The famous singer invited HELLO! to his home in New York to talk about American tours, ambitious projects and the fact that love has returned to his life.
For recent concerts in the USA, Emin Agalarov was preparing with particular excitement. Firstly, because success in a country where show business has reached unprecedented heights is worth a lot, and secondly, it is also nostalgia for his youth, which took place in the suburbs of New York - New Jersey. It was here that Emin came to study in 1994, here he took his first steps in business and music - once in this area of the Big Apple, as part of the Open Mic Night, Emin's first performance before the public took place. Later, he bought a house here - next door to his mother Irina and sister Sheila.
Emin, your American tour ended at the end of May. How many cities have you traveled?
Five cities, six concerts, and in between there was a lot of interesting things: rehearsals with guest musicians, interviews for the American media - life was very busy.
Did you sing only English-language songs or also Russian ones? What audience was at these concerts?
The audience was very different, but mostly American. My tour was initiated by US public television, PBS, after my concert aired. And this TV channel is like the First in Russia: it is in every home. Then they chose the cities where there was the biggest reaction to the broadcast. It's amazing, because I became the first Russian-speaking artist of Azerbaijani origin, whose concert was shown on PBS. Due to the busy schedule of preparations for the "Heat" festival and employment in business projects, some cities had to be abandoned. In Miami, they gave two whole concerts, because tickets for the first were sold out instantly. In New York and Hartford, too, everything was sold out. The full house in Chicago turned out to be an absolute shock for me, because I had never been there and could not even imagine that there would be so many of my listeners in this city. It so happened that most of the audience were Americans, a little bit older than my audience here in Russia, because I sang the classics after all. In Hartford I was joined by the world-famous guitarist Nile Rodgers, and in New York and Los Angeles by the legendary David Foster. Of course, out of 20 songs, only three I sang in Russian and the entire entertainer was in English.
At a concert in New York, Emin was joined by famous musicians - Grammy award winners David Foster, Nile Rodgers and Chris Botti
Foster accompanied Emin on the piano in the songs Still, Woman, "Forget You" and others. Botti took the stage to sing the trumpet on Joe Cocker's legendary You Are So Beautiful. And Rogers with his guitar appeared in the dance part of the show, which included Emin's new song Good Love
How did it happen that your concert was shown on American television?
They have a practice of showing concerts of foreign artists recorded in special places. For example, Yanni in the Acropolis. This is done to open up new names for the American audience. At one time, Andrea Bocelli became famous in the USA. And so I was offered to record a concert on Palace Square in St. Petersburg, and for a higher rating, invite David Foster. We had a mutual acquaintance - the co-owner of the Nobu restaurant Meir Teper: Foster goes to his restaurant in Los Angeles. And while they were talking, Foster said, "There's a musician guy who wants me to take part in his concert, what can you say about him?" And Meir replied: "Agree to everything that this guy will offer you!" Thanks to Foster's participation, a repertoire of classic English-language pop songs and the fact that the concert took place in a historical place, the ratings turned out to be very high. The channel was satisfied. I think that friendship with these people will develop into something broader in the near future. Next year, I plan to hold an international day as part of the Heat festival, to which I will bring artists from all over the world, and we will be able to show their performance on American television. This is my dream, which I hope will come true.
Ambitious plans!
As always, we play big.
Did you manage to see your mother and sister in New Jersey? They do live there.
Yes, Mom and Sheila live next door. I bought this house when Leyla (Emin's ex-wife, Leyla Aliyeva. - Ed.) Was pregnant. We went to give birth in the United States, and according to Azerbaijani traditions, it is customary for children to be brought to their father's house after birth. Ali and Mikail spent the first months of their lives here, then I lived here alone when I came to America.
This house is similar in interior to your Moscow apartment. You seem to love spacious, sun-filled rooms. And most importantly, where to put musical instruments.
This is a must! In every house or apartment where I live, I try to put some kind of keyboard instrument, so that when there is a mood, I can compose music. For example, the songs "On the Edge", "Still" and many others were written in a Moscow apartment.
With the release of the album, the musician's repertoire is updated, but are there any songs that you perform at every concert?
