Singer Nikita Alekseev, known under the pseudonym ALEKSEEV, is the ideal new hero of the musical world.
Photo: Vanya Berezkin
He is young, talented and good-looking. He is also ambitious and self-confident. The song "Drunk Sun", which is now breaking records in Russian and foreign charts, brought the guy deafening popularity, but success did not come to him by itself.
Nikita Alekseev is from Kyiv. He is 22 years old, most of his life he has been seriously involved in music. In 2014, Nikita became a member of the Ukrainian show “Voice of the Country. Reboot", where Ani Lorak was his mentor. Alekseev did not reach the final, but just six months after the project, the song "Drunk Sun" greatly expanded the boundaries of his fame. We met Nikita on one of his recent visits to Moscow. Every minute of the singer's stay in the Russian capital was on the account: shooting, broadcasts, interviews. However, he did not look tired, on the contrary, it was noticeable that Nikita was getting tremendous pleasure from everything that was happening.
Nikita, I have been interviewing for more than ten years and, I confess, for the first time in this time I communicate with an artist in the presence of his producer and PR manager.
They just liked our table. Do you want us to kick them out if they bother you? ( laughing.)
If they promise not to answer questions for you, then they do not bother me.
No, there will be no total control, do not worry.
Your song "Drunk Sun" hit the Top 100 of the world charts. This is rarely possible even for our eminent performers. Did you predict such a success, or did the stars align?
Is it possible to predict success? Probably, it happened to us by accident, or maybe because we just didn’t predict anything, but just made this song from the heart, like everything we do. We get great pleasure from our work, we give our best, and we don’t think about what place the song will take on the charts, whether it will get into the world chart and what needs to be done specifically for this. We sincerely want to create, and this sincerity helps us.
Who are "we? We are Nikita Alekseev?!
We are Nikita Alekseev, my producer, director of large-scale shows Oleg Bodnarchuk, whom we met at the Voice of the Country. Reboot", and my music producer, composer Ruslan Kvinta, author of the music for the song "Drunk Sun".
To sincerely perform this song, to convey the pain in such a way that they believe, you need a certain emotional experience. Are you in love?
As a child, I was amorous and always fell in love like the last time. If the girls didn’t answer me, I closed myself at home, listened to sad songs, composed them myself, recorded them on a dictaphone, then showed them to these girls in the hope that they would understand how I suffer ... Recently, these girls got together, recorded “Drunk Sun” and sent me with the signature "Nikita, I'm sorry." ( laughing.)
Biting elbows. Listen, the video for the song "Drunken Sun" ends with the phrase "Every time you leave me, you have to kill yourself to live on." Your experience is much more serious than what you are now talking about. Is this song dedicated to a specific girl?
Yes, I had a girlfriend with whom we dated for quite some time - from the age of seventeen. In a way, we grew up together. I wanted to be with her further, I saw in her support, support, but she was not ready to share with me the new circumstances of my life. We were going to spend a romantic weekend in Barcelona, but it ended with our parting. She needed more attention, and at that time I had already begun to closely engage in a musical career, it happened right after the competition ... I had to let her go. Now I understand that it was the right decision, because today I have much less free time than then. "Drunken Sun" was recorded immediately after our parting, and, perhaps, that is why the song turned out to be so hard-won.
It's hard to blame your girlfriend: she didn't subscribe to your popularity. Have you prepared yourself for new circumstances in your life?
I was 100% ready for this, because it took me a long time to get there. I have been singing since the age of ten. Every time I went to bed, I imagined the stage, the audience... Of course, I did not understand then what kind of work is behind a beautiful picture, what emotions, but I madly wanted to stand on the stage.
Tell me, when did you realize that you had matured: after parting with your beloved or before?
I think that it was still earlier - at the age of seventeen, when I had to earn money to help my family. Whom I just did not work. I started in the alcohol retail trade, for which I even had to cheat a little with documents to hide my true age. Then he worked as a call center operator, selling satellite dishes. It was an extremely rewarding experience: I learned how to communicate with people there. But work in a karaoke bar turned into hell for me: the song “A glass of vodka on the table” I dreamed about at night for a long time. ( laughing.) Then I again got a job in a call center, but already in a banking structure.
Are you studying at this time?
Yes. For a marketer. I had to work in front of couples, and always when I had free time. I also had time for rehearsals. Of course, I was terribly sleep deprived and tired emotionally and physically. Then I had a difficult period, when I stopped believing in my talent, I was disappointed in myself. I didn’t get into the “Voice of the Country” contest the first time, at first I was generally weeded out. I guess I just wasn't ready then.
And why did you decide that you might not become a musician, but you have to be a marketer?
(laughing.) It was a period when I was looking for myself. It seemed to me that music was not mine. Therefore, I chose a profession that, as it seemed to me, would help me earn money and support my family in the future. About six months later, I realized that I was wrong.
But did you get a degree?
Yes, I received. I just met the guys with whom we created our own rock band. And that was my outlet. During the day I studied and worked, and in the evenings I studied music. Recently I was looking for some document and found my diploma - for two years I never got it. Next time, I’ll probably take it in my hands when I show it to my children with the words: “I have a diploma, which means you should also have it.”
How many times have you auditioned for the Voice of the Country competition?
