Alexey Romanof: “My music will never be the same. Alexey Romanov - the new king among composers Alexey Romanov Ranevskaya song who is

Almost crying from the “divorce”, the pop heroine is preparing for a new breakthrough

Passions are running high: one of the finalists of the ZD Awards is the epoch-making (so we can already say!) group for our pop music, the Vintage group, which has more than once taken the lead, last time can become “Group of the Year” with its golden lineup. Anna Pletneva and Alexey Romanof always called themselves “ musical husband and wife,” left their previous stage colleagues at the peak of their fame to start working together, and seemed to have created an unbreakable creative union. But just recently - 11 years after their crowned union - the super-pop tandem announced their separation. Pletneva was replaced by four new vocalists, whom Romanof selected, however, together with Anya. The former frontwoman continues her career solo. In an interview with ZD, the artist told why such a strong union broke up, what awaits fans around the corner and how she met the new “Faina Ranevskaya”.

Anya, it is quite obvious that ZD readers, when choosing the finalists in the “Group of the Year” nomination, voted for the “classic” “Vintage”, in which you and Alexey Romanov were one musical whole. At the height of popularity, the group breaks up. ABBA you are ours!!! Why?

To my great regret, this story really ended. We made the decision together, although many fans thought that I, as the frontwoman of the group, put an end to it. What happened was the logical outcome of what was happening; we simply had no choice. IN Lately everything was like in a marriage that had already cracked, although outwardly it did not manifest itself in any way. A union, personal or creative, cannot last long in this state. If people no longer burn with a single impulse, are not in the same cage, and something has broken inside, it means that very soon their paths will diverge. Unfortunately, this happened in our case too. The fact that they still vote for us as a single creative whole, on the one hand, is incredibly pleasant, on the other hand, it even hurts, like a knife to the heart, because right now we are saying goodbye to that same amazing energy, to the very team that lived a fairly long and happy life. But, despite any disagreements, short-term grievances between Alexei Romanov and me, I know for sure that inside there was only great love for our common brainchild, great pride for it. I speak very emotionally because the feelings are overwhelming. And I have a clear understanding that we made this entire amazing story together: it would not have been born if our tandem had not arisen.

Back in August last year, you renamed the group: “Vintage” turned into the “Anna Pletneva” project, and then new members appeared... Did you carefully plan the separation algorithm?

No. Now from the outside it may seem that all our recent joint actions were a cunningly planned scheme - the video “A Little Advertising”, where we showed ourselves in a coffin, the very words of this song - “leave at least a little love after the period as a keepsake.” In fact, this was absolutely not the case: we planned to continue working together, but fate decreed otherwise. And, by the way, with the advent of the Anna Pletneva project, the Vintage group did not disappear anywhere, and continues to successfully exist with a renewed composition. Now the group has four soloists - four “bad girls”.

- What do you see as the “Vintage” phenomenon? What secrets of success were manipulated?

We certainly had these secrets, but, to be honest, we ourselves could not fully reveal them. Before the birth of the group, both Lesha and I were not creatively free, each was in his own musical “prison” - I was in the Lyceum group, he was in Amega. Perhaps the fact that we broke away from there and began to go “in spite” gave a great impetus to further development. It's been 11 years since we created Vintage. At the beginning of this journey we were called “downed pilots”; no one the right artists. And we, being proud, stubborn people, decided - “come what may,” we felt free and began to have fun, without thinking about the format, about the trend. We created our own trends. But still, I think the main reason for success was the action of some magical powers that I believe in. And the way they work is inexplicable.

Many Russian artists are still criticized for being one level lower Western performers, and your shows were truly high quality. What foreign samples did you focus on?

Lesha and I are not only similar creative stories, we are also the same age, so we grew up in the same era, essentially listening to the same music. We saw that turning point when the forbidden became accessible; Madonna and Michael Jackson, to whom “Vintage” once dedicated the song “Mickey,” appeared on the stage. These artists changed people's consciousness, and they influenced us too. In addition, I was a more alternatively oriented girl than Romanov, at some point I went crazy about Björk - I really liked her. I remember the first clips, the first VCRs on which they were recorded. All this could not help but leave an imprint, and all this shaped us as individuals from childhood. But, of course, we never copied anyone's shows on purpose, that would have been too primitive. Sometimes some associations and allusions arose: for example, I attended Lady Gaga’s performances several times and thought that in some sense this story was parallel to ours. It seems to me that in creative world there is a certain unified information field - and similar energy can manifest itself in different people in different parts of the world. This is also such an interesting and inexplicable thing.

- Isn’t it chilly now, as a solo performer? What thoughts does a new stage begin with?

Now I feel my strength, and this is, first of all, the power of experience. Of course, that girl 11 years ago and me today are two different people. I feel confident, I know that I can do a lot, and most importantly, I want to move on. In show business, in life in general, everything is not as simple as it seems from the outside. We don’t go in a straight line, we rise and fall, and in this situation it is very easy to break down, to lose the desire to do anything, to create something new. I still want this, which means I can. In my case, this formula works one hundred percent.

- What level are you setting for yourself now?

I have a lot of ideas. I want to make it big solo concert. After big changes a lot needs to be built anew, in a sense - to start from scratch, but to go further and higher. I have a favorite phrase from the book “Alice Through the Looking Glass”. When Alice and the Red Queen are running across the chessboard and at some point Alice asks the Queen if they have reached the goal, which seems to be very close, she replies: “Well, dear, to move to the next square, you need to run two times faster". Right now I have a feeling that I have to run twice as fast, make a dash, and I will do it.

You recently released a very funny and unexpected clip“Girlfriend”, filmed with comedian Marina Fedunkiv. How did this work come about?

This is a unique story because we really became friends, although we didn’t even know each other before. We realized that we don’t want to stop, we want to rock, we’re filming our series, we meet constantly and just laugh together. She is, of course, an amazing person, unlike anyone else. I am very glad that Marina appeared in my life. You know, this is such a Faina Ranevskaya of the new era. I always adored Ranevskaya, dreamed of meeting her, and so I met her - in some new incarnation. It’s great that everyone liked our duet, although for me it was an unusual experiment, a gift of fate.

- What are the main conclusions you have drawn for yourself over the years on stage?

You know, I feel and clearly understand that I am not even halfway there yet. Therefore, can I draw conclusions in another 20 years? And maybe I’ll write a book about it. (Laughs.)

The “Vintage” hitmaker told what kind of accident the group actually started with, and admitted that Yuri Usachev taught him a lot.

Lesha Romanov is a modest person. He wrote at least fifty songs that the whole country sings, and at the same time he is glad that few people recognize him by sight. Behind him is work in America with Sergei Krylov, collaboration with Yuri Usachev, work in the popular Amega. But most importantly, he is one of the two people who make up the backbone of the super-current Vintage group. He and Anya Pletneva.

“Vintage” has just released a new album “Decamerone” - daring, provocative, bright. Already causing a lot of controversy on the Internet. And on November 8, “Vintage” will show a new show at Ray Just Arena, the name “Forbidden World” alone is worth it...

- How many children do you have, Alexey?

Two, two for now. My daughter has started fifth grade, and the youngest turns three in October. My daughter goes to an English school.

- Do they have music lessons? It seems that all schools have canceled them...

It seems there is. At least in the first three grades she definitely had them. But I don’t know about the last year. When I went to school myself, we taught music from first to sixth grade, and I really loved these lessons. I remember that in the fifth-sixth grade I even replaced the music teacher. I took records of the Beatles, Arabesques, some classics, and even tried to sing something at the piano... But still no one listened to me! Usually schoolchildren were skeptical about this lesson - like if you like music, you are a nerd. But there were no ensembles or groups at the school. I went to study at the Palace of Pioneers on Polyanka, where at the age of 12 I studied at the Druzhba VIA. And then a chain reaction began - first I had a fake “Tender May”, then a half-“Tender May”, and off we go. By 1993, I had grown to join Sergei Krylov’s team.

Oh, I recently saw him at Five Stars in Yalta. Moreover, he walked with dignity, because he introduced himself as the producer of one of the participants in the competition.

You will laugh, but he also produced me at one time! It was very funny. Serezha is generally a very interesting person, with his own principles, numerology and so on. And then Krylov had such a show “School”. From it came me, the singer of Bush and Yulia Nachalova, widely known in gypsy circles.

- Did she have a story with the show “Morning Star”?

