Singing together: “They want one like Putin”

The group Singing Together is famous thanks to its only song “One like Putin”

In the song, three girls discuss their ideal of man. “One, like Putin, not to be fond of the bottle! One, like Putin, to love us! One, like Putin, not to offend us! One, like Putin, not to run away!” The song immediately became popular, while its performers remained in shadow, for some time.

Now, we talk to the band director, Olga, and one of the performers, Larisa, about their band and the song.

Olga: At first, the song was written by Alexandr Yelin and Kirill Kalashnikov, then the group producer Nikolai Gastello started to look for girls who could perform it.

PRAVDA.Ru: Was it at once that you decided that there should be three performers?

Olga: No, they simply at once suited to each other.

PRAVDA.Ru: Could you tell about it a bit minutely.

Olga: The Singing Together are Larisa Lychina, Irina Kozlova, and Yana Kozlova (the two just bear the same name, they are not sisters). All the three have a higher education (which is not typical for show business). For example, Larisa is graduating from the Institute of Peoples Friendship, she will get soon bachelor’s degree in philosophy. Larisa and Yana will next spring go to the Gnesins School to get second higher education, now in music. Moreover, the girls have primary musical education. Yana sang in a chorus, Ira was a dancer in the Igor Moiseev ensemble. Ira is studying at producer faculty and will soon produce concert programmes. And besides, the girls have a very good teacher, singer Irina Antsiferova. She teaches vocal and special breath gymnastic.

PRAVDA.Ru: And how the title was found?

Olga: Just by accident. We just thought about different variants and then namely this title appeared.

PRAVDA.Ru: Larisa, your group is known thanks to only one song. Is your repertoire being replenished?

Larisa: Yes, of course. We have a very nice song which is called “Small Miracle.” It is very touching, and there is a very beautiful melody for flute in this song. And besides, the theme of the song is very important: an unborn child. A girl is pregnant and she is ready to refuse from the child. We appeal her for keeping the child. It is not exactly against abortion. It is about preserving life, about increasing birth rate.

PRAVDA.Ru: Do all of your songs have some social colour?

Olga: At first, our producer Nikolai Gastello called us “propagandist brigade,” but now we have found a more harmonious title – “Socially positive project.” So, we sing socially positive songs.

PRAVDA.Ru: What other social issues appear in your songs?

Larisa: We have a song “If not for Beer.” It is about a fellow who read Diogenes and could achieve much in life, if not for beer. Another song is called “Favourite City.”

PRAVDA.Ru: Is it about St Petersburg or abut Moscow?

Larisa: It is just about an abstract favourite city. The song could be devoted to any city, it depends.

PRAVDA.Ru: Your song about Putin was regularly plaid in the radio. When could we see the video clip?

Larisa: It has been already shot in Mosfilm studio. A person very similar to President Putin participated in the clip.

PRAVDA.Ru: Is he an actor?

Larisa: No, he is not. He accidentally noticed his similarity to Vladimir Putin. He came to Moscow from the city of Volgodonsk and decided to go to Red Square. Having appeared in the square, he could not understand what was happening. There was a crowd around him, but nobody came closer. Only later he was told what was the matter.

PRAVDA.Ru: Is he really so similar to the President?

Larisa: Yes, he is, but he is younger, and there is not such steadfastness in the eyes, like in President Putin.

PRAVDA.Ru: And what does real Putin think about your song?

Larisa: He was asked at the press conference in the city of Vladivostok whether he had heard the song. He said yes and he liked it very much and wanted to meet with the performers.

Larisa Suyetenko PRAVDA.Ru

Translated by Vera Solovieva