Articles

2009-06-30 00:00:00

Soul and business

(Translation by Igor Kovalenko) There is a popular belief that success in show business can be achieved only by means of an all-powerful producer or some rich investor which role is often played by parents, husbands or lovers... But considering that this is the only way to the star tops means voluntary refusing your dream and recognizing your groundlessness. It’s a way for the weak. Our today’s character of «Soul and business» heading – a young and talented singer Katrin – is not from their number. She was convinced by her own example that daily laborious work, adherence to the purposes and internal principles, and also cooperation with good people, based on teamwork and creativity, is able to break any stereotypes. Judge.

Beginning

I grew as a very musical child. I started singing almost when I had just learnt to speak. And speech appeared in my nine months and it was so good, that most adults were constantly shocked about it. However, even when I can’t talk I was reciting poems to my utmost, or, to be more precise then it was more similar to abracadabra - such muffled set of sounds, but with expression and in a singsong.

I had written the first poem at my five and the first song at six. For some reason it was called «A lonely boy». And if my first poems touched my parents and they were even writing them down; my musical improvisations obviously frightened them. Mum had told at once, that I didn’t have hearing. It put me out greatly; all the more my cousin was accepted in chorus, while I wasn’t. But there was no stopping. I demanded to send me to a musical school and to buy me a piano. A year after my parents yielded to my persuasions.

When we had moved to another apartment I was forced to change my music school and I was lucky enough to get to a very prestigious children's chorus. Initial "diagnosis" - absence of hearing - appeared to be full nonsense. Each person by nature has «an internal hearing», it is simply necessary to learn to handle it, as well as the voice. In this plan our chorus master - Natalia Ivanovna Bazhko - was a real genius of pedagogics. Our team appeared on stages of Moscow conservatory, Rahmaninovsky hall, a hall of Tchaikovsky, we participated in different competitions and television programs and we had become prizewinners... All developed wonderful till some certain moment when I realized, that I had become independent, and it was time to go my own gate.

About songs

In the eighth grade I joined a guitar studio. My schoolmate was playing a guitar, and it was her who invited me. With the first learnt chords I had understood that it was a serious and a long time business. Songs had just poured down. And then I fell in love for the first time in my life. Strange enough - in my musical teacher (there is a foolish habit of me to fall in love with teachers)! But since I wasn’t too brave to own up, I began to unburden my heart in lines. Then the majority of my songs and poems was created.

I cannot tell till now, how my creative process is going on. Inspiration may surprise you without a call anywhere. A song «I’ll tell you at parting» was written in a bathroom, a lot of songs and poems were written in the underground, therefore I always have a notebook and a pen with me and if nothing is at hand, I record my creations on a dictophone in a mobile phone or write them down on everything, that is on hand.

About the first album

In 2005 my debut album «Sea breeze» was released. My elder sister’s husband who was a conductor in a conservatory and who knew many people from the show business world helped me to record an album. He sent me to his friends to Gorky studio where our all working process was held. Parents knew nothing about my project. I’ve got used to meet skeptical relation from them so much that I’ve learnt to keep everything as to music, in a strict secret. Guys from studio were delighted with the songs. Then we didn’t think of any commercial benefit, more by token, the album has turned out so naive, easy and airy, that it more resembled sounds-tracks to children's films, than music which is usually twisted by radio.

And nevertheless I have found my audience and those who could really estimate my creations. Disks were successfully on sale both in the Internet and in small musical shops. A year after my first solo concert took place in a legendary «Gnezdo Gluharya» bard-cafe. For me it was a huge achievement the more so because I’ve never had a producer and I was forced to make my way by my own.

About competitions

The first thing, that surprised me greatly, when I had won an author's song competition in Pereslavl in a nomination «for self-creation» - that there are fair competitions! True masters of an author's song were on jury, and I still can’t understand, how I managed to fascinate them from the first chords. Lots of words of encouragement were showered at me, and the audience just won my heart: only once having heard my «Berendeevo kingdom» on a selection round, they managed to get the words somewhere and then they were singing along with me during the final concert. I was the only person who was presented with the flowers. And then I‘ve distinctly realized, that I do not imagine myself without my listeners, without a scene...

Single record «Wind of Paris» in a genre of dancing music which has taken the first place in “Interstar” competition in the network of the Russian national award «Interslava» was the following step in my musical career. It was an Internet competition where listeners acted directly as the jury; that’s why this victory is especially pleasant and dear to me. Last year I decided to try my luck already in an International vocal competition «Travel to the stars». And though I consider myself more a composer and performer than a vocalist, I was really delighted to get a diploma of the winner and a «gold microphone» cup.

About the new project

It goes without saying, that my first successes in a genre of popular music led me to an idea of creating a new pop album. But since I don’t appreciate Russian pop-music greatly, I desired to make something essentially new, alternative... "t.A.t.U." group that has worked up not only Russian, but also western markets, and gentle and romantic singer Maksim have become my inspirers.

Besides, my new musical style was strongly affected by my liking for Japan in whole (not so long ago I managed to carry out my dream to visit Tokyo), and Japanese music in particular. Here such performers as Mikuni Shimokawa and Ayumi Hamasaki that are working in genre of J-pop have become my reference points in music. So my love to Japanese music, manga and anime has given a birth to such essentially new genre for our country as manga-pop.

Manga-pop is a mix of pop and manga music styles, which supplement each other using the attractiveness of catchy tunes and lyrics, combined with dynamism and manga animation. In this genre I can be safely considered a pioneer, because there are very few manga-groups in Russia, basically these are manga-rock bands; the things with manga-pop music seem to be much more deplorable.

About creative plans

At the present time an anime-clip for my song «White flower of the moon» is being created. I had the luck to work with the largest Russian clip-makers association "Across" studio which is creating clips in this genre. As for recording the album, my choice has fallen on "Gala-Records" studio, and I am grateful to destiny for this happy lottery ticket. Heretofore I recorded songs at different studios, but I met such professionalism, warm and sincere relation to the performers nowhere! Now we are working on the first single «My master» from the album with the same name which, I hope, will be released in the nearest future.

Recording an English-version of an album is in plans, and in this way it is possible to consider «Katrin» project as the international one.By the way, I’ve translated the most part of my songs by my own - simply because no one is able to transfer the initial sense to the listener better than the author!

I do not like to guess at tomorrow. I can tell only that today I am happy to create good music and to share the creativity, feelings and moods with the whole world on a recently opened official web-site. The most important thing for me in my creative work is to inspire people, helping them to create and to dream.

With love, yours Katrin.