Yes, it went somehow in parallel. I didn’t end up anywhere except in the USA. I was 16 years old, the collapse of the Soviet Union had just happened - it was very cool! Now I don’t want to fly there, I have nothing to do there. And then - it was just right, I got there at the right time. I absorbed like a sponge everything that happened around Sergei Krylov and his friends. And among his friends there were very famous musicians. Krylov recorded his albums there, and the atmosphere was wonderful. For example, I met Dr. there. Dre, who is now a rap mastodon, but then he was a nobody. We sat and chatted. It was like this at this studio - at night there was Michael Jackson writing his album HIStory (at night because it was cheaper), and during the day - Sergei Krylov with his pockets full of cash. It was fun! We go to a clothing store for overweight people - Luciano Pavarotti goes there... I couldn’t seriously produce anything creative then, I was young. But a lot of what I absorbed in America influences what I do now.

And I will say the biggest thank you to Krylov for introducing me to Grozny and Shlykov, with whom I later made “Amega.”

- Passed it from hand to hand?

I signed a contract with ZeKo Records in 1994, and Amega was formed in 1998. For four years I was essentially “closed.” I now understand that some projects need to sit out, endure or wait in order to be able to shoot on time. And then? You are 15-16 years old, you kick your hoof, rush forward, blame producers for not doing anything... In general, it’s funny when artists blame producers. If there is success, then the artist seems to be a great one, but if there is failure, then the producer is worthless.

- That’s what many people think! But why were there no songs of yours in Amega at all, just songs by Andrei the Terrible?

I can understand him. Andrey was interested in promoting his songs; he was interested in creative work. I made my modest contribution - already at the stage of producing and recording. But the success of the songs is, of course, entirely the merit of Ivan the Terrible.

He divided projects in his head - “Amega” will be a guitar pop group, and “Brilliant” will be a purely girls’ project?

Yes, he is generally a great mathematician and strategist. It’s even strange to me that he’s not in sight now. After all, it was Andrey who created the first girl band in the country, and this was at the same time as the Spice Girls - the ideas were born at the same time! Moreover, the first two albums of “Brilliant” are excellent works, not only from a commercial, but also from a creative point of view. I especially like the first “There, Only There”. Grozny was then an advanced person, he listened to current music, on Fridays we went with him to the then fashionable club “Titanic”, to various jazz clubs. Olya Orlova sang excellently there, with fantastic overtones. The girls were chosen well, not right away, but over the course of a year everything worked out. Now it’s hard to imagine that at that time “Brilliant” was not only a popular, but also a fashionable group with a current sound.

And “Amega” was rather the alter ego of Andrei himself - what he would like to do on stage if he himself were an artist. He did the project for me. Now I can talk about this honestly and openly. But no one needed the ugly little black boy on stage; they needed a picture for visualization. Picture for sale! Oleg Dobrynin was found - handsome, stately blond, our salvation in yellow boots. He later did not have a very successful career as a musician, but now he teaches vocals and honestly earns his living.

There was a missing third link, and it was I who came up with Lena Perova’s arrival. Grozny said that we needed a guitarist, let’s find a guy, a fashionable guitarist, and we’ll be up and running in a month. That is, it was meant purely men's group. And at that moment Lena Perova was released; she hosted the “Party Zone” program. I call Andrey - why a guitarist, let there be a guitarist, and then there is Perova. Grozny jumps up to the ceiling - great, but it’s unrealistic, do you agree? I will try. And Lena agreed quite easily.

- Why is it easy? She left the Lyceum with a scandal?

She was a superstar at that moment. For the first six months, everyone perceived us as the Amega group and Lena Perova. From a media point of view, Lena did a tremendous job for the team! Of course, the group went on tour right away, instantly. Invitations to all the top programs followed, plus her brother Seryozha Suponev was already working on Channel One, and at every opportunity he tried to push us into any of the channel’s programs.

- Was she pulling the blanket over herself?

No! We all pulled the blanket over ourselves, and Grozny and Shlykov acted as parents, telling each child that he was the most beloved. But Lena worked honestly for a year and six months, realized that she had nothing to catch, and left. She generally special person. She taught me a lot, both good and bad. Both should be experienced. We then had a cheerful, eventful, almost sleepless life.

- What happened in the interval between leaving Amega and that famous accident with Anya Pletneva?

Time for a rethink. I once thought that changes in my life are detrimental to the psyche. You just spoke to the president of some republic, flew on his personal plane, you land in Moscow with a 50 dollar fee - and take a minibus to the Water Stadium. This is the problem with all production projects; it’s hard to live with. At the Lyceum they paid $100. Of course, there were a lot of concerts, and a decent amount of money was collected, especially for a young man, but... Alcohol begins, extinguishing internal problems with something else. Although there were no creative problems, I was fulfilling myself. Then Lena Perova left, there were fewer concerts, discord began... And you feel like material to be used, a manufacturer. I decided to leave. I moved in with my grandmother and lived with her for a year on her pension. It was enough, she somehow managed. I even tried to get a job as a salesperson in a clothing boutique, but they didn’t take me. And thank God they didn’t take it!

I tried to record some material with the money of Ira Shipilova, a former PR woman for Blestyashchiye. I went to see Yuri Shmilevich Aizenshpis, it was a funny story. And he says to me - well, why didn’t you come to me a week ago? And I just took a new boy, Dima. Bilana, of course. Aizenshpis also told me a very important phrase, which I remember and remember every time. Even I, said Aizenshpis, won’t be able to put this song of yours on the radio. If you write a song that all the radio stations will play, you will tear everyone apart! I still live under this slogan.

But another Yura managed to put my songs on air, this is Yura Usachev. I have already collaborated with Eva and Yura as a solo artist. But a colossal image mistake was made - we started making fun dance slobbery music, it was formatted, radio stations took it, but people didn’t need it. They have not yet gotten used to the guitar “Amega” with me, and they are given sweet Ken in the videos with me. I still don't like watching those unctuous videos. Songs were played on the radio, clips were played on TV - but there were no tours, I didn’t go anywhere for six months. “Ten Kisses”, “I Won’t Look for You” under the name Alexey Romanoff. They are well known, but they are not associated with me now. The image had no core. Even then it was clear to me that this was not the case. Yura did everything he could. But he believed that a little more guitar alternative would throw me out of the radio format. It was in those years that it was actually born, that very format.

I wrote more and more songs, Yura Usachev paid me for them, and even a little more than in “Amega”. Although he hardly made much money from them. And then my daughter was born... We tried to live on $150 a month, buy diapers, and my wife’s parents also helped. Then Katya Lel and Alsou began singing my songs, and my main hit then came from Nepara - “Cry and See.” Then there were many other artists, I worked more and more independently and moved away from Usachev.

And then we come to that accident. From the fee for three songs for Alsou, I just bought my first car, and from Yura. More precisely, Yura bought his wife new car, and gave me her old one. I was in seventh heaven! I couldn’t imagine that I would have my own car, and even almost a jeep - a Honda HR-V. She was only 8-9 years old... I was happy.

And I gouged the bumper... In general, Anya already has her own version that it was she who drove into me! She remembered it, believed in it, and tells everyone in interviews.

- How was it really?

I parked and backed up. And some Skoda with a woman behind the wheel drove into the back. Well, this is my second month behind the wheel. And Anya was passing by at that moment! And here I am standing, almost crying over my bumper, and then some small creature in a fur coat, which stretches another one and a half meters along the floor, jumps out of a passing car and shouts to me - hello! I don't even look, I continue to mourn the bumper. And she - how great it is that we met! Well, yes,” I look sadly at the bumper. This is all bullshit, come on, I want to work with you! - she shouts. Anya was just passing by and saw Romanoff standing alive. And then I was going to the Moscow Art Theater for the “Guests from the Future” concert. The car was then repaired under insurance, and what happened to Anya Pletneva and I is already known to everyone.

When did you agree with her, about what? Did you want to make a girls’ project, or a guitar project, or a purely electronic one?

In the first album we were looking, we didn’t want to be like other pop projects. We were a little alternative, separate from everyone else. We tried to create something new using Western models. In addition, Anya sang completely differently in the Lyceum, they arranged everything according to voices, it turned out “Leisya, song,” but I rather wanted Nina from the Cardigans - half-whispering, noir. And we partially succeeded.

It was difficult to straighten my hair. Anya didn’t want to, she’s naturally curly, she resisted for six months, but she agreed.

- What for? To distance yourself from the Lyceum?

She is very kind with curly hair! She is so kind in real life. But we needed a more aggressive, sexier image. People buy the picture! In the first album we made Girl Power, a self-made girl, all by herself, a loner. And by the second album they achieved sexuality, they went wild there...

