Mota and Maria's interview in the magazine ca. Mot: "Spit on formats, spit on templates"

In mid-March, Mota's new album "Inside Out" was released, which has not left the top 3 iTunes since then. Clip "Kapkan" is on the leading positions on TV channels. He only released two video works last year, but each was a hit. The presentation of the album will take place in roomy clubs of the two capitals, and Mota's tour schedule is planned for a long time ahead. Hardly anyone, including himself, thought about such a result even three years ago. About this and more - in a new interview for The Flow.

I haven't read it myself, but I heard that in one interview you say that The Flow website cuts your name mentions from news and materials. Where do you get these thoughts from?

I got the impression that there is a preconceived opinion, and it developed from objective points. Let's say we interview Zloi Negr, in which I participated in the mixtape. He lists all the participants there, I was not there. I asked him if he mentioned me, he said yes. Another example: recently there was a "TRP" tour, there they took a video interview. Timati says that albums by Nathan, Kristina Si, Mota are planned. In the news there is a link to this interview, and it says "Nathan's albums, Kristina Si are being prepared". There is no mot. And the third fact: I wrote the song "Great", dedicated to the Russian language, my managers asked to post the news on your website. Lyosha Gorbash ( The Flow editor - approx. edition) answered that not in this case. Then we shot a video for this track, which was created on my initiative. I invested in it morally, emotionally, and financially - they bought out the large Hammer and Sickle plant. I set the release date on the day of the Russian language and on the same day got in touch with Lesha. I say: “Well, the track wasn’t shown, but now the clip and today is the birthday of the Russian language, a song about the Russian language”. He answered me that it was irrelevant. If this is not relevant, then what is relevant? And an hour later, an article dedicated to this day appears on the site. Why did she come in, but the video did not come in? It was unpleasant, incomprehensible. I am not speaking from empty words, but based on real events. Or a clip with VIA Groi was published, but not with Bianca. Okay, this is R&B, not rap.

The video "Great" was not posted on the day of its release, we post it today.

Accepted. You are still an artist of the hip-hop pop direction, most likely not the main readers of the site, not the Internet public, listen to you. Why is it so important to be present at venues like The Flow when other people go to your concerts?

Definitely important to me. I even wrote once on Twitter that some video was published there and there, but The Flow was not. To which Yanix answered me: "Dude, you are on the channels, what for you?" I answered him there briefly and here I can fully: it is not fundamental to me, but much of what I do, for example, the last album "Inside Out", is an absolutely non-commercial project. Even the guys from our office hesitated to show the clip "Kapkan" to the channels, because it is one hundred percent non-format. And they didn't want to send the song to the radio. But, in my opinion, "Kapkan" is the most formatted song from the album, because the rest is there: soul, rnb, chants. Non-commercial, informal album. And I really wanted such things to be heard and accepted not on the blue screens, but in the hip-hop community. Just yesterday I went to Ru-TV, I go downstairs, I see Ptah with the boys. We have known each other for a long time, it turned out that he respected my album on Instagram. He says that he liked the album. A week ago Slim respected. I will live without attention and without respect, but if the product is worthwhile, why not express respect? When "Absolutely everything" with Bianca came out, Guf wrote: "Cool track, I didn't know what you were singing." I want creativity to reach both the masses and the underground public.

I am very surprised by this opinion, and I was surprised by your lines on the album "I didn't care about formats, I didn't care about templates." I met the same thing with L'One - you, popular artists, do you really think that your songs do not fit the format? This is the most accessible and radio music.

So that you understand, when we came to the radio, we were directly told: "We don't like rap in verses. Try to make the tracks more melodic, then we'll see."

So in "Inside Out" it is.

It's different there. In general, I have a long history with rotations. Earlier, for example, my clips and tracks were not taken in rotation, only “Oxygen” with VIA Gra. But then "Day and Night" came out, made literally "on the knee." Once at four in the morning I was surfing the Internet, I could not sleep, and a letter comes from DJs from Las Vegas. I still haven't asked them where they got the mail from. They wrote that they wanted to work with me, but not rap, but to do something electronic. I never wrote about this, but for any experiment, so I agreed. When I brought this track to the office, nobody liked it at all. There was not even a question of his exit. Then I began to show them videos from concerts, where two thousand people as one jump under it. And this was my second track, which was taken into rotation. And now I came with another atypical job, "Trap", and he was taken on TV. Now I have all the cards in my hands - I can create any track: R&B, dance, rap, and it will most likely be taken on TV and radio. Only now can I say that the ice is flooded.

Was everything already good for you even before the rotations with concerts?

Well, yes. But I cannot say that I did not like going out to the huge Astana-Arena over a plate of MUZ-TV, that I was not overwhelmed with emotions and pride. Especially considering how difficult the Oxygen track was, how many pitfalls there were. I suffered him, tortured him, and getting a plate for him was my pride.

