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Vivienne Mort (pronounced Vivienne Mort) is a Ukrainian indie rock band, founded by Daniela Zayushkina in 2007.
The first attempts to create a group were back in 2007, it was then that vocalist and songwriter Daniela Zayushkina created the first compositions and gathered musicians. With the help of session musicians in 2008, two songs were recorded at the Nest recording studio - "Fly" and "The Day the Saints ...".
The whole of 2009 the group spends in search of musicians, occasionally giving concerts with temporary members. And, finally, in 2010 he recorded his debut mini-album "Esentuki LOVE", which received the title of the best mini-album of 2010 according to the FaDiez portal. ./../..
In 2013, at the Revet Sound recording studio, the group recorded the first full-length album, Pipinó Theater, and went on an all-Ukrainian tour in support of the disc. "Theater Pipino" concludes the old period of Vivienne Mort's life, because it included songs that were performed at concerts over the past 2 years. The album was recorded at Revet Sound, and the sound producer was Sergey KNOB Lyubinsky (a well-known specialist in the CIS, he worked with the bands "TOL", "7RASA", "Anna", "Marakesh", "Druha Rika", etc.).
For recording, use exclusively live instruments, and the piano from the Master Class art institution, which was specially recorded at night, became a real gem.
"In the process of recording, the album was supplemented, changed, - says Dana soloist Vivienne Mort, author of music and lyrics, - and in the end a completely different album came out. A conservative always knows what the end result will be. Experimenters are waiting for surprises and tears "Tenderness". I must say that we are satisfied with the process and the result. We are already working on the next record."
In 2014, the second mini-album of the group called "Gothic" was released.
The band started 2015 with the acoustic tour "Filin Tour", which started on February 13 in Kyiv. And already on March 1, the release of the third mini-album "Filin" took place. The disc included six acoustic compositions, work on which continued during the current New Year holidays. In addition to the already well-known songs "Dark", "Dove", "Grushechka" and "Fly", the minion also contains two completely new tracks - "Lullaby" and "Love".
“Owl is the best friend, real feelings towards being. He is too honest, those around him are uncomfortable, he is unsuitable for a decent life. He is not afraid of the light, but loves the darkness, because in it he is not distracted from contemplating the truth while you are looking for it in a hurricane of events. Your Filin knows the truth from the very beginning, ”the soloist of the group Daniela Zayushkina explained the name of the mini-album.
In March 2016, the single "Bird" is released, followed by the new album "Rósa".
On February 1st, after a rather long lull, a new studio track "Іній" is released, recorded at the Revet Sound studio. Sasha Podolsky was responsible for the cover for the official track.
Vivienne Mort. Album: Dosvid. February, 2018
We continue the ZVUKI.UA series of materials dedicated to the most curious artists of the dynamically developing Ukrainian music scene. And today we'll talk to Daniela Zayushkina-Lapchikova, the ideological inspirer and leader of the team Vivienne Mort. From a long existence practically in the underground, the group has recently dramatically increased in popularity and entered large venues. And this is obviously not the limit - sensual and sincere lyrics, coupled with a delicate acoustic sound and Daniela's voice together make a strong impression. This is confirmed by the recently released mini-album Rosa- he became the main topic of our dialogue.
Sounds: How did it all start for you, how did Vivienne Mort come about?
Daniela: The presence of music leads to the emergence of a new project. She came to me at the age of 10. I was interested in trying to compose. And at that time I worked very fruitfully, sometimes even writing 2-3 songs a day. But it was all in the style of an akyn - what she saw, she sang. I had a piano brand "Ukraine", very common in Ukrainian homes, as well as music schools. My songs were sad, I composed them, composed them, I myself sat with them and cried. And then our drummer, and now also producer Gleb, found me, and said: "Well, why are you crying alone here? Let everyone around cry too!" He took up organizational issues, began to look for musicians, in general, to make sure that someone heard my songs. When I composed music alone with the piano, I could not even think that soon thousands of people would listen to it at my solo concert. At first it was interesting to play for several dozen people, so that you could follow their reaction, look into their eyes, understand how they feel. For me it has always been interesting and valuable.
Sounds: Did you get any inspiration from someone else's music?