- There were “Guests from the Future” nearby, just as Westernized - didn’t you look back at them?

The difference is that Yura Usachev came out of DJing, he does dance music Always. And I come from pop culture, I focus on Kylie Minogue, Madonna and the then non-existent Lady Gaga. A more personal, personalized and more pop story is more important to me. By the way, the first album was not a commercial success, only the song “All the best” reached 13th place in the chart. There have been several good reviews, mostly in advance - it seems good, but we'll see what happens next. I always read reviews, it’s important to me, it gives me food for thought and influences my future actions.

- What conclusions were drawn from the reviews?

I realized that I needed to write an album about what people think about every day. What interests every person, what he thinks about several times a day.

- So about sex? And focus on Madonna?

About sex. But Madonna doesn't have a Sex album. And her album Erotica, by the way, is the most disastrous. And Vintage’s album Sex turned out to be the most commercially successful. But the main thing is that in the first album the concept of the group was only guessed at, but in the second it was already crystallized. What is sex? We put it into categories: it can be like this, like this and like that. The result is a product that is interesting to everyone - it can be criticized or praised, but it is interesting.

There was also the song “Bad Girl,” which was actually banter, but many took it very seriously. Mainly because of the video. There was supposed to be a blonde there. The following were considered for the role of the blonde: Anna Sedokova, Vera Brezhneva, Yulia Volkova, Tatyana Navka... Only Korikova agreed. She agreed and became quiet. We persuaded her for a long time, and yet she came to the studio, everything worked out. But it still didn’t read as banter.

- I didn’t read it.

Although the male butt flashing in front of Pletneva’s face might suggest... By the way, about censorship. Actually, for the first time we made two versions of the video - the hardcore version, which was planned to be shown after midnight, and the soft version. What a surprise it was when at 11 am we saw the hardcore version on the TV screen! And the song took first place on the chart. I couldn't believe it!

We generally rejoice and dance to the ceiling when this happens. Because after every video or album there are voices that “Vintage” has been written out or “Vintage” is no longer the same. Now this is noticeable in “Decamerone”. There were two fairly passable albums in terms of numbers - “Anechka” and Very Dance. In Very Dance I didn’t write music at all, I was resting, creative crisis or whatever you want. Although later I finished all the tracks myself, because I didn’t get what I wanted, and I spent much more energy and nerves if I had done everything myself from the very beginning. Well, that's how it happened. This year I announced that I don’t write songs for anyone else, I compose only for “Vintage” - and immediately rumors began to spread...

But I’m reading all this, and I almost believe it! I really wanted to reset myself and do something completely incredible for myself.

- And it worked! “Decamerone” is truly an out-of-the-ordinary album.

Thank you!

Shooting the video "Fresh Water"

The topic of politics and social issues is in almost half of the tracks. Previously, they only sang about prostitutes. Is this a reaction to what is happening in Russia?

Rather, as a reaction to what is happening throughout the planet. We have Anton Koch, a young guy from Samara, who thinks outside the box and produces unusual lyrics. His lyrics are tough. The first track I heard was “Crisis”, and I really liked it, I wanted to work with it. Aggressive sound - yet very intelligible.

Can't change the target audience? Boys, girls, bunnies who dance to your songs in clubs - they’re not interested in this, are they? Then for whom?

Don't know! When I released my first album, I was immediately asked about the target audience. I didn't know then, and I still don't know who it is. Yes, the first half of the album “Decamerone” is not for clubs, and not for city days. I read responses on the Internet, and I’m glad that thanks to these songs, many people went to Wikipedia to find out the meaning of some words - for example, infanta. 90% of listeners do not know that this is the heir to the throne. They have associations with the word “fanta”. And I am pleased that people improve their erudition with our help.

This only applies to hardcore fans. Ordinary people encounter unfamiliar words in a song and immediately lose interest in it.

Probably so. But there are other songs for them, on the same album. I did what I did. I didn’t have the task of making an album of 13 Namba Van hits.

- Um, why is this?

Because I understand perfectly well that “The Wall of China” will not be a hit. And “Crisis” will not become a hit; even on YouTube it has few views. People don't want to hear or know the truth. It is much more pleasant to be deceived or live in illusions. I myself live in my own illusions. “Universe” is a beautiful melodic song, although it’s strange to hear comparisons with “Tatu,” but okay - I love “Tatu.” There is banter in the song “DNA” - banter at mukles.

- Again, this is your target audience!

Yes, I understand that, they come to our concerts. Thanks to working with Eva and DJ Smash, we partially reached that audience. But in general, our audience has now matured - thanks to the tracks “When You Are Near” and “Sign of Aquarius”.

Anya Pletneva looks amazing. Preserved as a girl. And new songs are for an older audience. Is this preparation for Pletneva’s transition to that audience?

Anya looks great. And the children still love her, they simply adore her, they consider her theirs. We ourselves laugh at the title “best” youth group“We find it pleasant, funny and generally great. Despite our “advanced” age, we like to be young. And nothing stops us from taking and making some other story!

Moreover, it seems that now “Vintage” is the most fashionable group in the country! Well, next to Serebro, let's say. But you pulled everything from everywhere - something from the classics, something from Madonna, something from “Guests from the Future”...

Yes, Yura Usachev taught me a lot. I sometimes use his personal techniques. I absorb everything! It started with Krylov, and off we went. If I talked to Madonna, wow, guys! I would probably move mountains. But her CDs are enough for me. Yes, I'm doing more of a collective age. All the music was written before us, and our songs are a cast of memory, my variation on the theme of what I know and heard.

What is a hit? This is a 100% guessable story, this is a song that you subconsciously like even before it is played. And you are trying to find something of your own, personal in it. When millions do it, the song becomes a hit.

Of course, I love Tchaikovsky, Madonna, Polna, Zemfira - and without hesitation, I quote what I like. If it seems appropriate to me. As a rule, I write music with feelings. For example, I really love Michel Cretu, the founder of Enigma and the producer of his wife Sandra from Arabesque, and "China Wall" was written under his influence. But there is not a single note that matches! It says how I see Creta - how artists write with colors, moods... Or - ABBA is read in the song “DNA”, I deliberately did this so that there was a direct reference to Money, as an egregor of the current life style.

The last 20 years have been eclectic times, after rap there is nothing new musical style. If “Guests from the Future” appeared today, it would still be relevant to listen to.

Yes, if you improve the sound a little. De facto, of course, you are right, no new styles have appeared. Lady Gaga has arrived and she's ahead of the curve when it comes to eclecticism. The song Alejandro is literally a quote from Ace of Base, but that didn't stop it from becoming the #1 track worldwide.

- Which new artists can you name that inspire?

This is more difficult for me. I was growing up then! All my pheromone hormones were established in the 80-90s, I still use them. I perceive new music with caution. I like Sia, I liked DJ Zedd, who did three songs in Lady Gaga's Artpop. I liked Daft Punk's latest album. And so in the player - Vintage, Justin Timberlake, Guests from the Future, Eva Polna, Zemfira, Linda, Madonna, Alanis Morrisette, Björk, Tchaikovsky, Craig David, Daft Punk, David Guetta, Depeche Mode, Elton John, George Michael, Lady Gaga, Lenny Kravitz, Mariah Carey, Michael Jackson, Mylene Farmer, Pet Shop Boys, Rihanna, Sandra, Seal, Sea, Sting, Stromae and Zedd. All!

- Have you ever performed at Kazantip?

It's funny that "Amega" performed at Kazantip, but "Vintage" did not. It turns out that for organizers with small budgets the Vintage group is too expensive. This almost always excludes us from the list of festival artists. Smash flies to France for little money to perform there. Serebro was also dumped in order to get there and travel around the world. And if we go abroad, it’s usually to private parties. There are few open concerts, but they do exist.

You didn't have a very good experience with Sony Music. But you yourself don’t try to get into some Western festivals?

Anya dreams about this. I'm more of a skeptic. But what we achieved in “Vintage” - she dreamed about it, and I, as a skeptic, thought that we would make our way for a long time. And then once - and the song became No. 1 in the country. But show business is structured too differently in Russia and there. Here it is enough to be in Moscow alone to have all communications. And there you have to be on a constant flight - from Belgium to Paris, from London to Prague and so on. You have to do this yourself and very carefully. And I speak English poorly and don’t speak French at all. I studied this topic and thought a lot.

