The second part of the "Canon" program with the participation of the group "Christmas". Continuing the conversation between Alexander Kruse and the soloists of the group, we will talk about the spiritual development of the musicians, creative plans and fans and, of course, the good songs of the Christmas group will be heard.
Today we will continue to talk with the group “Rozhdestvo”, with its soloists Gennady Seleznev and Andrei Nasyrov.
Tell me, you say that at the age of 35 you started asking questions, but I think that the person who asks questions finds answers, and the answers lie in the fact that every moment of our life...
Gennady Seleznev:
I'll tell you a story now. When I read the Bible, studied it, and there were moments, I saw something for myself there... How can I tell you... Let's say, I remember, not one human government will solve the problem of man, for the Lord did not create people so that they would stand on top of each other friend, but in order to love. And therefore I treat the government as it should now: I understand that it is difficult for everyone there, they are doing everything they can. But it was precisely those moments that I began to understand that the best fight was the one that didn’t take place.
A year after we studied the Bible (then this woman died), I was traveling once without a car, on a train. Moscow suburban train in winter.
- A fun show (laugh).
Gennady Seleznev:
You’re from there and know what it’s like at late times of the day. And so, one day we were standing in the vestibule, we were leaving, people were traveling from Moscow, I was standing in the vestibule, it was winter. You know, there was such a moment when they stood pinched like sardines. And I’ve been involved in sports all my life, I grew up in the Moscow region, I’ve been friends with boxing since childhood, because on our streets, where I live, in the city of Dedovsk, violins were not held in high esteem (laughs). Here, in my city, we still have world champions in kickboxing, combat sambo and football players. I bow to this city, my Dedovsk. I love him.
So here it is. Therefore, I grew up in a normal boyish environment, I was always ready, as they say...
- …stand up for oneself.
Gennady Seleznev:
And now the moment. We're driving, a drunk man comes in, well, a redneck, let's say. I don’t want to call it that, he did nothing in this life, in front of anyone, maybe, but he just behaved like that. And it just begs to be seen that a man is standing. I don’t like people like that, I looked into his eyes, and at that moment my two hemispheres worked. One hemisphere told me: “It’s cramped. The first blow is from the head, then from the elbow, or vice versa.” Second hemisphere: “Let me go in peace.”
I looked into his eyes as if I was saying: “You have two seconds to disappear from here.” And he probably understood me, he corrected me: “Then we’ll talk,” I said, “With pleasure,” and he went into the carriage. And we go out, and I have this, you know, some kind of state inside me, that is, I was ready...
- Is this fire?
Gennady Seleznev:
Fire! That is, I was ready for some kind of battle. And I go out onto the platform, and my jacket was unbuttoned. I was standing, closing my jacket, and there was a woman next to me. I don’t know what her name is, such a sweet lady, at that time she was about sixty years old, intelligent, wearing a fur coat and a hat. She was standing right next to me. And when I got off the platform, I looked around, these people were not there. That is, I was ready, in principle, to continue all this in a different way on the platform, but there was no one. And this woman passes by, she didn’t even stop, she just “floated” for a minute, and what she said gave me goosebumps. She, passing by, said: “How much willpower you needed” - and walked away.
And at that moment I realized that the Lord saw, felt, I felt Him, that this was the change that took place in me. And from that moment on, everything somehow went differently. I felt: most likely, there was some kind of assessment of what I had been studying for a year, through myself. Because there is a lot of, you know, this friction when “turn your left cheek, right cheek.”
- A person who comes from a different environment, of course, begins to study, and this is difficult to accept. Everything seems very simple.
Gennady Seleznev:
I know that your music helps many people, many reviews and letters come. Tell us a little about this, about the stories of your listeners.
Gennady Seleznev:
When did it start for us?
Andrey Nasyrov:
The very first time we were on Good Radio, a man called from Krasnodar and said that he had serious oncology, the doctors gave up on him, and he was already in despair. And he listened to our song “So I Want to Live,” and after two months, in my opinion, the disease subsided, the doctors simply could not believe it.
Gennady Seleznev:
Still, he went out into the garden every day, I remember.
Andrey Nasyrov:
Yes, he says: “I won’t name myself, as if I don’t want anything, I just wanted to thank you, that’s all. I don’t want to say anything.”
