In our age, when the fame of an artist depends to a large extent on his popularity in social networks or other Internet sites, many have to spend a huge amount of effort, time and money on this. The digitalization of our society seems to have reached its apogee. But, not every artist becomes successful online. Simply because he either does not consider it very necessary for him personally, or simply does not work out for some reason. Our today's guest is an artist who succeeds in everything, and at the highest level. She gained wide popularity thanks to the worldwide network and certainly is not going to stop there.
Alexandra Kuznetsova is a pianist, arranger, creator of the very successful Gamazda YouTube channel and a girl who is not afraid to seek answers to difficult questions.
Sasha is unique. It very rarely happens that literally everything coincides in a person and a musician at one moment. Huge talent, diligence, natural beauty, charisma and incredible human charm. Everything she does, she does with passion, and with a recognizable smile. She does not appear in public so often, which, of course, we all really miss. But, there is also a healthy rationalism in this. A good artist, after all, should not be too much. Otherwise, we will simply stop missing him and stop expecting new works from him.
And in the case of Sasha, we will always wait.
Sasha, welcome!
For starters, let's immediately ask about future plans. In September you will have 2 concerts: in St. Petersburg and Moscow. What do you expect from them and are you preparing surprises for the fans? Will there be more live performances in the near future?
Hello! I look forward to these performances. :-) In each of my concerts I try to add something new and somehow surprise the audience. Upcoming performances will be no exception. Can't plan far ahead, so I’m only planning these 2 cities, but we’ll see.
We saw in the comments on YouTube and another network banned in the Russian Federation that you are often called to perform abroad. Why haven't you done this yet? Is it a matter of logistics or something else? After all, you really have much more fans from other countries than Russian ones.
They call often. But calling is not the same as organizing. There were plans for performances, but due to external factors, foreign performances were canceled. Well, with logistics, of course, now is not easy. For example, in August I went to a private performance in Iceland. The solution of logistical problems turned out to be more expensive for the customer than the payment of the fee itself.
Are there any plans to collaborate with other classical (or not) musicians in the near future? We know that you are more comfortable playing solo, but maybe in the future one-time feat`s with other artists are possible. Certainly not on a permanent basis.
Right now there are no such plans, but in general I do not rule out collaborating with other artists.
You said that as an elective you studied playing the harpsichord. Of course, the instrument is quite rare, but given that now your possibilities are much wider, did you have an idea to record a cover (or a series of covers) on the harpsichord? Perhaps its percussive sound would bring new unexpected colors to your work.
There was such an idea, and I even once tried to play some of my covers on the harpsichord and even on the mini organ. The recording of the mini organ is currently only available on Patreon.
You are not the only one in the world to cover rock hits on the piano or any other classical instrument. Do you have your own community? Do you support each other after the release of the next work on the Internet sites, or at least somehow communicate outside of public areas?
It happens that one of the colleagues leaves comments under this or that video, or writes me a DM. But for that to happen on an ongoing basis, like in some closed community, there is no such thing.
You have repeatedly said that you received feedback on your work from cool musicians. Tell me, please, in more detail: who and what wrote to you? Was it that the review was disapproving and the musicians tried to somehow put pressure on you in order to remove the video from the venues?
The Red Hot Chili Peppers left a thumbs up comment under my Can't Stop cover. Then they shared this video on their social networks and wrote that everyone should watch this cover. To say that I was pleasantly shocked is an understatement. Papa Roach also left a comment, then they wrote me a DM and said that they liked the cover on Last Resort and even offered to do something together. But then the pandemic was already beginning and cooperation did not come to fruition. Adam Jones from Tool DMed me and said he really liked the 7empest cover. Feedback from such cult groups and people is very inspiring and motivating. Many thanks to them for this!
But, there is also a negative moment. The Eagles or one of their representatives has thrown a strike on Hotel California and removed this video from my channel. But, this is the only case where someone complained.
Alexander Pushnoy said in one of his interviews that he had encountered copyright problems more than once when he made covers. Has it ever happened to you that artists or other copyright holders categorically forbade you to play this or that composition? If - yes, then who was it, if not a secret?
Apart from the Eagles cover, I didn't have any problems.
In addition to the fact that I have immense respect for the authors whose compositions I arrange, I also pay them royalties from YouTube and sign contracts with RAS (Russian Authors Society) for concerts. Probably, there are no special reasons for complaints against me.