Daniela: I'm not a very high degree of awareness. Keeping track of where inspiration comes from is a Jedi level. Surely great composers were aware of this, but we will never know about it, because they did not give interviews about this. They sat in their churches with organs and probably didn't even notice if anyone could hear them. At home with dad, we heard all kinds of music - an extensive collection of CDs was at home when I was eight years old, their shelf was taller than me. There were many black performers, more offspring, Nirvana, Guano Apes... Such are the teams. They probably influenced me in some way. From what I personally liked - No Doubt and later dad showed me Muse, and I could not recognize what kind of marvelous cosmic creature sings so beautifully, I was so struck by the timbre. Yes, without Michael Krug didn't work out either. And my mother also added from herself Agatha Christie... Although this did not stop her from loving and Valeria Meladze.
Sounds A: Here is a powerful, of course, a number of performers.
Daniela: We did not have and do not have any taboos. Everything that is done from the heart goes straight to our hearts. When we ride in a tour bus, we call it the Vivienmobile, we listen to very different things. And for people who think somewhat stereotypically about genres and styles, it is generally very difficult to understand that this is happening there. Well, sort of, why do we play this kind of music, but turn it on on the bus Nagovitsyn.
Sounds: Surprisingly, of course.
Daniela: I understand. If we can soberly assess what we are doing from the outside, then no music threatens us in terms of damaging our spiritual state. We ourselves regulate it, and we ourselves apply what passes through our ears.
Sounds: In general, you don't divide music into low and high genres.
Daniela: Absolutely. To be honest, I don't know much about genres either. I just hear - Nagovitsyn is rushing, and I persuade Gleb that one song, perhaps, is quite enough. A Cinematic Orchestra or Hiatus Kaiyote you can listen to the whole album.
Sounds: You mainly release EPs - what dictates your love for small forms?
Daniela: This is dictated by the desire not to say something superfluous, if it can fit in a shorter form, and not the lack of material, as one might think. Because we have a lot of material, at least three albums ahead. But putting these songs side by side, we, in fact, remain dissatisfied. Sculpting something else, when the songs are conceptually lined up in the right row, is like trying to fit an extra piece from another set into a puzzle.
Sounds: You started with cabaret rock, and now you have moved to more chamber music.
Daniela: I dare to think that some key foundations of our music are melody and lyrics. Once upon a time, I was interested in screaming - at one time I played in a band where I used vocals to the extreme, tried screaming, growling. At some point, standing right on the stage, I realized that some kind of nonsense was going on. Well, in terms of the relevance of my participation in this. I don’t have such a black hole inside me, if depression happens to me, I splash out this state in a completely different way. I don’t want to hit the walls, scream, and also dump it on the crowd of children under the stage, who also don’t understand what’s the matter, because they can’t make out the words. I'm very glad I got away with it. Minimalistic sounding means that your words will be heard, and I am happy to note that our listeners have learned to watch concerts in silence. And they are often not even embarrassed by the presence of a bar with various drinks on the site, they almost never approach it. And everyone listens to the lyrics, because without hearing the beginning, you can miss the point. And why then such an event where no one hears anyone, people just trample around. It is important for me to feel such an atmosphere of unity, where everyone, no matter how trite it may sound, is a friend to each other. And sometimes it works out.
Sounds: Do your concerts, like releases, also line up in some kind of conceptual canvas?
Daniela A: If I'm present. That is, I am in myself and have not been confused by some third-party questions, such as, for example, a photographer standing right under the stage, will he capture me with five chins, even if only one adds (laughs), that is, the questions outlined around me. To see more, you must not see yourself. When I eat and do not sleep, I want to serve people, do good to them, at least from a sense of benefit, do something good, so that later I feel good.
Sounds: Tell us about the social context of the new release "Rose".
Daniela: A few years ago I read a book "Rose of the World". I got the idea from her. This is a rose, the petals of which are on the Earth, and the stem is in the sky. Petals are the religions and ideas of the Earth, everything that people worship. And they perform a series of rituals, professing this idea. As a result, disagreements and confrontations arise. And those who are on these petals do not understand that they are on the same bud, and the same blood flows to them all through the stem. To harm each other is the most stupid thing. By hurting you, I hurt myself. This applies to both countries and people living in the neighborhood. Roughly speaking, who killed - he died himself. So I think. We are advanced enough to stop doing this. This is not a utopia and not some childish maximalism. On the contrary, the bolder and more often we turn to such simple truths, the better we will live.