Gennady Seleznev:
Yes, he called live and said: “I thank you.” Apparently there was a garden and a hammock there. “I,” he says, “went out there, sat in a chair, and every day this song played for me. And then he went and was gone.” In short, everyone there was simply in shock. And then it was no longer the only person.
You understand? If people who write that they have already experienced grief, someone has passed away. I dedicated this song to my mother and all my family and friends. It was written... It has more verses, to begin with. What people hear is half of what was originally there. That is, I ground it all up. What moment? Someone no longer has a loved one, and when a person listens to her, he then comes up and says: “I now understand that you have to have time to love while everything is here, while you are alive.” Well, I don’t know how it happened, it’s God’s Providence.
- You are, after all, a witness to the miracle of the birth of a song. How do you usually do creative cooking?
Gennady Seleznev:
Look, we have such a wonderful song “Pencils”. It was a moment when my mother was still alive, but something wasn’t working out right, that is, her financial condition was precarious. I came home, sat down, scribbled it on a piece of paper, looked at it, crumpled it up and threw it in the trash, that is, I didn’t like it. In the morning I wake up, and like all mothers, she tells me: “Son, you shot something yesterday, just wait.” (laughs). And just on this day there was a rehearsal. I was like, “Okay.” I’m driving in the car, Andryukha called and said: “So and so.”
- Well, it’s like the coal hasn’t been burned yet.
Andrey Nasyrov:
If there was a fireplace, I would burn it.
Gennady Seleznev:
And he came, sketched something, made some sketches. Andryukha says: “Are you crazy? Yes, this is a hit!” And then the song “Pencils” appeared. Mom, thank you! I'm sorry I didn't listen to your advice, mom!
And I ate my pound of salt while I was looking for love,
But, thank God, at home. The prodigal son has returned.
On Easter, near the temple, an angel told me:
"I know what you've seen and everything you've been through,
After all, I was with you personally the whole time.
And he never left."
The song "Pencils" is playing.
- Tell me, what are you working on now? Should we wait for the sixth album?
Gennady Seleznev:
Yes. It will be different, it will, as always, have lyrics, and there will be a philosophical theme that you can think about. I can even read a piece to you, if you want, although there is already a song, but it is still classified.
- Can I make an announcement, a little trick?
Gennady Seleznev:
Then I tell you this...
My friend has an apartment, a car, a dacha, good luck,
And by God's grace, he gives bread to the blessed.
And the neighbor on the right had the last mouse run away from hunger,
But he is not sad, but, praying, goes somewhere.
Both are happy in their own way,
When one does not envy, how one litters another with simplicity.
Both friend and neighbor are happy in their own way,
When he realizes that there is nothing but love,
We have nothing personal here.
Everything is only His - my God,
Yes, and love, and that from Him.
It seems to me that if you had started collaborating with Andrei, with musicians, when you were thirty-five years old, perhaps it would not have been the same, because such lines come with age.
Gennady Seleznev:
Most likely yes. With losses, probably, with some, most likely. We came to a certain point, that is, we started writing the first album, in principle, there are good lyrical songs. It included the song “Youth”, “So I Want to Live”. Second album...
- ...I see you are in a duet with Lev Valeryanovich.
Gennady Seleznev:
Lev Valeryanovich Leshchenko, yes, God bless him.
- But all this is on open sale, right? All albums?
Gennady Seleznev:
No, you have an exclusive, my friend.
- I have an exclusive, I understand.
Gennady Seleznev:
Because what's here...
Andrey Nasyrov:
This is not on the disk yet, it is on the Internet.
Gennady Seleznev:
You can find it on the Internet, but not everything. Well, no, now, in my opinion, everything is there? (Addresses Andrey.)
Andrey Nasyrov:
There is a “Thank you” and...
Gennady Seleznev:
- “I See the Light” - there will be a wonderful song. And Andrei Anatolyevich has already done all these things, as if a little (who is talking about chanson)... whatever you want to call it. If it’s “ounce-ounce” it will be a chanson, but it will be delicious, for God’s sake.
Andrey Nasyrov:
Let it be an electronic chanson.
Gennady Seleznev:
Electronic chanson, yes.
The song “Cossack” plays.
Gennady, Andrey, please tell us about your life on tour. Are there any events planned in the near future?