I heard that you didn't want to write this song.

No, there was supposed to be another performer. But in the key in which she sang, I could not sing, and vice versa. And soon the shooting of the video was already planned. I didn't touch the track for about a month and a half, I was looking for someone who could sing there. And Tim at that time was on the jury of the "I want to Meladze" competition, and I got the idea to work with one of his artists. In VIA Gra, the line-up has just been updated, it was interesting to make a joint project: “young blood” Black Star inc. and the “young blood” of the production center Meladze Velvet. Then, on the set, he came up to me and said: "Keep in mind that you are the only person to whom I gave my girls." Before that, they sang only tracks written by Konstantin Meladze himself.

I can understand Bianca, but the new VIA Gra - they cannot be identified either externally or by their voices.

Everyone has their own opinion, but at that time I was counting on "hype". The "hype" around the new line-up, around our union, because then I was not familiar to the general public. It was interesting to me, including from a commercial point of view, but I also like the way the girls sang. There are no claims to them in this regard.

Can't go out to the general public without such a fit now?

I disagree. Take my good friend, a person whose work I love and respect - Jah Khalib.

But it is not radioactive yet. I'm talking about the broadest segment of the audience.

Well then, probably yes. It’s difficult for me to shoot now, at least I cannot remember such artists.

Well with Olya and Dima ( Dmitry Tarasov, Olga Buzova's husband, Lokomotiv footballer - approx. edition) I met while not on Black Star. I was invited to their corporation to perform together with Ilya Kireev, with whom I had the track "Cats and Mice". They liked this song, but they liked Ilya's work more. They were on the connection five years ago, when there was no scent of any label. Olya and Dima asked him and me to take. Recently, by the way, Dima showed me a video from that performance, I was young and green there, I could not hold a microphone. Since then, we have maintained a relationship, this is not a new acquaintance because of new connections and a new party.

But did these new connections still lead you to a place where you haven’t been before?

Of course, when you perform at some corporate events, you meet quite influential people. Perhaps from the government, perhaps from the elite of the musical environment. For example, when we performed at one of the major concerts, I met Joseph Kobzon. At that time my grandmother was ill, and I asked him to record on video: "Valentina Grigorievna, get well soon!" He did it without any problems, I sent it to her, she immediately recovered. The incentive has appeared to live long. And there are a lot of such examples - such connections facilitate a lot. You can help your loved ones. But I never turned my back on my hangout. Those roots of mine, which helped me to be where I am now, are still with me. I had my birthday on March 2nd - yes, there were Black Star artists, but there were many more friends from the Soul Kitchen party. In general, I was lucky that I immediately got to know them when I moved to Moscow from Krasnodar. I recognized Nela, Kireev, Levan, Chek, Nanik, of course, MS Sounday, Gayana - those who are still walking with me through life. Here in "Day and Night" Gayana sings, and now I am preparing new tracks with her. This get-together just developed my qualities, which I showed most clearly in "Inside Out". Before that I listened to Detroit underground dirt, Madlib, Gilty Simpson. But I got into such a crowd where soul and R&B rule the ball, it influenced.

The album came out very lyrical for girls.

As a musician and songwriter, I write about how I feel. I wrote it all 2015, which I passed under the “flag of love”, I moved the girl from Kiev to Moscow, our relationship reached a new level. All the warm feelings that were inside me overwhelmed me - perhaps I would not have been able to write about something else during this period.

In the video "Kapkan" the girl Mota, Maria, starred.

Are you so impressionable?

No, but at that time I wanted to write exactly about this. In just a month I recorded about ten tracks. Something dropped out, something remained, but I didn't want to stop. These are living emotions. The album is based on a true story. In the future, of course, other topics will appear, but love will not go anywhere. I will say more, this album was made, probably, for listening at home, in private. That's why I specially planned it for the spring. But it would be difficult to perform at open airs with this kind of material in the summer. So just the other day I finished recording a seven-track summer EP. Some of the songs are aimed at large venues, electronic - as a reference, my song "Day and Night". The rest are also danceable, but more “deep”, not for large venues.

On your label, the degree of creative freedom is such that you can say: "Guys, I'm in love, I'm writing only such an album!" No one will try to convince you to record the second "Day and Night"?

I've been with the label for 3 years now, and all this time I feel a lot of support from the team. They know they can trust my taste and give me creative freedom. And I know that I have a whole team work behind my back and the absence of routine paper problems. For which I bow to them and a big artistic thanks. Of course, when a hit appears, the artist will be asked to do the same. But this is impossible to repeat. And there was no such thing that they told me to remove the lyrics. Thank God, the head is on the shoulders, and I myself understand that it is not an option to dance "Inside out" in the summer. Therefore, such a dance EP will appear. It has already been completed, technical matters remain. Already in May, the first swallows will fly, and the release itself will be in early June. For the fall, I am preparing another format track, like with VIA Gro, but, most likely, a solo one. Direct hit in the rotation.

