About why success is never predictable, why a musician needs two mobile phones and how his attitude towards the group has changed, the famous composer told OK!

Konstantin, musicians and producers often say that sometimes they have to ask for a song to be put on the radio or a video to be rotated. Have you ever asked for something like this?

It used to. I would never and never in my life asked for myself. But for my artists, which became more and more, he asked. Until I started working with Velvet Music, where my sister and her friend Alena Mikhailova are now managing everything. They don't write songs, and I don't wear songs to the radio anymore. And before that, he went and negotiated.

Have you ever been rejected?

It happened. Not often, really. There were cases when I had to convince, because any producer is ready for a lot for his artist. To this day, I don't think it's humiliating. Negotiating the promotion of your artists is normal.

Do you ever feel like, “It’s a pity I didn’t write this song”?

Moreover, sometimes it even seems that I almost wrote it, and someone stole it from under my nose. (Laughs.)

I listened to some of Sting's songs, say, ten or fifteen years ago, and it seemed to me that I could, somewhere nearby, went in circles, but did not hit the top ten. And he got. But this, thank God, white envy.

Three of your artists claimed this year for the MUZ-TV Prize. Who will you worry about the most?

For everyone. The MUZ-TV Prize is probably the most eminent, the most mature: this year the award is fifteen years old, which is a lot. Every year it becomes more relevant, I think. And it is very important for musicians. She survived both crises and ups, and today, in my opinion, she is in brilliant shape.

Is it important to you that a song win an award?

It certainly matters. And it's not even so important that the song gets something, but that they pay attention to it. And when she gets into the nomination, it's already a joy.

But now there are many ways to monitor the success of a song - this is the rotation on the radio, the number of views of clips on YouTube, the number of downloads, and so on. Therefore, today the essence of the awards is to stimulate, even in advance, young musicians to pull out new styles. That is, not to be just some kind of confirmation of the vote count. It seems to me that any music award has much broader powers, a much deeper cultural mission. And this mission, first of all, is to somehow shape the musical palette every year. This is a very important thing.

In the entire history of the group, VIA Gra has ten awards of the MUZ-TV Prize. And after the reboot, the girls already in the current line-up received a “plate” for a duet with Mot. Do you think it is important for them to receive this award?

I think it worries them more than it does me. At least at their age, things like awards worried me more than they do now. If you collect all the regalia that were associated with me, you get such a small truck. For artists, prizes are generally very important, especially at the beginning of the journey, during the formation period. Then, of course, when an artist receives an award for the fifteenth or twenty-fifth time, like Philip Kirkorov, I don’t think that he experiences any kind of stormy jubilation. And young artists - they are very sensitive to this ... sometimes even dramatically: they worry if they don’t get a “plate”, some even cry, especially girls.

Girls are not easy to work with.

Not easy. In general, with people, you know, it's not easy. And it’s difficult and unpredictable to make people public out of ordinary people. Therefore, I have such, let's say, "stormy rotation" of personnel. When you take on a guy or a girl, it is impossible to predict in advance how he or she will react to popularity, how a busy touring schedule, lack of sleep, flights and all that will affect them. No one, even the most brilliant producer, is able to predict the future of an artist with an accuracy of one hundred percent. Although I used the services of psychologists and teachers on various television shows, working with young people, they were also wrong in their predictions.

This is probably why the participants of VIA Gra often changed. But what is curious, have they always been different, were they different from their predecessors?

That's just the whole point, that they are all different. The evolution of the artists of "VIA Gra" suggests that I am in a constant, permanent search. And the search process itself is extremely interesting to me. Sometimes it is much more interesting than the result. This composition of "VIA Gra" sings songs, some of which are so "ancient" - they were written when the girls were five to seven years old. And of course, they bring their notes, their temperament, their color to this repertoire. Maybe that's why this group is so long-lived. Because this is such a theater, a real theater in which the troupe changes, but the seagull hanging on the curtain does not change - it has remained as it was from the first days. And in fact, this principle - "beautiful music performed by beautiful women" - it seems so simple, but still relevant today. The same simple principle, when girls are divided according to color parameters: brown-haired, brunette and blonde. Oddly enough, this principle will continue to work for a long time. And the tour schedule of the girls suggests that they are still in great demand. And by the way, in many respects, this composition surpassed both gold and diamond.