Two years after the first failure, I came with the intention to get through to the producers this time, bypassing the editors who selected the participants at the initial stage. To be honest, there were people who did not understand anything about music at all. "You are a weak member of ours," - one editor girl told me, remembering my first failure. But I managed to convince her. When she asked how many songs I had prepared for the audition, I replied that thirty-five, and then she sent me further at her own peril and risk. And already there were people who appreciated my talent.
Tell me, who discovered your talent? Who said you have it?
My parents were probably the first to notice my love for music: my mother took me to a cool vocal teacher. We were told that if I have a talent, then the teacher will work with me, and if not, then it does not matter to him how much we will pay him. But parents especially could not fork out. At the audition, I performed "Black Boomer", to which he said that he was taking it, but "Black Boomer" would be eradicated. ( laughing.) We must give him his due: he not only taught me vocals, but also let me listen to different discs, analyzed songs with me, taught them to understand, to feel.
Nikita, to talk about contests. From the editors of projects like Golos, I know stories when people come to the preselection who are absolutely confident in their talent, but have no idea about solfeggio. And even without hearing.
Various people come. Thank God, everything is fine with my hearing, but I didn’t learn solfeggio at one time. I regret it very much, because it is the base. I can sing without it, although there are some difficulties here, but, most importantly, I cannot compose without it. While I position myself exclusively as an artist, but I also want to write my own music, it seems to me that I have something to say.
That is, now you, as they say, sat down at the desk again?
And it's never too late. How much I have been doing vocals, I have never stopped classes. You need to hone your skills all the time. Talent is ten percent of success. The rest is perseverance and work on yourself.
Almost a sports motto. Have you never played sports?
Engaged in childhood. Tennis. Five years.
Why did you leave the sport?
I had to choose between music and tennis, because my mentors are both a vocal teacher and a coach - demanded great results, because they predicted a great future for me. I had to devote all my time to one thing. Tennis is not a team sport, it all depends on you. He brings up a fighting spirit, there are really very serious loads. If I'm not mistaken, the record - five hours of continuous play. I am grateful to tennis for developing endurance, strategic thinking and rhythm in me, which later became very useful to me in music.
Tell me, did you yourself decide that you should leave tennis and take up music? Did your parents react well to this?
My parents never forced me to do anything. I made every choice in my life. You could, of course, say that you studied for five years, so much money was spent, and suddenly you decided to quit everything. But they supported my decision, and I am very grateful to them for that.
What do your parents do, who are theyby profession?
They are doctors.
And have you ever wanted to go to some chemistry and biology class?
No, I can't even stand the sight of blood. And I repeat: I have always been given complete freedom of action. My parents did not dissuade me, even when at the age of seventeen I decided to study as a marketer, and did not enter Glier (Kyiv State Higher Musical College named after R. M. Glier. - Note. OK!) or to the conservatory. They wanted me to get a higher education. And what - I chose on my own.
Carolina (real name Ani Lorak. - Note. OK!) at the touch of a button changed my destiny. She was the only one who believed in me. And I did it on my very first strong note. During the project, Karolina gave me a lot of professional advice, but I will always try to remember her one piece of advice. On the set of my first video, which she gave me, there was a moment that was not included in the video in the end: they carried me in their arms and threw me up. Karolina came up to me after this scene and said: “Nikita, remember, ovations don’t mean anything yet. You need to develop and work on yourself, because today you are carried in your arms, and tomorrow you may not be needed by anyone.
Nikita, in show business there are quite strict rules of the game, this is not a secret. What are you ready for for your success and what are you not ready for?
Not ready to pose naked for a magazine. (Laughs.) And ready to work hard. I think this is the most important thing.
And if tomorrow some wealthy person offers you his patronage?
Now people are asking a lot about this, because Philip Kirkorov wrote about me on his Instagram blog. Everyone asks the question: “But what if he offers you cooperation?” I am certainly pleased that a person of such magnitude has marked me, but this does not mean that at the first opportunity I will leave the people who believed in me, who have done so much for me to give you an interview now. As far as I know myself, I am not capable of betrayal.
But the contract does not have to be terminated, it will eventually end.
We have a contract for forty years - until death do us part. Joke. (Laughs.)
Your mini-album came out last week, when can we expect a full CD?
On the eighteenth of May, on my birthday, we plan to release a full-length record with new and already known songs. We have a grandiose idea to invite all my friends, my teachers, all my acquaintances and relatives to the concert. I want to say thank you to everyone, to thank everyone for helping me, for being there. I'm sure it will be great. True, there is still a lot to be done, there are still many sleepless nights ahead ...
Makeup and hair: Svetlana Bliznichenko
Singer Nikita Alekseev, known as ALEKSEEV, told his unusual story of life and formation in an interview with OK!
Photo: Olga Tuponogova-Volkova
All the songs of the young artist Nikita Alekseev, known under the pseudonym, instantly become hits. In 2015, his composition "Drunk Sun" topped the Russian iTunes chart for eight weeks. In two years, he became the winner of all the iconic awards at once, both in his homeland, Ukraine, and in Russia. And last week ALEKSEEV won an award in the New Faces. Music” at the OK! "More than stars"
H ikita, after winning the OK! "More Than Stars" you admitted that you hate competitions and creative tests. I wonder why?