Sounds: What is lacking in music now?
Daniela: I think that's enough. Roger Waters the same, he only does this in essence. His words are clear and his resonance is enough to conduct a dialogue between Waters and the listener without meeting in person. Same story with Thom Yorke. Lie down to listen to Tom on the floor, and he will come, and will lie next to you, sad, not in a hurry. Like reading Dovlatov we can talk to him in the kitchen over a glass of something intoxicating. These are very strong people, and in order to have a dialogue with them, we accept their conditions.
Sounds: As far as I know, the recording of the release involved Dmitry Shurov...
Daniela: In the process of preparing "Rose" there was no one accidental. We believe in the positive and negative energy brought by each person involved in the process of creating something that we want to do well. It takes professional musicians to get the message across with rich artistic expression. You can be friends with a person, but if he is a bad musician, then you should not play with him in the same group. It will ruin music and friendship. But professionalism is not enough, you need to look for like-minded people.
Dmitry Shurov helped us a lot with the recording of keyboard instruments - as he pianoboy, then he has his own "Piano Temple", in which there are many beautiful and necessary instruments. We needed Hammond and, according to available information, we knew that only he had this instrument in Kyiv. Recently, however, I was told that he also has Andrey Khlyvnyuk from Boombox. But for some reason he doesn't tell everyone about it. (laughs).
Sounds: Do you fundamentally not use electronics?
Daniela: The keys are electronic.
Sounds A: Well, I'm more in terms of using it more heavily in the overall sound of the band.
Daniela: We are analog people. We love paper books. We rarely do anything special. Our music communicates some sensual experiences, and it is caused by them. The music seems to want that degree of intensity right now. Or maybe it's my fidelity to habits - as soon as I started composing everything on a wooden piano, this is how it continues.
A strange division has taken place in Ukrainian music since the early 1990s - girls have occupied the conditional pantheon of variety art and emerging pop music, while male voices have been leading in alternative and "non-format" music.
Sofia Rotaru, Ani Lorak, Natalia Mogilevskaya, the list goes on - they all became the personification of pop music and at one time collected two full "Palaces of Ukraine" in a row (and some do this to this day). And at that time, Okean Elzy, VV, Druga Rika, TNMK were formed in small rock clubs, trying on the role of domestic rock stars. It cannot be said that there were no girls in "non-pop" Ukrainian music at all, but in percentage terms there were fundamentally fewer of them.
In the new Ukrainian music, fortunately, the concepts of "format" and "non-format" have practically blurred, and female voices have become increasingly heard at rock festivals, indie parties and clubs. Over the past year alone, several bands and performers have pleased with fresh releases, which can no longer be attributed to the category of terry pop.
ONUKA
Nata Zhizhchenko(soloist of ONUKA) previously played in one of the most successful Ukrainian electro projects Tomato Jaws. But the group broke up, and Nata found herself at a creative crossroads. The sound producer and part-time guy - Zhenya Filatov (aka The Maneken) helped her decide on the vector.
ONUKA combined electro-pop sound with Ukrainian folk flavor. On the debut disc of ONUKA, released in October of this year, you can hear both the flute and trembita, and even a sample of the clock ringing on Kontraktova Square. The album came out so successful that even if you try, it's hard to find negative reviews.
ONUKA "came" to the widest range of music lovers - electronics appreciated its folk experiments, and many fans of other genres delved into the unusual electronic sound with pleasure. At the same time, ONUKA songs sound light enough to be considered pop music.
Another question is that for all its merits, the album sounds quite bland. He will not go down in history and is unlikely to be remembered after a couple of years. But this material can be used as plasticine, from which you can mold something really big.
Listen: Misto, Untitled, Look, Around Me.
Event: Debut releasedEPLook and albumONUKA.
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Panivalkova
Panivalkova - in which two girls sing at once - Ira Kulshenko and Ira Luzina. It is not possible to determine which of the girls is the frontwoman of the team.
The group very quickly got out of the bowels of the rehearsal base to the largest festivals of this year (even if there are very few of them left) and managed to collect a full house at their last solo concert in Kiev Mezzanine.
