A talented musician, a participant in the 3rd season of the Voice show, Andrey Grizzly, has always believed in his inner self, and this is confirmed by his songs. In conversation with OK! Andrey told how his music appeared from coffee, traffic jams and love
Photo: DR
Andrey, tell the story of your pseudonym« Grizzly» ? Why did you choose this one, I'm not afraid of this comparison, totemic?
Grizzly is nature, it is my reflection in nature. I wrote my best music outside the city, near the forest. It was there that such songs as "Ocean", "There are more good than evil", "Hero" were born - spiritual, powerful, which will never be put on the radio, but which will certainly give people hope and light. Grizzly is my inner feeling. And my music is my perception of the world.
And if you were asked to name just one word that could be your reflection, what would it be?
Did your first song "This Music" really come from "coffee, traffic jams and love"?
Yes, that is right. It happens that you are driving around the city, and the weather is cloudy, gray. And if you believe the statistics, then the mood should deteriorate. But even in the rhythm of the big, sometimes dull, city where I live, you can find inspiration. You just need to look from the right angle. This is where happiness lies. It’s just that people are lost in the metropolis and are watching life with their somehow tired eyes. And the world - it is wonderful, it is in what arose "from coffee, traffic jams and love."
How is your music, poetry usually born? Does this happen more often in happy moments of your life, or does a creative impulse coexist with sadness?
At all moments of life. Feelings are multifaceted, and I am inspired by both happiness and sadness. Experiences, joy are my emotions, my life. And when I write, I don't invent anything. My feelings become songs.
It was the end of summer. Nothing really happened in my life. As often happens with artists ... Summer is a dead season. I was bored. I cannot rest and sit idle for a long time. I found out about the casting for season 3 of The Voice and immediately decided to go. I was invited to season 1 and 2, but I didn’t take it seriously - just a new show. And by the 3rd, I already realized that there are really talented and serious musicians there. And I wanted to be in this “ring”. So, this decision was not the goal - everything is always spontaneous with me, everything is unexpected. Fate arranges the path for us. And you need to listen to her voice. Although plans are sometimes important.
After participating in such projects, the life of the contestants, as a rule, changes dramatically. Usually everyone talks about a new life, vivid impressions...
I don't think it's worth hoping for endless possibilities after the show. If you rely only on this, then you will remain a “guy from the Voice”. My life has remained moderate, as before: I rely only on myself, working on an album that will be released in the fall, in a music studio - Papa Music, founded together with my friends. I am doing what I love. In the eyes - fire, in the soul - desire. Everything goes on.
Have your goals and dreams remained the same, or has The Voice changed your plans?
The Voice did not change my plans. I still want to make a strong album that brings together the best of my ten years of creative work. This will be my first album. And from the global? The goal is to become a recognized musician who has something to say to people without relying on formats.
Your music really has its own unusual style. Did you deliberately come to such an original performance?
I purposefully went to do what is close to me and I like it. With what I truly feel, with what my soul and my musical disposition aspire to. And this is what matters. I always wanted to do something special.
Andrew, what is the most important thing in your life?
The most important thing is to find your niche in life, which will allow you to feel peace of mind. Happiness is family, creative ... And stay true to your inner "I".
Do you believe in dreams?
I think dreams are our fears and anxieties. Dreams steal information from the subconscious, not allowing you to hide childhood dreams, plans and thoughts about the future - all that we run from or simply do not dare. I think dreams are prophetic.
I recently read somewhere that you went to “big tennis” thanks to dreams. Tell us about this part of your life: is it just a hobby, or are you seriously thinking about a sports career?
Yes it's true. It also happens that dreams revive our old dreams and push us to the first, and important step. That dream reminded me of what I always wanted to do since childhood - to play sports. I did not waste any more time and went to tennis. I can’t call myself a professional yet, but I try very hard and take a responsible approach to training.
Will we have a new star in sports soon?
Yes, may be. (Smiling). It would be nice: to become a famous musical athlete.
Music, of course, takes the most time from artists. In your case, it is also serious sports. Do you have any other hobbies?
I love doing household chores. I like to experiment with the interior in my apartment. I love to travel, I love cars, I love to play football with my friends. I quickly get into different sports. I even have professional paintball equipment.
What do you believe?
I believe in God. I am a baptized person. I don't go to church every Sunday. But recently he defended the service - my first service. In general, if I talk to God, then te-a-tete. I believe that we may not be alone in the universe. And most importantly, just believe in something, only for this belief to make a good person out of you.
Andrei, is love important for a musician?