What are the main disadvantages of being an artist?

Jealousy of a beloved girl. Constant lack of sleep, and malnutrition - with the preparation for the album, for the EP, for the concert, which will be on April 17, I sleep for three hours and eat twice a day. And also the tour! This rate is not always, of course, but it happens.

How do you like the new Black Star artists?

I'm not really into the material that the girls, Klava Koka and Dana Sokolova, are doing. But I know very well what Scrooge is doing. He is not at all like those who are already on the label. Such a cocky guy, a little criminal. He comes from Lviv or from the region, then he moved, but the places where he lived are not sugar. Recently we chatted with him, after filming the video for "Slivers", he said that he had changed four schools. As far as I understand, not from a good character, he is rather quick-tempered, emotional. And on stage like that. But at the same time quite modest. I really hope that everything will work out for him and he will go on tour soon. I think "Slivers" will give him a good start, he has a memorable verse there. At one time, the same impetus was given to me by the song "Tusa", when literally a month later I already had 8 or 10 tours, only because of one verse. Recently I sent him a few "evil" minuses, daring, he has already sent demos. For him, I'm sure, I know that soon he will have something to show the public.

Any video of your artists will immediately show uplifting comments from other artists. Do you run your own social networks?

As for YouTube, I have never written anything to anyone myself, and on Instagram we all support each other ourselves. There is some corporate spirit. Even if we are not super close friends who see each other every day, but we often intersect in the office, on tour, sometimes we go to smoke a hookah together or to the cinema. No one is jarred to support each other once again.

Which label is your closest friend?

The longest time we communicate with Christina, with whom we are connected by Soul Kitchen, even before Black Star we recorded joint tracks. There is a guy who writes music for most of the Black Star artists, Yegor Gleb, he is from Kiev. And we are very good friends with him. He did mixing and mastering for "Inside Out", playing out the instrumental, and now we are finishing the dance EP with him. He also brought up Misha Marvin from Kiev, who is now also an artist of the label. They have the most creative hut - we create there, hang out, generate ideas. Because of work, we began to communicate with them the most. And with Creed, too, because he was there all the time, Yegor also made all the music for him for the album.

The album "Inside Out" really sounds retro R&B and is quite suitable for the direction of Soul Kitchen. What do you think Ilya Kireev, Gayana, Ms Sounday and other soul, R & B artists lack, so that they have the same tours and venues as you do?

The presentation of the album "Inside Out" will take place on April 16 in St. Petersburg ("A2") and on April 17 in Moscow (Ray Just Arena).

Artist of the Black Star label Matvey Melnikov, aka Mot, is rapidly gaining popularity, his songs topped the charts of radio stations and music channels. However, he is not quite your typical representative of hip-hop culture.

Photo: Dmitry Zhuravlev

OK! talked with Matvey about his big solo concert, dreams, plans for the future and about the upcoming wedding.

M atvey, recently you had a recital at Crocus City Hall. What does he mean to you?

If an artist can assemble the Crocus concert hall, then this already speaks of his certain status. A month before my concert, “pigeon mail” from the head office informed me the good news that all the tickets were sold out. I was very pleased and flattering to learn about this. Probably, people appreciate my work, so I dream next year to perform at this venue for two days in a row. Now, as before, I do not want to linger in one specific segment and style. I want to experiment all the time. Therefore, I think this trend will continue. I will try myself in new genres, new roles. Let's see where this all leads.

It is noticeable that you like to experiment with musical styles and duets. Aren't you afraid to dry up creatively someday?

No! I feed and seek inspiration in literally everything. This is traveling, and touring, and reading books and scientific articles, and communicating with people, and my personal relationship with my wife and family. Fortunately, I am surrounded by quite interesting and creative people who do not allow my brain and my feelings to cool down, constantly throwing firewood into the furnace. In addition, I am continuing my postgraduate studies at Moscow State University. For me, education is an integral part of creativity, allowing my fountain of ideas not to dry out and to be in full swing. If there is no such food for the mind, then with a high degree of probability we can say that I will probably stop writing. Constant nourishment of the brain allows me to move on.

Where does such a thirst for learning come from?

This craving from childhood. My mother is a philologist by education. I was never forced to sit down at textbooks and cram something. Nevertheless, I finished school with a gold medal and, having received a diploma from Moscow State University, still did not stop studying my education. The craving for new knowledge does not leave me, so I went to graduate school at Moscow State University. My grandfather was an honored cultural worker, director of the House of Culture of Krymsk, my hometown. Most of his life was associated with the stage. But he didn’t want me to follow in his footsteps, tell me what a hard job it is, and tried in every possible way to dissuade me. He dreamed that I would become a minister ... of something.