Yes this is true. ( Laughs.) Probably because there were too many of them in my life.
Or maybe because you were not always lucky?
Yes, that's probably why. Although once I still managed to get into the quarterfinals of the Ukrainian project "Voice of the Country". But I was kicked out of there on my birthday. It was a real blow for me, and quite unexpected.
How did you comfort yourself?
Of course, I was worried, but I could not assess the scale of the problem, so my sad mood lasted no more than two weeks. ( Smiling.) I came to the studio to friends and continued to record songs. I always understood that all these competitions are rather subjective. Then I was upset, but now I realize that some defeats have done me good. For example, once I came to the selection of the show "X-Factor", but, as luck would have it, my voice completely disappeared. At that moment, I felt like a student who was not ready for the test. ( Laughs.) But since I nevertheless came to the selection, I was forced to use all my charm and charm to convince the selection committee that I really can sing and persuade me to skip to the next stage.
Apparently, I inspired confidence, and they took me to the project. But that was only the first stage. Unfortunately, by the second test, I didn’t have a voice, so I thought it over and decided not to go to this show.
Did you want to quit music because of failures?
At some point there was a real disappointment. I decided to try my luck for the last time and went to the Voice of the Country project. First of all, in order to answer myself the question of whether it was not in vain that I spent ten years of my life on music. I promised myself: if I pass, I will subordinate my entire future to the decision of the coaches. If they turn around, the music is mine. No - I'm done!
And Ani Lorak turned to you!
Yes. And my happy life began. ( Laughs.) Carolina struck me with one look. You look into her eyes and you see a colossal surge of energy. It's bewitching. Well, she was the only one of the four coaches who believed in me, I will always remember this. When we were preparing for the first number for seven hours, the participants left, came, and Karolina worked without pauses. This was a real discovery for me. Before that, I thought that all the stars are demanding of those who surround them, while they themselves are arrogant, capricious and do not work so much. But everything turned out to be the opposite.
In one year, you turned from "Discovery of the Year" into "Artist of the Year". Do you think this jump happened too quickly?
Everything happened very quickly, I did not even have time to look around, only forward. I perceive the success that I have now as an advance, and people's faith in me as a great responsibility, and I will try not to let you down. You can't rely on yesterday's good news. In general, everything that happens to me is very fleeting. Only about two months ago I began to realize where I am now. Before that, I was in some kind of space, in a very strange state.
Probably, it can be compared to a roller coaster: when you go up, it seems that something is about to happen, and then a sharp turn, down and up again... You can't get used to it. It is probably impossible to approach with a cool head all the tasks that I face.
Nikita, I wonder if you got star disease?
I just don't have time for it! ( Laughs.) I can't pause to enjoy what's going on.
And now your biggest fear is to stop?
Yes, that is right. And unfortunately, no one is immune from this. You can't be sure that tomorrow a melody will come to you that will become a hit. But at the same time, it is also an incentive to develop, to fill your inner “box”, which you can then open a little, choose from it something really interesting and new. You need to move forward all the time, without pauses.
Don't you think you're in too much of a hurry?
Maybe. As a child, I constantly heard from adults how smart I was and that I was growing up too early. So it seems to me that this is a feature of my character. So I'm already used to it.
How has your schedule changed since last year?
Every day there are more and more concerts, we tour a lot. Of course, I'm very happy about it. Probably, the more good songs an artist has, the more chances he has to rise higher and higher.
Do you write the lyrics for your songs yourself?
No, for now I'm just a performer. Although I tried to write before myself. Recently, a friend of mine sent me an old A4 sheet, all stained and worn. It had the lyrics to a song I wrote when I was twelve years old. Then we even went with this song to the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, but they didn’t let us in. They said that our song is too adult. Although we were the only ones who came to the competition with our composition. Then they even wanted to buy it from us, but we did not agree. ( Smiling.)
Why don't you write songs now?
I write, but I don't show what I get. ( Smiling.) Maybe I'm being too self-critical about myself. I'm always missing something. Although I can not call myself a perfectionist, but there is always a feeling that you can do better.
Nikita, in the last interview for our publication, you said that you had a girlfriend, but she could not stand your busy tour schedule. How are things with your personal life now?
Now is such a trembling moment when I am afraid to frighten off what is. Like a bird. As a still fragile idea that can dissolve in an instant. A new feeling is born in me. I am inspired, I want to create and share my creativity.
Are you in love at all?
Yes, I used to love to suffer on this occasion. It was already such a story when I provoked myself and could not do anything about it. ( Laughs.) And now I just do not have time for this. Or maybe I've become more pragmatic with age.
I noticed that in your interviews you always speak very reverently about your mother and aunt.
Yes. I am eternally grateful to them for everything. And I will always remember the good that they did for me, keep the warmth that they gave me in childhood. Of course, my mother is a person who devoted her whole life to me, so I am indebted to her.
What is strict parenting, you don't know, right?
Yes! ( Laughs.) Although I always had a lot of responsibilities. For example, from the first grade I went to school on my own. From the second grade he began to go to tennis lessons. And it was not easy: first you had to go by bus, then by subway, and after that you also had to go on foot. Having matured a little, I decided that I needed to work - it was inconvenient to ask my mother for money. Moreover, sometimes we simply did not have them. So at the age of seventeen I went to work as a promoter.
