Shura Kuznetsova voice blind audition. Singer Shura Kuznetsova: “After “The Voice” some people threatened me, while others gave me flowers and congratulations

She was born on July 19 in Kineshma, Ivanovo region, later lived in St. Petersburg, then moved to Moscow. The girl is working on several projects in parallel, and she has enough time for everything. Shura Kuznetsova is an amazing person because she constantly moves forward.

The girl grew up as a well-rounded child. At an early age, Shura’s grandmother took her to a music school, where the girl began to master the piano and vocals.

In her youth, she and her sister practiced boxing, but after school they decided to enter the Faculty of Journalism at St. Petersburg State University. In 2010, Shura graduated from the Faculty of Journalism with honors, but, by her own admission, during her studies she did everything except journalism. The graduate did not work in her specialty - she took up PR.

Shura Kuznetsova thought about wanting to change the direction of her work back in her student years. In one of the interviews, the girl admitted that this decision was influenced by the practice on the Russia 24 channel. When Shura went to Moscow, she hoped that she would end up in a “super cool editorial office”, where journalists work 24 hours a day. The reality turned out to be more prosaic - Kuznetsova realized that some journalistic stories were incorrect and more like propaganda.

Music and creativity

Kuznetsova founded the PR agency “Publica”. In a short time, the agency released an online guide to designers in St. Petersburg and Moscow, and concept stores in these cities. A little later, Shura, together with Dmitry Estrin, organized the educational project “Headliner” and has already graduated more than a dozen specialists.

Together with her mother, Shura Kuznetsova founded the clothing brand “Mom’s Sweater”. The girl says that this is more of her mother’s project, and she only helped. My daughter always had a warm and friendly relationship with her mother. And Shura’s workaholism comes from her grandmother, who at 80 was still teaching and giving her students what school and parents could not give. Her grandmother is a philosopher and philologist.

In 2012, Shura Kuznetsova began collaborating with the fashion brand “Oh, my”, and a year later became the face of the brand. The girl says that she always loved simple, neat things, so she immediately fell in love with the clothes of this brand. One day, Shura was invited to shoot in a photo studio - they needed a model for a catalog with a simple and smiling face. The girl agreed, although she was then better known as a participant in KVN.

Shura organized the St. Petersburg KVN team “Faculty of Journalism” with her then boyfriend Sergei Ilyin and two friends, Olya Polishchuk and Lyuba Dyshlyuk. Initiative youth did not think that their team could go so far. But one day, friends invited the dean of the Faculty of Journalism, Marina Shishkina, to a game: she supported the students.

Soon an artistic director appeared in the team, and the “Faculty of Journalism” loudly declared itself on a different level. In 2011, the team became vice-champion of the KVN Premier League, and the following year they triumphantly broke into the Major League, winning the title of vice-champion.

For seven years, Shura convinced herself that she was a good actress, but the musician in her took over.

A year after leaving KVN, Shura Kuznetsova founded her own group “ShuraBand” and prepared material for recording her debut album. The first disc, “Be silent and hug me tighter,” was released in June 2015. The poems for the compositions were written by the talented poetess Marina Katsuba, and the music was written by Shura Kuznetsova herself.

The songs of “ShuraBand” sound in the style of jazz, but now Shura is trying to move away from this direction. The singer says that this musical format is popular in St. Petersburg, but on a national scale it is an incomprehensible story. The girl gives concerts at Usadba Jazz, she performed at Aurora Fashion Week and other events.

In 2016, Shura Kuznetsova became a participant in the “Voice” show on Channel One. The girl got into the project on her third try. The first failure at the casting pushed the girl to take serious vocal lessons. Shura turned to jazz vocalist Tatyana Tolstova for help.

Arriving at the casting for the next season of “The Voice,” Kuznetsova received a coveted place on the list of participants in the blind auditions, but just before leaving for the competition, the girl was informed that she was not participating. And only at the auditions for the fifth season, Shura was approved as a contestant and was even allowed to use her own musical material, violating the rules of the project.

At the blind auditions on September 30, Kuznetsova performed her own composition “Be silent and hug me tighter.” After the performance, the girl admitted that she was grateful to the editors for allowing her to perform her original composition.

Projects

• PR agency "Publica media"
• Educational project "Headliner"
• Clothing brand "Mom's Sweater"
• KVN team “Faculty of Journalism”

Discography

• 2015 – “Be silent and hug me tighter”
• 2017 – “1000 birds”
• 2018 – “Little”

As a child, she sang songs by Leonid Agutin, and at the “blind auditions” she conquered her idol with her own hit. Woman’s Day Shura Kuznetsova spoke about the “Voice” project, KVN and the difference between Moscow and St. Petersburg.