Andrey Nasyrov:
Of course they are planned. What is a concert for a musician? This…
- That's life?
Andrey Nasyrov:
This is life, this is the demand for a musician. If a musician is in demand, that means he is successful, right? When there are no concerts, it's bad, but when there are concerts, it's good. You see people who come, vote with rubles, buy tickets - these are your fans. Not those who write on the Internet: “How cool you are! Here, here!
Gennady Seleznev:
Who's come.
Andrey Nasyrov:
Who came, yes.
Gennady Seleznev:
That is, this person prepared, bought tickets for himself and his wife, and dressed appropriately. How many times have we seen that when people come, they put on patent leather shoes in the lobby. And I bow to these people. Why? Because they really came to support us.
We even had a case where one person first wrote on the VKontakte network: “Hello! Here, here." I was like, “Well, that’s very nice.” And he tells me: “Give me your checking account.” I tell him: “Dear man, why do you need it?” He says: “I’m singing your seven songs in a restaurant. Every day I sing “This is how I want to live” five or six times. You know, I teared up. I saw him later.”
Gennady Seleznev:
Here's the level. Therefore, Andrey is correct. Friends, no matter what, the crisis is only here, in your head. A crisis is always change. We will show ourselves in what we are strong at. Come to our concerts and to the concerts of our colleagues. Why? Because a song is like a good movie, like a good picture, like something so good, right? I speak in that sense, as if it were a piece of happiness.
Our group has a fan, Seryozha Bogachev. He lives in Smolensk, he works as a simple electrician in a housing office, he has three children. It doesn’t matter that dad and mom help there, but he follows us all over the country on tour: to Minsk, to St. Petersburg. I tell him once... By the way, he called me now to be godfather. Seryoga, we will! This is a big responsibility for me.
So, I ask him once: “Brother, how can you? Your salary is 12 thousand rubles, and you’re running around.” The thing is that I am so ashamed, sometimes when they come, there is Anya from Belarus, and we also have Nadya from St. Petersburg. In general, this is such a circle, these are people who gather and follow us all over the country. They come to Moscow for a birthday, that is, they live as a group, through our creativity. And I tell them: “I don’t feel comfortable, neither the hotel nor the hotel.” Well, it doesn’t work out financially. We leave in the car, they stay at the station, and for me it’s just...
They say: “You don’t have to worry. Go and mind your own business." I say: “Serge, how can you do this?” And he says that even his wife understands that he needs to rest. When our concert begins, he begins to prepare for this date, he can prepare for a month in advance, he says: “I live for this.” And when he comes to stay in our dressing rooms, he comes behind the curtains to us, that is, he is so close, he says: “You can’t imagine how I rest, how I recharge when I come home later, because I saw you here.” , all the guys, on stage." So, can you imagine what it’s about?
How I want to live! Unfortunately, our intimate conversation is not included in the broadcast, and at the end of our program I would like to ask you to say a few parting kind words to all our viewers.
Andrey Nasyrov:
Friends, more positivity, more faith in the future, and so that there will be peace, as Gena says?
Gennady Seleznev:
Beautiful.
Andrey Nasyrov:
Gennady Seleznev:
What do we want to wish you now? In general, we are very pleased that you invited us, let’s start with this, because your channel, it really speaks about our Orthodoxy, about what is in the souls of our people. You can’t go far from faith, probably, right?
- Certainly.
Gennady Seleznev:
Therefore, we are very pleased that our creativity has received such a response somewhere, and we are here today, and I hope that we will come here more than once. What would I like to say? Friends, I’ll tell you like a poet, no, not a poet, it’s very loud (laughs), like a person who composes.
I was visiting God
Didn't talk much
I stood and listened more
And shook his head
The simple truth
The age-old truth:
When you love
So you are alive.
Therefore, the “Christmas” group wishes you all to live to simply love your neighbors and neighbors. And we wish you, as usual, at concerts I tell people all the time, health. And not only for you, but first of all for your loved ones. Why? Because when your loved ones are healthy, our nerves are calm, we can do something, create. Therefore, health to everyone and peace in the soul is the most important thing, because if there is peace in a person’s soul, there will be peace outside the window. With God blessing!
Thanks a lot! You know, we have also prepared a small gift for you. On my own behalf and on behalf of all our television viewers, I would like to give you, Gennady, the Feodorovskaya Icon of the Mother of God, and to you, Andrey, the “Supportress of Sinners.” Let them guard your home.