And in order to take me, he deceived that I was already eighteen. He said that he gave his passport to make a foreign one, brought a copy, where he forged the year of birth on the computer, and I was hired.
Nikita, sorry for the question, but where was your dad at that time?
I never saw him. I don't even have a photo of him. He lives in another country, he has a different family...
Did your parents separate before you were born?
Yes. He didn't want a baby, abandoned me before I was even born. But I believe that everything happened the way it should have happened. We don't know each other, but maybe someday I'll be able to talk to him. At least that's what I really want.
Are you ready for this meeting?
Nine years ago, I met with a good friend of my father, he made me very welcome and offered to arrange a telephone conversation or even a meeting for us. But I was fifteen years old, I was not ready to communicate with my father. Difficult age. I don't think I could have a normal conversation with him. This thought periodically comes back, but I drive it ... I'm not sure that I will be able to properly build a dialogue. Now I'm afraid to meet him, because I don't want him to take it as a manifestation of my narcissism: look, how famous I have become, and that's all without you.
I also know that I have two twin half-brothers. I really want to get to know them. I think I found them on Facebook, because I know their names and surnames. However, I can’t say for sure if they are.
Did your mom try to talk to your dad?
One day, my mother called him, asking for help. He is a doctor, a fairly wealthy person, and it was very difficult for us financially then. But dad refused. Now I don't hate him at all. There is no anger, negativity, hatred in me. I feel his character traits in me.
Nikita, how do you feel if you've never met him?
It’s just that my mother is a completely different person, I don’t look like her at all in character. Therefore, I concluded that I looked like my father ... ( Smiling.)
And when you asked where dad was as a child, what did mom tell you?
Mom always answered honestly that dad had a different family. Perhaps if I did not have an alternative in the form of communication with my brother and friends, then it would be hard for me. And so I did not feel deprived. This male support and upbringing I received from other people. So I have a lot of courage. I just have a very unusual story and an unusual family. For example, when I was three years old, I was sent to Spain for several months, and my mother did not even know about it.
How did it come about?
Mom had to fly away on a business trip for a long period, and I stayed with my aunt. And it so happened that my aunt also had to go on a business trip, and then she was just told about a special service through which you could find a family in Spain and send a child there to learn the language. Aunt decided to try.
And mom didn't know about it?
No, my aunt went to the notary, she was given permission to leave the child abroad. Mom found out about this when I was already in Spain. Of course, at first my mother was very worried, she and her aunt even had a fight. But then she calmed down. As a result, until the age of eight I was sent to the same family. I was very loved there, they treated me like family. On one of my visits, I lived in Spain for eight months. I knew Spanish well. Everything was fine until the Spanish family wanted to keep me. ( Smiling.)
They called my mother, said that they loved me, convinced that I would be better off with them, because it is difficult for her to raise a child alone. Moreover, I added fuel to the fire: once again I flew to Kyiv and began to whine that I wanted to go back. As a result, my mother stopped all contact with that family.
But now you know Spanish well.
At some point, I knew it even better than my native language. But then I almost forgot everything. Now I can remember only a few phrases ... But when I was little and started to get angry, I always cursed in Spanish so that my relatives would not understand what I was saying. ( Laughs.) Now the Spanish family has found out about my fame and invites me to visit. I'm looking for free time in the concert schedule to fly and see them.
Text: Julia Krasnovskaya. Photo: Olga Tuponogova-Volkova
Style: Galina Smirnskaya. Grooming: Evgeniya Kurpitko
An artist of rare beauty, with a snow-white smile - ALEKSEEV (Nikita Alekseev) - will represent Belarus at the next Eurovision Song Contest. The path of the wildly popular artist to the top of the national selection was paved not only with hearts from numerous fans. Under pressure from competitors, ALEKSEEV had to change the original competition track Forever: he was accused of performing this composition against the rules, ahead of schedule. The final decision rests with the European Broadcasting Union.
Perhaps, with the help of the EBU, ALEKSEEV will once again confirm its reputation as a “big lucky guy” and perform Forever in its original version at the contest. Colleagues in show business in his native Ukraine remind him every time they meet how lucky he is, hinting at experienced producers nearby and the hit “Drunken Sun”. The singing boy also turned out to be talking - this is already fortunate for our readers. In an exclusive interview with SB, the artist hospitably invited us to his private territory, where for the first time he spoke about his foster family, difficult relationships with his own father, endless gratitude to his mother and fans who surrounded him with love.
- Nikita, once again reviewed your performance in the finals of the national selection - the excitement is noticeable ...
- So it was. I do not like the competitive effect in music, although I am aware that this is a competition, these are the rules of the game and I need to accept them. The very atmosphere around the selection was incredibly tense, and this made it difficult to enjoy the process. And for a musician, the most important thing is to dissolve in his song. This is a very shaky state, it is easy to break it, and it is completely impossible to understand nature. I'm sure things will be different in Lisbon.
Are you and the organizing team already thinking about what you will have to change in the room for the competition? Will you be able to implement all technical ideas and creative solutions in Lisbon?
