"Fabrika Zvezd" 20 years later

In Dubna, at the JINR Cultural Centre "Mir", on the holiday of 4 November, artists that were literally watched by the whole country in the "zero" years will perform. The Russian music reality show supporting young performers aired on Channel One and had enormous ratings. The brightest performers will appear on the stage of the Cultural Centre - the groups "Fabrika", "Korni" and Victoria Daineko. On the eve of the concert, we talked to some of them about the project, hits and profession.

- "Fabrika Zvezd" is 20 years old! Incredible popularity, fans, tours... What did this creative period of life become for you personally?

Victoria Daineko: "Fabrika Zvezd" was a start for me, my life changed dramatically. The life of an ordinary person and public life.

Alexey Kabanov ("Korni"): "Fabrika Zvezd" has become and is still the brightest period in our creative life. We drove through different cities, visiting several stadiums a day. This was all for the first time and it seemed to us that "the world is at our feet."

Irina Toneva ("Fabrika"): To be precise, "Fabrika Zvezd" is exactly 21 years old. For me, this path and the people in the team who I work with have gradually become my creative family. And throughout this entire journey, I gradually realize that this is my favorite job! And it gives me carte blanche to develop almost all my talents. Plus meeting a huge number of like-minded people and those you want to follow or be close to. Only time... There is not enough time for everyone. Some kind of not always skillful "priority alignment" comes into play.

Valeria Devyatova ("Fabrika"): For me, "Fabrika Zvezd" is a period of everyday work on myself as an artist: vocals, dancing, directing, acting. The whole country saw that you couldn't easily pull a fish out of a pond, even if it was golden.

Ekaterina Moskaleva ("Fabrika"): Personally, I associate this period with childhood and then I could not even suspect that this project would influence my development in the future!

- You can often hear that "each generation is better than the previous one"! What is it like, the generation of "Fabrika Zvezd"?!

Victoria Daineko: The generation of "Fabrika Zvezd is very active, interested in new technologies that have led us from reality TV to social networks.

Alexey Kabanov: I do not agree that new generations are better than previous ones. Every generation has its own jokes. Our generation of "Fabrika Zvezd" found itself at the crossroads of the transition from analogue to digital relationships. There were still tape recorders and cassettes, but digital technologies and social networks were already entering our world. So, our generation finds itself at the crossroads of eras.

Irina Toneva: Hmm... better than the previous one, you say, I don't know. I don't have a perspective from the eras. Only God can say that. So, were our grandparents that fought worse? So, I wouldn't throw around definitions of generations so much. I apologize, I cannot in any way characterize the generation that grew up listening to the songs of "Fabrika Zvezd". There is an essence in every destiny. And we just sing for everyone who responds and for ourselves.

Valeria Devyatova: The generation of "Fabrika Zvezd" is always hardworking, rapidly keeping up with the times, relevant, but at the same time keeping traditions.

Ekaterina Moskaleva: Probably, I'm just the next generation after "Fabrika Zvezd". But I will only say one thing: the participants of "Fabrika Zvezd" have always been an example for me of how you can get closer to your musical dream - to become an artist, even if you are a simple person from a small town.

- Which song of the group do you consider the most iconic? Surely, the whole audience is singing it with you!

Victoria Daineko: This is, of course, "Leila", "Erase it from the memory", and I have many other songs that the audience performs with me.

Alexey Kabanov: In most cases, all our songs are sung by the whole audience, because they have been loved by the people for a long time.

Irina Toneva: We have a lot of them: "About Love", "Fish", "It's Not My Guilt", "Don't Be Born Beautiful", "Romance", "The Sea is Calling", "Factory Girls", "You Understand", "I'll Kiss", "Light the Lights"... Well, a lot!

Valeria Devyatova: Yes, it's true, we have a whole concert of such songs. Thanks to our Igor Igorevich Matvienko that knows exactly the recipe for creating hits. This is real magic, the whole hall echoes us and this cannot but please us.

Ekaterina Moskaleva: "About Love," of course. From the first notes, in unison. I was lucky to start this song, to sing the first lines!

- What do you think is the main advantage of your profession?

Victoria Daineko: This, of course, is an opportunity to go on stage and to travel in the world.

Alexey Kabanov: What I like most in my profession, of course, are performances when we give the public an energetic message and often the audience gives us this message even stronger, these are very strong feelings that have no analogues, in my opinion.

Irina Toneva: The very process of going on stage gives me the adrenaline of communicating with the audience, with myself, with the team! Moreover, the movement of spirit and body. And I repeat, an incentive for constant development. Further: touring is a mini-trip and relaxation, because it is a movement from one reality to another. All this is necessary for me at the moment. And of course, the warmth that people admit when they meet us, they convey it in conversation and hugs.

Valeria Devyatova: The main advantage of the profession is the colossal exchange of energies with the audience. This is magic, for which the artist goes on stage.

Ekaterina Moskaleva: People! Communication and contact, understanding and healing of your soul and the audience after the concert.

- 20 years later - are you different? And in what?

Victoria Daineko: Victoria Daineko 20 years ago and today, of course, are two different people. A girl then, as my daughter says, today is quite a grown woman. The love for music and the desire to continue creativity remains unchanged. There is also development in music - within the framework of the international song competition in Russian "AvtorA!" I have several new compositions - you can see them on music channels. And they are a new style for me. For the cover of the new single "Quietly so," I even changed the style and made a bright red bob. True, only for a photo shoot. Why not to try such an experiment after so many years? Moreover, "everyone got it."

Alexey Kabanov: Initially, our boy band was suggested for boys with instruments standing on stage, but today, we are more of a dance group. We have more freedom, interaction with the public, I like it much more!

Irina Toneva: Oh, I don't know. But it may very well be that the group will also love these beautiful, pure songs of Igor Matvienko. It means that city days and factory anniversaries will be noisy and fun with fairs and concerts of "Fabrika"!

Valeria Devyatova: The group has become wiser, somewhere through humor they look at many things, since these songs initially contain a meaning that reaches you only after time. The group has become stronger as women, since our country has always been a country of strong Russian women. Therefore, we grow stronger every day - we sing and move to the rhythm and beat of our time.

Ekaterina Moskaleva: We are different, that's a fact. Only, it seems to me, all the "seeds" that the creators of "Fabrika" initially invested have become more hyperbolic. Ekaterina, that is, me, is the same age as the group, with bright folk notes, a connoisseur of Old Russian folklore and the richness of its native lands. Valeria is a girl with a guitar that can stop a galloping horse and put three children to bed, a fiery Siberian character in the manifestation of Russian beauty. Irina - it's generally fascinating to watch her, how she has developed and opened up in the group and how she feels in it today. A volcano of talent and vocal range, wise and bright. It seems to me that 20 years ago these qualities were still difficult to discern in Ira. "Fabrika" is three decades old now. These are three regions of the country (Amur region, Kuzbass, Moscow). Three beauties and depth of soul. This is power!

Eleonora Yamaleeva, member of the Union of Theater Workers,
photos provided by the production centre of Igor Matvienko