Participant of the “Voice” show Niko Neman: “I got to Leps thanks to his sister. Niko Neman: I was always afraid of family life. Which Leps is a mentor? Strict

Arsen Nemstsveridze, much better known by his pseudonym Niko Neman, is a self-taught Russian singer who has already recorded a studio album, performed a number of concerts and became a member of the popular vocal talent show "The Voice".

Arsen Nemstsveridze was born on June 5, 1983 in the southern city of Sochi. From an early age he was fond of sports, namely, freestyle wrestling, as well as other types of martial arts. In this field, Arsen achieved high results, and at the age of 17 he managed to pass all the necessary standards and become a master of sports in judo. Six years later, the future Niko Neman will add the title of Master of Sports in Sambo to his achievements.

When a new sport called grappling appeared, combining the technique of all wrestling disciplines with minimal restrictions during sparring, the athlete became interested in it and in 2013 even became the champion of Russia. He also went to the European Championship, but he did not perform very well there.

As for the education of the young man, he never studied singing and musical notation. After graduating from school, the young man entered the Sochi University of Tourism and Resort Business at the Faculty of Tourism Business, which he graduated in 2005. But Arsen Nemstsveridze did not want to work in this direction, as the stage was inexorably drawn to him. And he begins to audition and participate in the castings of various production centers.

Music

After another audition, Arsen Nemstsveridze was lucky: representatives of the newly opened Production Center drew attention to his singing talent, and the vocalist became the first ward of the famous chansonnier. It was here that he got his new name - the pseudonym Niko Neman.

The artist demonstrated his truly athletic zeal and hard work while working in a recording studio. He re-sang the same compositions countless times, achieving maximum results, trying to get closer to perfect performance.

The first song of Niko Neman was the hit "Fly away", which was specially composed for him by the author and producer Alexei Potapenko, whom most fans of Russian pop music know by his name. This was followed by such hits as "Stolen Happiness", "The Other", "You Are Free" and many others.

In the fall of 2015, Niko Neman's debut album, Even or Odd, was released. The singer introduced the title song to the audience during the New Wave International Festival of Young Performers. Moreover, if in the original version Niko Neman performs this hit on his own, then on stage he sang in a trio with his producer Grigory Leps and a Chechen singer, also known under the stage name Sharif.

It is worth noting the completely unusual joint project of Niko Neman and Gosha Mataradze "#RAPOPER", in which the rap skill of Mataradze and the operatic vocals of Neman are combined. Moreover, all the songs of this duet, of which the most popular were "Love from God" and "Never Forget", the artists have posted in the public domain on the Internet.

TV show

By the fall of 2016, Niko Neman decided that it was time for him to become a participant in any television reality show. The choice of the singer fell on one of the most rated talent shows "The Voice", the jury of which, coincidentally, included his producer. During the blind auditions, Niko performed Calaf's Aria from the opera Turandot by Giacomo Puccini and surprised the entire judicial team with a strong performance.

The fact is that in this most complicated piece, Niko Neman did not actually make a single serious vocal mistake. Not only Grigory Leps turned to him, but also, and. He did not press the button only, who admitted that he really liked the vocalist's performance, but he prefers not to take the owners of the academic voice into his group. In any case, Niko Neman did not cheat on his producer and went to Leps's team, with whom he expects to reach the final of the show.

Personal life

Very little is known about the romantic relationship of Arsen Nemstsveridze. As the artist himself said, he has a wonderful wife who bore him a son. But the singer does not give any other details about his family.

It is interesting that a few years ago Arsen, like many wrestlers, had a huge body weight. When he decided to become an artist and ended up in the production center of Grigory Leps, there he was given a condition: to get rid of at least two dozen kilograms. And Nemstsveridze showed his fighting character in this matter: in a little more than six months he got rid of excess weight, having thrown off the required number of kilograms.

Discography

• 2015 - Even or Odd
• 2016 - #RAPPER (together with Gosha Mataradze)

Niko Neman, aka Arsen Nemsveridze, impressed the judges of the Russian project from the very first notes. Last Friday, he did an excellent job with the "Duels" tour. With his opponent Vasilina Krasnoslobodtseva, he sang the Queen's hit "I Want To Break Free" and, having won the tour, continued to fight in the show.

Niko Neman spoke in an exclusive interview about his Georgian origin, participation in the "Voice" project, plans for the future, personal life, sports and who really is the engine of his musical career.

- Good afternoon, Niko! Or what should I call you? Niko or Arsen?

“I don’t know myself. Probably Niko.

Niko, tell us about yourself. Perhaps for many viewers in Russia you are a more or less well-known person. Let's introduce you to the Georgian audience.

- Start over. I was born in the city of Sochi. My ancestors are from Georgia, more precisely from Lechkhumi (Racha-Lechkhumi region - editor's note). My great-great-grandfather moved from Georgia during the reign of the king. My father is also from Lechkhumi. Our relatives live there.