The girls call their music "sensual minimalism", which can be deciphered as melodic piano-pop with deliberately minimalist arrangements. At concerts, you will not hear any guitar or bass, but you can be amazed by the most diverse percussion instruments, the richness of keyboard parts (the basis of the band's sound), the ukulele with distortion and the powerful presentation of the fragile Dasha Pugacheva on the drum kit.
At the moment, Panivalkova released their debut EP "panivalkova" on their own, including 5 songs in three languages (Ukrainian, English, French) and are working on the first LP. If the girls maintain the growth rates they took this year, then very soon 100+ listeners in Mezzanine will seem like baby talk to them, although it will be very difficult not to succumb to the deceptive dope of fast popularity.
Listen: Crazy Nikita
Event: Debut releasedEP"panivalkova", filmed a video for "CrazyNikita", launched their own merchandise for sale.
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Jamala
Susana Jamaladinova started out as a promising pop singer with powerful vocals, referring to the legendary Aretha Franklin and Ella Fitzgerald. Fame in the expanses of the former CIS brought her participation in the "New Wave".
She released two pop albums: For Every Heart (2011) and All or Nothing (2013), and was highly respected by music lovers of all stripes and colors. But all the same, she was perceived among fans of the conditional "non-format" as a person from another world.
This year, Jamala took a sudden turn in her career and moved into electro-pop. The same Evgeny Filatov (The Maneken) became the sound producer of the debut EP Thank You in the new sound.
The opening song "Stuck", which mixes soft keys, signature mannequin samples and a straight beat, opened up Jamal to a whole new audience. The primary handicap, in the form of recognition, together with competent production, instantly brought the performer to the forefront of new Ukrainian music.
The reverse side of the medal in the person of Filatov is that it is not so easy to determine who you are listening to - Dorn, The Maneken, ONUKA or Jamala from the first time. The projects of this electrical workshop sound painfully similar. But Jamala has a special advantage - there has never been such a strong vocal in domestic electro-pop.
Listen: "I got lost", Perfect Man, Thank You.
Event: Debut releasedEP in Electronic Sound"ThanksYou", a joint song "Zliva" together with Andrey Khlyvnyuk ("Boombox") and Dmitry Shurov (Piano fight) to the anniversary of the Euromaidan.
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Zapaska
Zapaska - duet Yana Shpachinskaya and Pavel Nechitailo from Kamenetz-Podolsky. The band claims to play indie pop. But what the musicians do on stage during live looping (simultaneous recording of samples and their looped playback - actually easier to see than explain) is difficult to fit into any genre framework.
Zapaska put the listener into a deep trance with a taste of purely Western Ukrainian flavor. They sing in Ukrainian, Russian, English and Polish. They play some completely outlandish instruments, such as the two-row button accordion "Kalinka", rabab or kalimba.
At their concerts, you can always look at three things: how Yana and Pavel work with a bunch of different loopers, a psychedelic video sequence and the reaction of the public.
Zapaska is perhaps one of the most difficult Ukrainian bands to perceive in the field of indie music, but this is their charm. This year, the duo released their debut full-length album - KONTUR. The group tours a lot, especially in Poland and Western Ukraine.
Listen:GAZUJ ,FALAFEL ,NiemaRyby.
Event: released an albumKONTUR, recorded a single with the bandOmodada.
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Jinjer
Founded in 2009 in Gorlovka, Jinjer, led by a soloist Tatyana Shmaylyuk became one of the main names of the Ukrainian metal scene.
The band plays at the intersection of metalcore, groove metal and progressive death metal. Shmaylyuk owns extreme vocals, causing bewilderment among people far from the heavy scene, and admiration among fans of the genre.
This year, Jinjer finally released their debut longplay - Cloud Factory, with which they went on a large-scale (by Ukrainian standards) tour: they captured not only Ukraine, but also Poland, Romania, Switzerland, Belgium and France.
Listen: Cloud Factory, Exposed as Liar, Scissors.
Event: Debut LP releasedcloudFactory, went on a massive European tour.
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VivienneMort
Daniela Zayushkina is an absolutely amazing performer. This manifests itself in everything - from the appearance to the album covers and the message of Vivienne Mort songs.