You admitted that you have always been involved in music, since at the age of three your parents began to teach you music. How did you perceive your activities as a child? Were they not a burden to you, because many children often perceive these lessons as something imposed and in every possible way resist the will of their parents? How did you motivate yourself to continue studying, because you probably wanted to spend more time with friends and playing games, and not with an instrument?
I had to do a lot and work hard, and sometimes, of course, it was difficult and there was a desire to quit everything and go play with friends.
But since childhood, my parents created such an environment for me and my sister to interest us in music and instill an interest in the instrument. They tried to captivate us, invented various musical games, took us to concerts and motivated us in every possible way to study. It helped a lot to keep going.
The question is directly related to the previous one. Many parents are now concerned about the problem of gadgets and the fact that children spend too much time in the virtual space. At the same time, there are concerns that the child reads little, is not physically active enough, etc. In your opinion, is this a real problem, or parental concerns in this sense are in vain? In your opinion, is it worth it for parents to start teaching their child music (or send them to sports clubs, clubs, etc.), guided by the principle «for general development», even if he himself does not really want to, or is it worth giving the child the opportunity to choose and refuse?
To be honest, it is difficult for me to answer, since I am not engaged in raising children and have never studied this issue. But, I think, parents should send their child to those «clubs» in which the parents themselves are ready to support, inspire and help. And, having matured, a person himself will already choose what he likes and what not. It's never too late to learn something new.
The traditional hit parade question. Name your own top 5 classic or not, cover bands or artists from around the world who play rock hits?
There are not many artists who perform exclusively in one genre of rock music. Therefore, I will name a couple of cover artists outside the genre whose work I like. They are Peter Bence and Eiro Nareth.
It's funny, but true: you are a person with a classical musical education, deeply understanding music theory, knowing the nuances of composition, etc., but most of the artists whose songs you play are either self-taught in their purest form, or have a fairly superficial education. Do you think that knowledge of the basics of composing and education as such help to better reveal one's creative idea, or, on the contrary, limit a person to a set of rules and standards?
My musical education took place at the performing department, and not at the composition department. Many do not see the difference, but these are two completely different professions. A composer can compose a work, but he is not at all obliged to be able to perform it, and a performer learns the art of performing works that are written by composers.
Answering your question: I believe that a person can only be limited by himself. As practice shows, it is possible to create compositions without special education.
Question related to the previous one. Do you develop only the performing side of creativity, or is composing also present in your life? Do you have your own musical compositions? If so, what style are they in, and are there any chances for your fans to get acquainted with your own work in the near future?
I like to engage in performing activities with the creation of my own arrangements for existing compositions. I do not plan to become a composer yet.
On your channel, you talk in sufficient detail about how the work on compositions is going on. How are they chosen? Do you consciously bet on the most famous hits, or do you simply focus on your taste, your mood at a given moment in time?
Each month, the Patreon community chooses one song for me to play. In this case, I practically do not participate in the choice. But 100% of the time I like what they choose because it's obvious that people in this community have musical tastes similar to mine. When I choose songs on my own, many different factors are already taken into account. Personal sympathy for a particular song, an understanding of how it can sound on the piano, how many views it can collect, and many other factors are taken into account.
You have repeatedly answered the question about choosing a location, your image for a specific composition. But, does it happen that the location or your original image appears first, and only then you choose the song that you will play? For example, do you walk past some place or are you in some room and immediately a thought arises in your head, which you subsequently offer to visualize to your team?
It's funny, but yes. It was like that. For example, when we saw the «church» studio, where you can shoot a video, compositions immediately appeared in your head that you can perform here. For example, November Rain from Guns N' Roses. Or the location with the orange bus. Having found this studio and realizing that it works only during the summer period, I had a desire to take advantage of this opportunity and shoot something interesting there. That's when the idea to perform Sweet Home Alabama came to mind.
Since childhood, you have grown up studying the work of classical composers, and it is them that you call among your favorites. How did rock and roll come into your life? Which bands were your first likes? How did your parents react to your passion for rock? How often do you go to concerts?