Definitely the song "Still". She is my first big hit, written back in 2005. "Still" gave the name to the album, which was released a year later. It was just unforgettable when during the last tour in New York and Los Angeles, David Foster himself accompanied me on this song. After all, he wrote a huge number of hits - he has 16 Grammys!
Since we are talking about America, we would like to recall the 2013 song "In Another Life". The current US President Donald Trump starred in the video. How did it happen?
We held the Miss Universe pageant at the Crocus City Hall, and, as you know, Donald Trump is the owner of the pageant. During the preparation, we became friends with him. And at some point I thought that it was stupid to have a legendary person in Moscow, 90 most beautiful girls, and not use this to shoot a video. I pitched this idea to Mr. Trump and all he said was, "How long will it take?" I replied that no more than 15 minutes, and we shook hands. Shooting was scheduled for 8 am. By that time, the actors and I had already rehearsed the scene. Trump came, asked, "What am I supposed to do?" "It's simple, Mr. Trump, you should fire me." He said, "OK. I can do that." He sat down at the table - and fired me in one take. But now there is a story that the 45th President of the United States starred in my video.
Can you describe him as a person?
I can definitely say that he is very talented and purposeful, and like no one knows how to combine entertainment with business. As we can all see, this brings good results to Trump, and I learned a few lessons from talking with him.
Is it true that you wanted to work together to build Trump Tower in Moscow?
We had such an idea. There are 14 skyscrapers in the Crocus City project that we plan to build in the near future. One of the towers will be called the Agalarov Tower, and we thought it would be symbolic to name the adjacent Trump Tower. It will turn out two icons of real estate - Russia and America, two bright representatives of development. The Agalarov Tower will be built in any case, but whether Trump's tower will be nearby, we'll see when his presidential term ends. Now Donald has other concerns.
Let's get back to your videos. Most recently, you presented a new one - for the song "Good Love". And your girlfriend Alena Gavrilova starred in it. Why did you suddenly decide to declare your new love in this way?
Alena and I have been together for several years, and I have already offered her several times to star in my video, but she always refused, saying: "I will only agree to a very special song." When I put "Good Love" on her, Alena said that this is my best English song - my songs in English are closer to her than in Russian. I immediately caught her at her word: "Since the best, you promised to star in the video!" In general, she had nowhere to go, and you saw the result - Alena turned out to be very harmonious in her role.
How did you meet Alena?
Accidentally. Came and met.
So you were the one who initiated it?
Yes, because I really liked her. We didn't know anything about each other, neither who I was nor who she was. But after some time it turned out that Alena liked my song "Miss America", she was on her playlist. She shared this track on her Facebook page without even knowing that I live in Moscow. When Alena showed me that recording of 2012, I joked: "You see, you fell in love with me even before you met me!"
In several interviews at once, you said that sometimes you look at lovers and do not understand what they found in each other. What did you find in Alena?
In short, I definitely found happiness in her. Alena is a friend, colleague, reliable partner in life. She understands me. I am sure that Alena will not let you down and will not betray. She is the very reliable rear that every man is looking for. We feel good together.
Did Alena get along with your sons?
It is still too early to discuss this topic.
Ali and Mikail are already eight years old, and now even from the photos on Instagram it is clear that they are different in character. This is true?
Absolutely different! Ali is more artistic, he already runs his YouTube channel, uploads some videos. He keeps asking how many followers he has. But Mika is more organized - probably a future mathematician or businessman. He easily performs even complex mathematical calculations in his mind. Sometimes Mika comes to Moscow without Ali, spends time with me at work, wondering how things work.
Are you raising your sons the way your father once raised you?
I try to apply the educational principles laid down by my father, but so far something is not working out very well, because we live in different times and in different circumstances. I grew up in the Soviet Union, in rather modest conditions. And my children live in modern times and with a different income. But I want to instill in them the same thing that my parents instilled in me - the desire to strive for something. This, you see, is not an easy task, because when children have everything, they don’t really want to strive for anything. But I hope that I will be able to come to a golden mean - to give them motivation without being too restrictive.
Now you are in a close relationship with your father, he is your main adviser. Was it always like this or did this closeness come with age?