FB / Niko Neman

- Do you visit them?

- We try to go there every summer. In Sochi, I finished school and entered the Institute with a degree in tourism and resort business. He was engaged in judo and sambo. He performed at competitions and at the same time was fond of music as a hobby.

You are a ward of the Producer Center of Grigory Leps. Tell us how your acquaintance and cooperation with Leps took place?

- I will clarify: I am the first ward of the Production Center of Grigory Leps, in the sense that I was even before the creation of the production center itself. We met Grigory in Sochi at his sister's birthday party. She also introduced us. He had been told about me before, but he saw me there.

FB / Niko Neman

- And you heard?

- Yes. I saw and heard. He offered to help in any way he could. A year later, I came to Moscow, and we selected songs for me. And only then the Production Center was opened, and therefore I became his first ward.

- When did it happen?

- My collaboration with Leps began in 2012. Since then we have released an album called "Odd or Even". Videos for three songs were filmed from this album.

- It was my wish.

- But Leps knew about him?

- I consulted with Grisha, he knew how the audience could respond to this. Here, they say, he is promoting his, but still agreed. But what piece I will sing, I did not tell him. And that was a little surprise.

- What is Leps mentor? Strict?

- Mentor Grigory is not strict. But he appreciates each participant at its true worth, gives us the choice of songs. It gives us some freedom in this. He sees that if the participant's desire is strong, then he tries to help without fail. Tells how to act in a given situation - in terms of vocals, emotions, and so on.

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- I hope this project will give me the opportunity to be heard and accepted by the audience, appreciated. I also believe that this project will open the way for me to my creative life.

- Now the tour of "duels" is underway in the project. Can you already name your obvious competitors, strong participants?

- There are no weak competitors there. Each is strong in its own musical genre and direction. Each has individual voices and timbres.

- Yes. There are a lot of competitors. Alexander Panayotov, Sardor Milano, Oksana Sergienko, Daria Stavrovich, Roman Bodzhiyan - you can list endlessly. So it will be very difficult for me. Hope for luck.

- How important is winning the project to you?

- The victory is not very important, but I strive for it. I will do my best to win.

FB / Niko Neman

- Is it excitement?

- This is passion and desire to win. My desire. And how it will turn out, I do not know anymore. Nothing to lose. In any case, it is a great prestige to get into this project. He helps in the creative path, you will be recognized by a wide audience throughout Russia and not only.

- I became interested in opera singing at the age of 24. Accidentally. Before that, I just sang myself, I did not learn from anyone. And at one point I decided to go to a vocal teacher to improve my skills. But he never dreamed of opera. I ended up with a teacher who teaches classical vocals. He heard me sing. He liked it, and he offered to enter the art school, where he taught. He said that he would teach everything that he himself can, and he kept his promise: he instilled in me a love of the classics. Since then I have also sung operas.

FB / Niko Neman

- Is it possible that in the future you will associate your career with opera?

- Who knows, maybe I will be lucky enough to follow the operatic path. Wait and see.

- At the casting, your chosen aria sounded very impressive.

- Thank you! Having come to the casting in "Voice", I wanted to surprise with this piece "Nessun dorma". And, judging by the reviews of the project editors, I succeeded. By the way, my friend Gosha Mataradze (he is a rapper) and I decided to release the "Rap Opera" album, which combines rap and academic vocals. We have already released five songs. We found it interesting. And in the future we are going to record a couple of songs. Judging by the comments on the net, it turns out well.

- What kind of music do you like, listen to?

- I listen to all musical directions. I don't have a specific genre that I prefer. I love everything: from classics to modern pop music.

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- Do you have any idols in the world of music?

- Pavarotti, Corelli, Mario del Monaco - these are the classics. From rock - Metallica, Scorpions, Rammstein, AC / DC, Queen and many, many other super talent.

- You told on the project that you are very happy in your personal life. Tell me about your family.

- Last year I got married, and this year my son was born. This is an indescribable feeling! I was always afraid of family life, I thought it was not for me. It turns out in vain. This is great happiness. I wish you all!

- What do you do in your free time besides sports and music?

- As a child I loved to draw, but with age I realized that it was not mine. Now in my free time I sometimes read books.

- What genre?

- More historical. I love history, although it is not an exact science. I love reading the history of the emergence of Christianity. Sometimes I read scriptures. It's interesting to me, like a balm for the soul. I learn a lot of interesting things and learn for myself. And I also like to watch educational programs. All this, of course, is not without physical activity.

FB / Niko Neman

- How was the pseudonym Niko Neman born?

- My brother's name is Niko. And when the question arose about what my stage name would be, "Arsen" somehow did not sound. And I decided to take my brother's name - Niko. And Neman - it was invented in the production center. From NEMstsveridze and Arsen: combined the name and surname. It turned out Neman.

