Flair or Fluff?

Flair or Fluff?

Every time I turn on my television, there seems to be a new face showcasing a newfound talent. Equally as often there tends to be some poor schmuck broadcasting his entire life to the county’s couch potatoes. The question then, is are our airwaves just being cluttered with crap or saturated with savvy personalities? Out to get the goods on the whole reality TV/talent show dramas, What’s On investigates… Bordering on the edge of inanity, the number of these types of shows seems to grow daily. One of the stupidest ones I’ve come across most recently, is called Without Mandate which takes Ukrainian politicians and makes them live like ordinary people.

There are some, however, that really take you by surprise, and demonstrating how talented Ukraine really is, each television season that passes offers something we haven’t seen before. To find out just how incredible this phenomenon really is, we called up Ihor Kondratyuk, the man who first introduced talent shows to Ukraine, who then put me onto Oleksandr Bozhyk, the second season’s second prize winner of the country’s most popular talent show – Ukraine’s Got Talent. Rounding it all out, I thought I would try and get a hold of the producer for this show ever-growing in popularity, Halyna Pilyutikova. Incidentally, she also happens to be the producer for another talent show, X-Factor, which, despite the fact that it’s only half through its first season, has already hit the jackpot. The Seeker The first person I wanted to talk to about talent shows in general is Ihor Kondratyuk – creator, producer and jury member of a various number of talent shows. “Sometimes people call me the most experienced TV-talent finder in Ukraine,” Kondratyuk starts jokingly. But in fact, that assessment wouldn’t be such a stretch as it was he who took to the streets, actively looking for and broadcasting able-minded individuals over twelve years ago. His idea was something called Karaoke on Maidan and represented the very first talent show here in Ukraine. For those who have never heard these impressive (and sometimes not so impressive) ‘stars’ belting it out in the middle of main street every Sunday, it was a real coup to be chosen to sing in front of the entire country! His search to find some of the country’s hottest talent didn’t end there, however, and what would follow just a few years later was the television show Chance. The stakes were a little higher with this show as every winner from Karaoke on Maidan had the opportunity to appear on stage and really reach for stardom.  Sitting on the jury these days for two more such shows, X-Factor and Ukraine’s Got Talent, Kondratyuk says that the format and the substance have changed a lot since getting Ukraine onto the talent show circuit those twelve years ago. Now people are able to choose for themselves which show they want to be on and what they are going to showcase. For this reason, the producer’s role in deciding the jury is a very important one, and Kondratyuk says they need to work independently, not making any stupid mistakes. But he also says that it is sometimes easier said than done, because every now and then there are acts that appear that the jury just doesn’t know how to evaluate. “It can be hard,” he admits, “especially when we are dealing with genres that we have little experience in, such as Oriental dancing, for example. I remember one time I had to go home and watch clips from a few different movies just to be able to understand what was going on.” While there are a lot of very talented people out there, there is a fair share of those who get on these shows who have not been as gifted, and Kondratyuk has a seemingly logical explanation as to why they even get through the front door. “We see a lot of people during the pre-cast, many of which would not necessarily be good enough to appear. Asking whether it’s just nerves that have affected their poor performance, the answer we often get is yes, so we go ahead and cast them. It serves as a good lesson to future participants, however: they should be sure of themselves before they make the commitment. But then it’s also a little comic relief for the audience as well.”  