Rock came into my life during my school years. Then with classmates they listened to hits on the radio (Linkin Park, Rammstein, Metallica, «Король и Шут», «Сплин», etc.) And at home, while my parents were at work, I often turned on MTV and enjoyed the music videos. The music videos were great! I remember that I really liked the video No Doubt - Don't Speak, many clips of Green Day, Evanescence, The Offspring and much more. This slightly «forbidden» hobby has always been with me in parallel with classical and other music, and so I somehow decided to try to move from listening to playing rock music, which makes me happy at the end. :-)
The use of unusual instruments to perform covers of famous rock compositions is a completely understandable idea that attracts listeners, first of all, with its uniqueness and novelty of sound. And what, in your opinion, is the secret of the popularity of cover bands, which often play compositions «to zero», and often listeners can easily attend the concert of the original group (for example, in Russia there are many groups specializing in the work of the same «Ария»)?
It is not always possible to attend a concert of original bands. For example, a group does not come to your city or arrives, but the date is inconvenient or tickets are much more expensive. This is where cover artists can come to the rescue.
Over the long years of continuous music lessons, have you experienced burnout when you want to quit everything or even change your profession? If yes, how did you deal with it?
Everything happened in life, and moments when I wanted to quit everything, of course, too. But the desire to play in the end still won. Again, thanks to the competent upbringing of my parents, I somehow didn’t even think about my profession. I thought about classes, exams, performances… Although at some point I thought how cool it must be to be a truck driver. :-))
Right now it is very important for me to maintain a work-life balance. I really like traveling, because in addition to physical and emotional unloading, there is also filling with new impressions, which is a great help for creativity.
We saw that you spent this summer quite actively, traveling a lot. Tell me where you were and why in these places? Weren't there very strong problems with logistics due to the situation in the world, and you visited everything you wanted to visit?
At the beginning of the year, I had a performance at the Expo with Petrof in Dubai. Then there was a trip to Turkey, where I just had a rest with my friends. Then I visited Georgia. It was an exciting road trip, albeit a short one. Then I received an invitation to perform at a private event in Iceland. There were no direct flights, so I flew through Italy, where I also spent a few days. Then I went to the Czech Republic, where we shot several videos with the Petrof team. There were no direct flights from the Czech Republic, so I flew to Finland, where I spent a couple of days and from there I went to St. Petersburg by bus, and then home to Moscow.
Despite the restrictions and difficulties with logistics, in general, I managed to visit the planned places, which I am very happy about.
Are you dreaming? If yes, how often and what are they, in general? Do you believe in prophetic dreams and, in general, in various esotericism, including any signs?
My dreams are fine. Nothing special, the usual indescribable delirium, like on the cards from the board game «Imaginarium». I do not believe in any kind of signs and esotericism. I can safely walk past a black cat without twisting a button on my clothes or whatever people usually do in these cases. :-)
Why do you think we have so many really talented classical musicians, but no one in particular within our country creates real competition for you? Or, not everyone knows how to present themselves as brightly as you? What do you think, in general, what is the attitude of classical musicians towards you, who have chosen an absolutely standard path for themselves - a person from an orchestra or a solo classical performer?
It depends what you mean by competition. If we are talking about YouTube, then for me this is the main activity. I put all my strength, skills and time here, plus I have a team that works with me in this direction. I think that there are not many musicians in our country who are also fully involved in social networks. And then not everyone needs it. Everyone has their own interests and opportunities.
The attitude on the part of classical musicians is the same as that of ordinary people. Some people like my work, some don't.
What character traits would you change about yourself and why? Is there something in you that you constantly struggle with and cannot overcome in any way, related to character or bad habits, for example?
I often struggle with laziness. I would like to have no laziness in my arsenal of qualities, but alas. Sometimes you have to do something quickly / finish at the last moment. Because of this, I'm starting to get nervous. I would change that too. What else? I would have remembered and told a lot more, but I'm too lazy :-)
The great poet F.I. Tyutchev owns the following very famous lines:
«You will not grasp her with your mind
Or cover with a common label,
For Russia is one of a kind -
Believe in her, if you are able...»
Do you think it is true that we are so different from people from other countries? Or is it a myth beneficial to all of us? If we are different, then, in your opinion, what are the reasons that we are so unconventional for foreigners, and they are for us?
Personally, in my experience I have not noticed any cardinal differences between ordinary people from different countries. Yes, there are some cultural differences, but nothing more. People are primarily distinguished by their personal qualities, not nationality.
Interviewed by Artyom Garkavy and Pavel Krasnokutskiy.
Translated by Ivan Mikhno.
Photo`s provided by Alexandra Kuznetsova.
Special thanks to Vadim Belov for help in creating the interview.
Spelling and punctuation preserved wherever possible.
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