Relationships can sometimes slow things down. This is the case when they say at the end that the feelings were a hoax. But, if true love is a strong artifact that can lift you to heaven. And you do not have time to control the surge of inspiration, you just create.
Is there a way for you to please? What do you appreciate in girls?
It so happened that outwardly I like brunettes with thin arms and long hair. But what is more important is the wisdom and the ability to be yourself without hiding behind masks.
- Andrey Grizzly's father is Greek, mother is Ukrainian, singer Tatiana Zaluznaya "Lyubasha". Andrei has a younger brother - Gleb Melentiev, he also sings.
- In 2000 Andrey Grizz-lee moved to Moscow from Ukraine.
- Andrey Grizzly's career began with uploading emotional videos with his songs on the Internet, which caused a great response: Millions of views on Youtube, downloads and publications on all kinds of music sites and pirated collections!
- The first single by Andrey Grizzly "This Music" gained national fame, conquered many charts and in the first 2 months was in the first hundred of the most commercially successful tracks released over the past two years (According to Billboard magazine).
- It is followed by a positive clip by Andrey Grizzly with Alexander Revva in the lead role - “I love you baby”.
- Andrey Grizzly's repertoire has a place for both beautiful melodic lyrics and driving dance songs with elements of House, Rock-n-Roll, Disko, Funk, Dub step! Among other things, he is fluent in beatboxing (beatbox), which gives his performances "Pepper"
- Andrey Grizzly's concerts are held in constant contact with the audience. “I want us all to become one today, look around, we are all alive and well, and this world was created for us, because it gives us so many opportunities to be happy! Let's realize this simple truth and let's rock like never before!!! Forward! =))) ".
- Andrey Grizzly also succeeded as a host. He is often invited to lead events of various sizes, from large concerts and presentations to weddings and corporate events.
- Andrey Grizzly writes his own music, lyrics, arrangements. There are no producers, authors or composers behind it. Often music is born in his country house near the Forest.
- Currently, Andrey Grizz-lee, as a composer and sound producer, collaborates with such famous performers and musicians as: Dima Bilan, Valeria, Lyubasha, Vladimir Presnyakov, Dominik Joker, Laima Vaikule, Tina Karol, Natalya Buchinskaya and others.
- As a musician and artist, Andrey Grizzly prefers cooperation with young and talented artists such as: World beatbox champion Vakhtang, ST, Rene, Ilya Kireev and others.
- In 2011, the largest music label in Russia GALA RECORDS (S.B.A. Music Publishing) believed in Andrey Grizzly, signing a contract with him.
- In 2011, the ROSSIYA1 TV channel invites Andrey to take part in the large-scale television project Stilyagi Show with Maxim Galkin, where Andrey Grizzly becomes a finalist.
- Andrey Grizzly's songs and clips have millions of views online. That is why Coca-Cola chose Andrey to perform the New Year's hit in 2013. On the eve of the New Year holidays, Coca-Cola traditionally releases a video with the song "The Holiday is Coming to Us." Every year the hit gets a new vision thanks to different artists. In 2013 it was sung by Andrey Grizz-lee.
- But it all started with the fact that Andrei Grizzly's talent was first noticed by his mother Tatyana Zaluznaya "Lyubasha" when he was only 3 years old. Once Andrey's father brought from America all the cassettes of Stevie Wonder and Queen Queen. They were listened to so much that Andrei could sing any song by heart, up to the loss of instruments and improvisations.
- Soon Andrei Grizzly began to study at a music school in the class of violin, piano, guitar, but did not complete any course, because “there was no particular zeal to become a musician in the orchestra.
- He began to study music more seriously at the age of 15. Then he liked Rap and Hip-hop the most, which to this day are an integral part of his life and work. For a long time, he just rapped and hardly sang, honing his rhythm and pitch. But it soon became clear that they wanted something more - some kind of melody. It was then that his first songs began to be born.
- In 2004, Andrei Grizzly entered the Institute of Contemporary Art, from which he successfully graduated in 2010.
- In 2011, Andrey became a laureate and prize-winner of the New Wave 2011 competition for young performers. He not only successfully performed at the festival, but also collected the most prizes. They believed in him: the Megafon company (they awarded Andrei the main prize in the nomination “The Future Depends on You”), VKPM and Avtoradio (a prize as a song rotation on the waves of Autoradio throughout Russia), as well as the MUZ-TV channel (the main prize which was the rotation of the clip on the air of the TV channel).
