and material assets with me. I am a person of creativity and music. Am I happy? Yes.
The artist’s colorful performance at the Eurovision selection left no questions: it is he who should represent Belarus in Lisbon. Photo: *details | pr&communications — I went there twice. In 2012, at the stage of pre-casting, not even blind auditions, I headed the selection committee. We had an interesting and very short dialogue, the essence of which I am still trying to decipher. First I sang Come Together by the Beatles, after which Konstantin suddenly asked: “What’s wrong with the army?” To be honest, I was taken aback and didn’t know how to react. He said honestly: “I wasn’t in the army.” The casting ended there; I was not accepted. And two years later I got to the blind auditions, Ani Lorak turned to me, and I reached the semi-finals.
- What can make you angry?
— The loss of my favorite team, London Arsenal, I have been rooting for them for more than 11 years. This year, not everything works out in the English Championship, but there is nothing left to do but support. Talented guys.
— If you step back and look at Nikita Alekseev from the outside, what is his main problem at the moment?
- There are many such things. Oddly enough, I don’t like talking about myself in interviews. It sounds pretty stupid, but it's true. Problem? More like a challenge. As soon as the moment comes when I can tell myself that I have become a master of my craft, then I will be absolutely happy.
Personal matter
Nikita Alekseev (stage name ALEKSEEV) was born on May 18, 1993 in Kyiv. He started playing music at the age of 10. In 2014, he reached the semi-finals of the show “The Voice” in Ukraine. In 2015, he released the song “Drunk Sun,” which became a breakthrough. The single was certified platinum on iTunes. Each subsequent track was no less successful - for them Nikita collected many music awards in Russia and the CIS countries. Not married.