We recently made a joint track with DJ Sasha Dit - a French-language version of a song from the Very Dance album. French Universal told him openly - we like the track, but we don’t have time to deal with you. Communication problem. To exaggerate, you need to go with these people, drink vodka and talk. And if there is no personal contact, there is no understanding of why you should waste your time on promotion. I liked the track though. But how many such tracks are there in Europe? And even in Russia? We have a lot of talented guys. But you have to listen to the track, include it in the radio station’s newsletter... Why waste time on this if you haven’t even met that musician? And yet - everything is possible!

Alena Mikhailova told me an amazing phrase about you in an interview: “This is the top group in terms of radio broadcast volume. And with each new song we break through the wall with our heads. There has never been a time when they installed it right away. And they scare me with tests. But Vintage has this peculiarity - they are always poorly tested in the first weeks. Their songs need to be heard, they are special. And every time you have to persuade them to be patient, wait a week - and the tests will be excellent. And this happens with any of their songs.”

Yes, for some reason the radio people decided that I write complex music. But I always wanted to write beautiful music that I myself would like. I'm not lying if I say that everything I do, I listen to it with pleasure, I like it. I played sports all summer to “Decamerone.” Listened, analyzed. Not only am I not ashamed of this music, I love it. And for me to love her, I have to like her myself.

Guru KEN

Alexey Romanof (Perepelkin)(born April 14, Moscow) - Russian singer and composer, lead singer of the Russian pop group “Vintage”. Former lead singer of the Russian group "Amega" (1998-2005). Alexey is the author of almost all the songs of the Vintage group.

Amega Group

The team was formed by producer and composer Andrei Grozny. The leader of the group was to be Alexey Romanov (Perepelkin). But in 2001, with a scandal, he left the project for solo work. But in 2005, Alexey Romanov returned to the group for a short time, but a week before the filming of the video for the song “Running Away” he unexpectedly announced his departure. The group released hits that became beloved throughout the country due to the fact that their work was distinguished by deep, meaningful lyrics by poetess Tatyana Ivanova and original arrangements by Andrei Grozny and sound producer Sergei Kharuta. At the end of October 2001, the MTV channel reported that Alexey Romanov had left the group. He returned to the Russian stage in September 2002. Before that, he spent about a year in Spain, where he lived with friends and prepared his own project. In 2003, Alexey released his own EP “Nunca Olvidare: I’ll Never Forget.”

Group "Vintage"

In 2006, together with the ex-soloist of the Lyceum group, Anna Pletneva, he created the Vintage group. The story of the group’s origins from the mouths of the soloists goes something like this: Anna was in a hurry to an important meeting, but her plans were not destined to come true. She collided with Alexei Romanov's car. While the artists were waiting for the traffic police officers, they made a mutual decision to create a pop group.

According to Alexey Romanov, after meeting with Pletneva, the group worked in the studio for six months, trying to find their own sound: “We really locked ourselves in the studio. We spent six months searching for sound. We didn't understand. We were like blind kittens back then. Now, of course, it’s cool to remember this. We then created our own new story, which had nothing to do with previous projects.” Initially, it was decided to name the team “Chelsea”, but then the name “Vintage” was chosen. Alexey said that at that time the group submitted a request to the London law firm that owns the Chelsea brand, but after a while they saw on TV how Sergei Arkhipov presented a diploma with the same name to a group from the “Star Factory”.

Discography in the group “Amega and Solo Album”

• "Up. Part 1" - 1999
• "Up. Part 2" - 2000

• EP “Nunca Olvidare: I’ll Never Forget” - 2003

Discography in the group “Vintage”

• "Criminal Love" - ​​2007
• "SEX" - 2009
• "Anechka" - 2011
• "Very Dance" - 2013

• Alexey's real name is Perepelkin, and “Romanof” is his pseudonym. But according to rumors, Alexey is “Romanof” even according to his passport.

« Vintage» - Russian pop group, which includes singer Anna Pletnyova and singer, composer and sound producer Alexey Romanov. Previously, the group included dancers Miya (2006-2008) and Svetlana Ivanova (2008-2011).

Since its creation, the group has released five studio albums: “Criminal Love”, SEX, “Anechka”, “Very Dance” and “Decamerone”. The group also released eighteen radio singles, seven of which topped the Russian radio chart, staying in first place for a total of 23 weeks. " Vintage"becomes the most rotated group since the introduction of the Russian radio chart. For two years in a row, the group has been among the top five most rotated artists of the year, and in 2009 it took first place. The team achieved commercial success with the singles “Bad Girl”, “Loneliness of Love”, “Eve”, “Roman” and “Trees”, which became successful in digital sales.

The musical style of the group was Europop, mixed with various styles of music (electronics, dance-pop, psychedelic pop, etc.), into which elements were introduced both from classical music and from images of Russian and foreign popular culture, inspired by Madonna, Michael Jackson, Audrey Hepburn, Sophia Loren, Eva Polna and Enigma.

The group is a laureate and nominee of various music awards, including RMA, Muz-TV Award, Golden Gramophone, RU.TV Award and Steppenwolf. Since 2008 " Vintage"are annual laureates of the Song of the Year festival. In 2011, 2012 and 2013 they were recognized as the best group at the ZD Awards, according to the Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper.

Story

2006: Formation of the group

In my life there was already “Amega” and an attempt at a solo project. Many people performed my songs famous artists. There was just no certainty in personal self-determination... And then there was a blow from behind and Anya appeared, who said: “I need you!”... ...Title " Vintage“It also didn’t come right away. And who knows what the fate of the group would have been if circumstances had not influenced the choice of name for the new project, because among the options were “Dreamers” and “Chelsea”... But one day Anya called Alexey with the words: “You and I have already people with history! Vintage, you know?! Tempered, but not restrained..." - History of the group on the official website of the group

On August 31, 2006, the official creation of the group and its name were announced. It was also reported that the team was filming a video for the first single “Mama Mia” and that two-thirds were ready debut album group, which was recorded at Evgeny Kuritsyn’s studio. Later, the group’s second single was released - the song “Tselsya”, which rose to number 18 on the Russian radio chart.

2007-08: Album “Criminal Love” and single “Bad Girl”

On November 22, the band’s first album, “Criminal Love,” was released. The presentation of the disc took place on November 27 in Moscow, at the Opera club. The disc's circulation was completely sold out, and as a result the album took 13th place in the Sony Music catalog in terms of sales for 2005-2009. According to Alexey Romanov, 100 thousand copies of the album were sold. In October, “Vintage” went on a promotional tour in support of the album, several concerts were given in Moscow clubs, and a television filming and performance took place in Kyiv, at the Ukrainian “Star Factory”.

On April 7, 2008, filming of a video for the group’s new song “Bad Girl”, sung in a duet with actress Elena Korikova, took place. On April 19, the video appeared on Russian music channels, and on April 21, the video was presented at the “The Most” club. On June 12, the single took 3rd place in the TopHit 100 - the only official Russian radio chart, the song becomes the group's most successful single. Later, “Bad Girl” takes first place, staying there for 2 weeks. The video for the song began to be actively rotated on television, and as a result, the group’s ratings began to grow.

On August 29, the group will present a new song “Loneliness of Love” on their official blog. On September 1, the song gets into radio rotation. On September 26, a presentation of the video took place, the roles in which were played by friends of the pop group, such as the famous drag queen Zaza Napoli and radio host Dima Garangin. The song becomes the band's second success, reaching first position on the chart and staying there for two weeks.

In October, changes occurred in the group's composition. Team member Mia leaves, and Svetlana Ivanova takes her place. The album “Criminal Love” is also being re-released with a new track “Bad Girl”. On October 29, the group won in the special category “Sex” at the MTV Russia Music Awards 2008, the success was caused by the sexually explicit video for the song “Bad Girl”, which became one of the most rotated on Russian music channels in 2008.

2009: Album “SEX”

March 27 " Vintage"received the title of "Fashion Group of the Year" at the annual World Fashion Awards. In April, the group goes on tour to Germany, visiting 9 cities. A tour of Russia takes place in May-June. The group visited many cities.

On August 31, 2009, the fourth single from the future album, “Lunatic Girls,” was released. The song has social overtones, and the video became one of the most scandalous for the group. The song reached number 14 on the Russian radio chart, breaking the streak of number 1 singles.