The Show Producer of X-Factor and Ukraine’s Got Talent, both of which Ihor Kondratyuk sits and judges on, is Halyna Pilyutikova. Responsible for everything that happens from beginning to end, “We do the pre-casting, then choose the candidates for television, and even have a hand in costume decisions,” she says.  While it sounds fairly straight forward, in the case of X-Factor, for example, there have been up to 30,000 entries, out of which they are allowed to choose 100, so easy is somewhat relative here. While in the process of deciding on who stays and who goes, however, Pilyutikova says it’s very important to keep focused and not discard the ones that actually have talent. This sometimes is harder than it seems as there are so many entries that get sent to the station. But equally important is trying to predict how the audience is going to react to those you do choose. “Even though we really pay attention to all of our contestants, regardless of their backgrounds, it does sometimes happen that the audience reacts in a way that is totally unexpected. For example, a very modest performer that demonstrates his sincerity to the audience may well impress our viewers more than someone who belts out the perfect song but has ‘empty eyes’.” Once the casting calls have been completed, all preparations have been made and the participants have hit the stage, the work of the producer eases a little, and it is at this point that the jury takes over. Pilyutikova says, “I actually feel sorry for the jury. They are always in front of the camera, sometimes working 12-hour days and often only get an hour break.” With regard to X-Factor specifically, Pilyutikova says, “It is more than just a contest, it is a show, and sometimes it’s very hard to say ‘no’ to our participants. But, when you have some constructive criticism to offer with the no, sometimes it inspires them to work harder, and come back next time even stronger.” The Talent Having talked to those who scour for talent and those who say yes or no as to whether it makes the cut, it’s time the talent itself talked. Winner of last season’s Ukraine’s Got Talent was a girl by the name of Olena Kovtun. It was a close one, however, as runner up was a guy by the name of Oleksandr Bozhyk who impressed a huge number of people with his ability to play the fiddles – yes, that’s right, two fiddles, at the same time! In spite of playing professionally and often going abroad to play at international concerts, Bozhyk says that getting to play on Ukraine’s Got Talent was incredible! “I have played a lot of concerts before, but knowing that you are playing for an estimated 17 million people, this was really nerve-wracking!” In contrast to the various reasons people want to get on these shows, Bozhyk came with only one wish – to get to the top. While he didn’t take home the grand prize, he did come away with a better understanding about what it is these shows are able to do, and breaking his contract with a foreign company to come back to perform on Ukraine’s Got Talent once he heard that he was in the top 50, he says, “The winner needs to have an extraordinary, charismatic personality. They need to be fanatic about what they do.” In addition to leaving a good job as well as play two fiddles at once – something he’d never done before – it certainly seemed that Oleksandr Bozhyk could have been that person. “Having made it through the various rounds, I suggested that playing two fiddles at once might be something my next act could include. Theoretically I knew how to do it, and since the producers were very excited about it, I had to become accomplished at it very quickly! The next time I come out I’ll be playing three!” With so many individuals displaying their diverse range of talent, there is a lot of fluff out there. But in amongst it all, the number of people with genuine gifts are high as well, and without such shows, perhaps they’d never get their shot. It’s made people like Oleksandr Bozhyk a star, and who knows? You could be next!