– Shura, admit it, why did you need the “Voice” project? After all, you are a well-known person in certain circles, you participated in KVN on Channel One, and acted for a fashion brand.

A year ago I released my first album, “Be Silent and Hug Me Tighter.” After that, she went on tour to ten cities in Russia. And I wanted as many people as possible to hear my music. That’s why I decided to go to “The Voice”. And when I was allowed to perform my song at the casting, all doubts disappeared.

– Was there really no temptation to take Leonid Agutin’s song for the “blind auditions”? After all, as a child you sang his hits into your hairbrush.

I simply didn’t have time to prepare someone else’s song for the blind auditions. Therefore, I am very grateful to the organizers of the television project for making an exception for me and allowing me to perform my own. And I will perform Agutin’s song at the “Fights” stage. Leonid Nikolaevich himself proposed it “as an author to an author.” I don’t know yet how it turned out on stage. Let's see. Leonid Nikolaevich turned out to be a very warm and subtly thinking person, with excellent musical taste. It is very comfortable to communicate with him. It was a pleasure to work with a musician of this caliber. And I am extremely pleased with this adventure.

– You were accompanied by Nikola Melnikov, your husband. How often do you perform with him? Or does everyone have their own audience?

Only with Nikola can I sing the way I feel. Thanks to his arrangement, the song “Be silent and hug me tight” turned into a very complex and beautiful piece of music. I write very simple music, but Nikola then selects such harmonies that my simple melodies turn into hits.

With her husband – Nikola Melnikov

Photo personal archive of Shura Kuznetsova

– For the last year and a half you have been living in Moscow. Don't you miss Peter, who has become your family?

I really miss my condition in St. Petersburg. It seems to me that this is where I breathe deeply. True, now it is not as often as we would like to escape to the banks of the Neva. More often this happens at work. But I can get on a plane or train and rush here just like that. Sometimes it’s just for a few hours. If I have time, I meet with friends, we walk, talk about life. It's great that now the distance between the two capitals can be covered quite quickly.

– By the way, what made you move from Kineshma to St. Petersburg at one time? After all, Moscow can give more both in terms of study and in terms of career.

I was 17 years old when I came to St. Petersburg to study at the Faculty of Journalism at St. Petersburg State University. In fact, it was my mother who decided where I would go. She sent me specifically to St. Petersburg in the hope that this city would influence me as much as possible. And so it happened. My brightest period of life is connected with this city, here I became an adult: my first independent decisions, my first job, my first responsibility and independence, my first songs and my first concerts. All this happened in St. Petersburg.

– Rumor has it that you were distinguished by very extravagant actions. Is it true that you once came to an exam with a live chicken?!

True (laughs). It so happened that I came to the exam on foreign literature with the legendary teacher and writer Andrei Astvatsaturov with a chicken - it was needed for filming. It was difficult not to notice her... So for the first time I received an excellent mark not for knowledge, but for the situation that I found myself in by chance. Only Andrei Alekseevich could do this. I remembered him for the rest of my life and am very glad that I had the opportunity to listen to his lectures.

– At that time you played, and quite successfully, in KVN. The Faculty of Journalism team even became the vice-champion of the Major League. Many of your colleagues then found themselves in fashionable humorous television projects. Why weren’t you attracted to this path?

I realized that humor is not my thing. That I’m not a funny actress at all, that I’m bad at it. And I decided to start all over again, but only in music. This is how it happens. I can suddenly quit everything and do something new. This is the only way I feel like I'm doing the right thing. But with music, I think I am forever.

– Almost everyone who has been or lived in Moscow and St. Petersburg notes the fussiness of the capital and the excessive regularity of residents and guests of St. Petersburg. What rhythm of life is closer to you?

It’s good for me to work in Moscow and relax in St. Petersburg. In Moscow, I like the speed with which things are resolved. There are a lot of interesting and energetic people who go against the rules and win. This is a game of business people and professionals. And in St. Petersburg it is enough to be a good person. By and large, it doesn’t matter what you do for a living. It is not the status that is important, but the person himself. More than once I have heard Muscovites wonder: “Why do they treat me well just like that, for no reason?”

-Where is your home now?

My home is where Nikola Melnikov is. That's right. And that's how I feel.