The group plays a kind of art-rock, built primarily on keyboard parts. The two epithets that best describe their music are, perhaps, weird and sophisticated. This year, Vivienne Mort released the 5-song EP "Gothic", which finally took shape in their playful, theatrical style.
During the tour in support of "Gothic" the musicians perform in Venetian masks and have already managed to collect soldier-outs in several cities of Ukraine, so that concerts are held mainly in theaters and philharmonics. They are really strange, but there is nothing similar in Ukrainian music.
Listen: "Persephone", "University", "Riba".
Event: releaseEP "Gothic", tour in support of the album in 13 cities of Ukraine.
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DakhDaughters
It is impossible to separate what is more in them - theater or music. Each of their performances is a performance based on music. Dakh Daughters are forced to admire the Ukrainian national flavor due to outlandish arrangements and virtuoso mastery of folk voices. The group very accurately characterizes itself as a freak-cabaret band.
To some extent, "DakhaBrakha" had it (without which there would be no Dakh Daughters), but the girls brought in so many elements of their own and the notorious freakiness that they began to be perceived as a full-fledged creative unit a long time ago.
Dakh Daughters don't follow any showbiz molds, so they haven't released an album or an EP yet. They don't even write songs. However, their music is so strongly tied to the visual range that it is not a fact that it makes sense for them to make a product in audio format.
With a frequency of once every two months, Dakh Daughters clean up the capital's Sentrum for two days in a row, not to mention festivals and creative pranks, such as a joint show with " Hamerman Knowing Viruses" at "GOGOLFEST".
Listen:Rozy /Donbass, "Gannusia".
Event: regular performances and active participation in Euromaidan, performance at "GOGOLFEST" with KhZV.
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Katya (ex-iYA)
Katerina Rokova, she is also IYA, she is KATYA, from 2008 to 2011 she played in the group "Indi.Ya", which is quite popular among the Kyiv party. The group was strongly associated with the Dimna Sumish group, which was at the peak of its popularity at that time. The connection is obvious - Sergey Martynov, Katya's husband, was a guitarist in both projects: and "S umishi", and "Indi.I", and the vocals of Sasha Chemerov can be found on some recordings.
But the group broke up, Katya moved away from ethnic motives and created a Russian-language project - IA, which lasted less than a year. After a conflict with a record label, Katya lost everything acquired under the name of IA, including the right to the name. The KATYA project became a reincarnation (with the prefix ex -YA, which so far has not been able to get rid of).
KATYA sets herself the goal of re-educating Russian pop music by her own example. Her main weapons are academic vocals, outrageous appearance and competent arrangements in the spirit of the same electro-pop. Although the first releases are still far from the revolution in pop music.
At the moment, she has released several singles at once, has become one of the favorites of Afisha.Volna (hipsters, fly in) and performs with DJ sets at parties of various kinds.
Listen: "Saw", "Bonfire",retrograde(JamesBlakecover).
Event: reincarnation under the namekatya ,DJ set at the Anton Belinsky show duringMercedesBenzKievFashionweek.
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DVOE
On the fragments of the Gorchitza group, which is in creative suspended animation, soloist Olya Dibrova and drummer Artem Ugodnikov (aka the drummer of Gapochka, by the way) put together an electro-pop duet DVOE.
For the first time, the band played at the Sziget Pre-Party in the capital's Sentrum, becoming almost the main event of the party. A couple of months later, DVOE were already supporting the famous GusGus.
Now the Dibrova project has one released single "May", a video for the same song and a lot of expectations placed on the debut EP, which, according to the performer, is already on its way. Just don't sag under the weight of responsibility.
Listen:May.
Event: warm upGusGus, the release of the video for the song "May" .
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Gapochka
Group Katya Gapochki develops in leaps and bounds. The first success was participation in The Global Battle Of The Bands in 2008. The next time "Gapochka" loudly announced itself with the release of the debut album "Etap" in 2012. Then the team played heavy pop-rock, lavishly decorated with Katya's conservative vocals.
At the beginning of 2014, "Gapochka" hit the electronic experiments. The EP Elektroacoustic was released, in which the band remade their old songs into an electro-acoustic format. It turned out so well that now the band seems to have abandoned their rock format and work in an electro-pop environment. Or maybe they just have problems with the musicians. At least two songs released this year since the EP - " Heroes" and demo-recording "Light" - matured all in the same electro style.