I was going to point this out.

Yes, this composition does not change, it's generally a miracle that for three and a half years I have been working in a stable team, pah-pah-pah. And the number of views, the number of rotations of some songs is now many times higher than the figures that were before. Therefore, I continue to work with these artists, because it is interesting for me, and for them, and for the public.

It seems to me that such a long period of existence of the current composition is also explained by the fact that now the VIA Gra group is a single organism. Before that, you often had such artists who turned out to be too self-sufficient ... For example, Vera Brezhneva. As soon as she appeared, she immediately drew attention to herself.

Now, from the height of the past years, it seems that this was obvious. I remember when I undertook to produce Vera solo, in 2008, no one believed that such a powerful artist would turn out in the end.

Seriously?

No one believed, everyone looked at it as some kind of whim. Even I believed about 50 to 50, because it is difficult to foresee what is there and how it will turn out. In fact, for almost three years I was looking for that sound, which later brought her success. The song "Love will save the world" was written in 2010, and we recorded the first song in 2008. As a matter of fact, for two and a half years I was looking for a musical style, an image in order for the artist to become successful. And how many years did it take Sveta Loboda to break through? Twelve at least. How many years did it take for Anya Sedokova? It now seems that it once - and happened. Therefore, it may well be that Erica, Nastya and Misha will become solo artists. Although, of course, I would like them to work with me longer. But you know my principle: I don't hold anyone by force.

When you write a song, on what basis do you then decide who to give it to? And doesn't one artist tell you later that this song suits him more than another?

It happens sometimes. And this, of course, is one of the most difficult moments in the production work. It turns out that some song of one artist becomes more popular than the song of another artist. And when you have four projects, and it happened that there were five or six, you certainly want them all to be equally successful, so that the songs and videos that I create for them are equally and equally successful. But in any case, this is impossible, because there are slightly less successful moves and solutions, there are more successful ones. Thank God, all my artists understand this and treat each other with warmth. Fortunately, I do not observe any jealousy among them.

When we did an interview with Vera before her first solo concert in Moscow, she said that she would never contradict you, that you have always been and remain an absolute authority for her. And that's fine, as it should be, but is it really so? Still, it is not easy to negotiate with women, and they are all so temperamental!

Of course they are overwritten. Such situations regularly arise when, for example, an artist tells me that the song is not that bad, he just ... does not feel it, it does not coincide with his current worldview and mood. This happened with Valera at the dawn of my production activity, this happened with the VIA Gra group, this happens with Vera, and with Valera to this day.

And what do you do with it?

Either I redo the song radically, or just the chorus. By the way, many of my songs that became famous initially had a completely different chorus. Both in music and text. Therefore, I often do three or four versions of the chorus at once, until this song fits and falls on the soul of the artist. And until it lies on the soul of the artist, the song cannot be successful. That's the whole point. Therefore, reluctantly, I redo it, of course, I swear to myself, but I redo it. Until the artist becomes a full-fledged carrier of this text and this music and tries on the song for himself like clothes. The song should fit, you know, it should be convenient and comfortable, though like clothes ... For example, with the song "VIA Gra" "Diamonds", which became very popular and received a nomination for the "MUZ-TV Prize" in 2006, also not everything was smooth. She is very peculiar in sound and in frivolity, so to speak (her text is so ... unusual for me). When I showed it to the group for the first time, Nadya Meikher flatly refused to sing it, because she seemed to her somehow frivolous. She is a dramatic artist, she loved songs to break, affecting deep strings. And then about diamonds ... Then I somehow convinced her.

Wow! Are you convinced yet?

What's wrong with that?

You are the producer, you are the boss. "We take and eat." What other options?

No, that's not how I work with artists. But there was just the case when I was sure of success, so I had to convince. But even in the final version there is no Nadia solo piece, she only sings in the choir.

You are quite a democratic leader!

Yes, I am surprised.

Is it even possible for three artists to say at once that the song “fell on the soul”? On the set, we lined up one frame for an hour so that everyone was happy.

I still try to select the composition in such a way that everyone fits together and the puzzle is formed. When people are opposed, the team quickly falls apart. Since this line-up has been working for a long time, it means that they have found a common language, some points of contact, have learned to compromise. Therefore, there have been no disagreements with the songs that we have made with them over the past three and a half years.