Of course, I had a period of protest. But as soon as I began to work with my father, I was convinced from time to time that, no matter how inapplicable to this particular situation, his ideas or advice seemed to me, in the long run he turned out to be right in 99 percent of cases. This was especially true for business. So now I listen to his every word, because my father's experience, his knowledge, his success speak for themselves. I am grateful to my parents for the life they gave me, for their upbringing, for the opportunities. And in the case of the father - also for absolutely complete freedom in work, the right to make decisions, sometimes wrong, but at the same time never be criticized. On the contrary, the father always says: "You were wrong, but you gained experience and next time you will not make a mistake."
"In every house or apartment where I live, I try to put some kind of keyboard instrument, so that when there is a mood, you can compose music," says Emin
Is there any parenting advice you could pass on to your children?
Probably the most important thing is to realize your dreams and set impossible tasks. I apply this advice every day.
Organize a festival in your hometown, for example?
Yes. I am very happy that this year we are holding the second music festival in Baku, right on the shore of the Caspian Sea. We will have more than 80 of the most famous artists, four days of broadcast on Channel One. "Heat" is a large-scale project in which we put all our efforts.
Now you are filming a new comedy by Marius Weisberg. What is this picture?
I'm not only filming, but also producing this film. It's called "Night Shift". I have known Marius for 20 years, we are friends, and at some point he invited me to participate in his project. At first I was skeptical about his offer to play one of the roles, but I liked the concept, I believed in it, and Marius convinced me that the hero would be on my shoulder. So I took a risk.
And how do you feel about filming?
Tomorrow is my last day, but already now there is a feeling that everything worked out.
On stage and in business, you are used to being the master of the situation. And the acting profession is very dependent. On the set, the main director is the director. Was it easy for you to get used to it?
I can trust people. In the case of shooting, I feel that the director knows his work, has a good idea of the end result, which means there is no reason to worry. Marius did not offer me anything that would go against my life position, so I boldly follow him to his directorial victory and, I dare to hope, my acting one.
Do you have many people you can trust as well as Marius?
No. Marius is not just a director, he entered the top ten most successful directors according to the Russian Forbes this year. In the list next to him are Fedor Bondarchuk, Timur Bekmambetov, and this rating came out before I decided to produce a new film by Marius and play in it. That is, this once again confirms, perhaps, that I was right about something. Although it happens in creativity that not every next single of the artist is a hit and not every next movie of the director is a hit. But still, I feel like I synced up with the right character.
As a business person, are you not afraid of risk?
Who does not take risks does not drink champagne. Business is always a risk, creativity even more so.
You manage to combine everything - business, music, and now also cinema. These are very different areas. How do you manage to become your own everywhere?
It seems to me that everything works differently here: if you have a great desire, if you are ready to achieve results, delve into every detail, then the chances are very high. If I had to launch a ship into space, then, believe me, I would have figured everything out, and I would have succeeded. It's only a matter of time.
He equipped the house with everything you need. The palace accommodated: a garage, a swimming pool, a jacuzzi, a cinema hall, a billiard room, a hammam, a sauna, a gym, several living rooms, 13 bedrooms, dining rooms, terraces overlooking the river. The interior of the house is calm, Emin initially wanted a classic strict style. He categorically did not like the bright and catchy design.
It turns out that Emin is also a collector, he has a large number of rare records and discs. All this greatness came to him after the death of his grandfather. He happily showed various things that were important to him. The presenters noticed that in every room there are photographs of his children.
The singer says that he does not always live in this house. The house is more needed for a great time with his children. But why such a huge house? The composer has a ready answer:
“I dreamed of a big family, I wanted to have 10 children, and they would not be cramped in this house. So far I have 3 children, but I will not stop there.” Emin has an apartment in the city where he spends most of his time.
After showing off the house, Emin offered to take a look at the garage as well. There were many beautiful cars, everyone would envy such luxury. Ferrari, Hummer, Range Rover, Cadillac, Lamborghini, Rolls Royce, golf cart, motorcycle. Interestingly, all cars, except for Lamdorghini, were black, and this is not surprising, because Emin loves black.