Next year, we should expect the second longplay of the group and the long-awaited return of "Gapochka" to the big stage, where they have clearly missed her.
Listen: "Nezvichayni" (electroacoustics), "Nizhnosti" (electroacoustics).
Event: release of electro-acousticEP, a fundamental change in sound.
In fact, this material sums up some results of the year among the female half of the new Ukrainian music. It is noticeable that most girls gravitate towards electronic music, which in 2014 began to live a new life. Not the last role was played in this by Zhenya Filatov, mentioned above, who is the sound producer of the Enjoy! Records, founded by longtime Jamala and The Maneken producer Igor Tarnopolsky.
It is also worth paying attention to the girls who claim to change the landscape of traditional Ukrainian pop music, such as Lika Bugayeva and Maria Cheba. Of course, we remember "Krihitka", Pur :Pur (who went on tour with an orchestra), DeliKate and many others, but we did not include them in the list for one simple reason - the lack of significant releases this year.
Patriarchy in Ukrainian "non-pop" music is over. More and more girls in the near future can claim the title of Ukrainian rock star, or at least the queen of hipsters. However, at this rate, let's hope that next year this list will not consist exclusively of electro-pop.
The soloist of Vivienne Mort is a timid, sympathetic and concentrated performer of her own songs, captivating with her lightness and original melody.
- Daniela, the web shows different dates for the creation of the Vivienne Mort group. Put things in order...
I've been reckoning since 2010, because that's when we recorded the first two demos, which we posted on the Internet. People began to listen to them and distribute them on the Web. Wikipedia says 2007, it was an attempt to create a group, then we came up with a name. But such attempts I did still in school. I already had a hundred songs then, and I couldn't sit still. I grabbed my classmates: “What do you play? On a violin? Excellent - good!" We gathered at home, sorted out the songs, but we didn’t succeed well, so I continued to play the piano myself and wait for new meetings.
- In Ukraine, there are many groups with female soloists. Aren't you afraid of competition or just getting lost?
Competition does not scare at all - I do not have such an option. Each person has their own path. Comparing ourselves with others, we must either rise above them, or raise them above ourselves, but we never remain equal. I do not like it. I prefer to perceive creative people as bright phenomena who have become so bold that they have appeared in our space to surprise and delight us. If you want to emphasize your achievements, you can compare yourself with yourself in the past, for example.
REAL FRIEND PELEVIN
Vivienne Mort has been around for six years, and you've been more or less widely talked about for the last year or two. Why have you been in the “underground” for so long?
Media slowdown. I think the fate of any band ultimately depends on the frontman. And I'm irrational and unfocused. All the goals of Vivienne Mort are drawn by me on a large poster, and I notice how quickly they come true, but it seems that without my efforts. As soon as I understand a little better where my center is, I immediately feel how the pace accelerates and our affairs come to life. I just shouldn't get depressed.
Are you a loner by nature?
See how to understand it. A few years ago, I learned to feel comfortable alone with myself after a long party period, when I was afraid to be at home even in the evening. This is called the “asteroid type of behavior”, such people do everything for someone, and if there is no one, then it’s not so interesting to do it, or you can not do it at all. There is little meaning in such a life. And I soon got tired of it. By the way, there are many other questions that can only be answered in solitude.
- Do you have a book in your hands, do you read novels on a tablet? Now this is such a rarity...
I am an analog person. I tried to read from the screen - it's disgusting. Like a Tamagotchi instead of a cat. Now I am reading "Thus Spoke Zarathustra", before that there was Borges, before Borges - Pelevin, who supports me through life like a true friend. Answers difficult questions. Everything is going to the fact that paper books will disappear. Perhaps even cats will disappear, and Tamagotchi will finally take their place. Instead of people, there will be talking heads on the screen. So I touch paper pages while I can.
- Parents, friends, colleagues… Whose support is important to you?
The most important thing is to feel the support of friends and relatives. True, it is expected, because there is a strong mental connection between us. They all say: “I am for you, whatever you do. Even your “bad” is good for us.” And it's priceless. But the audience who came to our concerts and the singing lyrics that I wrote is impossible to get used to. I didn't expect this. For me, this is a real miracle.
bollywood arthouse
- In the beginning of spring you worked in India. What was this experiment?