- Oleg Bodnarchuk, one of the best production directors of our time and part-time my creative producer, will work on our act. He has more than three thousand productions of the most varied complexity, including numbers for America's got talent with an image projected onto a water screen and for the M1 Music Awards, where I hovered above the stage in geometric space. These performances were much admired and discussed on the net. I'm sure his experience will help us come to a better decision. While I can't tell you anything about the number, I know one thing for sure - we will go to Lisbon with a new idea.
I was very touched by the story about your father: he left your mother when she was pregnant with you. And you never saw him in 24 years?
- Yes, my own father did not raise me. But I can’t say that I didn’t grow up in a complete family. My vocal teacher always said that I was wrapped in a huge and warm blanket of immense love that my family gave me - my mother and aunt. They did everything to ensure that I never needed anything: I had a happy and carefree childhood, an unforgettable youthful period. Now I am firmly on my feet and doing what I love, largely thanks to their care and faith in me.
- Do you know where your father is now, what country he lives in?
As far as I know, in Israel.
History knows many examples when children who do not know father's love become famous and dads recognize them in the end. Do you have such a dream - to talk heart to heart with your father? How do you imagine your meeting?
Nikita with foster parents in Spain. 1997
Yes, I often thought about it at different stages of my life. When I was 12, my mother had problems at work, it was hard for us, and I had to call my father to help. I remember that I was very scared then, I couldn’t dial the number myself, I asked my mother to do it. I was completely unprepared for a conversation and did not know where to start ... Then my father refused to help us, he did not want us to communicate with him. After a while, things went smoothly for my mother. But she always said that I should not be angry with him and that at the first opportunity I should definitely get to know him. So far this has not happened, but I think that someday we will definitely meet and shake hands.
Well, God forbid. In an interview with the well-known English blog of the Eurovision Song Contest, you called your Belarusian fans “truly”, which means truthful and sincere. And tell me honestly, were you ready to face such a frantic reaction from competitors in the national selection?
We understood that no one guarantees us access to the final part of Eurovision. Therefore, we prepared for any outcome. In addition, the level of performers in the final was high. In rehearsals, I was convinced of this completely. Everyone had a chance. I am very glad that the audience and the jury believed in me and gave me the opportunity to represent Belarus this year.
On the eve of the qualifying round in Minsk, you had a meeting with Alena Lanskaya, Dima Koldun and NaviBand. Each of them has experience of participating in Eurovision behind them. What were you whispering about?
Nikita with mom (photo from home archive)
First of all, I want to thank them for the fact that the artists responded to my proposal to meet and supported me at such an important moment. Basically, we talked about the preparatory stage, about the nuances of the rehearsal process. NaviBand, Alena and Dmitry unanimously argued that it was necessary to focus on stage plasticity and acting skills no less than on vocal lessons. Everything is important at a television competition, not only pure singing, but also the ability to capture the attention of the viewer. The guys shared their impressions, some curious cases were told. We laughed a lot, and the conversation turned out sincere. We agreed to meet again, but after I had something to tell.
As a child, you spent a lot of time in a Spanish family, and this practice of sending children to Europe for the summer "on exchange" was popular with us. But one fine day, your mother forbade you to go there, you fell in love with Spain too much. I saw your photos from Lisbon on Instagram the other day. How did you feel in this city? Do memories of Spanish childhood come flooding back?
Thanks for the question. During the three days spent in Lisbon, that's for sure, I kind of returned to my childhood again. Pictures from Mula (the city where he lived in Spain) continually awakened my imagination. The architecture, people, general mood of the city are very similar. I immediately wanted to return to that carefree time, and now I am looking for meetings with my father Fernando and my mother Pepa - foster parents in Spain, my second family. This year, during the preparation for Eurovision, one of the countries of my promotional tour is Spain. I really hope that we will have time to come to Mulu. It is very important for me. I look for inspiration in everything and everywhere, and meeting with Spanish parents will certainly be very inspiring. So many sunny and bright memories left from those times. We haven't seen each other for 15 long years. We stopped contacting when I was eight. They found me last year on social media and have been in touch ever since. Imagine, they recognized me 15 years later. What was the surprise of Fernando and Pepa when they realized that I had become an artist. Six months ago we talked with the help of an interpreter. I was so worried then, it was very difficult to find words. In general, we agreed that I would come to visit soon.
As a certified marketer, Nikita, tell me what you need to do to take first place at Eurovision? What song do Eurofans want to hear this year?
For the last two years, the winners were the performers who were in natural harmony with themselves and their composition. They did not play a role, they were honest with the audience, and they believed them. Their image was remembered due to individuality. Cunning, technologically sophisticated numbers will surely lose to a sincere performance and a holistic work. And I say this not as a marketer, but I feel as an artist.
- Thank you for your openness and good luck in the competition!
Alekseev is the stage name of a young and super-popular singer from Ukraine Nikita Vadimovich Alekseev, an ex-participant of the vocal TV show "Voice of the Country".In 2016, he won the Ukrainian YUNA music award in the Discovery of the Year nomination and the Russian Muz-TV and RU.TV awards in the Breakthrough of the Year and Best Song categories. This award was brought to him by the song "Drunk Sun", which became the first Russian-language composition included in the Top 100 of the Shazam world chart.