Russian Top 11

Russian Top 11

• 1 Guf Ice Baby
• 2 Нюша Не перебивай
• 3 Noize MC Мизантроп-рэп
• 4 Тимати Сколько стоит любовь
• 5 Вера Брежнева Любовь спасет мир
• 6 Артур Пирожков Пэрэдайс
• 7 Градусы Кто ты?
• 8 5ivesta Family Зачем
• 9 Юлия Савичева Москва-Владивосток
• 10 Дантес и Олейник Мне уже 20
• 11 Бумбокс Летний дождь

Talking the City With Singer Kamaliya

Kamaliya is the blonde pop singer who also won the Mrs. World pageant in 2008. She’s a household name in Ukraine, and for a while there her video was in constant heavy rotation on that big video screen above the intersection, across the street from the Arena complex. (Whether her presence up there caused a higher incidence of traffic accidents, we can’t say.) She’s also a woman of substance, and we caught up with her to talk about the city she lives in.

Kamaliya, what place do you like best in Kyiv? I like Pechersk, especially the Pechersk Lavra. It’s a wonderful and amazing place. I also like Koncha Zaspa, because of the natural atmosphere out there. Those are the most interesting parts of Kyiv as far as I’m concerned. And there are so many places to hang out in here. You can visit restaurants, nightclubs, theatres and lots of other good places you can think of. I’ve always lived in Kyiv. My family and a whole lot of my friends live here, and whenever I leave Kyiv I feel like something good has been snatched away from me, so I’m always in a hurry to come back. I definitely can’t stay away for too long. Having travelled a lot, how would you compare Kyiv to other capitals? Well, all the capitals I’ve been to are really beautiful in their own way. But when you compare Kyiv with them, you see that Kyiv is really an exception, it stands out among state capitals. Kyiv’s an ancient city that’s been around for centuries, with beautiful landscapes and surrounded by the smooth-flowing Dnipro. It’s a city with a nice aura. In the summer it’s always warm and there’s a mixture of people from all parts of the globe. The people who live here are very sensual. It’s a historic city, going back to the days of the Kyiv Rus. How did it feel to win the Mrs. World pageant? I feel great. I feel like I scored another point in my life. My view of the situation is that hard work and success go together. I really put in a lot of time practicing before the contest. I’ve won a lot of beauty contests, but Mrs. World isn’t something you can come and grab easily, because you’re not the only one participating. When the final result was announced, and I was declared the winner, I couldn’t believe it. It was like a daydream. I was motionless, dumbfounded, totally confused. Then, when they announced it the second time, I realised it was for real. I leaped for joy and was shedding tears. Since winning, my life has changed tremendously. My work schedule has changed, I have too many responsibilities, I don’t even have time for myself, people all over the globe are trying to reach out to me, my music is still out there waiting for me, there’s my family, my film work and so on. Winning has doubled my activity level. What are your plans for the future? I want to stay the course. I’m a musician, I’m working seriously on my new album, which will come out this year. Also, singing at various concerts and travelling any time there are Mrs. World contests anywhere in the world. And I’ll also take care of less privileged kids by supporting fundraising organisations. My passion in life is children, I want the children around me to be happy and I want to give them my best, at all times. I believe that happiness is the basis of human existence.

Feel the Breeze

Feel the Breeze

El Viento de Flamenco (dance, vocal, musical performance), House of Actors (Yaroslaviv Val 7), 11 December at 19.00

The Wind of Flamenco is a new programme of what organiser Eugene Sedko calls flamenco puro – traditionally executed grace, style and charisma. A Spanish culture fanatic, Sedko and his guitar will whisk you away to the lands of Catalonia, and along with the movements of Elena Pryatkina, the vocals of Lilia Fernandez and Vitaliy Kostenko, and the percussive rhythms of Oleh Gogol, the invitation to visit a territory of emotion is yours.

HO HO HO
Christmas Kino, Master Klass Cultural Centre (Ivana Mazepy 34), Every Thursday for the month of December at 19.00 

Polish Top 20

  HurtsWonderful Life

Junior CalderaA Little Bit More

Lena Meyer-LandrutSatellite

C-BoolBody&Soul

Adam LambertIf I Had You

Dj MegOnly You

EminemLove The Way You Lie

Tinie TempahWritten In The Stars

Enrique IglesiasHeartbeat

Sabrina WashingtonOMG

SafuraDrip Drop

3RShine On

MohombiBumpy Ride

Afrojack Take Over Control

Tim BergSeek Bromance

Cee LogreenFxxk You

One RepublicMarching On

B.o.B Airplanes

InnaSun Is Up

TraviBillionaire

A New Face on Ukraine’s Pop Scene

While there may be no incredibly high pitches or remarkably low tones coming out of this new popster, it’s always nice to be able to experience something a little different when it comes to the world of show business; especially when that difference happens to be an honest depiction of who the person actually is. Because while many of her counterparts may be pretending that they are big African-American gangsta rappas (almost like Ali G), this new Ukrainian singer actually does have African roots. I was lucky enough to get the chance to sit down with her and let the newest face in Ukrainian Pop, Jacklin, tell us all about her career, the men she likes and her first erotic photo session.
Jacklin and I decide to do the interview in one of those fashionable cafes downtown and when I arrive I notice her immediately: a tall, slender, dark-skinned beauty in a figure-hugging black dress that has white fur all over it. I take a seat and settle down, eager to know about her origins.