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In addition to the house, the singer also has an apartment in Moscow, New York and Baku. He is often asked where he likes to live more. He answers without hesitation. I am happy where my children are. If they are in Moscow today in an apartment, then this is my home today, if in New York, then it means there. An apartment in Moscow was presented to Emin by his father 20 years ago. It is located in a prestigious area on the top floor. Standing on the balcony of Emin, they admire the local cityscapes, the Krasnaya Presnya district can be seen in the distance. The interior of the apartment is chic, all rooms are made in light shades. Emin has his own studio in the apartment, where he works and prepares for concerts.
In the video you can see his house.
Would you like to live in a palace?
This day, Emin Agalarov married for the second time - the singer and his beloved Alena Gavrilova officially legalized their relationship.
The wedding celebration took place (and is taking place now!) in the Agalarov Estate golf club near Moscow, which has turned into a snow-white castle of flowers today.
0 13 June 2017, 12:35Many star friends of the couple came to celebrate the beginning of a new stage in the life of 38-year-old Emin and 30-year-old Alena: Zara, Valery Meladze, Timati and Anastasia Reshetova, Grigory Leps, Sergey Kozhevnikov and not only.
As the Russian media have already managed to find out, Andrey Malakhov became the host of the evening, and Vladimir Kuzmin, the childhood idol of Emin and Alena, performed for the newlyweds and their guests.
Recall that the novel of the singer and the owner of the title "Miss Mordovia - 2004" became known in the spring of 2016. Then Emin and Alena first appeared together at a social event. Later, such exits of the couple became the norm, and in 2017 Agalarov gave his beloved the main role in his video for the song Good Love.
For Emin, this is the second marriage: the artist was married for almost ten years to the daughter of the President of Azerbaijan, Leyla Aliyeva, who gave him two sons. Aliyeva, it is worth noting, after breaking up with Agalarov, she adopted a girl, whom Emin also helps her raise.
Alena also had a serious relationship earlier. Before meeting with Emin, she had a civil marriage with billionaire Rustam Tariko, from whom she gave birth to a son.
Performing under the pseudonym EMIN, has long been one of the most sought-after artists. However, Emin is successful not only as a solo artist: he is responsible for the organization of the "Heat" music festival in Baku, in addition, he is the first vice president of the Crocus Group. And now Agalarov has also made his film debut: he is currently filming in the film Night Shift directed by Marius Weisberg, which is scheduled to premiere in 2018.
Despite the huge number of projects that take up almost all of Emin's time, he still managed to find a “window” in his schedule for talking to the site. The meeting took place in St. Petersburg on the set of "Night Shift", but the conversation was not limited to the topic of his acting career. Raising children, relationships with women, plans for the future ... We managed to discuss a lot!
Emin, it’s worth saying right away that your film debut is a pleasant surprise. How did you get into Marius Weisberg's Night Shift project?
The situation is very interesting, I'll start from the very beginning. We have been friends with director Marius Weisberg for almost 20 years, and it was clear that sooner or later something in the field of cinema would happen in my life. And then Marius came with the Night Shift project. He showed me the filmed 20 minutes of the film, saying that there is one character there - Chernyavsky, who is one hundred percent me. The filming process, as Weisberg predicted, was supposed to take ten days, and in my case it was impossible to carve out so much time for graphics. In general, they thought, tried, searched, and I agreed. And did not regret!
Tell us more about your role in the comedy film.
The film is generally about classmates whose life paths have diverged. My role is really comical: I play the owner of a luxury car dealership - a businessman. Getting used to the role, as you know, was not so difficult for me =)
The protagonist of the film, according to the scriptwriters, agreed to a part-time job - a striptease. Do you have similar scenes?
According to the script, I don’t dance, but I want to persuade the director (laughs).
If you imagine that your role would still involve such a scene, would you agree to star in it?
Actually hardly. It would be too hot for the screen (smiles).
You have a very tight concert schedule, you work a lot, but everyone knows how much you love your children. How do you find time to meet with them?
FaceTime on the phone helps us - I'm always in touch with them. Soon I will return to Moscow for a few days at work, I will enter the schedule and again I will fly to the children every weekend. I haven't seen them for more than three weeks because of the tour in America, and I think that now I am making up for the time of my absence. In the summer I plan to spend a lot more time with them.