Have you mentioned your mother more than once on the project? Isn't she the main driver of your musical career?

- My mother is sacred to me. She is an economist by education. She put a lot of effort into my upbringing. He always supports me in everything in principle, like my father. You are right, on her great initiative, I generally came to creativity. But I can't help but mention my grandmother, thanks to whom I generally began to sing. I have a lot of loved ones who support me in everything. God grant that everyone has such people nearby.

- What about sports?

- As for the fight: I would have continued to train and perform, but the injuries are making themselves felt. And over time, it becomes more and more difficult to fight ... And the age is no longer athletic. But for myself, I train and keep fit, only in a sparing mode. Physical education is health, movement. This is life!

- How best to contact you - Arsen or Niko?

Of course, I'm more used to it when my name is Arsen - this is my own name, but I'm also used to Niko. That is my brother's name, by the way. The pseudonym appeared in 2012, which I consider to be a turning point in my life. It was then that I met with. It happened at his sister's birthday party in Sochi, where I was also invited. At some point, congratulating the birthday girl, I sang, and then she introduced me to her brother. Grigory Viktorovich asked how seriously I wanted to study music, gave me my phone number and said that if I find myself in Moscow, I can always call him. At that time, the production center of Grigory Viktorovich had just opened. In the end, I arrived in Moscow a year later - at first I lived with my second cousin. And soon I was accepted to the center of Grigory Leps as a young performer.

By that time, I had clearly defined: I want to perform on stage. I have no musical education, and I am not proud of it at all. At 23 in my native Sochi, I entered a music school, but I was quickly expelled for absences. My diploma is in another field - I am a specialist in the field of tourism and hotel business, however, I have not worked in my specialty for a day.

Back in Sochi, he began to study with an academic vocal teacher. I did not study variety art - I sing like that from an early age, as they say. But, having become interested in operas, I realized that I needed to study the base, work out my voice.

- In the presence of others, I turn to Grigory Viktorovich for "you", and without ties we say "you" to each other. With his mentor in the show "The Voice" Grigory Leps. Photo: Julia Khanina

I tried my hand at the second season, but did not pass the casting. Now I understand that I was not ready. By the way, I chose Kalaf's aria from the opera "Turandot" for the "blind" auditions myself. Grigory Viktorovich was very surprised later. He advised some kind of pop things, and it was this aria that hooked me. And the editors asked to perform it at the auditions. And everything worked out. (Smiles.)

Viewers discuss what happens to the finalists of the "Voice" after the end of the project. Nothing has been heard about most of them. Doesn't that scare you?

- Well, everyone hears about Nargiz Zakirova, about Anton Belyaev too. The point is different. - this is a competition, and victory in it does not guarantee anything, you need to remember this. You can't give up and relax! Even in the process, you need to look for producers, funding, repertoire, opportunities for performances. For a participant, even a bright one, no one will do this.

You are the ward of the production center. Aren't you afraid to get into bondage? After all, contracts often bind young performers hand and foot ...

You need to read what you sign. (Laughs.) Agree, it is logical that if a producer takes on the lion's share of the costs of promoting a singer, then he wants to receive then a certain part of the income from him. It all depends on the degree of investment. In our case, this is fifty-fifty. That is, half of the money belongs to me - I had savings. But Grigory Viktorovich, believe me, gives much more. He is a good man, always interested in business, he congratulated me on my wedding, on the birth of a child ...

- Have you recently become a father? Congratulations!

- Thank you! The son is three months old, he was named Ilya. I miss him very much, as I now live in two cities. While I am in Moscow, he and his wife are waiting for me in Sochi. I have a big family, and everyone lives nearby. In our house - parents, my brother and my wife and son on the second floor. Nearby is the house of my uncle and his family. I like it when everyone is close to me, but I plan to transport my wife and child to Moscow.

I met my future wife on a social network. She liked my photos, I answered her. We exchanged messages, met - and it all started. The wedding was played modestly by our standards: there were 350 guests. Discreet - this is when people walk about eight hundred and more! (Laughs.)

By the way, I wanted to be present at the birth, but my wife said: “Don't you dare! I won't let you in! " (Laughs.) But I did a lot of things around the house: I helped with the cleaning, I prepared everything for the arrival of the baby from the hospital.

With his wife Sofia and three-month-old son Ilya. Photo: From the personal archive of Niko Neman

- Do you miss the sea in Moscow?

I have never been to the sea for the last two years in the summer. As a child, the boys and I left in the morning and returned home only in the evening. At the same time, I learned to swim only at the age of 14. From 12 he began to practice sambo and judo. Until the age of 25, he went to competitions.

- What sports habits remain?

Work to overcome and fight yourself. For example, I love sweets very much, I am not indifferent to cakes and pastries. And I feel that I have gained weight - I need to lose weight. So, you have to go on a diet, limit yourself. Isn't this a fight? Yes, all life is a struggle! (Laughs.)