The journalist, former KVN member and simply beautiful woman captivated the project’s mentors with her own song

Holder of a honors diploma from the Faculty of Journalism, soloist of the group #ShuraBand, member of the KVN team “Faculty of Journalism”, founder of the PR agency Publica media, author of the Headliner educational project and clothing designer - that’s all about her. Now in the list of Shura Kushnetsova’s regalia there is a column “participant of the show “The Voice”. She will continue the battle for the main prize in the team of Leonid Agutin. How long has the vocalist been going towards this and why did she leave the empire of Alexander Maslyakov?

- Shura, tell me, why not Alexandra? It's more feminine.

— Since childhood, everyone has called me Shura. That's how it happened. I feel so comfortable.

— You came to the project as a fairly well-known person. Vice-champion of KVN and captain of the Faculty of Journalism team is no joke. You have already been shown on Channel One many times. Now you have your own group. So why do you need a vocal project?

“My friends tried to persuade me: “Come on, come on!” Everyone needs to hear you sing!” Of course, I had doubts about singing in front of such a massive audience. But at the casting they allowed me to sing my own song - and after that I didn’t think twice about it. She went out and sang.

— You are educated as a journalist. Where did you learn to sing?

— I didn’t study at a specialized university. True, she graduated from music school. And I’ve been doing vocals for a long time - when I lived in St. Petersburg, I studied with jazz singer Tatyana Tolstova, now, having moved to Moscow, with Larisa Koval (Assistant Professor of the Department of Pop and Jazz Art at Moscow State Pedagogical University - Author). Larisa Mikhailovna trained a lot of talented artists: Tesla Boy soloist Anton Sevidov, Alena Toymintseva (semi-finalist of “The Voice-2”) and others. I've been working with her for the last two years.

— Did you write the song “Be silent and hug me tighter” yourself, with which you entered the blind auditions?

- Yes. My album came out a year ago. And this song, as it happened, became the key song on it. Although I wrote it at the very last moment. The album was ready - and suddenly she was born. In my opinion, the strongest composition. The music is written based on poems by the St. Petersburg poetess Marina Katsuba (winner of the television project “Battle of Poets”, who records verses for Noize MC and does not shy away from rap battles - Author) I I sat down to read poetry and wrote 3 songs overnight, came and said that I won’t read, I’ll sing. Then in about a month I wrote 13 more compositions. After that, I met Misha Tebenkov (sound producer of the ASAI group). And we recorded an album with him. A When I was invited to the casting for “The Voice”, there was practically no time to prepare covers - before that I was on vacation. Singing “Be Quiet and Hold Me Tight” was the only option. Because before the vacation, we practiced songs of my composition on tour, and I came to the casting with them. I started singing, they didn’t stop me even once, and then they said that they were taking me, the song and my husband - Nikola Melnikov accompanied on the piano - for blind auditions. This is the experiment.

— So, you weren’t surprised on stage when your mentors started turning to you?

“Everything was like delirium.” When you go on such a stage, it’s hard to put into words what kind of excitement it is. I closed my eyes and started singing. And, immersed in the space of the song, I forgot that they should turn. When I saw Polina Gagarina, I remembered. I realized everything only when I finished singing. I wanted to go to Leonid Agutin - so I went to him. At all concerts I sing a cover of his song “You Will Come Back Someday Again.”

— Why did you give up KVN or continue your career in comedy? Now the Kaveen players feel great on TNT.

— When we played in the KVN Premier League, I still believed in my talent. But when we reached the Major League, it became a little difficult. Not everything worked out. And then I admitted to myself that I’m not a very good humorous actress (laughs). We reached the semi-finals, and then abruptly ended it all. We disbanded the team.

- Why?

— Humor is quite difficult for women. You need to find an unusual image, how did it turn out for Ira or Olya Kortunkova. Or be injured (laughs). And I played a dumb blonde, and at some point I got tired of it. I couldn't find another role. As a student it was exciting. I dedicated 10 years of my life to this. But then I realized it wasn’t mine. I realized that I wanted to do music, not humor. And I immediately bought a piano.

“I wanted at least someone to turn around.” This is the best musical project in the country. In addition, I like many of the former participants of “The Voice”. This culture is close to me. At the same time, I understand that this is a competition for vocalists, and not for singer-songwriters, like me. I know that there are very serious vocalists. And it will be difficult to fight them. I have no goal to win. I presented the song - and that’s already a lot.

Shura Kuznetsova calls her new album personal salvation. Having experienced a difficult breakup this spring, the singer left for St. Petersburg - in her words, so as not to go crazy - and in two months she came up with “1000 Birds.” Her debut work, “Be Quiet and Hug Me Tighter,” was released two years ago and immediately entered the top 3 of the Russian charts iTunes. The singer does not give any forecasts for this record, she only hopes that it will help listeners in difficult times. On the occasion of the release, Shura Kuznetsova spoke Esquire about the new album.