Gennady Seleznev:
That's very pleasant, thanks!
Andrey Nasyrov:
Thank you!
Thank you very much for this meeting, thank you for helping people really live, and God bless you! Thank you!
Gennady Seleznev:
Thanks a lot!
Andrey Nasyrov:
Although everyone knows the songs of the group “Rozhdestvo”, they are constantly in rotation on leading radio stations, this team, when coming to our city, does not give solo concerts, but prefers to perform at corporate events. Before the start of one of them, we met the author-performer of the group, Gennady Seleznev, in the lobby of the cozy Druzhba hotel, where the musicians stay every time they come to Lugansk.
Seleznev turned out to be an interesting person. The story about creativity was generously flavored with incidents from life, memories of funny situations, meetings with famous people. There were many like this in Gennady’s life.
The idea of creating a team was born from January 6 to 7, 2007, which was the reason to call it “Christmas”. On this day, a tandem of the talented singer-songwriter Gennady Seleznev and bass guitarist and arranger Andrey Nasyrov was formed. In the spring of 2008, the band's debut album was released, and the first listeners were the musicians' friends and existing fans. Since then, the musical group has released three popular albums. People's love is not surprising, because every concert of the team evokes a feeling of happiness in the public. It carries a charge of positivity and makes every meeting unforgettable. The musicians' tour schedule is constantly updated with new events in different regions of the CIS. The group’s hit “You know, this is how I want to live...” is the most downloaded song on the Internet and ranks first in the charts.
– This is not your first time in Lugansk. You come mainly for some private events. Do you feel the love of the local audience?
– We’ve been to your city several times. We worked at the opening of one of the largest hypermarkets, attended the anniversary of a famous concert agency, and birthdays. Everywhere we were received wonderfully. They love us here, they know creativity. It's always a pleasure to work in Lugansk.
– I once read on one of the Internet resources that you used to have a very serious business, which you abandoned for a career in show business. Is this true?
– In Moscow, I had a serious company that specialized in supplying red caviar to the capital. Moreover, we supplied caviar not only to supermarkets in the metropolis, but even to the State Duma and the Presidential Administration.
– Such a serious business and suddenly – a transition to a completely different area. Was it a whim of the soul, the whims of a rich man, or a conscious choice?
– I’ve been singing all my life. I understand your question perfectly, but it was a conscious choice. I am always guided by the principle: “If you want to buy a new coat, throw out the old one first.” I look at life from this bell tower.
– Having listened to several compositions of your group, I got the impression that the songs you perform are diverse, although some listeners are sure that the group “Rozhdestvo” works in the chanson genre. What do you think?
– Initially, when we announced ourselves as a group, many classified us as belonging to the chanson genre. I will characterize our creativity a little differently. This is a synthesis of some kind of lyrical semi-rock on the wave of chanson and pop. Music critics gave us the same definition. Indeed, in our repertoire there are songs in style close to chanson. But most songs reflect the state of our soul at the time of their writing.
– Who did the most unexpected meeting in your life happen to?
– About two years ago, I sang karaoke with the son of your former president, Viktor Viktorovich Yanukovych. It happened in Kyiv, where we were invited by a Ukrainian businessman. The next day we had a corporate event planned, and then Yanukovych Jr. suddenly appeared. That's how we met. We sang karaoke all evening.
– Did the son of the head of state strike you with something?
“He’s a very intelligent guy, so tall and handsome, probably two heads taller than me.” At heart he seemed to me to be a great romantic, singing lyrical songs beautifully. An educated guy, without any show-off. A very attentive person.
– Your main schedule consists mainly of corporate events. It's no secret that previously artists and groups were reluctant to do this, preferring concerts at large venues. Today, performances for a narrow circle of people have been elevated to almost the rank of a mandatory program. Is this the reality of today's life?
– I agree that recently performances at corporate events have become widespread. But we take this more simply. If they call us to sing at some parties, it means we are in demand. We never refuse, we always come. In May 2011, Kyiv saw us for the first time. They performed in the House of Officers, which seats more than a thousand spectators. And the hall was filled to capacity. In November they gave a concert there again, which was sold out. Even if we perform for a small audience, we feel fine. If people invite us, want to hear our songs, and also pay us money for our work, then we need to go. For me, corporate is not a dirty word. There, too, you need to give your best.