I graduated from the Faculty of Public Administration. But, as they say, you can't run away from fate. Just when I graduated, I got a call from the Black Star label. I already wrote songs, released releases, but it was all at the amateur level, just a hobby. When I received an offer from such a reputable label, I thought for a long time whether to agree or not. In the end, I decided to take a chance, agreed and now I do not regret at all that I made such a choice.

What do you think helped you to get the attention of the Black Star label?

Many people say that I have a certain accent, the Kuban dialect. And this dialect manifests itself not only in conversation, but also in thoughts, in style and way of life. I do not hide this originality, I show it in songs. She probably bribed me. And along with it, my openness and, as many people tell me, the image of such a guy of mine who speaks about understandable things in an understandable language.

Besides studying, what else inspires you? What makes you get out of bed in the morning?

It is very difficult to be inspired by something in the morning. ( He laughs.) As a rule, I write all my songs either at night, or on the road, on airplanes, when you can put the phone in airplane mode and be sure that no one will bother you for several hours of the flight, and immerse yourself in work. If you open my notes on the phone, there will be a lot of pulled out words, quotes, well, or ready-made quatrains that I write down in the process of communicating with people, when I hear something interesting or uncharacteristic, or some rarely used word. I then develop these words and phrases into full-fledged lyrics.

That is, song ideas are born in the process of communication. What qualities do you value in people?

It's easier to name the qualities that I don't value. ( He laughs.) I am always bribed by open and selfless people. My life has become public, and my activity is directly related to communication with a large number of people, so I'm already used to the fact that many want to please me and somehow get into trust, find a common language. This is often done in an overly flattering manner. I never liked flattery and self-interest. I also don't like envy, which has recently become a lot, even on the part of acquaintances and friends.

You yourself, probably, also have disadvantages?

If you could shove a card with several terabytes of RAM into your head, that would be great. I cannot boast of a good memory, often something flies out of my head. In addition, I can be too gentle and kind. As you know, many people mistake kindness for weakness. I also often suffer from this. Therefore, I try to be tougher, but it does not always work out.

You moved to Moscow from Krymsk. When it was?

First, from Krymsk, my family and I moved to Krasnodar. I was about five years old then. The parents had a job there, so they decided on such a serious step and changed the city. In Krasnodar, I went to kindergarten, and then to school, where I finished nine classes. Mom always dreamed that I graduated from Moscow State University. I also had such a dream, so at the family council a strong-willed decision was made to take the risk and move all of us to Moscow. I am an only child in the family, and my parents never regretted anything for me, often giving up their own desires. When we moved to Moscow, I had doubts whether I would be able to enter the most prestigious university in the country, or maybe it would be worth trying to apply elsewhere. And we lived in Kuzminki, the apartment was on a fairly high floor. I remember how dad took me to the window, from which the main building of Moscow State University was visible, and said: “Do you see this building? This is where you need to go. " I had no choice, and then I firmly decided that I would study there. There were, of course, certain difficulties on the way to the goal. At school in Moscow, I felt that my classmates and teachers treat me with some contempt, since I am a visitor.

I graduated from nine classes in Krasnodar with excellent marks, and here many teachers immediately told me that the level of education in Moscow is higher, so I might not even hope to get a gold medal. To be honest, I worked with tutors and teachers, spent a lot of evenings and nights with textbooks and notebooks in order to achieve my goals, namely a gold medal at school and independent admission to Moscow State University.

That is, you are a leader by nature.

It seems to me that any creative person, and especially an artist, is a leader. Another thing is whether it manifests itself only on stage or still finds echoes in everyday life. I really enjoyed studying, and I did not want to stop at that level of education. Besides that, I really wanted to teach. But, having entered graduate school, I immediately signed a contract with the label, and free time was sorely lacking. So the dream of teaching remained unfulfilled, at least until ...

In April, in addition to your solo concert, you have another important event - a wedding. Next to us is your beloved girl. Will I ask her some questions?

Maria, how did your relationship start?

We met on Instagram. Matvey found my page through a mutual friend of ours and liked all my photos. At that time I was at my mother's house, in Lviv. I saw that some boy was added, even left a comment. I went to his page and saw that he was an artist of the Black Star label. But at that time I did not know about such a performer. The first opinion about him was bad. I thought that he probably had a lot of girls and not at all the best behavior. Then my very close friend who lives in Moscow invited me to visit. And since I ended up with Matvey in the same city, we decided to meet, and I came on a date with that very friend ...

Matvey: ( Interrupts.) ... Cool date - three of us. ( Laughs.)

Maria: It's because the boy is from Black Star. Who would have thought that this person is an excellent student, is studying in graduate school. And then a few minutes passed, and I had already forgotten about my friend and had a sincere conversation with Matvey. I fell in love with his eyes almost immediately. So our communication began. On April 8, when he had a big solo concert at Crocus, our relationship turned three years old.