Work on the band's second studio album was almost completed in March 2009. Alexey Romanov said in an interview that the record will include borrowings from classical music, and the album will begin with an overture from the opera “Eugene Onegin” by Pyotr Tchaikovsky. The band member also said that the group had ended its relationship with the major Sony Music. “The release date [of the album] will depend on the record majors. The company that released our first album does not suit us... ...We do not want a repeat of the situation that arose with the first album, which was released by Sony BMG. They printed a hundred thousand copies, sold them, and that was it. Because of this, you can’t buy it today,” Alexey explained. As a result, a contract was signed with the Gala Records label. On October 1, the second album of the group SEX was released. Despite the success of individual songs, the band's new album did not take off, debuting at 12th place on the Russian album chart, which was its highest position in the ranking. However, Anna Pletnyova said in an interview that she was satisfied with the result of working on the album:

...This is quality work. By the way, we are constantly asked about its name. It's very simple: sex is music, and music is sex. We recorded 12 songs - the famous “Bad Girl”, “Loneliness of Love”, “Eve” and many more new ones. But the success of the album should be judged by our fans. The hardest part of working on it was getting into the role of the characters in the songs, feeling them in order to convey them to the listeners in the most emotional way. We always wanted our listeners to believe us. We worked up a sweat to get used to it. And we hope it’s not in vain.
- Anna Pletnyova

2010-11: Album “Anechka”

On April 16, a new musical composition, “Mickey,” dedicated to Michael Jackson, was presented live on Love Radio.

The group shot two versions of the video clip for this composition - Russian and English. The presentation of the video took place to a full house in the Moscow club "Leningrad". Despite the fact that the song failed to achieve the success of previous tracks, the video for it was popular on the Internet and became one of the most discussed. The English-language version of the clip was rotated on music channels in Eastern European countries, where it became more popular than in Russia. In June, the group became a nominee in several categories at the 2010 Muz-TV Awards: “Best Group”, “Best Album” (SEX) and “Best Song” (“Eva”), but ultimately did not receive a single award, although critics predicted the group's victory in all categories. In August the group performed at the international music festival“Meeting point: latitude 54”, held in the Ryazan region.

On September 13, a new single, “Roman,” is released on radio stations, which 6 weeks after the premiere rises to third place on the radio chart, and a video clip is also shot for the song. Filming took place in the Moscow Soho Rooms club for 18 hours without a break. The song was originally supposed to be performed by a trio, with two famous singers, But later group rejected this idea.

In 2010, the group performed at such international awards and concerts as “Song of the Year” and “Muz-TV Award”, as well as in the 20 best songs 2010 according to the popular program “ProjectorParisHilton”. The group also performs on Belarusian television for the first time, in the “Belarus is Open to the World” concert. “Vintage” took eighth place in the user vote on the website NewsMusic.ru, in the category “Best Group of 2010”, gaining 3119 votes.

In January, information appeared that the group was going to release their third studio album, “Anechka,” in August 2011, and on October 15 they planned to perform in Moscow with a large solo concert and presentation of the disc “The Story of a Bad Girl.” On February 18, 2011, the group released another single, “Mama America.” On March 22, the group was announced as one of the nominees for the 2011 Muz-TV Award in the “Best Pop Group” category. On August 15, 2011, the group presented a video for the song “Boy”, where they filmed their fans.

On August 21, on the fifth anniversary of the group and the birthday of the soloist, the composition “Trees” was released. At the end of August, a video clip was shot for the song, however, on September 22 it became known that the release of the video was postponed due to the fact that it was censored. As stated, officials wanted to ban the video due to the fact that in the video teaser, Anna Pletnyova “in a crown of thorns watches with approval the acts of copulation” and this “traumatizes the consciousness of the younger generation.” In response, the lead singer of the group said: “We just wanted to say that the most important thing on Earth is love. She awakens the best in our souls and does not allow humanity to destroy itself. But, unfortunately, there were people who saw this as aiding totalitarian sects. Censorship always thinks in stereotypes. I assure you, we are far from the Illuminati and worldwide conspiracies.” On August 26, it was reported that due to the ban on the video clip, the song was removed from radio rotation. The group’s press service reported that “the song “Trees” had to be removed from rotation because without the video it is perceived differently.” On September 14, Alexey Romanov commented on the situation, saying that “Trees is being postponed for reasons beyond our control. I think if everything goes well, it will be February 2012.” He also added that the new single should be the song “Stereo”. However, after the release of the video clip, the composition was released into rotation on October 10, 2011. At the end of September and beginning of October, both digital and CD versions of the new album were released, and on October 9, the band held an autograph session in Moscow to coincide with the release.

At the end of December 2011, Afisha magazine published its editorial list of the brightest and most memorable Russian pop hits of the last 20 years, which included the song “Eva.” According to the voting results of the ZD Awards 2011, the group won in one of the declared nominations (they were also nominated in the Pop Project category). “Vintage” won the “Group of the Year” nomination.

2012: Album “Very Dance”

Smash calls me and says: “Well, when will everything be done?<…>We’re all already recording the song, we’ve already agreed.” So, I had to write a song. 0 Anna Pletneva, Hot Secrets program with Alina Artz

Several songs of the group were included in the soundtrack to the television series “A Short Course in a Happy Life,” filmed by director Valeria Gai Germanika and preparing to be shown on Channel One. On March 26, it became known that “Vintage” was nominated in three categories, 0 “Best Pop Group”, “Best Album” (“Anechka”) and “Best Video” (“Trees”), at the 2012 Muz-TV Awards. On June 1, it became known that the Vintage group won in the Best Pop Group category. In May, the band released a new single, “Nanana,” produced by DJ Bobina.

In September, Anna Pletnyova performed the song “Let Me Go” together with the group Knocking on Heaven, which became debut single team. “Vintage” were the producers of the group, whose member 0 Otto Notman 0 had previously written the song “Moscow” for them. On September 29, the “Second Music Award of the RU.TV channel” was held, where “Vintage” was presented in three categories: 0 “Best Group”, “Best Dance Track” and “Best Video Clip”. “Vintage” won in the “Best Video Clip” nomination for the song “Trees.” At the end of October, a video clip was presented for the new single “Dance for the Last Time,” recorded together with Roma Kanga. On November 4, the new single “Fresh Water” was presented on the air of “Love Radio”, recorded together with ChingKong, the video for which was released on December 21, 2012. At the ZD Awards 2012, “Vintage” for the second year in a row received an award in the “Group of the Year” category: “in their genre, Anya Pletnyova and Co. achieved virtuoso perfection, without losing either courage, hitiness, or the desire for novelty and lively creativity,” 0 celebrated the success of the team at Moskovsky Komsomolets.

On April 12, 2013, the group's fourth studio album, Very Dance, was released. May 25 at the Crocus concert hall City Hall“The third ceremony of awarding the annual national television Russian music award of the RU.TV channel took place, at which the group “Vintage” won in the “Best Group” category. On June 7, at the Olimpiysky Sports Complex, the award ceremony of the XI annual television award MUZ-TV 2013 took place, in which the group won in the “Best Video” nomination for the video for the song “Moscow” (together with DJ Smash).

2013 0 present: Album “Decamerone”

October 7 at official group“Vintage”, a new song called “Three Desires” was presented on the social network “VKontakte”, the authors of which are the young composer Anton Koch and Alexey Romanov. On September 17, filming for this composition took place, and the director was also the Ukrainian music video director Sergei Tkachenko. The premiere of the “Three Wishes” video took place on November 15 on the Ello channel.

On March 16, 2014, the iTunes online store released two collections of group 0 “Mickey. Alternative" and "Light". It is reported that the “Light” disc contains slow, melodic compositions, which, according to the band’s musicians, were undeservedly lost among the group’s dance hits. As Anna Pletneva and Alexey Romanov admit, there was never enough time for these compositions, although they have thoughtful and deep lyrics. Among these soft, slow songs there are the famous tracks “Fresh Water” and “Eve” in slow versions, as well as a completely new composition “30 Seconds”. The second collection, “Mickey. Alternative” includes tracks that, for one reason or another, did not receive wide rotation on radio stations. The Vintage participants explain this compilation by the fact that, due to their “non-format” nature, some tracks could not get on the radio, but the musicians always wanted to demonstrate them to music lovers. Just like in the “Light” collection, the band added a new song “Boys” and an acoustic version of the song “Mickey”.