– If we talk about the relationship of the Rozhdestvo group with the media, then you are probably more of a radio group? Your team is practically invisible on television.
“We’ve been on radio stations for four years now. We are just beginning our journey on television. We already had an experience when we were invited to the New Year’s Eve of one of the channels, where we performed the song “Winter Evening”. I think our fans need to wait a little, and we need to work hard so that the Rozhdestvo group becomes a frequent guest on TV. Moreover, we want to make a couple of videos in Kyiv, Lvov and Moscow. Negotiations are already underway, this will be a real gift for our fans.
– Are there songs in your repertoire that are dedicated to someone in particular?
- Eat. For example, the composition “On the Canal in Tushino” was written from the words of one of my friends who met a girl. That is, it is based on a real life story. The song “This is how I want to live” is dedicated to my parents.
– What qualities do you value in people?
– First of all, patience. I also like positivity in people. And the desire to live for the sake of someone and something should be present in every person.
– Are you an optimist or a pessimist in life?
“I’m the kind of person that if I don’t have something in this life, but at the same time I really want it, it means it will happen soon.” The main thing is not to stop, but to move forward.
– What does loneliness mean to you?
– Loneliness for me is if I don’t sit in the studio and write new songs, then I feel lonely. At such moments I don't feel comfortable. Well, if your soul is lonely, then this is the strongest loneliness.
– Is there any motto or slogan that helps you go through life?
– Our main slogan is corporate parties, weddings, dances... In a word, work, without which I can no longer live. I even love celebrating the New Year at work.
© Sergey Odintsov, specially for Realnaya Gazeta
TagsDo you know how much red caviar Moscow eats per month?
Two hundred forty-five tons!
Gennady Selezne told me about this during our conversation.
He knows everything about red caviar, and not by hearsay. There was a time when Seleznev was engaged in the caviar business, supplying this product not only to three hundred stores in Moscow, but also to the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation.
- It turns out that you ate caviar with spoons, and then suddenly you left it all and picked up the guitar. Why?
— In one word, I’m just tired of it. Without going into details, I will say: the caviar business is an extremely troublesome business that requires constant investment. Over the years that I did it - from the late 90s until 2004 - I really got tired.
In general, by 2004, I seemed to be tired of business as such. Before my friend and I started trading red caviar in Moscow, he and I were involved in real estate in Hungary.
— Tired of business activity, did you decide to start singing?
— No, I left the business and went to work in a taxi.
- In a taxi?!
- Yes, I needed complete freedom! I lived in a taxi, spent the night there, and to be honest, I really loved what I did. It was while working as a taxi driver that I began writing my songs. He began not only to write poems, but also to read them to his passengers. I looked at their reaction: did they like it or didn’t they like it? Then everything happened by chance. I had a regular passenger - a young woman named Masha from the city of Dmitrov. For two years I drove her from home to work and back, during which time we became friends. And then one day, when she got sick, in order to support my good friend, I started sending her SMS with quatrains.
Masha liked them so much that she suggested: “Make a song!” But how? The money remaining from the caviar business had already run out by that time. You know, I like to live large!
- And how did you get out of the situation?
- Masha said that she would help - she would give money for the release of a single. My taxi driver friends, by the way, also supported me financially. So in 2006 I ended up in Andrei Nasyrov’s studio, where we recorded my voice, and then decided to sit and drink cognac. Some other people came up, we played the guitar and sang. When two days later I came to Andrey to pick up my disc, he suddenly pressed some button on the remote control, and I heard our whole Sabantuy in the studio.
Can you imagine? It turns out that Andrei accidentally wrote it down! He asked me: “Where do all these songs come from that you sing with a guitar?” I say: “Mine, I made it up.” Then he suggested: “Let's try to organize a group?” This conversation took place on January 6, on the eve of a big holiday, and therefore the group was called “Christmas”.
— Do you have a musical education? — No, but as far back as I can remember, I have always loved to sing. I started singing for the first time when I was five years old. At nine I was already watching the older kids with all my eyes as they sang and played guitars in the yard. I didn’t get my own guitar until I was twenty-seven years old. At one party, the owner of the house took it off the wall and handed it to me as a token of gratitude for the songs that I sang there.