Childhood and family of Nikita Alekseev
The stunningly successful vocalist, whose musical composition lasted a month and a half in the Russian iTunes chart in 2015, was born on May 18, 1993 in Kyiv. Nikita was brought up by his mother, a doctor by education, and her sister, whom he often warmly called his second mother. The father was against his birth and left his mother when she refused to terminate the pregnancy. 
Nikita has never seen his father, but he knows that he, a successful, wealthy doctor, lives abroad, is married and has two twin sons. Despite the circumstances that preceded his birth, and the complete lack of material assistance from his father, the young man never held a grudge against him and dreamed of getting to know him and his brothers.
The singer considers his rapid ascent to the musical Olympus not only as his merit or by chance, but also as a kind of magic of his surname. It turns out that he got it from a front-line friend of grandfather Nikita, who saved his life by shielding himself from a bullet. In memory of him, his grandfather changed his surname - Chumak - to the surname of the deceased soldier.
In early childhood, Nikita had to travel a lot. At 6 months old, his mother took him to Chita for two years, then returned again with her son to the Ukrainian capital. From the age of three, now at the initiative of an enterprising aunt, he was periodically sent to visit a Spanish family to learn a foreign language. Once he spent about 8 months with "foster parents" who did not have their own children.
As a result, he spoke Spanish no worse than his native language, and the couple wanted to adopt him. But Nikita's mother, of course, was against such a turn of events, although he himself (to her horror) did not want to return home - the Spanish family treated him like their own child.
Nikita Alekseev answered questions from fans
During his school years, he played tennis for five years, which contributed to his harmonious physical development, improved coordination, rhythm, and brought up the will to win. These qualities were also useful to him in music, which came into his life at the age of ten, when Nikita began attending vocal lessons from a well-known teacher in professional circles, Konstantin Pon. The teacher helped to develop his performing skills, instilled a delicate musical taste, love for the classics of world rock and high-quality pop music.
As a teenager, Nikita, dreaming before going to bed, often imagined himself on stage in the light of spotlights in front of an applauding audience. And he did everything possible to achieve his dream: he tried to get to the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, organized the rock group Mova (translated from Ukrainian as Rech) at school.
Once, the singer recalled, when he was 12 years old, he was preparing to perform with the song “We are the champions” of the British band Queen, and his mother gave him incomparable white trousers especially for the concert. And he, on the rise of feelings, rode in them on his knees on the parquet floor of the stage covered with mastic and hopelessly spoiled.
After graduating from school, he chose a specialty that, as he then imagined, would allow him to have a stable income and support his family - he began to study as a marketer. From the first year, in parallel with his studies, he worked part-time in call centers and in a karaoke bar. Despite the workload, he could not give up music either - after about six months, he and his friends put together another rock band. In addition, he attended the Kyiv Institute of Culture as a free listener.
Musical career of Nikita Alekseev. Alekseev
The artist's first attempt to break into the "Voice of the Country" contest (an analogue of the Russian project "Voice") in 2012 turned out to be a failure. But for the second, undertaken in 2014, he came with the firm intention of getting to the producers, having prepared 35 songs for listening at once. This circumstance impressed the girl editor at the initial stage of the casting, and she sent him on the next tour.At the so-called "blind auditions" of all the jury, only Ani Lorak turned to the contestant, having predetermined his future fate with her choice. He confidently overcame the first stage of the show, but did not reach the final. To support and comfort the ward, the mentor helped him in creating the first video clip for the song "Drunk Sun". This song and the clip that accompanied it became a sensational event in the domestic show business, marking the beginning of a successful creative path for the vocalist.
The director of the video work was the famous clip maker Alan Badoev. Filming took place on the Kiev Sea during a sudden violent storm. For the singer then there was a real danger of being in the water and drowning, but, fortunately, everything worked out.
Alekseev - Drunken Sun (2015)
In April 2015, he congratulated singer Irina Bilyk on her birthday by recording a cover of her song "And I'm Swimming."
In 2016, he released his debut mini-albums Drunk Sun and Hold. The creative potential of the musician was highly appreciated by Philip Kirkorov himself. In October of the same year, he presented to the public a new song, "The Oceans of Steel".
Alekseev's songs conquered iTunes and half the world after
The video for the song "Dream Shards" with the Ukrainian model Stasya Smerechevskaya, like the previous video, caused a stir. Most listeners found it thoughtful, high-quality and touching.
Alekseev - Dream fragments (2016)
A resident of Kiev, together with a team of like-minded people, continues to hone his skills, rightly emphasizing that talent is only a small fraction of success, the rest depends on perseverance and work. The artist actively tours, is always in search, works on himself, filling in the gaps in the study of music theory, pays special attention to solfeggio, because he wants not only to perform songs, but also to write music.
The 23-year-old handsome man has a whole army of fans besieging his dressing room after the concert ... Nikita is in demand and happy, but all this could not have happened if at one time the mother of our hero had compromised and made the wrong decision ...
- Nikita, I heard that Alekseev is a pseudonym, and your real name is different.
My passport has the surname Alekseev, but it is not exactly mine. My grandfather, by the name of Chumak, took the surname Alekseev for himself, after a soldier with this surname shielded him from a bullet at the front. Since then, we are all Alekseevs. I am sure that there is some magic in this surname and many of my successes are connected with this story.