Matvey: I just wanted to celebrate our three years on such a large scale, that's why I put together Crocus. ( Laughs.)

Maria: We talked at a distance for a year, it was very difficult emotionally. It seems to me that it was against the background of these relations that Matvey's album "Inside Out" was born, since we really experienced a very large palette of emotions. But then he plucked up courage and transported me to Moscow.

Matvey: Before that, I could not transport you, because you studied at the university.

Maria: Yes it is. While he was filming the video, I defended my diploma. He sent me to the defense and said that the code for entering the apartment would be the word "five". And I realized at that moment that there were no options, I had to come back with an A, otherwise I would not be part of this family. ( Smiles.) As a result, I defended my diploma in the specialty "manager of organizations" perfectly and returned home with the right password.

In general, after meeting with Matvey, I became kinder, more sincere, more joyful, or something. He made me happy. It was always interesting for me to communicate with him, he knows how to listen and hear. I realized that this person is perfect for me. He also reminded me of my father.

Matvey: And you give me my mother. In general, we are told all the time that we are like brother and sister, and when they see our mothers, they say that they are remarkably similar.

Maria: Yes, they have the same characters, the same zodiac signs, even the figures are the same. I look at Matvey's mother and see mine. Everything has intertwined with us very correctly. Matvey won me over with his devotion and respect. And this is the key to a strong relationship. All my thoughts of jealousy by themselves have sunk into oblivion. I am often asked how I feel about his fans. Do you want to ask me this too?

I wasn't going to.

But I will answer all the same. It always seemed to me that I would hate all women who communicate with Matvey. Beautiful, ugly - it doesn't matter. And now I have respect and gratitude for them.

It is very important to be able to separate your personal life and work.

Of course! And this is the great merit of my husband.

Matvey, were there any difficulties in your relationship with Maria?

If everything were smooth, it would be something from a fairy tale, from the category of fantasy. If you listen to my song "Trap", which is my musical essay on the formation of our relationship, you can hear the whole spectrum of emotions. This is not only love and pink snot, it is also a misunderstanding, quarrels, nerves. All this also happened, because before my relationship with Masha, I had never met a girl seriously. When you have no experience in a serious relationship, you learn and often take the wrong steps in the learning process. And only if you are ready to compromise, are ready to discuss these mistakes and try to correct them, only then can you come to harmony, understanding and trust.

And how did overcoming these difficulties and the experience of mistakes change you?

If you ask those who know me about this, they will answer that I have changed dramatically. I became more courageous, calmer, more mature. These changes are both internal and external. It is difficult for me to judge this myself, from the side it can be seen much brighter.

As far as I know, you are going to get married in Greece.

Matvey: We wanted it that way, because I have Greek roots on my mother's side. I really wanted to somehow historically connect this event. Santorini island in Greece is a very romantic place, it is incredibly beautiful there. We negotiated for six months, trying to organize a wedding there. But in the course of the negotiations, we learned some of the nuances. For example, according to their rules, after eleven o'clock in the evening, any fun stops, because you can't make noise. And there are enough such nuances. Therefore, we decided not to risk it and moved this action to the Moscow region in order to do everything the way we want.

Matvey, I know that you proposed to Masha in an unusual way. Tell us about it.

We flew to Thailand, it was before Masha's birthday. I wanted her to come up to her holiday in a different status. We were on a tour of the islands. When we were together on a wild beach of indescribable beauty ...

Maria: ... Let me tell you. We went into the water, everything was really indescribably beautiful. And then he says: "We are diving." The husband said - the wife did. I dived, then I dived up and saw that he was standing, and I was diving alone. And I understand that a person wants to do something very responsible. I see that he is very nervous, but I just emerged from the water and could not understand what was happening. And then a marriage proposal was made. It was very exciting.

In general, I am a person who can always find the right words. But for me it was such a surprise that I just lost the power of speech and for the first twenty seconds looked at him and tried to understand what had happened. But then an eerie joy seized me. It was on the Old New Year, which is very symbolic, since this holiday is something between the old and the new, a kind of infinity.

Matvey: Honestly, we have already signed, and we decided to hold the wedding on April 23rd. We immediately chose this date, without even knowing what day of the week it was. They just wanted the 23rd, since I am from the Krasnodar Territory, the 23rd region, I played football under the number 23, and at 23 I met Masha. And April - because the month is good. Spring, everything is blooming, it's a beautiful time. In May they toil - no longer fit, and in March it is early. Then we learned that April 23rd is Krasnaya Gorka, the first Sunday after Easter, which means it is the best and most suitable Sunday for a wedding of the year.

And what about the honeymoon? I've seen your busy touring schedule.