- What were they singing?
- Yes, everything in a row - Loza, Makarevich, Antonov... By the way, in my group I’m the only one who doesn’t have a musical education, but some guys even have several.
- What did you finish?
- How is it with Pushkin? “We all learned a little”... This is exactly about me. After ten years, having graduated from the Moscow school of head waiters and waiters, I worked for some time as a waiter at the Rossiya Hotel. Then he entered the institute, but dropped out - he went to study as an actor, then ended up at VGIK, where he studied for a year and a half as a director...
- Gennady, you are obviously a risky person. If you lose interest in something, do you immediately give it up?
“Otherwise, I don’t think you’ll achieve anything in life.”
— Your group “Rozhdestvo” has existed for five years. Aren't you tired?
- Yes, what are you talking about! I'm just getting the hang of it. You know, I don’t like lofty words, but I admit: now I am a truly happy person, because I am doing what, obviously, my heart has been striving for all my life. Even my mother once told me: “Son, business is not yours, you need to create, sing!”
— When creating the group “Rozhdestvo”, what did you think and dream about: fame, money? - Of course not. We just wanted to play, sing our songs. At first, we all gathered in the basement! After all, I only left the taxi when we recorded our second album, “Bright Angel.” Now, by the way, we have already recorded the fourth one. At that moment I realized that I had to become hungry, angry, in the good sense of the word, so that only music could feed me, in order to do only music. In fact, I left the taxi for nowhere: no one knew us yet, and no one had any idea what would happen ahead either...
It’s now that we “have worked up an appetite”, today I’m already thinking about how best to promote our music not only here, but also abroad, I dream of opening my own production center - I want to look for young talents, of which there are so many in our country, to take take them under your wing and give them a way.
— How did you write your hit “So I Want to Live”?
— Everyone tells me: the song is magical. Both adults and children listen to her. How did she turn out like this? Don't know. Maybe because it was written at a time when I had very serious experiences - my stepfather was dying of cancer, we fought for his life for two years. Then my uncle, my mother’s younger brother, passed away, and soon my mother herself fell ill with cancer and also passed away. I had such a terrible three years.
All this time I was creating the song “So I Want to Live” literally line by line. Then it lay on the table for a whole year. And now everyone already knows it, and we recently shot a video for this composition. I'm glad that we have such a calling card song. This really encourages me - I want to create, write new and new songs, which people now constantly expect from us.
— I wonder if you start your performances with “So I Want to Live” or end with it? - It happens differently. It all depends on the people who came to the concert. Some, before we even got on stage, demand: “This is how I want to live,” come on!” In general, I sincerely love my audience. During the performance, I actively communicate with her, telling all sorts of stories and anecdotes. Moreover, the further we go from Moscow and St. Petersburg, the more interesting it becomes. In the outback there live amazing, open, unspoiled people.
— Is there something special about your rider?
- No. Ordinary food, tea, fruit, four star hotel. But if there isn’t one where we’ve been invited, no problem—we’ll still perform.
- Alcohol? — In the group, in general, everyone is indifferent to him. We can order a bottle of cognac for the dressing room, but just to warm up the joints. There was, however, a time when I loved feasts. But now I have given up alcohol. You see, alcohol bothers me.
I move a lot while performing. But it’s one thing to run across the stage when you’re 30 years old, it’s quite another thing when you’re 49. Here, to be in shape, you have to be able to give up something.
- Tell about your family.
“I have a big family: my wife, thirteen-year-old beautiful daughter Nika, a Labrador, two cats and a hamster, Feofan!”
— Gennady, finally, I can’t help but ask you as a specialist: should a sandwich with red caviar be eaten with or without butter?