On April 21, 2014, the third single of the group from the future album “Decamerone” 0 “When You Are Near” was presented in the official group “Vintage” on VKontakte. The song was written by Alexander Kovalev and Anton Kokh, the arrangement for the song was made by Alexey Romanof. May 31, 2014 year, the fourth Music Awards of the RU.TV channel took place, where “Vintage” won in the nomination “Best Dance Video” 0 “Sign of Aquarius”. On July 22, 2014, the fifth studio album of the group 0 “Decamerone” will be released on iTunes. On July 21, a digital release took place album. On the first day after the release, “Decamerone” took 1st place in sales in the “Top Albums” chart of iTunes and Google Play. According to the portal “tophit.ru”, “Vintage” is the most rotated Russian-language group over the last 10 years, in total the group has more than 4.5 million rotations on radio stations in Russia and the CIS.

Musical influence, artistry and creative themes

Having created the group, its members wanted to convey a new concept of their creativity, where vocals, music, plasticity and theater were to be intertwined. Expressing their independence, the group chose which songs to release as singles. The same applies to the composition “Aim”, which was chosen contrary to the opinion of the band’s releasing label, which wanted a “lighter” song as a single. The video for the composition was based on the tragedy at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, and it was filmed at one of the unfinished nuclear power plants near Minsk: “Being inside this abandoned plant, you get a strange feeling, as if everything around you is not real, inanimate. But our video, like the song “Aim” 0 itself, is about a non-existent life in a non-existent city.”

According to the website Zvuki.ru, with the release of their first studio album, the group “took the long-vacant place on the domestic pop scene as shocking aesthetes, who, at the same time, are not at all ashamed to listen to.” Yakov Zolotov from Dreamiech noted that each song on the album was permeated with light sadness and hope, and its basis was the theme of love. “Words no longer have meaning, words have lost their power. We replaced words with gestures, and conversations with dance...” - the album opened with these lines. “Pletneva appeared here not as a hysterical star, but first of all as a very good singer... As for the melodist, Alexey Romanov suddenly revealed himself brightly in this role,” noted Alexey Mazhaev from InterMedia, describing the album. On the album, the group worked with sound producer Evgeniy Kuritsyn, thanks to whom “a project of dubious intelligibility turned into a fashionable and relevant pop product within a year.”

In 2008, the group collaborated for the first time with an outside artist, Elena Korikova, recording the duet “Bad Girl” with her. According to the group members, the song was first offered to various singers, including Anna Sedokova and Vera Brezhneva, as well as figure skater Tatyana Navka, but only Elena Korikova immediately agreed to perform it. While working on the composition and filming the video, Anna Pletnyova, according to her confessions, experienced a feeling similar to a split personality: “I suffer from a kind of split personality, because that girl Anya who comes home, and that girl Anya who works on stage, - these are two different people, plus I teach academic vocals at the State Classical Academy named after Maimonides... However, I think the video cannot be taken seriously, since this is just a kind of joke about what happens in a world where everyone rules female breast and butt."

In the next composition of the group, “Loneliness of Love,” the theme was raised that modern people sometimes do not know how to love. The composition “Eva,” on the one hand, is dedicated to Eva Polna and reflects the theme of lesbian relationships, and on the other, the members of the group put additional meaning into it: ““Eva” is not just the love of a woman for a woman, but an attempt to put oneself in the place of a person , who is forced to suffer all his life from unrequited feelings for his idol. All artists receive declarations of love, but few realize their responsibility for the feelings they evoke.”

The group's second studio album was conceptual work, whose main theme was sex. According to the band members, the album SEX is “a “musical and sexual encyclopedia”, where everything has found a place possible types love: corrupt, fleeting, same-sex.” According to Alexey Romanov, the album reflects each of the band members and its creators. As Alexey said: “... it is a reflection of each of us. We think about sex up to one hundred and fifty times a day, depending on a person’s libido, and this applies to everyone. This is what rules the world. We tried to put all aspects of this beautiful sacrament into this album." In turn, critic Guru Ken wrote that “Vintage sings about sex, the way men go to the supermarket - with a list of everything they need on a piece of paper so as not to forget.” The website Afisha.uz noted that “each of the 13 tracks of the album is like a frank confession, in its own way revealing the well-known phrase from Freud’s thoughts “only this world is ruled by sex,” enshrined in the title track of the album “Sex.”

Alexander Sakharov, who is the author of several hits by famous performers (including Valeria’s song “Little Airplane”), played a major role in the work on the record. According to him, cooperation with the Vintage group plays a special role for him, as it helps convey his worldview. He also added that the album explored the theme of sex: "...[we] really believe that 'sex rules the world', these are the words in the chorus of the title track of the album." Anna Pletnyova appeared on the record not just as a vocalist, but also as a sound producer, performing for herself new role in the group's work. Anna is also the screenwriter of almost all of the group's videos, as well as their editor.

The composition “Lunatics Girls” touches on the topic of prostitution. Anna Pletnyova said that “venal love has existed for as many centuries as human history has been written. And there is a mention of prostitutes even in the Old Testament. Each time has its own view on this topic...” With this song, the group touched on a new topic for themselves, expressed in social issues. In one of the interviews, Alexey Romanov said (in particular, about the specified song) that “this album touched on social issues, which are usually Russian show business neglected." The band members also noted that the concept of “prostitution” in the song can be expressed in various forms and not necessarily in a physiological sense. The album also touched on religious themes. The song “SEX” contains lines about God, and the song “Victoria” most fully reveals this topic on the album, talking about the fight against the vices of humanity.

According to Alexey Romanov, big influence The band's work was influenced by the musical creations of Michael Jackson and Madonna. The group dedicated the song “Mickey” to Michael Jackson, and the video for the song “Roman” became a reference to Madonna’s “Vogue” video. The prototypes of the heroine of the video were Audrey Hepburn and Sophia Loren. “Vintage” also highly appreciated the work of “Guests from the Future” and used a sample of the song “Run from Me” in their composition “Eve”.

The group itself had a certain influence on other artists: Roma Kanga and the group “Tochka G” called “Vintage” their favorite group, and singer Nyusha recognized “Vintage” as a high-quality pop project, saying that each of their songs is an absolute hit.

Musical style

The group's second album significantly expanded the stylistic direction of the group's work. In addition to Europop, the album contains borrowings from trip-hop, electronics, and dance-pop. The album also featured borrowings from classical works, such as a fragment of a sonatina by Muzio Clementi, a fragment of an overture from the opera “Eugene Onegin” by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, a fragment of a Bavarian folk song. The song “Loneliness of Love” is psychedelic pop in style, with ethnic and dance accents. The introduction of the composition also contains an interlude in the oriental style, performed to the accompaniment of a guitar, where “in which Alexey Romanov demonstrates excellent vocal abilities.” Alexey Romanov quite often independently performs backing vocals in the group’s songs, and on the first album his tunes were stylized as Madonna’s track “Isaak”.

Criticism

Regarding the release of the group’s second album, Alexey Mazhaev wrote that “The Vintage group’s reputation as one of the most interesting Russian pop projects of our time was not enough.” He noted that the group had apparently decided to take t.A.T.u.'s place. in Russian show business and has every chance of this, however, on this album “Vintage” crossed a certain line, and “eroticism outweighed the music.” In this context, the journalist recalled Madonna’s “porn period” and her scandalous album Erotica. On the website of the MirMadzhi project, the group was criticized for exploiting the theme of sex in their work. The publication wrote that “if the Vintage group wants fame, they will get it. Mud is the most easily digestible product by people at all times.” Boris Barabanov from the Kommersant newspaper gave a poor assessment of the album presentation concert. He wrote that the group used “all the standard techniques from which, in the understanding of domestic pop artists, the concept of a “show” is formed,” while noting the poor sound at the concert. Andrey Zhitenev from Muz.ru described the album positively, noting that the creative tandem of Romanov and Pletneva created “something outstanding.” At the end of 2009, Muz.ru included the album in their list of “TOP 50 best albums of 2009.” The album was placed in 4th place on the list, behind only the albums of Lady Gaga, Beyoncé and a collection of Eurovision songs. In the site’s list of “Top 100 compositions of 2009,” the song “Eva” took 3rd place, and the composition “Lunatic Girls” took 25th place. The album was given a positive assessment on the website of the “Map of Music” project. “The group sets quality standards that most artists have now lost in the pursuit of money and fashion. "Vintage" - shining example the fact that you can remain true to your ideology and at the same time be popular and successful,” the publication noted. Guru Ken wrote that “the new album will certainly elevate Vintage to the highest echelon of show business, primarily due to full-fledged hits (although there were no new hits on the album) and a competent, tasty sound,” but still wondered: “Can a project exist for a long time with mother of many children on a conjured up image of a diva in black leather and holding a whip?”