Yes, there is no possibility now. We decided that we would reschedule our honeymoon. Somewhere at the end of the summer I will have a vacation, then we will celebrate. We don’t even know where we will take it yet. There are many more unexplored places. We really want to go to Mauritius. Maybe this summer we will be able to make our dream come true.

Text: Alexey Logvinchenko. Photo: Dmitry Zhuravlev

Style: Ksenia Dorkina, Margarita Kanunnikova

Makeup: Adelina Kusova / Privé7. Hairstyles: Marina Gaeva / Privé7

Daring on stage and cute in communication: what is he really like ?!

- How often you are recognized on the streets and do you feel like a star?

- I feel like an ordinary Kuban lad ( laughs). Probably only half a year after I got into a taxi, before that I rode the subway all the time. I never got tired of signing autographs and taking selfies. It is, of course, difficult after university or a hard day, but at the same time, you put yourself in the shoes of the guys who want to take pictures. And you understand that it would be unpleasant for yourself if the person whose songs I am listening to, with a sour face, said: "No, I am not taking pictures."

Therefore, despite my condition, I try not to refuse. With the release of each release and album, there are more and more applicants. A guard in my house has already approached me a week ago and asked: "Are you a Mot?" I nodded and wondered why he hadn’t noticed me for six months, but then he suddenly noticed. He continues: "A friend from Bryansk asked me to take a picture with you, get an autograph." I say: "Come on, you won't come in from afar." He smiled and said: "Yes, you can take a picture for yourself."

What are the weirdest questions your fans ask you on Instagram?

- The strangest questions are personally asked by the organizers of concerts in various cities. They want to make a good impression and be remembered, but, not knowing what to ask, they fall asleep with strange questions. For example, you are driving in a car, tired, yesterday there was a concert, from which you rush to the plane without getting enough sleep, you go from the airport to the hotel and you are suddenly asked: "How is Timati? Is it true that his daughter wears black all the time?" Why don't I get a tattoo? Is it true that I wear glasses because of poor eyesight, or is it just an image? " And this is the most decent, the rest is not censored. Lately, they often ask when the wedding is.

- In general, your Instagram is full of girls, luxury hotels and beautiful countries. Is this really so, or is Instagram just pictures for you?

- Let's start with the fact that on my Instagram there is one beloved girl, many hotels, tours and countries. In real life, everything is exactly like that: a huge number of concerts throws us in different cities and corners of the world, which I am extremely happy about. Before signing a contract with the Black Star label, my passport was pristine, and by the age of 23 I was only in Turkey and Egypt. In the summer there were tours in Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, Great Britain, now they are touring Germany.

- What is the most expensive thing in your wardrobe?

- The most expensive thing in my wardrobe is a chain. Gold chain around the rapper's neck ( laughs) should be the most expensive. He can wear a T-shirt from H&M and pants from Zara, but he must be wearing real jewelry of the highest standard.

- What car do you drive? Do you like to drive yourself or with a driver?

- By the age of 25, I don't have a driver's license, because I never needed them. I had no passion for driving. This is probably because at a turning point, at the age of 13-14, when the guys want to get behind the wheel and buy their own car, I moved from Krasnodar to Moscow. I found myself in a huge metropolis with four-lane roads in one direction and six-lane roads in the other. I was shocked by such a busy traffic, I didn't even know the city.

What kind of car could we talk about? Now I have no time for the car, for a long time I was satisfied with the metro, but now I get by with the services of a taxi. Falling into the backseat, checking social media, or writing a song instead of bothering yourself in the side mirrors is thrilling.

- Tell us what it takes to become a star?

- Probably, this is karma, who is destined to become, he will become. A lot of work and diligence is required from the person himself, because no matter how talented you are, you will not achieve anything if you sit idly by. As my mother says, you need to form an image of what you dream about in your thoughts on the new moon. We all know that thoughts are material, the main thing is to believe and strive. In many ways, success comes to those who have a reliable rear in the person of parents, friends, and a second half. Career growth is never smooth, and in those moments when you want to give up, loved ones can help you with advice and support. You can leave on your own will and faith, but not far.

- And for what stars, for whose work do you observe? Apart from Black Star, of course.

- I don't watch Black Star at all.

- I don't even know what Timati's daughter wears, right?

– (He laughs.) Exactly! Over the past couple of years, television and the scene have significantly rejuvenated, music is becoming more stylish, progressive, sometimes even radical, conservative channel editors are retiring, who did not want to broadcast anyone other than artists of their youth. I am very impressed by the work of the IOWA group. Quest Pistols for me is a successful mixture of style and creativity with format and mass. As a rule, a commercial product is too sugary, and these guys skillfully find a balance between the first and the second. If we talk about those with whom I would record a song, Quest Pistols are on the first or second lines.