They say you're hot. Arrived in Kyiv this morning, and already at night you have another flight. Well, at least we don't meet at the airport.
Yes, it happens. Unfortunately, I rarely began to visit Kyiv, but, fortunately, there is a lot of work. In the last three or four months I have had about 50 concerts.
- Where do you perform?
In Ukraine, Estonia, Moldova, Israel... I have visited all the CIS countries.
- Are there any differences in the reaction of the Estonian audience from, for example, Israel?
Mostly girls come to my concerts, so there is a warm welcome everywhere. I don't even know what it's about. Maybe I can get through to their hearts, or maybe there is some special energy exchange between us...
Nikita, maybe you manage to get through to the hearts, but don’t you think that you owe such a warm welcome to the girlish audience primarily to your appearance? You do realize you're handsome, don't you?
(Laughs) For this, of course, I am grateful to my mother, she is my most beautiful. Thank you so much for making girls like me. But without a good song, without music that can evoke emotion, nothing would have happened. No appearance will help here. Be that as it may, people know and love artists not only for their beautiful eyes. There must be something more here. Sometimes in the comments I read very sincere words ... It's worth it when people believe you. This helps a lot in achieving your goals.
- And what, Nikita, is your highest goal? What do you see as the pinnacle of your creative path?
She's so far away that I don't have enough notes to reach her.
- Too abstract. Let's be specific: Grammy, world tour, 10 platinum albums?
And the Grammys, and the world tour, and big stadiums - all this is my dream. From early childhood, I imagined how I would go on a big stage and people would sing along with me.
- What songs did you sing in front of the mirror with your mother's hair dryer - "microphone"?
I grew up with western music: Queen, Led Zeppelin, pop music: Michael Jackson, Timberlake, George Michael. Another question is how it sounded in my children's performance. I tried very hard, worked with a teacher. There was one song that I studied for four months. In the end, I still got the hang of it. It was Lenny Kravitz.
- Did you have the patience?
I was brought up in such a way that you need to go towards your goal, you can’t stop. Perhaps this hardening has remained since the time when I played tennis. Sport has significantly influenced my character. After all, sometimes a game of tennis can last three or four hours. My personal record is an hour and a half, because I trained at an amateur level. But, believe me, it was very difficult, because tennis is a non-team game, basically everything depends only on you, on the soloist. It is very energy-consuming, a huge stress - both physical and psycho-emotional. But you bring up a sports spirit, endurance.
Listen, your mother not only gave birth to you as a handsome man, but also provided you with a luxurious education - tennis, vocal lessons ... Did you practice horse riding and fencing?
(Laughs) No. This set was enough for me.
- And who is your mother?
She is a beautician.
That is, everything that she earned, she invested in her beloved son. It is not for nothing that at your solo concert in Kyiv you addressed so many warm words to your mother from the stage.
And there is. I will always remember the good that she did for me, keep the warmth that she gave me as a child. This is a man who devoted his whole life to me, so I owe him a debt. I must say that not only my mother played an important role in my life. This is my aunt, my mother's sister. It so happened that she has no children, and she treats me like a son. I also call her mom. So I have two mothers in life and two in show business.
- Who are your parents in show business?
This is the one that pressed the fateful button on the Voice of the Country project. She was the only one of the four coaches who believed in me and I will always remember that. Well, and whose song “And I'm floating”, sung by me, strengthened my belief that I could become a famous singer. I am sure that these two moments were decisive in my life. If I hadn’t gone into this project and then sang this song, I would have quit music. It was a period of doubt, and I was finishing university.
- What is your specialty?
Marketer. I never stopped making music, I played in a student band. But I began to understand that I could not keep up with two birds with one stone and I still need to decide what my path is - music or marketing?
- Sitting in the office right now...
Yes, it would. Although I do not imagine myself in this area. Of course, I would work, perhaps I would become a professional, but I would not be a happy person. I have something to compare. When I went as a free listener to the Institute of Culture for the specialty of a stage director, I realized that I had fallen into my element - acting, the basics of directing ... When it was really interesting for me to listen, watch, observe, experiment at lectures, I realized what I made a mistake by deciding to study marketing. Then I thought that there should be a real profession in the hands, that applied education would not be superfluous. It was self-deception, as it turned out, a delusion. I endured a year, two, three. In the fourth year, I already got used to the fact that I would have to work as a marketer. It was sad. I went to the "Voice of the Country", realizing that there I should get an answer to my question - what's next? And in fact, Carolina answered, showed me the world of show business, which I immediately fell in love with and grabbed onto it so that nothing could unhook me.
- If you had such an opportunity, would you change something in your destiny?
No. Firstly, at the university I met the guys with whom we created a musical group. It was my creative family, the only joy at that moment in my life. After couples, I immediately ran to rehearsal and spent all my time there. With the guys I have grown a lot both professionally and spiritually.
I believe in fate and I understand that everything in this world is not accidental. Never regret anything. Any mistake is made so that later a person can analyze it and draw conclusions. That's the only way to gain experience. I wouldn't change anything in my life.
Tell us about your happiest moments in your life? When did you realize that you are absolutely happy? I already knew about The Voice.
When, as a child, I learned one of the first songs and sang it either at school or at camp. Seeing that people liked it, I got such a dose of adrenaline!