In 2011, the group received several positive reviews in Afisha magazine. Grigory Prorokov positively described the video clip for the song “Mama America” and noted that: “Vintage needs to be protected - it’s difficult to find a more humane group in Russian pop.” In turn, Bulat Latypov called the group one of the best pop groups in Russian show business and positively described the songs “Roman” and “Stereo”. “Even one composition “Roman” would be enough to convert all intelligent individuals on the planet to their faith, but the group seems to have decided not to take prisoners. Unlike many colleagues in the industry, “Vintage” does not squirm like a petty demon on the scorched space of the domestic stage, but calmly takes its toll. The new composition (“Stereo”) only confirms the obvious; It’s a sin to stand on ceremony with the flock, having such songs,” the author wrote.

The band's third album received mixed reviews from critics. Positive reviews were received from Billboard magazine and InterMedia, which noted that the group created a good pop album that is “catchy” and “beautifully whispers quite important things with non-irritating intonations.” Vladimir Yurchenko in Billboard magazine gave a positive assessment of the album. In his opinion, in this work the group was pleased with its consistency and did not pay tribute to fashion, recording music in the genre of Romanian dance. Alexey Mazhaev at InterMedia gave the album a positive assessment (4 points out of 5). In the work, it is felt that the group was overtaken by a previously undescribed “third album syndrome,” the author wrote, noting that apparently “Vintage” decided to “slow down” a little with conquering pop peaks in order to “release a very strong, high-quality, smooth and pleasant-to-hear record , which nevertheless contains practically no sharp hits.”

Other critics gave the record mostly mixed reviews, noting that it felt like a failure after the success of SEX. On the Maps of Music website the disc received a mixed rating. The site noted that the group failed to create an album better than their previous work SEX, and the reason for this was called the “clichédness and sameness” of the music. “Nevertheless, albeit with a slight stretch, Vintage can still be called a fairly high-quality popular group working in the dance-pop genre,” the publication wrote. Nikolai Fandeev on the website Shoowbiz.ru spoke negatively about the work, noting that the songs included in the album turned out to be “very weak.”

Public image

“Charming and sexy Anna Pletneva not only has excellent vocal abilities, but also managed to become a mother of many children - what could be more beautiful? The metrosexual performer and author of most of the group’s hits, Alexei Romanov, is a match for her, and the silent Sveta Ivanova complements them with her flexible translation of music into the language of dance,” Damir Sagdiev described the group in a review of the group’s second album. Alexey himself said in an interview that he does not consider himself a sex symbol:

Yes, I'm not a sex symbol. I don't go to parties and I'm reserved and closed person. Most people don’t even know that I work in the Vintage group and that suits me. I enjoy the fact that I can go to the store and choose products in peace for two hours without signing autographs. - Alexey Romanov

With the release of the video for the song “Mickey,” the group moved a little away from its sexual image, beginning to use images of popular culture in visual creativity. In particular, the image of Mickey Mouse was used in the video. Talking about the fragility of popularity and dedicating the song to Michael Jackson, the group explained the appeal to such a character: “This is a symbol of pop culture. Mickey Mouse is the most suitable hero, using his example to tell the whole truth about the show industry. Besides, today you are a “superstar”, and tomorrow you are just old. People consider it possible to tell even the great Michael Jackson that his show is cool, but no one is interested in it anymore,” noted Anna Pletnyova. In 2011, the image of the group was used in the online computer game “Hot Dance Party”, along with the images of Eva Polna, the groups “Chili” and Uma2rman. The game is a “disco with the participation of Russian and foreign pop musicians.”

Group breakup

Social activity

« Vintage"are also regular participants in charity events. In 2009, they took part in the charity concert “Night in the Name of Children,” organized by the Union of Charitable Organizations of Russia, the proceeds from which went to help children with cancer. In 2010, the group took part in the recording and filming of a video for the song “Happy New Year!”, which became part of a charity event by singer Irakli Pertskhalava to support children from orphanages. The group also participated in the campaign of singer Roma Keng and the Gift of Life charity foundation. The group presented their song “Roman” for a special collection, all proceeds from the sale of which went to a charity foundation established by Chulpan Khamatova and Dina Korzun. In 2011, the group participated in the charity auction “From Heart to Heart”, held by Muz-TV and Molotok.ru. All funds raised from sales at the auction went to help children with congenital heart defects. The team members also support an online portal for helping homeless animals in Kuban.

Compound

Alexey always communicated with the press very selectively and reluctantly. Since January of this year, he has generally remained silent, sometimes posting posts on Instagram - mainly about the history of the hits he wrote or congratulations on the premieres of friends. And the public has accumulated questions, judging by the comments on social networks.

It seems to me that Romanof has become even more productive. Despite or thanks to the current circumstances, I don’t know. I took advantage of my friendship and tried to find out. Perhaps I was able to get answers to some questions that interested fans. Or perhaps composer Alexei Romanof is simply more interested in moving forward. Judge for yourself.

— Viewers are interested in what’s new with you, what you’re doing in currently? What can listeners expect in the near future?

— I have more time that I can devote to different artists. And not write songs between tours. I work a lot. For example, with Lolita on the song “Ranevskaya”, the second title is “Bury me behind the baseboard”. We are in no hurry, we are in no hurry. We are in the process of recording. We want it to be perfect.

Also with mine school friend Olya Orlova, with whom I will soon release an EP “Hello, it’s me,” which will include several of my songs, as well as songs by Igor Maisky and Maxim Fadeev.

I wrote a new song for Anya Semenovich - “I want to be with you”, which will soon appear on the radio and on the Internet. Olya and Anya are different artists, both are former soloists of the group “Brilliant”. We are friends, we all come from the same nest and have always supported each other.

Of course, I'm glad that I'm working with Zara again. We recorded a completely new song created specifically for her. It's called "Peace to Your Home." I hope it will appear as a single this summer.

Several new artists have appeared, very diverse. My friends brought me poems by an eighteen-year-old girl, I was amazed at the depth of thought. I can only compare it with the poems of my beloved Eva Polna. I wrote several songs at once. Now we have tried to make several demo recordings and I am happy with the result. The girl's name is Karina Nazarova. She is very talented and we started collaborating – both as co-authors, and Karina is trying herself as a singer.

Of course, the previously announced “Bango and Strike” remain. I continue to think through the details of the project, I have written two songs. I sent Artyom to the gym to “dry” and lose weight. And for vocal lessons. And Sergei asked to go to China for several months. I didn’t mind; he still earns much more in the modeling business than in music. But in mid-May we get together in the studio and finalize the first song, which we will immediately release. I really like how it turns out!

And of course we continue to work with Alex Malinovsky. We are recording his first album.

— A song from the Agaya project that you wrote was recently released. Tell us about your role in this story.

— This project stands out because she is a completely cosmic girl, out of this world! A very interesting character, man. I am extremely interested in communicating with her. I had the song “Game”, written with Alexander Sakharov. I thought for a long time who could sing it. And I accidentally gave her an example of how I would like to see her project. Agaya was amazed and really liked it. She has recorded several songs that will be released soon.

— You understand that I cannot help but ask about the situation with Anna Pletnyova. Moreover, you did not give any comments to the press. There were only vague, uninformative posts on social networks.

— I did not comment because, even after a certain amount of time, this still remains a private matter between two people. Who went through a huge part of their lives together. They did a great job and made a serious contribution to Russian pop music. Together. Those who truly lived it, were proud of what they had created, and fought for their place in the sun. Due to the circumstances, I try not to remember what happened. I think about our successes, there were many of them. I think that's right. Now I have a normal, stable emotional state. I stopped worrying and getting upset. I have established a clear routine for my work.

- So will there be any specifics about the reasons for the breakup?

— I don’t like the word “gap.”

- “Divorce”, “separation”? How do you position this situation for yourself?

— This is Anna Pletneva’s decision. At that moment, I was ready to forget all differences and continue cooperation. I called for an end to all mutual claims, to urgently get together, breathe out and continue to work together. It was my word. But the decision was not mine. I won’t voice the reason, I don’t want to. I don't think it's serious. But that's how it happened. Coming from my lips, it would look like an accusation, and I don’t want to publicly accuse anyone of anything. Everything happened, the facts are a given and nothing can be done about it. I repeat: I was ready to continue working. I did this honestly and with dignity for 11 years, I sincerely loved my artist, and it seems to me that this was noticeable to everyone. And without this love, certainly mutual on Anya’s side, we would not have achieved any results. Because we started very difficult. Together we went through a huge number of barriers and obstacles, which was extremely valuable for her and for my experience. I have no complaints for several reasons. First: I respect jurisprudence and the law. Second: I am a fool myself - our work was based on friendly and human relations, we did not have legally certified contracts with each other. I'm used to trusting people. Now, from the perspective of time and experience, I will formalize all relations with beginning and continuing artists legally.