Since childhood, when I was still dancing in "Todes" (and there was such a page in my life), I met Soso Pavliashvili. We went to Anapa and performed there with him. I was 10 years old, and even then I copied it and sang in front of him "A Georgian is waiting for you", falling to my knees. He appreciated it, took a joint photo. To this day, I remain a fan of the creativity and personality of Soso Pavliashvili, and the song "Please" for me is the most masculine song dedicated to the opposite sex.

From foreign countries (we all willy-nilly turn to the West), I love Jay Cole, Drake, Big Sean. Music does not stand still, young blood appears, and God forbid that this trend continues on our stage.

- Since we are talking about creativity, tell us about the track that you recently released.

- This week I released a joint track with Bianca, I have long wanted to make a joint track with her. She is a great vocalist. I like to post sketches on Instagram, where I hum to some instrumental the melody I just wrote. It so happened that when I once again made a similar post, Bianca saw it, wrote to me, asked what it was. I said that I had just written it, I suggested that we make a track together.

The next day we went to the studio and recorded a song that was released recently, next week a video will be released. The composition turned out to be very emotional and lyrical, I wanted to release it either in the fall, during a period of good sadness and melancholy, or in the spring, when the mood is right. On such cold days as now, I want to listen to something warm and hopeful, a new song, like a battery, is designed to warm the hearts and souls of people.

- Do you think stars, as creative people, can afford more in their behavior than others?

- Well, yes, of course they can, to be honest! For example, they do not stand with everyone at the front desk, but go through the VIP entrance, they do not spend hours in stores trying to buy new sneakers from Kanye West, they are brought to their homes. There are many such aspects, but it is important not to go too far and remember that you are, first of all, a person, and not a star hovering in the clouds. After all, today you are at the top, and tomorrow you have already fallen.

- Are there any commandments, for example "I will never ..."?

- I will never root for FC Barcelona, ​​because since 10 years old I have been an ardent fan of Real Madrid. I am great with the Barcelona players, but when I see the garnet-blue colors, it becomes very difficult for me.

- Is it to be different from the rest of the Black Star label artists?

- No, just for me a tattoo is something very personal and eternal. Now I cannot name a single thing that is so significant to me that it can be stuffed on my body. I can of course put on Spiderman's right arm, because I love this hero, Real Madrid, mom's name or son's photo, when he will be, I mean. But the last two things are not public, and stuffing a superhero is a little childish. Ideas of what to fill, no, this is unlikely to change, so tattoos are not for me.

- We all know that at Black Star, artists promote a healthy lifestyle: no grass, cigarettes, alcohol. But nevertheless, have you ever performed at a concert while drunk?

- I don't drink alcohol at all. Purely symbolically, I drink a glass of champagne for the New Year and for my birthday.

- In general, the line of conduct in the style of Amy Winehouse and examples of "Club 27" are not about you?

- Yes, not my story.

- There is no negative information about you on the Internet ...

- Yes, considering that I was recently invited for an interview in a magazine, where there was a section with malicious comments and tweets. They collected everything they could from all the sites, gave me and asked me to comment on every hate post.

- You probably had an empty list?

- No, there were about 50 phrases. Therefore, if you wish, you can see that you can find something negative ( laughs). But in principle, my biography is clean.

- Have you decided to create a new look for a fashionable rapper? Or is it just your human nature?

- If a person plays, sooner or later his deception will still become apparent. The roots of my behavior go back to childhood and adolescence, the upbringing that my parents gave me does not allow me to run naked, swear, spend my free time in brothels and strip clubs. I am not an image, but a real person, for which I want to say thank you to mom and dad.

- Can you describe what your songs are about in one word?

- The songs definitely cannot be described in one word. If we talk about creativity - then it will be the word "potpourri". I have tracks for the body, which I want to dance to, and tracks for the soul, which bring a romantic mood. It is impossible to fit under any one comb. The artist, like the listener, has a different mood, depending on which this or that composition is born.

- Tell me an incident in your life for which you are very ashamed? For example, I ran out on a date through the balcony.

- Not bad, I have a lot of similar cases, but I'm afraid they will not pass the censorship. I don't want to hurt the readers.

- How can you injure yourself if we have already found out that you are an exemplary guy?

- Well, I grew up in Krasnodar, and childhood and youth were very rich and active. Not without sin, so to speak. Of the children's tricks, I remember how we collected scrap metal in Krasnodar during the day, handed it over in the evening and received money. They came at night, stole it, and brought it back in the daytime. Or another funny case. We watched the film "Yamakashi" for the first time and decided to conquer the Olympus of one of the houses. However, it was very simple, and we decided to conquer the Olympus of one of the police stations. On the third floor, a window opened, we were accepted, and we spent the night at the police, explaining that this was not a terrorist attack, that we were simply impressed by the film and wanted to feel like teenage ninjas. And there were similar things with the construction site, and a lot more ...

- You have often said that you like to relax in Greece and enjoy Greek cuisine. Nevertheless, you shoot videos in Dubai and even dedicate songs to it. How do you feel about this city?