- Andrey Grizzly presents his life to the audience like this: “In fact, life itself leads me, represents the paths, and I choose where to turn. I would like to be a captain of a ship or a corsair - a century in the 17-18. To be on the open sea, to listen to its sounds against the background of the creaking of the deck ... to be always on the verge of danger ... to be free ... to surrender to the world of adventure .... it's very cool!
- Before the blind audition, Nagiyev asked Andrei Grizzly why there were no girls in his support group. He replied that they were waiting for him with victory and preparing Olivier salad. Then Nagiyev took a word from him that if Grizzly did not pass, he would bring Dmitry Olivier.
They turned to Andrei Grizzly: Bilan at the beginning of the song and Agutin at the end. Andrey really got the audience going. Leonid even remarked: "2 chairs turned around, and the hall clapped on all 4!"
Andrey Grizzly is the author of the lyrics of the song "He wanted" by Dima Bilan. By the time of his performance in Golos, he had been working with Dima for about three years as a songwriter.
Andrey was very happy when Agutin turned around, because. if he had chosen Bilan, then there would have been an opinion that in Golos they were pushing their own, and everything is fair - Grizzly went to Agutin. Bilan, by the way, did not know that Grizzly was going to the Voice.
And Andrei initially wanted Leonid to join the team. When he was little and traveled with his family from Zaporozhye to the Crimea, his father turned on a cassette with Agutin's songs. Andrey Grizzly always wanted to meet and work with Leonid.
Childhood and family of Andrei Grizzly
Today Grizzly considers Moscow to be his hometown. His mother is Ukrainian and his father is Greek. He was born in Ukraine in the city of Zaporozhye. Only when Andrei was fourteen did the family move to Moscow. The son's penchant for music was noticed by the mother of the future composer and performer. As a three-year-old child, he diligently sang songs that he listened to many times on cassettes - these were collections of Queen and Stevie Wonder, brought by his father from the USA. It was amazing that the boy imitated even improvisations and losses. When Andrei went to a music school, he immediately began to study the piano, then the violin and guitar followed. He did not have a dream of becoming a musician in an orchestra, so he never completed any of the courses.Music lessons became more serious at the age of fifteen, when Grizzly became interested in rap and hip-hop. It should be noted that both hip-hop and rap to this day remain an integral part of Andrei's work. The young man wrote his first songs at about the same age.
At the age of eighteen, the future performer became a student at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, from which he successfully graduated in 2010.
The beginning of the musical career of Andrei Grizzly, "New Wave"
In 2011, Grizzly took part in the New Wave competition and won in three categories. I must say that this success was not the only one for Andrei in 2011. Around the same period of time, the Russian music label GALA RECORDS signed a contract with a promising performer.In 2011, the singer accepted the invitation of the Russia 1 channel to take part in Maxim Galkin's project called Stilyagi Show. Andrey on this show became a finalist.
In 2013, Grizzly released a video starring Alexander Revva. The name of this clip is I love you baby. Almost all music channels appreciated the clip with its Latin American motives. He came to taste and a million listeners. In the same year, a singer with a powerful velvety voice was chosen by Coca-Cola as the performer of the New Year's hit. The video "The holiday is coming to us" is known to almost every one of us. In 2013, it was performed by Andrey Grizzly.
Andrey Grizzly on the show "Voice"
Andrey once again appeared in front of the viewers, becoming a participant in the third season of the musical show "Voice". According to him, he came to this show in order to popularize his music. At the "blind" audition, the singer presented a cover version of the song "You Know". Dima Bilan was the first to turn to the talented performer, with whom Andrey had collaborated at one time.The second to Grizzly turned his chair Leonid Agutin, who was chosen by the singer as a mentor. According to his recollections, he remembers Agutin's songs from childhood, they often sounded in his house. It was a dream for Andrey to get acquainted, and even more so to work with this person.
In the duet competition, the young man's rival was Mari Nzhipuakuyu. The mentor made a choice in favor of Andrey. According to the participant of the show, in the first minute after the announcement of the result, he felt upset that Marie would be forced to leave the project. During the filming, the performers became friends. Andrei supported her by hugging her right on the stage. Only after some time Grizzly felt the joy of the victory won at this stage.
The stage called "knockouts" also turned out to be successful for the singer, he again remained on the show. Andrey considers his mission at Golos accomplished.
Andrey Grizzly today
Andrew has big plans for the future. In the near future he will release a CD and hold its presentation. Most likely, viewers will be able to appreciate more than one music video of the performer and composer.Another step that Grizzly strives to climb is the Eurovision Song Contest. The singer's bold plans include not only participation in the competition, but also victory in it. Andrei believes that there should not be a long break between his solo albums, so no later than a year after the release of his first album, he plans to record and present his second.