A few years ago I made a wish to go to India, but not on vacation, but on business. I dreamed in detail, with the smallest details. In addition, since childhood I had a desire to write soundtracks. These two dreams coincided, and Ukrainian director Daria Gai, who works in Bollywood, appeared on my horizon. She wrote me a suspicious message - it looked frivolous and completely unbusinesslike. Diminutive phrases, emoticons and all that. Usually our manager ignores such letters, but in this case, his intuition told him that it was not a matter of the style of the message, and we needed to meet. Daria shoots a real art house in India (Bollywood has long gone beyond Zita and Gita). She suggested that I write the music for her film there in Mumbai with Indian musicians.
- Work in India was somehow different from recording tracks in your homeland?
I liked working in a studio with transparent glass walls. This makes it possible for all musicians to write at the same time and see each other - it turns out very "live". I combined Ukrainian texts and Indian music, and in the final I even sang in Hindi. I learned the text in a day, the locals laughed at my pronunciation, but I was stubborn - I practiced even with a girl who came to clean up the house where I lived. She listened and felt deeply... Or maybe she sympathized with my pronunciation, I don't know.
- Can you squeeze out a tear?
No, but I know how to sing so that it becomes sad. And I'm better at minor songs. And, as we once found out, there is not a single major. It's easier for me to get into the soul. These are my proven methods of influence - I'm a manipulator. (Laughs.)
ABOUT YOURSELF
- Do you open up in songs?
I'm less and less afraid to speak frankly about myself. It's hard to keep secrets inside, and I'm ready to tell almost everything about myself in my songs. I'm talking about the truth, which I hide not only from people, but also from myself.
- For you, writing is not a planned process?
No. My creativity is spontaneous. What comes to my mind is what we work with in the group. We never thought of anything, everything from the heart. I'm proud of it. This is what saved me in difficult times.
What are you willing to do to be successful?
I clearly understand what I need; in what I will change myself; what to improve. I have a heightened sense of taste. If I feel somewhere like a decorated Christmas tree in the summer, they will never see me there. I would not want to do something that is not typical of me to win a new audience.
- Many of your colleagues dream of a Grammy, but why do you make music?
My goal is the path that I have to go. And also love. Regarding awards - sometimes people, having achieved success, become slaves to their activities. They grab onto something and are afraid to lose it. A reward may not be a good goal. Reward just meets as you walk the path. I want to make beauty, this is my task.
© Oleg Batrak, tochka.net
My romance with a Ukrainian indie rock band lasts about six months. It began with the song "You forget about me." It was then that I first discovered their music, which at that time coincided with my personal experiences.
I always had the feeling that Vivienne Mort seemed to be from another planet, and, of course, I wanted to talk with the soloist of the group - Daniela Zayushkina - personally. Recently, I managed to bring my plans to life, and I want to say that Daniela showed not only her cosmos, but the whole universe.
Indie rock is called melancholic, almost non-rock music, roughly speaking, without distortion (a distorting sound effect, which is also often called overdrive or fuzztochka.net). That's what it says in the encyclopedia. I think we should be called that so that the organizers of the festival understand what stage they put us on (very convenient if there is no time to listen). By the way, "indie" meant "independent" only when it came to British indie labels.
For some reason it seems to me that your question is translated like this: "Isn't it difficult for a band to produce itself?". Of course, it is difficult, because we do not act according to a template, we try everything that has not been tried, we come to everything with our own mind. Without a producer, an artist can have a stupid hairstyle, but live music. If he has it. Hair is easier. Not all musicians will be lucky enough to find a producer who will be like-minded and try to keep their individuality. There are such examples, but they are the exception rather than the rule.
Since our team was formed quite spontaneously and the work of Vivienne Mort conveys feelings more than thoughts, there were no targeted searches for people who would promote our work. The Vivienne Mort group consists of several people. I write songs, all other (including production) issues were initially handled by our drummer - Gleb Protsiv. We are also signed to the label of Igor Tarnopolsky Enjoy! records.