Perhaps the phrase “Talent must be hungry” fits perfectly into my current situation. Thanks to drastic changes in my life, I have written more than 40 songs since January. I haven't created so much for a long time. I am a person who tries to find something good even in the worst, to redirect my thoughts. On this moment I'm absolutely calm.

— Let’s summarize purely for the fans: is further cooperation with Anna Pletnyova impossible for you?

“I understand the feelings of the fans, but they should also understand us.” Still, in addition to feelings, there are two living people who see the situation radically differently. There are always two opinions, I don’t deny this, I only tell you how I see it all. Many friends and commentators online said that we need to make peace. But we didn’t quarrel! It’s just that circumstances have developed in such a way that I don’t see any possibility of cooperation for myself, even on a commercial basis.

— Accordingly, the question is: is your collaboration with the new team “Vintage” also completed?

- These are wonderful, wonderful girls! I am very sorry that I will no longer work with them; today their producer is Anna Pletnyova. I would love to take them with me, but this is impossible.

— What about collaboration with Velvet Music?

— I no longer cooperate with this company.

— What will happen to the songs from the announced album “VVV”, which, as I know, was practically written?

— At the moment I live for completely different things. A lot has changed categorically. Accordingly, the plans announced earlier are no longer feasible. There were a lot of good songs left, the album was compiled. I will decide the further fate of the songs myself, but later. I can't say anything yet. For the reason that I don’t yet see artists who could sing them. As soon as the artists appear, the songs will be released immediately. For example, Agaya will sing the song “A Free Bird in Captivity,” which was announced in the first edition of the album playlist. I also really love the song “Huge Heart” and am looking for an artist for it. This song absolutely needs to be heard.

— You mentioned the people who supported you.

— There are not many of them and I am incredibly grateful to them. These are people close to me who were imbued with the whole situation and pulled me mentally all this time. These are Lolita Milyavskaya and Roman Emelyanov. It would be very difficult for me without them. They encouraged me morally in every possible way and spoke a lot of kind and friendly words. Also Zara, who supported me not only in word but also in deed, she asked me to write her several songs for the new album. And being busy for a creative person is the most important thing. And the poet Mikhail Gutseriev, who sent me many of his new poems, also understanding the priority of being busy. Many of his poems turned out to be close to me and I wrote music on them. Arthur Vafin and I were in working contact almost every day. I threw myself headlong into creativity and tried to create something every day, without being distracted from the process. I am very grateful, they pulled me out of a bad state, almost out of depression.

— Given your composing and producing experience and reputation, isn’t it time to open your own production center?

“You’re not the first person to ask me this question.” I am against offices, personnel, and the image of visibility of activity. You know, a lot of people rent an office, hire a secretary, print Business Cards...And I’m used to just acting! The Vintage group's album "Sex" was made on my knees on the second floor of an unheated dacha. I didn't need an office or a business card for this. Or a PR agent. I understand perfectly well that I need to grow somewhere. Perhaps this will lead to something; I am receiving proposals of this kind. From various big serious people. I haven't made a decision about my PC yet. The basis of such a center should be artists and songs. When I have enough of one and the other and the need arises to create a PC, I will organize it. For now, I feel comfortable working on my own, with my co-authors, partners, and friends.

— So, this topic is still in limbo?

— To be honest, I simply don’t need such a center! Because the “Production Center of Alexey Romanof” is Alexey Romanof. I don't need paraphernalia for this. Those who want to work with me do so.

— In fact, recently you are the most productive and sought-after composer.

- Maybe. Maybe. I don't know.

- I know. I talk to many artists and they say they would love to work with you.

“It just makes me feel good.” When I work with artists, I feel each one in a special way, in my own way. That's probably why there is good result. All these years I've felt this way about every song. If I don't like something, I just don't continue making that song.

— Should we slow down or refuse cooperation if it doesn’t work out?

- Give up one idea and take on another. I have never had any refusal to cooperate. I'm used to getting things done. I just didn't show artists songs that I wasn't happy with.

I'm a little confused by the current speed. I have never worked at such a pace. But I understand that I have to do this. To continue to develop.

- So maybe this is morally good?

- Certainly! I keep myself busy. This keeps me afloat, there is no room for unnecessary emotions.

- Well, we communicate often and I can say that your mood is more than positive! And you have fairly clear prospects, goals and plans.

— Probably, it would be ideal to make several of your own projects. But this requires strength and support. I don’t yet see anyone on the market with whom I could closely cooperate. Except for the ZION company. Perhaps we will release several songs with Irina Shcherbinskaya. I respect her very much, she is a professional. I believe that ZION is one of the few worthy companies left today. They are great guys.

— Within almost just a couple of weeks, 2 tracks from the label’s artists were released at once “ Black Star”, in which your music is quoted. What is your attitude towards this and how do you like the result?

“Probably, someone in my place would immediately run for a lawyer, or better yet two, considering that this is Black Star.” But I’m incredibly glad that this is actually happening. This suggests that I still made some contribution to Russian pop music. And that makes me happy! This happened involuntarily to Misha Marvin and Emma M. There’s a very small piece from the song “Eva” and I’m pleased with it. I deeply like both artists and I really like this song – “Rewind”. I have serious suspicions that the song will become a hit. I wish them great success. And if suddenly this little piece of mine helps them, I will be the happiest composer in the world.

With Vander Phil and the song “You are Venus, I am Earth” the topic is a little different. In addition to the text, he uses a piece of the phonogram from the same “Eve”. And here I am unwittingly a co-author of this song. A few years ago, Vander Phil himself wrote to me. I referred him to the Velvet company, which I trusted completely. I myself did not conduct any negotiations. “Velvet” did not draw up the agreement very clearly in some ways. Therefore, in the very near future I will re-sign the contract with Vander Fil without any money. I'm ready for this. And I’m certainly not going to play the “evil guy”, this is not my method. I want the music to sound. Moreover, I like the song. I know how long this guy has been waiting for Black Star to sign a contract with him - in my opinion, one of the most successful companies on the market now, I admire them in terms of productivity and the quality of the content they produce.

— So, as a composer, are you satisfied?

— I like that quoting occurs. I'm glad about this. I myself really like to make new songs based on any samples. This was the case with “Eva,” and this was the case with the song “Pinanero” by the Pet Shop Boys group, on the basis of which the song “City Lights” by Mitya Fomin was created. But I always cleared my rights, I did it officially, legally, I paid money.

— I’m going to pester you once again with a question about your solo performance of songs. Well, it’s true that this question interests many!

- You know, here you want it and it hurts. Still, I really believe that the stage is the work of young people. By God, I don’t want to overestimate myself. Although, of course, I am terribly pleased when the same artists to whom I show a demo of my performance with new songs compliment me. You see, there are people who were born to be artists, who cannot live without a stage, who cannot imagine themselves without an audience. And I'm not an artist. It seems to me that I was there, on stage, giving up all of myself a long time ago - a long time ago. In the "Amega" group, in the "Vintage" group. It seems to me that when going on stage causes you nothing but irritation, you shouldn’t go on stage. No matter how people ask. No matter how much your ego would like it.

And then, for such publicity you need to be very thick-skinned person. And I’ve already used all my thick-skinned resources. I react very sharply to any criticism. They simply throw words at the opinions of people who come and move on. There are two brilliant examples of singing composers in the world: Sia and Zemfira.

- Let's end our interview somehow beautifully and life-affirmingly. You really have a lot of fans, reach out to them.

“I want to thank all the people who have taken and are taking part in my life in one way or another. It doesn’t matter: positive, negative, neutral – they still participate. They are still spectators of this performance. I am truly truly grateful to them. I will try to justify the hopes of many people and continue my creative activity. Of course, my music will not be the same and people should be prepared for this. Moving forward and new repeaters. Any changes, even if they are sad, are still for the better. They force you to move on. Perhaps with this my vision and my musical history will begin a new circle. Judging by the songs that are already out there, this is exactly the case. I have always fed on the emotions of artists. I am grateful to the people who believed in me as an author and believed in my songs. I am grateful to every artist who sang and sings my songs. Thank you!