Or maybe you have become stricter?

No, no, definitely not, on the contrary, I have become softer with age. ( Smiling.)

Do girls often turn to you for some life advice?

You know, when I started working with the VIA Gra group in 2000, girls very often asked me for advice on any issues. In principle, I was engaged in everything: both their education and their spiritual development, compiled lists of books, conducted conversations ... I did not form artists, but people. It seemed to me that this should be my mission - Pygmalion in its purest form. But due to the fact that lately I have had much more projects, I cannot pay so much attention and so much time to the artists. Therefore, relations with the current group are built exclusively in a musical way. Of course, when they have problems, they write to me, and I, if I can, hasten to help. It's completely natural. But nevertheless, now there are quite independent and mature artists in the group, who need less of my participation outside the creative process.

Have you yourself learned to exist outside the creative process? You recently had a birthday. How did you spend it?

Very fun, in a narrow family circle. The fact is that literally on the night of the 10th to the 11th (and I was born on May 11) we shot a video, and shot in another city. And only in the morning, in fact, Vera and I returned home to Kyiv, tired, but happy. And in the evening they had to go to celebrate in a small restaurant. And the most surprising thing was that when we arrived there, Valera and Albina and our sister Liana were waiting for us there. This, of course, was surprise number one.

They weren't supposed to come?

Should not. But Liana flew in from London, and Valera and Albina - from Moscow, two flights with a change. It was very touching: both children and relatives, friends, acquaintances, brother, sister gathered - what could be better? We rarely gather in such a composition, unfortunately, especially not in Moscow. So the birthday went great.

Previously, you admitted that you do not know how to relax, that you are always busy with business. Are there other dates besides your birthday when you can take time out?

This is, first of all, the New Year, New Year's Eve, and two weeks after the New Year. Well, in June we always have a rest. Most often in Italy. In recent years, I have learned to take vacations. ( Smiling.) And this year we will have a rest not only in June, but at least half of July. Such is the luxury that I could only afford now.

And who forbade you to rest before? You don't have a boss!

It seemed to me that if I went on vacation for such a long time...

Will everything collapse?

Everything will collapse. All projects will stop, tours will fail, songs will not be written ... But no! Gradually I increased my vacation. First it was a week, then two, then three, then a month. This year, in fact, we will try to increase it up to a month and a half, because we did not rest in the winter. Let's see what happens and how it will affect my creativity and performance. ( Konstantin's one of two phones rings, he hangs up the call.)

How long have you had two phones?

Yes, a long time ago. One is not enough, three is still a lot, so I have two of them. I have everything in my phones: all my notes, notes, musical sketches are also there. Sometimes something comes to my mind, there is a voice recorder in the phone, and I sing it all there. And email on my phone...

Life on the phone!

This is my kind of office. As such, I do not have an office, there is only a studio in which I do everything. Therefore, these two phones are always with me, I do not turn them off at night, during the day, or on holidays.

You once said that not so long ago you realized that children make a person happy, and not a successful career and recognition. Of course, you were not disingenuous, but if you take away the opportunity to study music, will you feel happy?

Of course, it's just that for quite a long period of my life I was into music in a completely maniacal way. Since about 1986 - it turns out, for twenty-five years I have lived only for this. And everything else, by and large, I did like ... in a fog. In the first place was music and a career. Yes, and in second, and in third, and in tenth place, too. And only starting from the second ten already there were some of my other needs. This would have continued on until at one point I realized that this was actually a direct path to loneliness. My snorkeling dragged on a little, and I had to go to the surface and see what kind of world you live in, because the world that I formed for myself in my studios, in fantasies, it was more and more at odds with what was happening around me in reality. It was very uncomfortable and more and more proved to me that it was time to think not only about music. Because, having achieved almost everything that I wanted in music and even more, I realized that I can no longer draw happiness only from this. Yes, and there I scraped it to the very bottom. And of course, I realized how much I missed in principle: the birth of children, and their childhood, and my personal life, and family. I missed a lot of things. Now I'm catching up.

You know, so far no one has proven that the inclusion of parents in the lives of their children should be 24/7. Your father probably also worked a lot?

