There are people who have bad with names, and perhaps not immediately say what is the name of a particular artists or singers, but, on hearing the first chords of the songs the singer with remarkable and well-known voice, immediately begin to sing along: "JULIE, JULIE -I-I! " OR "AN UNLIKE WAITING FOR ME AT THE WINDOW, EVENING IN DARK EVENINGS ...". WHAT NOT SAY, BATYRKHAN SHUKENOV IS A CELEBRITY, AND THIS IS UNDISPUTABLE. HE BECAME A CULT PERFORMER ON THE DAILY OF Perestroika, AND TILL NOW, CONTINUES TO WORK WITH MUSICAL COLLECTIVES, SPEAKS WITH SALT CONCERTS, WRITES SONGS AND DOES ITS OPERATIONS. ABOUT ALL THIS AND MUCH OTHERWEARS WE talked with the MUSICIAN.
Batyrkhan, all citizens of the former republics of the Soviet Union are well acquainted with your work, at least once having heard the performances of the group “A'STUDIO”, which simply burst into the pop horizon in the late 1980s with their hits “Julia”, “White River” and others . Now you are rarely seen in music programs on central Russian television. Please tell our readers what you have been working on and have been working on recently?
Since 2010, I began to work with the company "Monolith". In the summer we released two albums, "Beware, dear girl!" and "Everything will pass ...". We also recorded a single for the new album - the song "Letters" (by Evgeny Abramov), on which the video was shot. In addition, several arrangements for new songs are already ready, and in the next 2011, it is planned to release my new album in Russia.
It is well known that Alla Borisovna Pugacheva favors your work. What role did this great singer play in your creative life?
She played the most direct role in the creative fate of the group “A'STUDIO”, with whom I worked for 13 years and is one of the creators of this team. When my solo career began, from the very beginning I felt the support of Alla Borisovna and her attention, for which she was very grateful.
Which pop singers do you maintain friendships with? Do you often agree to record duets with new, young and talented artists?
Over the years of my work, I have developed warm friendly relations with Volodya Presnyakov, Valery Meladze, Kristina Orbakaite. In my album "Beware, dear girl!" There is a duet to the music and words of Oleg Tolstov "We are just friends", recorded with the talented singer Nastya Zadorozhnaya. In my opinion, it turned out to be a good creative experiment.
Of course, working with young performers is very interesting. Suppose you could record a duet with Julia Savicheva. I really like her creativity and musicality, the timbre of her voice.
You are invited to participate in many music television shows. What do they give you creatively?
Basically, this is an opportunity to show their new works, meet with composers, poets, chat with everyone, exchange creative plans.
Your music albums are permeated with different moods and different musical directions. Please tell me, with what famous producers and record studios of the world do you remember most?
Most of all I remember working with English sound producer Greg Walsh. This is the highest professional who thoroughly knows both his profession and the psychology of the musician. This work was conducted at the world famous studio “Hit Factory” (New York), with sound engineer Chris Turkison (he recorded almost all of Bob Maferin’s albums, including the song “Don't Worry, Be Happy”).
We know that you are not only a wonderful singer, but also a professional saxophonist. One of your albums was entirely dedicated to playing the saxophone. Are you going to repeat this experience, perhaps, even together with someone from the world famous jazz music masters?
Yes, this experimental instrumental album was recorded in Almaty. Of course, it would be interesting for me to experiment with jazz musicians, but there are no such plans for the near future.
Despite your departure from the group “A'STUDIO” more than 10 years ago, you occasionally perform with your former colleagues and give fans of the group joy by singing their favorite old songs. Have you ever wanted to gather for one big creative evening all those with whom you once worked - Roza Rymbaeva, A'STUDIO, Musical School and others?
I took part in concerts dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the group “A'STUDIO”, which were held in Almaty, Moscow and St. Petersburg. Each of the three concerts was very sincere and warm. As for the big joint concert ... In order to bring everyone together: Roza Rymbaev, the group “Musical” and “A'STUDIO”, we need sponsors, time, and most importantly, the desire of everyone - to make a beautiful musical gift for all music lovers.
In today's show business, quality-written songs are a big shortage. What is closer to you - performing songs or composing them? Which of the singers, except you, performs the songs you wrote?
I am not a professional composer, therefore I perform songs by those authors who have already achieved great success in this area. However, in the repertoire of Rosa Rymbaeva there is one song of mine, it is called "We Will Meet."
It is known that in recent years you devote a lot of time to social activities. You are the Advisor to the President of Kazakhstan on culture, the Goodwill Ambassador of UNICEF and the UN Children's Fund. What does this work give you personally? What do you want to bring to the life of the world community?
This social work gives me the opportunity to see and understand the problems that exist in the social sphere. I give charity concerts to help children with various diseases. Of course, I understand that this is a utopia, and I alone will not change the world, but if each of us does something, so that there will be more children’s smiles and will not sit idly by, there will be many problems in our world less.
Many of your hits sound not only in Russian, but also in Kazakh. How important do you consider the preservation of cultural and linguistic traditions in today's globalization?
I am deeply convinced that the artist or creative person should not break away from his roots, from the great heritage that exists in the history of every nation, and this is the basis in any creative process.
You tour a lot in different countries of the world. What are your main impressions, as a singer and composer, from these trips, from communication with the public and your fans?
Music has no limits. Music is a universal language of communication between people, and good songs always get a response, regardless of which language they are sung. When you feel the feedback, when the audience accepts and understands you, it gives new strength, energy, in order to continue to work and create new songs.
Have you ever performed in Dubai? How do you feel about the initiative to hold a series of concerts of pop stars in Dubai aimed at the Russian-speaking audience living in the Emirates, which the Moscow Club in the UAE plans to start with your performance?
Once, as a member of the A'STUDIO group, I already performed in Dubai and, of course, our compatriots were the audience. It would be with great pleasure that I would come to the UAE again to perform here with my new program, new songs, and to please all the listeners and those who are interested in my work.
Thank you Batyrkhan. We look forward to visiting you. I wish you creative success in the New Year.