- I have only one song about Dubai. I have been preparing for a trip to this city for a long time, looking at the photographs of the Burj Khalifa, the island, skyscrapers. I knew that I would soon see it all live, so there was some excitement. Many people asked me what the first thing I would do in Dubai: rent a cool Lamborghini, tug at a sheikh's gandora. I told everyone that I would just call my mother and say: “Mom, I'm in Dubai”. It was in connection with these impressions that the famous line was born.

I write a lot on airplanes, because there is often not enough time for creativity, so on the way back from Dubai to Moscow I wrote a song. I didn't think that this track would blow up clubs in due time. For me it was like a photo on Instagram that describes my impressions and says: "Look, I was here!"

That year I visited Greece for the first time, unfortunately, not with a concert, but for now as a tourist. I was very inspired and impressed, because Greek blood boils and flows in me, my grandfather was from there.

I wondered when I got to Greece, to my genetic homeland, whether I would feel in my place. All this happened. At the hotel, at breakfast and at the reception, they spoke to me exclusively in Greek until I explained in English that I was from Russia - they were incredibly surprised.

- Are you familiar with the term "golddiggers"?

- Honestly, no, I don’t know. There is such a song from Kanye West, for sure it is somehow connected, but I don't know how.

- Golddiggers is a girl who hunts for a guy with a fat wallet. Have you met such in your life? Have you tried to dissolve?

- Honestly, such stories are common. Stars and artists, including me, are constantly pursued by some maniacs who want to post a photo with you. There are those who want to get fame and promotion in social networks at your expense, or to fly with you on vacation, to receive new collections of "Agent Provocateur" every day. In my opinion, these can be seen a mile away. Girls are ready to do anything to hook a rich man: operations, deception, extortion.

- After each concert, I go to the geolocation and look at the photographs of the people who were there. I go to the users' pages, like, comment, post to myself. Thus, I salute the author of the photograph for his work. I often answer questions on the merits in my profile, I recently wrote, for example, that the new album will be released in the spring. Naturally, I ignore the comments from the category "I was fired from BurgerKing" and "Mutual subscriptions and likes". - The best manicure, weight loss ... - Yes, this is also rarely of interest, as well as the proposed trauma ( laughs).

- How do you feel about silicone breasts? Indeed, recently the trend has gone towards naturalness.

- For a long time, Kim Kardashian was the standard of female beauty for me. Then they opened my eyes to the cheekbones, nose, lips and ass ...

- Or did you see the video that was on the Internet?

- Everyone saw this video, many thanks to him just became fans of Kim Kardashian. No, I just realized that everything was artificial in her and was disappointed. Often my girlfriend rushes after some social gathering to make herself plastic. She sees the cheekbones that have been made and says that she also wants to, asks why I do not allow her. I am giving a lecture on the subject that the natural is much more beautiful. Fortunately, the trend has now gone to naturalness, and many girls who have not yet spoiled themselves with plastic surgery are thinking.

I cannot say that I am an ardent opponent. Many Instagirls with a million followers were once far from beauties. You go to the group "Naked Truth on Instagram" and look what happened "before", and you understand: in this case, plastic changed a person's life for the better. No one would ever have known about her, would not have looked, and so she from the gray Cinderella became the queen coveted by all.

If the girl is already beautiful, sweet, charismatic, then, in my opinion, you should not engage in this nonsense.

- Who is your dream woman?

- For a long time, as I said, it was Kim Kardashian, and now, probably, this is my girlfriend. First of all, it is not so much the aspect of appearance that is important here as the soul. The artists are such complex, capricious, ungrateful people that there should be a caring, patient girl next to them, ready, as they said in our military department, to endure all the hardships and hardships. There was military service, here artistic service. My soul mate often has to turn a blind eye to touring, photographs with fans, a video with Bianca and take a philosophical attitude to it.

- Not jealous of you?

- Inside, I think, is jealous, but does not show it, for this I am very grateful to her.

- I saw pictures of Maria, she is very similar to Kim Kardashian, by the way.

- Still, this image did not let me go to the end and, apparently, will never let me go.

- Two questions from our Instagram subscribers in the end. First: what event in your life do you consider to be a landmark?

- One thing is difficult to single out, probably a gold medal at school. I walked to her for a very long time and happily brought this moment closer.

- And the second question: what subjects at school did you like and which ones you don’t?

- I loved literature, my mother is a philologist, from childhood she instilled in me a love of the word. He loved physical education. I couldn’t stand the natural sciences, I’m still a humanist, physics and chemistry, I went hard, I swam in these subjects. I really liked my physics and chemistry teachers, but I hated the laboratory work they were doing. I always tried to sit down at such moments with some classmate. There was joint work, she did everything, and I said: "Well, we did a great job together! That's all it worked out!"