- What sandwich, what butter? Red caviar should be eaten in its pure form - and only with spoons! (Laughs)
Interviewed by Sergo Kukhianidze
Photo: press service of the group “Rozhdestvo” and press service of Radio Chanson
The history of the Moscow group “Rozhdestvo” dates back to 2010 - that’s when its first album “One of You” was released. It is noteworthy that the musicians took their initial steps in Ukraine - their first concert took place here in the House of Officers, as well as their first performance on the radio. And even now the group “Rozhdestvo” does not forget about our country - on the eve of the Ukrainian tour, its lead singer Gennady Seleznev gave an interview to GolosUA. - Gennady, for sure, you are not just a guest vocalist, but are directly involved in the idea of creating the group “Rozhdestvo”... - The group was created by chance, by God's command. At that time I was working in a taxi and wrote poetry for a girl I knew. By the way, this song “Flowers for Masha” was later included in the third album, and then I needed to record vocals. The man who now works as a sound engineer for us brought me to Andrei Nasyrov. He had a studio, and he is now one of the leaders of the group. - And a bass guitarist... But how did events develop that you decided to join forces? - We recorded vocals for this song, and then Andrey offered to sit with other musicians. Our tea party with a guitar successfully lasted until 5 o’clock in the morning in the orphanage for creativity, and he forgot to turn off the microphone and everything was recorded. Then he turned me on to listen to this party and asked: “Where did all this come from?”, and I answered: “These are my songs.” Then he said: "Let's try them"cultivate" and let's make a group." I got into the car and saw that on the desk calendar - January 6, Christmas Eve. I called Andrey and suggested: "Let's not invent anything, let's call ourselves "Christmas." This all happened at the beginning of 2008. - You mentioned that you worked as a taxi driver. Who else and do you have a musical education? - I was also the director of the Star Trek trading company, which sold red caviar. Then he threw it all away and took a taxi because he wanted freedom. And indeed, at a new job in the early 2000s, I began to compose songs and sing them to my passengers, observing the reaction. By the way, I left the taxi only when the group’s second album was coming out. Then I decided for myself: if music doesn’t start feeding me, it simply doesn’t need me. I wrote poetry since childhood, but I didn’t go to music school. I think if I knew the notes, I wouldn’t be able to create like this now. All the other musicians in our group have a musical education. - When you changed everything in your life so much by taking up music, did your family and friends believe in you? - I started doing what I wanted to do at 43 years old. At first there was no means of subsistence. My mother helped me, but she died soon after. The kingdom of heaven to her. Before her death she said: “All your life you have been involved in some kind of business, songs were your hobby, but this is the real thing.” I listened to her and everything started to work out. As for friends, those who know me well are not surprised, because they know that I am a daredevil in life. But recently I had a meeting with a person whom I had not seen for 20 years. He came to my album presentation in Moscow with a bouquet of roses and said:« When we found out that it was you singing, the pause from surprise lasted for a day». - You write lyrics and melodies. Where does inspiration come from? - I describe either personal moments that I experienced, or stories that I heard from friends out of the corner of my ear. Inspiration comes from the sky, from space. At first I write poetry; at the moment I have more of them than melodies. Many of the characters from my texts really exist, they are from life. After I compose the words and melodies with the guitar, Andrey works on arrangements with the musicians. We recently released a new album"And I believe." In total, we already have 50 songs, officially released in four albums, not counting remixes. - Your first official video was recently released, which was filmed near Kiev in Pushcha-Voditsa. What were your reasons for choosing the filming location? - The choice is obvious: “Christmas” everyone calls it a Ukrainian group, because Kyiv discovered us in 2011, when we first played at the House of Officers. Also, our first radio broadcast took place in Ukraine, there are a lot of friends here. When we were thinking about where to film, we immediately decided that on this earth we like it here. The shooting of the video took place at night, it was raining heavily, I stood in a pond in the water for two hours, there were horses and dogs nearby. Italian director Luca Fachini, before arriving to shoot a video, fell from a stepladder and broke his leg. So his ideas were embodied by two fragile women - co-producer Irina Fomenko and Ukrainian producer Natalya Golub, known from the TV program"Heads and Tails". I like the result we got, a philosophical video came out. - It was filmed for a song« I want to live this way» from the first album. They say that once at a concert in the Kremlin dedicated to Police Day, Russian President Vladimir Putin shed tears during its performance... - Yes, he got emotional. Then it was impossible not to feel emotional, the situation in the hall and the video sequence were conducive to this. It was a requiem. - What songs of yours are most often requested by the public? - The other day in Bryansk at a