‘The main thing is to be in the right place at the right time’: if it’s hard to start a career as a musician in Kazan

Azat Gimadeyev: “Everyone is on social networks, and therefore it is very easy to promote your music”

Azat Gimadeyev has already gained popularity among listeners in Tatarstan. The artist composes music in the neoclassical and acoustic pop genres. He has already released seven albums.

As the composer told Realnoe Vremya, he has been connected with music since childhood, since he was born into a family of musicians. From an early age, Azat Gimadeyev played the synthesiser that belonged to his father, and later he was bought his own instrument.

He began composing his first melodies at the age of 11. According to Azat Gimadeyev, the beginning of a musical career does not depend on where you live. This is especially not important in today's reality, when there is the Internet: “When there was no Internet, people had to perform at music festivals and often show themselves there somehow.”

“Now all people listen to music on various Internet platforms, such as Yandex Music, Spotify, VK, everyone is on social networks, so it is very easy to promote your music, if only there is a desire,” the musician noted.

Considering his experience, Azat Gimadeyev said that a solo career in music can be started alone. He himself has never been a member of any group. Now he has his own team, with which he performs at concerts.

The composer noted that there are enough venues for performances in Kazan, but there are fewer for beginning artists — if earlier it was possible to perform in various time cafes, Theatre Fan or in the Vasiliev Brothers Workshop, now most of the performance venues are available to more experienced musicians.

K3DERT: “If it weren't for one person, everything would be completely different, and it's not a fact that it would be as cool”

The K3DERT trio are debutants in new Tatar music. The group consists of Nail Sabirov, Karina Khalyapova and Rafael Kamaleyev. Last year, they released their first two songs, this year their number has grown to seven.

As the group said, they have known each other for a long time and have always been united by creativity. At some point, they were united by a common goal: the desire to create music in their native language, share it with the outside world and popularize the Tatar language.

“We all have individual performance backgrounds, but by uniting into one project, we realized how much each of our skills and abilities complement each other. We get great pleasure from performing on stage. We always receive powerful support from the audience. This really charges and motivates us for further work,” the artists noted.

K3DERT said that the capital of Tatarstan has an excellent creative community for starting a career and they are on good terms with their colleagues, from whom they often receive support and help in various matters.

According to the trio, starting a musical career alone is much more difficult — it is much easier when there are people nearby who are also passionate about performing on stage.

“We met each other once and now we understand that only such a trio, with such skills and goals, could turn into K3DERT. If there were no one, everything would be completely different, and it is not a fact that it would be as cool,” the guys said.

There are enough venues for performances by aspiring artists in Kazan, the trio is sure, but everything depends on the season — in the warm season there are many times more projects than in winter.

Al Su: “Of course, there are many opportunities in Kazan in this regard, especially for Tatar indie musicians”

Indie artist Alsu Mansurova performs under the pseudonym Al Su. She released her first song Telgeleu literally last year. At the moment, she has released one joint and two solo tracks.

Alsu Mansurova said that she became interested in singing in childhood. She received a basic education at a music school and at the same time participated in various competitions. However, when entering the university, she chose the direction of journalism, and not culture, as she had previously wanted. Such circumstances only helped her — being a PR specialist, she met the Yummy Music label and eventually realised that the time had come to express herself through her music.

According to Alsu Mansurova, each artist's musical career begins at their own time. Thus, the singer said that she herself lacked the courage to start making original music.

“Of course, Kazan has many opportunities in this regard, especially for Tatar indie musicians. As if the city does not have any special significance. The main thing is to be at the right time and in the right place and not be shy about talking about yourself and your opportunities, not be afraid to suggest ideas. Ask questions if you doubt or don’t know. Show initiative and take responsibility,” added the artist.

Alsu Mansurova advised aspiring singers to try writing songs on their own at first. If this work is difficult, then you can go to more experienced performers. In her opinion, in this case, the chances of “taking off” will be greater.

The singer noted that in Kazan there are many opportunities for creating Tatar songs.

“Music is a universal tool through which an artist can penetrate the soul of any person, regardless of their nationality and religious affiliation,” the girl is sure.

Al Su confirmed the words of her colleagues about a sufficient number of venues for new artists — these are concerts organised by the label and large events. There is an opportunity to participate in various festivals, which is useful for a beginner musician.

Lunami: “This is my favorite thing about performances — a conversation with the audience, soul to soul”

Amina Garayeva (Lunami) is the author and performer of her own songs. She started her career recently, but has already gained a large number of listens and found loyal fans. The artist has released four tracks. The most popular is the single Kil Yanyma.

As Amina Garayeva said, she started to perform on stage in an effort to personally meet her listeners. And to see the eyes of those who, in some way, filled her songs with new colours and meanings, passing her music through their souls.

“This is my favourite thing in performances — a conversation with the audience, soul to soul,” the artist noted.

Amina Garayeva is still surprised that her creative life takes place in Kazan, although she lives in St. Petersburg. The artist connects this with the fact that in the capital of Tatarstan she has a large number of close and dear people who became her first listeners.

“And after all, music begins with them. When they hear it. Therefore, for me personally, it was easier to develop creativity in Kazan. But it seems that if you channel your creative energy in the right direction, it’s easy to start anywhere,” the singer summed up.

In her opinion, it’s probably easier and more harmonious to start a musical career by joining an existing project. The main thing in such a story is the similarity of values and views on creativity. Working in an established label will help a person “touch the ground”, get used to the stage and find support.

“And then do your own thing, with a clearer understanding of how the ‘gears’ work in this big universe of the music industry. But at the same time, I believe that everyone has their own story, you can come up with your own ‘gears’ and how they will work — you can also think of them yourself. There are no boundaries, the main thing is to try without fear of missing the notes,” said Amina Garayeva.

According to the singer, Kazan is a treasure trove of opportunities for creativity, development and growth. She added that the main thing is for a person to be able to search, cling and use their opportunities wisely. The artist noted that one should not be afraid to ask for help, adding that, as experience shows, people in Kazan and Tatarstan are extremely responsive and interested in new creative projects.