Your ex-wife Leyla Aliyeva adopted a girl, and you, as it became known, take part in her fate. Can you tell how the children get along with each other?
They became friends right from the first day. And for me, she is my own, my child.
Sons are not jealous of her?
Jealousy, probably not. There are some misunderstandings in terms of toys. Sometimes they say: "This is mine, dad, she touches my toys." And I explain that everything is possible for her, she is a girl. This is a native person for us, so my attitude towards her, of course, is exactly the same as towards my sons.
Are you a strict dad? Can you slap or corner?
I have to be strict, because my boys are very violent. And during my absence, they somehow manage to go beyond what is permitted, so I have to make a strict face. I can’t slap, I can shake and say: “What are you doing?”.
Are you raising your children in the same way as you were when you were a child?
I bring up a little differently. I grew up in different conditions: the Soviet regime, we lived quite modestly, at first there was a one-room apartment, then a two-room apartment. My children grow up in fairly secure conditions: in large houses, there are nannies, security guards. If I could be glad to bring home a bottle of Coca-Cola, then my children will not be surprised by this. As my grandmother said: "In our childhood, our parents tried to hide the lack of prosperity from us, and in the modern world, sometimes you have to hide the presence of prosperity from children." I think I am up to the task.
You have a lot of fans, girls shower you with compliments, in a word, you are not deprived of female attention. Give advice on how to be a woman if her man is so popular, and if others constantly pay attention to him? How not to be jealous, to feel alone in the eyes of a loved one?
Patience is the only salvation. I understand everything, I myself have a jealous character, so I can say for sure that this is a heavy burden that is difficult for any woman and also for any man who knows the other half.
Since we're talking about women, I can't help but ask what kind of girls you like. It is clear that a woman should have a zest and so on, but do you have some kind of weakness? I don't know, snub-nosed ones, for example?
I don't want to draw any borders. I might also like a snub-nosed girl. Now I began to understand that men still pay attention to blondes more often. But in general, it has always been important for me to communicate with a person so that I like him or vice versa. If we talk about character, then I like soft and calm women. The ones you can negotiate with.
How do you feel about the fact that now many girls, in pursuit of beauty and thousands of likes, are changing themselves for the sake of modern standards: they increase something, increase something. Do you even notice when a girl looks unnatural, or do men not pay such attention?
If a person has some kind of defect, for example, a nose twice as large as that of an average person, then this can be corrected. And if a girl is pretty and wants to improve her appearance even more, then in my understanding, this can only spoil her. I prefer natural beauty.
There is such a playful saying: "When you quarrel with your girlfriend, think well: do you want to be right or happy." How do you feel about him? Ready to forgive women's weaknesses? What are you not willing to forgive? Can cheating be forgiven?
I am not ready to forgive anything at all: neither deceit, nor betrayal, nor any other betrayal.
What if you look from the other side? A wise girl should forgive?
It depends on the man. There are men for whom you want to forgive. Girls are also like that, but my character does not allow me, unfortunately.
You are not only an artist, but also a businessman. Now you also act in films. Where does this energy come from and what will happen next? What else would you like to try?
Energy comes from the desire to realize your projects, to be realized as a person in different directions. That is, if I touch something, for example, today it is cinema, then many new ideas and projects are born immediately on the basis of this, because you see all the possibilities. The same thing happened with music. At first I started singing, then I met many producers, got involved in the festival and the music channel "Heat". And now I have a lot of ideas that do not yet exist on the "canvas" of Russian show business.
Yes, a network of advanced fitness clubs. This business is not as creative as, for example, music or cinema, but I think it will be successful. Interesting, because now there are many other clubs available.
How do you plan to attract customers, will your network be different from everyone else?
Everyone. I travel all the time to different countries, in hotels I try to go to sports clubs, spas. Everything that I have seen there for 20 years, I will integrate into the network. This fitness club will not only be the best in Russia, it will be able to compete with the world, because we have invested all the best that has been and is in this area there.
Have you already thought of a name?
Yes, the name was chosen immediately - Crocus Fitness.
With which other foreign performers would you like to record a duet?
My dream is Shade. In general, in October we want to organize a big solo concert in London at the Palladium. Duets are also planned, including with foreign guests. We will share all the details soon.
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