Andrei Grizzly's personal life
Andrei manifests himself not only as a composer and performer, he also succeeded as a presenter. He was repeatedly invited to hold events of various sizes - from weddings and corporate parties, to presentations and large concerts. Andrey's concerts radiate powerful energy. As you know, he writes his own songs. He does not have an arranger and producer. It is possible that the reason for such success is precisely that Andrey does everything himself.As a sound producer and composer, Grizzly has repeatedly collaborated with such famous performers as Dima Bilan,
Singer Andrey Grizzly is known as a participant in the third season of the Voice show, a participant in the Stilyagi Show with Maxim Galkin project, as a winner in three categories of the New Wave contest. Andrei says little about his family, but, meanwhile, the singer's mother is Lyubasha (Tatyana Zaluznaya), a well-known composer and author of dozens of songs for Russian pop stars.
With mother Tatyana Zaluznaya (Lyubasha)
“At the beginning of my career, I did not want to advertise the name of my mother in order to avoid prejudice. I have been successful on my own to prove to everyone, and most of all to myself, that I can. Now that in the same “Voice” the viewer was able to appreciate what I am capable of as a singer, I can publicly thank my mother for her support and our musical union,” says Grizzly.
Little Andrey Grizzly still only dreams of a musical career
From childhood, a creative atmosphere reigned in Andrey's house, the boy was always surrounded by musicians and singers. Among the artists with whom Lyubasha has been collaborating for many years are Alla Pugacheva, Philip Kirkorov, Valeria, Laima Vaikule, Nikolai Baskov, Kristina Orbakaite, Nadezhda Babkina, Alexander Buinov, Dima Bilan and many others. The result of this collaboration with the stars were hits: "Migratory Bird", "Be or Not Be", "At a Table in a Cafe", "I'll Be Your Cloak", "Study Me by the Stars", etc. In addition, Lyubasha is the author of soundtracks to series and films: "Unequal Marriage", "The Own Man", "Love-Carrot 2", "Love-Carrot 3", "Night Sisters", "Vacations of Love", "8 First Dates", etc.
Igor Krutoy, Lyubasha and Nikolai Baskov
Despite such a "variety" environment of his mother, Andrey Grizzly developed his own musical style, which for a long time did not fall into the "formats". “For a long time I fought for my right to be heard, and finally my time has come when my music is in demand on radio and TV,” says Grizzly.
Andrey writes most of his songs himself, composing music and words, working with arrangements. Now Andrey Grizzly began to cooperate with the Papa Music production center. "I finally found people who understand and feel music the same way as I do - the PAPA music company and its producer Dmitry Sher (known for his work with the Vopli Vidoplyasova and Boombox groups, artists Polina Griffith, Alexander Revva, etc.) He creates a completely new sound for my songs. Fresh musical material, which is being worked on in the studio, sounds at the level of world standards." And when Grizzly writes the words of Lyubasha to the music, such hits as “This music”, “Not a word about you”, “Wash away her deceit” are obtained.
Andrey Grizzly, Alla Pugacheva and Lyubasha
Lyubasha has repeatedly gathered artists at her benefit concerts in order to perform her songs with them, which have long become hits. After one of these Kremlin concerts, Lyubasha received an offer to be the author of music and songs for the new children's animated series Lelik and Barbariki.
Lyubasha and Anastasia Volochkova at the presentation of the book "Barbariki"
“Working on children's songs captured me completely! I worked with such rapture on "Barbariki" that I recorded a whole album of children's songs. The songs “Friends have no days off”, “What is kindness”, “Happy birthday to me and me” became hits, it can already be said that a whole generation of children grew up on them. This is an incredible feeling when the whole audience sings my songs with me at concerts, - says Lyubasha. - To date, I have published 4 children's books of poems and songs with music CDs included. Together with Igor Krutoy, he wrote the anthem of the New Children's Wave festival and the Alina festival - children's rhythmic gymnastics under the patronage of Alina Kabaeva. Now I am working with Soyuzmultfilm, which produces animated films based on my children's songs.
Andrey Grizzly, Lyubasha, Vakhtang
Lyubasha's children's songs are translated into Chinese by the famous poet and translator Xue Fan and are performed by Chinese children. Last year, at a secular party, Lyubasha handed over her children's books and CDs for kids A. Pugacheva and M. Galkin. Literally a few days after that, Alla Borisovna invited her to teach at her school of children's creativity.
Valeria, Alexander Revzin and Lyubasha
Currently, Lyubasha is actively working on creating music for films, musical performances and musicals, and also continues to collaborate with domestic performers.