Parents influenced us very pointwise, of course. They worked from morning until night, trying to feed a horde of children.

You haven't disappeared.

By some miracle, we did not disappear, although many of our classmates, and we studied in a workers' settlement, served time, and so on. This is probably due to genes, and not because of how much attention they paid to us. In general, in those days it was not supposed to dominate children like this, as it is happening now. Now children and nannies up to twelve years old, and drivers, and English teachers, and all kinds of sections. When we were growing up, we met with our parents in the evenings, dad came tired, and I remember that only on Sundays we touched each other for a little longer than an hour or two. But this was enough to raise normal, adequate children.

Do your children make you happy?

My children make me happy in any case, even if they are hooligans and study poorly. But they study well, and if they are hooligans, then this does not happen so often as to cause concern. Of course, I often get called to school, especially in recent years...

Walk?

I go. I go, I listen, then I have conversations with them, and so on. But all this is absolutely clear to me, because I remember what Valera and I were kids, you won’t envy my parents. My children are much more disciplined than my brother and I were, so I'm not afraid.

Your eldest daughter Alice is already quite an adult.

Seventeen years.

Are you ready for the fact that she will soon have gentlemen?

Well, what do I do now, I'm getting ready.

Remember yourself at seventeen?

At seventeen, I remember myself, I was not interested in any brides, because I was just starting to immerse myself in music. And in general, guys mature later, and in those years they matured even later. Moreover, in Batumi, especially, you don’t run around with girls - it’s not supposed to. The girls are all unavailable. If you're running, you should get married. I didn't want to get married at the age of seventeen. As, in fact, at twenty, and at twenty-five, and at thirty. Only at thirty-one wanted to.

David Beckham once admitted that he went on the first date of his eldest son with him - he was sitting five tables from the meeting point.

This is very close to me, and it is possible that the same will happen to me. Let's see!

Photo: Andrey Baida. Photographer's assistant: Denis Goryshev Style: Irina Belous. Makeup: Katya Bobkova. Hairstyles: Natalia Kalaus/Equilibrium

Recently, Konstantin Meladze, in a frank conversation, for the first time opened the veil of the secret of his relationship with Vera Brezhneva. During the interview, the producer spoke about the beginning of an affair with the famous blonde, about their relationship during VIA Gra and about the changes in life after marriage.

Konstantin and Vera hid their love affair for a long time. Even regular press reports about the novel of the composer and singer did not receive a comment from them.

However, everything secret becomes clear, and in October 2015, the public learned about the secret wedding of famous people. The marriage took place in Italy. Among the guests were only the closest people. It is noteworthy that even after such publicity, the couple kept silent about all the details of their family life.

Only in a recent interview, Konstantin Meladze spoke for the first time about his personal relationship with Vera Brezhneva, not forgetting to touch upon working moments.

The producer during the conversation admitted that Brezhnev entered the VIA Gra group solely due to her external data. The girl at the time of the casting could not sing or dance.

“I attended these classes once a week and watched how she progressed. The effect was simply amazing. This can be compared to some kind of cartoon, when once - and in five seconds a tomato grows. The same thing happened with Vera. After a year of working in the group, it was an absolute star, ” - the producer shares in an interview.

However, there was no talk of any relationship at that time. Even Verino's marriage in 2006 with Mikhail Kiperman and the subsequent birth of a daughter on Meladze did not make any impression: “Then I still treated her as an artist, if I had any experiences, then only those that now I have to interrupt my career, and that’s it. The feelings that then arose, it was later.

But Konstantin nevertheless admitted that the appearance of a sensual blonde in his life led to dramatic changes: “With the advent of this man, my life has changed. I raised my head from the keyboard, I didn't even raise it myself, but she raised it. She, apparently, took me by the hair and said: “There are still a lot of different things!” I didn't care how I looked. I didn't care where I rest, what I eat. Unfortunately, I missed a lot of things due to the fact that I was maniacally passionate about my work. And I probably would have missed it completely if Vera had not given me such a pendel and aroused interest in a different life than just the studio, music.

“I don’t want to offend anyone, but objectively, Vera Brezhneva achieved the greatest success from the ex-Viagra. She is a truly amazing person, the most beautiful and sexy. Did she get married grandly? Rather, I grandly married " , - summed up the famous producer.