About inspiration

I've never been able to compose music on a schedule, it's always inspiration. Usually it comes to me when I’m going somewhere, for example, to fitness: I’ve already got dressed, taken my uniform - but a melody is born in my head, and I sit down at the piano and don’t leave the apartment for seven hours. It also happened that I called at work and said that I wouldn’t be there today. Colleagues and friends treat my impulses with understanding.

I wrote this album, like the previous one, in two months. There are both pros and cons to this. The positive thing is that the music “doesn’t stagnate.” But the downside is that you compose impulsively and cannot fully evaluate your product, and therefore you become a little scared about the result, you worry about the quality. The process of self-criticism begins, and this is quite dangerous.

About poems

Like two years ago, my close friend Marina Katsuba wrote the lyrics for the songs. Her texts are very suitable for me, especially those written during the period of falling in love or at the moment of separation. When she begins to go into deep introspection, the poems become not about me at all, so I always ask her: “Let’s do without the heavy stuff.”

Marina and I often get together in my kitchen and talk, and then she sends me poems from what we said. And every time it’s so beautiful that I don’t bother to write it myself - why, if it so accurately conveys what I feel? We have a very comfortable friendship. I tried to work with other authors, but it didn’t work out. Perhaps Marina put a spell on me.

About new songs

In the title track “To a Moscow Boy” I sing about what I would like to forget and close. Music is actually great therapy for me. When you write a song and express some emotion in it, and then post it or sing it at a concert, that emotion leaves you. This helps not to go crazy. I think this is a very true story. But in general, my favorite song from the new album is “100 Hours.” She is very bright and vitally positive. I'm still trying to tune in to a new way. And I really like it.

About what makes the soul “itch”

In the song “100 Hours” there is a wonderful phrase “and the whole soul itches.” Right now my soul is itching from everything that is happening around me. I'm finally doing what I've dreamed of since childhood, and it's starting to work out. An album is being written, music is being written, and this is my absolute happiness. Relationships can't compare to this, to be honest. They are certainly important, but they tend to begin and end. And yes: for some reason everyone wants to make music, but I do it. And it's so cool.

At the age of 17, Shura Kuznetsova moved from her hometown of Kineshma in the Ivanovo region to the greater St. Petersburg - she entered the journalism department at St. Petersburg State University and began playing in KVN. The Faculty of Journalism team was very popular. But in 2013, the guys left KVN and began to work on their own projects: she works on Channel One, Ira Chesnokova works on TNT. And Shura chose music and came to the “Voice” show in 2016. Why she is glad that she did not reach the finals, why she entered the journalism department and why she is moping, Kuznetsova told PEOPLETALK.

As a child, I... really loved sports, music, dancing and painting! My grandmother raised me this way: from the age of five the maximum load, and after 12 I can choose what I want to do next. Music won.

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I dreamed... of leaving my hometown for the mainland. And now I want me to have a lot of strength and energy in order to go through everything and remain myself.

I entered the journalism department because... I thought that this was the only profession that could be useful to a famous person. ( Laughs.) And so I wanted to enter the theater school, but I didn’t even dare to go to the competition. The Faculty of Journalism is a department where undecided children gather. I always knew that I wanted to be a director, an actress, or, as a last resort, a singer. I now have an extreme case. ( Laughs.)

In my free time, I... played KVN. The idea to create a team came to our captain Seryozha Ilyin, and he invited all his classmates. We played one game at the institute, and then we assembled a team of the best participants from all teams and began to defeat everyone. ( Laughs.) When we got to the Major League, all our friends, without exception, were proud of us. When we became vice-champions of the Major League in the first year of play, I realized that I had to leave now, it would be very beautiful, but the whole team wanted to move on. A very difficult period began, and after losing in the semi-finals, we all made this decision together. And everyone went their own way.

My director Masha Brit persuaded me to go to “The Voice”. She said that we need broadcasts on Channel One and sent me a questionnaire. I filled it out and passed. This is generally a mystical story: why they took me with their song is still unclear to me. But miracles happen, and sometimes they happen to me too.

Leaving “The Voice” at the “Fights” stage... it wasn’t a shame. I was even happy, because this is a vocal competition, and I deal with a slightly different story: I’m more about energy, words, emotions. Already in the second round I didn’t want to sing. I was happy when I wasn’t chosen and finally got busy with my concerts.

When I'm tired... I fly away for a few days: I just eat, sleep and lie down. But I love everything I do so much that I don’t consider it work! I do the things I love every day, and for this I also receive money, recognition and great warmth from the audience! I am the happiest person in the world!