Zhenya Lyubich: "I got even further from the people"

Singer Zhenya Lyubich , performing a chanson, but not quite Russian, but international, with a light French pronons, releases a new album of the ABC Morse. He is produced by the author of the famous French retro project Nouvelle Vague Mark Kollen, who wrote for Lyubich and a debut plate. The presentations of the ABC Morsze will be held on April 24 in St. Petersburg (Chaplin-Hall) and April 30 in Moscow (“16 tons”). On the eve of the events, Denis Boyarinov met with Zhenya Lyubich and talked about the new album, the “question to the president”, dancing on the rack and the status of an enviable bride of St. Petersburg.

- I listened to five songs from the ABC Morse, which they sent me, and was amazed at how quiet they were. Will the album be completely acoustic?

- He is very chamber. It is recorded at the junction of almost classical music and protoelectronic. The 1973 organ plays there, which gives an interesting enveloping sound-it sounds like the synthesizers of the 1980s, then in general as a space station. The ZABA - Persian percussion, the most difficult of all existing ones sounds there. All guitar parties and percussion on the album were performed by the famous guitarist Kevin Seddika, who collaborates with Al di Meola and other jazz virtuosos.

- How did he end up with you in the studio?

- Last December, I presented in Paris the European version of my album “C'est La Vie” called “Russian Girl” . It so happened that the musicians who were supposed to play with me at the presentation could not take part in it: someone left, someone had an urgent and not subject to canceling the concert. In fact, I played alone - in the small club Le China near Bastille Square. There were almost no ordinary people in the hall - except for one of my large fan, who specially came to a concert from Germany. The rest were people of cultures, arts and show business: for example, producer Madonna Mirve Ahmazai, his singer girl, journalists with RFI , photographers, designers. The audience was mixed - both the French and the Russians who do cultural projects in Paris. These people inspired me very much, and I sang soulfully and sincerely - not only the songs included in the Russian Girl , but also those that seemed suitable for me. For the creator of the Nouvelle Vague project, Mark Collin, which was also in the hall, some songs were completely unfamiliar, he was imbued with them and offered to record them. Together with Kevin, Seddika, with whom he had made a plate for Yasmin Hamdam - one of the songs from her entered the film by Jarmusha "Only lovers will survive." It was Mark that suggested using the 1973 body in the record, and he played on it.

Experienced people tell me that there is no hope.

- It is a pity that it is impossible to bring Kevin Seddika and the 1973 body to the presentation of the album to Moscow.

- Alas, yes. Therefore, I am now searching for two guitarists. For example, on one track four guitars sounds at once - even Seddiki would not have managed this. My task is to present new songs in the form in which they are recorded. Of course, I am afraid that they can sound too punishment. They tell me that I was brought even further to the art. I got even further from the people. But I want to take a chance.

“Were your songs commercial before?”

- Let's say the song “Galaxy”, where the bass like Air and a clear percussion sounded on Russian radio and entered different soundtracks. Despite the European sound “C'est La Vie” , the songs from this album could be represented in Russian radio and in Russian films. I also quite see new songs in soundtracks and on the radio, but experienced people tell me that there is no hope. Well, perhaps I have a poor idea of ​​what is actually happening in Russia.

- Tell me about the story of the song “Question to the President” - how did it appear?

- In fact, it is called the "crisis of the moment." It was 2008-2009, when Putin held a number of open press conferences, where he could ask a question. I liked this idea that you can turn to the president with any question, and I wanted to speak out at the junction of a public and personal.

- Do you perform this song at concerts?

- Depending on the mood.

- Do you compose the whole program depending on the mood, or do you doubt this song?

- Yes, for example, for today's concert (the conversation takes place on the soundtest before the concert of Zhenya Lyubich in a jazz club. - Ed. ) The program has not yet been written (laughs) .

- When you and I talked a few years ago, even before the appearance of “C'est La Vie” , you said that you had already composed about 300 songs. And how many are there now?

- Much more. How do I know. I did not count them even then, and now I do not think. Get off the account (laughs) .

- I am to what you have to choose from.

- Yes - and it is difficult. Every time there is such a story: musicians want to play one, but I want another. Thank God that such disputes arise. It would be worse if there was nothing to choose from - and we played the same songs.

- What do musicians like to play?

- They love English songs - for example, "Creative People." Or - oddly enough - "tango" in Russian.

- Why is it strange?

- Because it is slow and viscous. It would seem where they are expressing there?

- And the song “Do you affect me adversely” often sounds?

- Almost every concert.

- All the time such a mood?

- It is. I understand that something new cannot sound at concerts all the time, there must be recognizable. And this song is recognized, sing, love.

- The song “You influence me adversely” can be represented on the air of Radio Chanson. If they offered you to take it, would you agree?

- Certainly. What difference does it make which radio station my songs can be heard? When I go in a taxi, most often I ask you to turn off the radio, but sometimes I just ask you to switch the station. I do not look at the frequency of the wave, I don’t look at which radio station - I do not distinguish them at all. If only the music did not interfere with the point and to point B. let it be “chanson” - what's the difference?

- It just sounds between the songs of Katya Spark, Alexander Rosenbaum, Sergey Trofimov and Grigory Leps. Which of them is closer to you?

- The context, of course, affects, but I would like as many people as possible to learn about my songs. About the song "Pagonally" including. Or maybe the one who listens "adversely" will want to listen to something else. Today, my songs are not in the rotation of not a single Russian radio station. But the French radio nova is waiting for my new album to come out - you can hear my songs there.

- Have you tried to get into Russian rotations?

- We tried very much. “Our radio” openly states that my songs are not a format for them. On Silver Rain, they said that they have forbidden the rotation of Russian-speaking songs, and for some reason my English-speaking ones are not suitable for them. At the same time, Silver Rain is the only radio station on which I manage to sound. On the living broadcasts of Alex Dubas or Mikhail Kozyrev, a solo with a guitar.

- Preparing for the interview, I stumbled in the Kaluga press at the report on your concert under the heading "Zhenya Lyubich daced in Kaluga on the bar." What kind of song did you danced on the rack and what was your mood?

- It seems to me that it was a T -shirt . The middle of the tour - I had 6 cities to Kaluga and 7 more after. It was an equator - and, apparently, therefore, I went into a gap. I didn’t even sing, but just talked with the people - I often went out into the hall, asked questions from the songs to the audience personally (laughs) . So I climbed onto the rack. Something was torn from the depths of his soul, which was impossible to restrain. In Chelyabinsk there was the same concert - well, I generally have an affair with the Urals.

-Another question on the traces of publications in the press: the St. Petersburg magazine "Dog" recently called you one of the enviable brides of St. Petersburg ... How do you like this status?

- I really like it (laughs) . The most curious that they had a selection of 50 enviable grooms in this issue, and there were only ten enviable brides. I got to these ten, well, why not.

- Who is in one row with you - the context is important?

- And I do not know - I did not read. And the suitors did not look. Maybe it’s worth puzzled (laughs) ?