Daniela Zayushkina: "Vivienne Mort conveys feelings more than thoughts" © Oleg Batrak, tochka.net
Maybe so. I don't do much in show business. It happens that a musician pretends that he and show business do not intersect. I associate this word with commercial musical projects. Yes, many such projects look naive. But what does the "post-Soviet space" have to do with it? It's just a space where different people live. For example, UT-1, a variety and circus school, adheres to the Soviet style, and everything changes there not very quickly. Only I have not yet met a person who would not want to be Stepan Giga, but was. Maybe this show business should be like that and not pretend. That is his nature.
Regarding our personal old beliefs and traditions - we try not to be afraid of change and develop. If the clothes are worn out, the body throws them away. If the body is worn out, the soul throws it away. If the horse died, then it is better to bury it, thank it and move on. She won't go any further. Don't be afraid to do something new. In my work, I have always had the audacity to show everything that happens to me. Often in an underdeveloped form. We need to improve the quality of music, and not think about the difficulties in the life of indie musicians.
My daily routine depends a lot on the group, which is actually good, because I am a spontaneous and unfocused person. Yesterday I woke up at three in the morning and turned on some lecture on medieval philosophy, then I slept for two hours, and at five I woke up and began to practice yoga. Now I'm collecting thoughts for our conversation.
The group has a clear schedule: rehearsals, concerts, trips, and this brings me together. Too much rehearsal is bad. Every time I pass the songs through myself, and I would not like to sing them because of too frequent runs, as they sing the song "Battery" near the fire. We rehearse moderately, just to be in shape.
Much depends on the atmosphere in the hall - with what mood the audience and we will come, whether we will understand each other. If we are sincere with each other, then some moments can develop into improvisation. It happens that something went wrong, but it turned out well and lively. Everything that is alive is good. But only each of us clearly knows his part, and we do not strongly approve of any extra notes. For the simple reason that we are not virtuoso musicians and are not ready to amaze the audience with our improvisations. In general, the listeners and I gather for other reasons.
Once I lost my voice, then I was always afraid to lose it again. Even saved it on performances. I remember how between concerts they brewed a mixture of anise grains with Jägermeister (German strong liquor - tochka.net), took a tablespoon every half an hour. It was the only time I got drunk at a show.
In fact, it's all in the head. We choose our own fears. But they are of no interest to anyone. You can’t sing badly, holding your throat and showing that you have force majeure. There is a goal - a good concert. Fear is for losers.
Of course, when people experience emotions "on the verge", go through difficult trials, this cannot but affect the general atmosphere, but I would not say that society has become more conscious. The liberation of the market is not awareness yet. From real decisions - people began to go to concerts more, it's true. After prolonged tension, everyone wants joy. It `s naturally. And how much is possible? There is no way to endlessly tie a knot, once it needs to be loosened. Breathe in, breathe out and feel free. Music is something that can give freedom, soften the heart, relax.
Daniela Zayushkina: "Vivienne Mort conveys feelings more than thoughts" © Oleg Batrak, tochka.net
We do not personally know Svyatoslav, but for us, as for many others here, he is like a father. I grew up with his first albums. He told me a lot of important thoughts. He set an example, taught me to be bold and not be shy about my creativity and my own characteristics.
And, of course, if the person who occupies a significant place in your soul approves of what you are doing, you feel that everything is happening as it should. When he writes something about us, everyone calls me with the words: “Dana, Vakarchuk writes!”, And my songs quickly become beloved by classmates and classmates. But bypassing this madness, I quietly say to him to myself: "Okay, thank you."
Only this, as you understand, is not about praise. And about praise - if you are very happy about it, you will also worry about criticism. I was annoyed that everyone sent me this good news and did not understand that I had to find my own path and work hard, and nothing else would be more important. Nevertheless, it is a joy to read reviews about the album Rosa. It's like our first album, it's strange, you still need to hear it, and people have heard it. This is valuable.
The environment is, first of all, people and your environment. Of course, for me it plays a significant role. It is important to have like-minded people, otherwise it will be difficult for you to achieve your goals. If you want to develop in the musical field, communicate more with those who, in your opinion, have succeeded in it. If you want to get rich, meet the rich. If you want to stop drinking, and all your friends are like bottle coasters, it will be more difficult because you need like-minded people. And so in everything. I am a loner, very stubborn and proud by nature, but even I know it. Remember Bradbury's story where all the people disappeared? Only one family remained. They pretended that it had finally become good, while they themselves went off to cry one by one. People are very needed.
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