You are talking about creativity. And if about something material? A child is happy when they buy their first phone or tablet, bicycle, sneakers. Have you had such moments when you got what you had long dreamed of?
Of course, it was a bike that I was really looking forward to, and I got tired of it after two days (laughs).
Are you a material person at all? Are things important to you? Rider? Comfort?
Recently, the administrator was making a new rider and asked what I would like? I say pistachios. She laughs, "Is that all that makes you happy?" In fact, I can't eat them before a performance. And after the performance, they are no longer there - the guys eat it, the team is big. And so I don’t need anything else, I have everything.
- What other sacrifices do you have to make for the sake of star status?
My career took off so quickly that I had to transfer from the subway to planes. You had to get used to it very quickly. What are the "privations"? I had to give up chocolate after twelve, which is very hard for me. Also, I can't afford to sleep an extra hour. Unfortunately, I rarely see my relatives lately, but again, we all understand that such a lifestyle is good for me. I talked about the fact that there is a debt to loved ones. And everything that happens to me is for the benefit of my professional development.
- Do you remember your first job? What was it for?
For singing. I was 12 years old, I performed as part of open air, where I was the headliner. I performed a couple of world hits Queen, Scorpions. I remember that Alexey Bolshoy praised me, saying that for a 12-year-old boy I did an excellent job with such an adult repertoire. This compliment cheered me up a lot and became decisive in my desire to continue my vocal training. I was paid 50 or 100 euros for the performance. But I did not spend them - my mother said that the first fee should remain as a keepsake, and hid them somewhere in a book. Perhaps they are still kept in the home library.
- Do you like to spend money?
Yes, I'm a terrible spender. I can't save money at all. In this I went to my aunt. Mom laments that I spend money and do not know how to save it. And to be honest, I never really bother about it. As a student, I used to get some money for a song in karaoke or for a part-time job as an operator in a call center - and immediately I go to a nightclub with a girl or friends. I’ll lose everything and go all week again without money: I sit at home, read, listen to music. I know for sure: the more you spend, the more will come to you.
- Are you and your mom friends?
Yes. This is a person very close to me. I probably talk about this a lot in interviews. But all because she really made a man out of me. She dedicated her life to me.
Mom tried to do everything so that you would not feel left out. After all, you grew up without a father. I'm sorry if I touched on a topic that is painful for you.
It's OK. My story is the most common. This is absolutely correct. I don't know my father. He did not want a child, he abandoned me even before I was born. We don't know each other, but maybe one day I'll be able to talk to him. At least that's what I really want. And I don't hate him at all. There is no anger, negativity, hatred in me. Everything happened the way it should have happened.
I know that he does not live here - abroad, he has a family and two twin children. So I have two brothers. I really want to get to know the guys, it's interesting to talk with them. Mom says I look a lot like my father. I would like to look at them too. To be honest, I may have found them on Facebook. I know their names and surnames. However, I can’t say for sure if they are. And I'm not sure if this is the right time to meet them.
- He left when it became known that your mother was pregnant with you?
He did not want a child, insisted that his mother had an abortion.
- I'm sure if he knew in advance that such a wonderful boy would be born, everything would be different.
It was my mother's decision. She did not accept her father's ultimatum: either he or the child. They quarreled over this, and the father left. And soon he moved abroad. One day I met a good friend of my father, he greeted me very cordially! And he said: "If my father saw you now, he would want to change everything."
This man offered to help me get on the phone with my father. But I was 15 years old, and I was not ready to communicate. Difficult age. I don't think I could have a normal conversation with him. Even now I am not sure that I will be able to construct the dialogue correctly. It has to happen spontaneously.
- Did your mother communicate with him all these years?
She called him once when I was a teenager. In material terms, it was hard for us, there was not enough money, and my mother asked my father for help - he is a fairly wealthy person, a successful doctor, he has his own business. But he refused. Said, "You had your chance to be good, you didn't take it. Now solve your own problems." That is, he did not feel sorry for the money, it was just a matter of principle - to punish my mother for her disobedience.
- I know that you spent all your childhood in Spain. How did you get there?
I have lived in Spain since the age of 3. It was an initiative of my aunt who wanted me to know the language. And indeed, I spoke Spanish like my mother tongue. Indeed, on one of my visits, I lived in Spain for eight months. For several years in a row I was sent to the same family. They had no children of their own, and they treated me like family there. At some point they wanted to keep me. They called my mother, they said that they loved me, they convinced me that it would be better for them, because it is difficult for her to raise a child alone. Moreover, I added fuel to the fire: once again I flew to Kyiv and began to whine that I wanted to go back. Right in Borispol, he said that it was bad here and I would be happy to return to Spain. Mom burst into tears, then had a very strong fight with her aunt. After all, it was her idea that I go to Spain to learn the language. In a word, one fine year I did not fly anywhere - my mother cut off all communication with the Spanish family.
But again: everything happens as it should happen. I was destined to be born - I was born. Destined to stay in Ukraine - and I'm here. Who knows what would have happened to me if at one time my mother had made a completely different decision ... But on the other hand, I understand the price of this chance and even more appreciate all the benefits that I receive from life today. I am ready to fight every second for myself, my relatives and friends and thank every day for the fact that it has come.
Tatiana Vityaz