concert they asked" Pencils ". They often want to hear" Youth ", " I want to live this way» - they have become folk songs that live their own lives. - Are you satisfied with the number of listeners the group has?" Christmas "? - At the concert that took place in Kyiv on November 29, there weren’t even extra free stools. Also, the hall was packed, for example, in Penza. On November 28 they played in Bryansk - the hall was 85 percent full. Now we are going on a tour of Ukraine. By the way, we have already visited your cities in the spring. The audience here is wonderful: in Poltava they listen carefully to the words, in Sumy they stand up and sing along. Ukraine is truly a songbird. - Did recognition quickly come to you? - In Russia they were already downloading ringtones for our songs with all their might, but in person" Christmas " No one knew. When the group was accidentally invited to a radio station"Chanson" in Kyiv, its director looked at us and said:« Wow, the song is booming in the charts, but no one knows you». At the end of 2011, we were presented with an award at the Ice Palace in St. Petersburg and the spectators, approaching the stage with flowers, whispered:« Finally we saw them in person». Fame and popularity are God's providence, which means our path had to turn out this way. - What musical genre do you classify your work as? - This is a synthesis of lyrical rock, mixed with waves of chanson and pop. Our creativity reflects all five musicians - members of the group. Whoever is interested in anything in the musical direction is present: there is chanson - this“My Pears, My Pears”, “Pencils”. But “Birds Fly Away”, “Kama Sutra” - what chanson is this? We may have different songs on one album. In general, we bring something new, we have our own identity. - Why "Christmas" calls itself a Moscow group, not a Russian one? - There’s just a group in St. Petersburg too" Christmas ", who plays folk music. We appeared at the same time and decided that we needed to be different from them in the name. - Are you planning to sing in Ukrainian? - We’re still thinking about this, because we need to sing beautifully, we don’t want to distort the language. We have experience in Italian - I once sight-sang and people in Italy said that I had a normal Neapolitan accent (Laughs - Ed.). We’ll probably try it in Ukrainian too, I want to make a national hit so that it will blow your mind. - Do you agree with the statement that music is either good or bad? - To be honest, sometimes I don’t even know the name of the musician, but if it’s pleasing to the ears and heart, I listen to him. Of course, you need to treat all your colleagues in the music industry with respect, and I wish everyone only the best! Let there be more good songs, and we will go our own way. Each of our songs is verified by musicians; we do not have passable compositions. I believe that we are difficult guys, marked by God's grace. The members of our group are so brilliant that if you ask them, they will play in any style, in any format, but all the songs that end up in our albums are chosen with great responsibility. For example, saxophonist Viktor Boyarintsev is the curator of my poems. - By the way, you work without a producer... - Yes, we had a producer, but he turned out to be short-sighted. Because of him, for example, the song« I want to live this way» It sat on the table for a whole year! We stepped on this rake twice and tried to collaborate with the producer, but now we are on our own. It’s financially difficult, of course, but I reconsidered my life a long time ago. Of course, money is needed, I won’t say that I’m an altruist, but it comes when it’s needed. The Lord will not let his soldiers offend anyone, but we are his servants, and he sees all this from above. We are happy to do what we love and are grateful to heaven. - Apparently, Gennady Seleznev is a believer, but your songs have no religious overtones... - All my songs are about love. They are written for the common man in simple language, although, in fact, there is a lot hidden between the lines. Every song has something that a person should believe in the bright, the good, the good. - What will you do on New Year's Eve and in the new year? - In 2014 we will continue to create, sing, and release our fifth album. On New Year's Eve I want to be at work. It's boring at home, what's there - salads? After the holidays, we'll go skiing.
“We were then told that we had to sing one song, and then there would be a minute of silence. The song began and in the middle everyone began to get up from their seats. I didn’t even really see the president, because everything was blurry for me in an incomprehensible euphoria. I also show the guitarist Andrey with my eyes that, they say, we’ll sing next. Then we watched everything on TV, then I saw that our President Vladimir Vladimirovich became emotional. I felt a tingle somewhere inside. I realized that he is a real guy, a real man. The only thing is that he doesn’t show his weakness to anyone, but inside he has a real human heart!” he said.
Seleznev called the participation of the group “Rozhdestvo” in the festive concert for the Day of Internal Affairs Officers in 2013 “God’s providence.”
“It really was God’s providence. After this concert, ordinary people, my friends, called me. Those who serve in the authorities also called. One said: “Brother, now you can ride without a license, start singing right away.” A person from show business called, asking how much the song cost. I told him: “If you think that you can agree on payment with God, then take a risk,” Seleznev noted.