Dark Roots
“I was born and raised in Kyiv, to a Ukrainian mother and an African father who both still live and work here. It’s my dad who’s given me my extraordinary look and I have to say that I’m quite thankful to him!” Jacki (the name her family and friends usually call her) tells me while sipping coffee. She’s not the only child in the family with this unusual appearance, however, and not mentioning any numbers, says she has an older sister. Jacklin goes on to talk about her life growing up and the differences she sees between herself and her sister now; pausing for just a moment, as we laugh at a few brawny gentlemen from the next table who can’t seem to take their eyes off her – she is very eye-catching! “It hasn’t always been this way,” is what she tells me, however. “When I was a child, the situation was quite different. Kids don’t often think about what they say and I often had unpleasant remarks come my way about where I am from. Even so, my father was always there to support me and settle any sort of conflict before it would escalate.”

The Colour of Fame
With a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the Kyiv KROK University, this girl has got the brains to go into the professional business world, but for some reason, has chosen a different path. It makes me wonder why and so I ask Jacki about inspiration and where she gets hers. Looking at her, the answer comes as no surprise: “Beyonce. I absolutely adore and admire her, and could add every expletive there is to tell you what I think about her. She’s just so cool...! I think she’s gained her popularity working herself into the ground, like only men can do. And while I’d like to reach the level of success she’s got, I don’t want to be her replica,’ Jacklin says.
Unfortunately, Jacki missed Beyonce’s performance in Donetsk due to her own birthday the day of the concert and I get to thinking about whether this beauty sitting in front of me realises what the local show biz really needs..? She assures me she does and says, I think it lacks the show, with cool dances and eye-catching outfits. But my origins give me some advantages because I think that people who have backgrounds such as mine can be more persistent and relentless in attaining their goals. And this is exactly what sets me apart from my Ukrainian counterparts.”
Gaitana is another Ukrainian pop star with similar sorts of roots. She has got an incredibly strong voice which has already found her a place in the entertainment industry and so taking into account the way both these girls look, I consider that these two could have been fierce competitors. But Jacklin just laughs and says, “I don’t see her as a competitor, she’s a friend! We first became acquainted on the M1 channel – I remember that she was so surprised to see a blonde mulatto!” But Jacklin says that all of the African community is like that in Kyiv, “Everyone is so friendly. Even if we don’t know each other, we say hello.”

The Real Deal
Jacklin first showed up on Ukrainian television screens with her first song sung in Russian called, Buy Me Love. It was a nice light song with pop and hip hop rhythms featuring words like, “My dear baby-boy, please buy me love, the kind I want. I’m an expensive play-girl, but I won’t get any lovin’ while I’m with you…” And keeping those words in mind, I am curious whether the song is autobiographical or whether it’s just a tribute to the daily trends. Jacklin thinks for a moment and says, “Well, I’d say it’s both.” And after a quick look at Anna, her PR director, adds, “Maybe a little closer to the second sense.”
I know now that she’ll be waiting for the question she usually gets asked right away by journalists, which has to do with her private life, and more specifically her current boyfriend. But I’m not so nave as to ask a question I know she’ll ignore; nor am I so nave to believe that she hasn’t got anybody at all, and so I come up with Plan B: What kind of a man do you like, is what I want to know. And the answer I get is, “Tall. Somebody who stands out in a crowd,” and we all just burst into hysterics. After a short time, Jacki turns serious and says, “He needn’t be big and tall, but he must be definitive, with a strong and persistent personality; so that he won’t be afraid of approaching me at a party.”

Continuing the Gab
In addition to the song mentioned above, Jacklin has another popular song, these days especially, by the name of, Novorichna, which means New Year’s. She sang it in Ukrainian and says, “Even though I don’t really speak the language, I do understand it. My father, however, whose native language is Bambara (the language of one of the former French colonies in Africa – author) speaks Russian, French, English and German. Unfortunately, I only know how to say Hello and Buy in Bambara,” says the Russian-speaking Jacklin.
At the moment, she has little time to put effort into such things, as this Ukrainian-African beauty has been putting all of her energies into pursuing the life of singer. Once the grand socialite at big parties, now Jacklin is busy with dance classes, vocal lessons and filming videos and I wonder if she has any time to herself anymore to do the things she enjoys, like reading, for example. She nods and says, “The last book I read was written by Ernest Hemingway; something starting with ‘H’.”
From books we go to shopping about which Jacki says, “I’m a big fan of eye-catching clothes. Whenever I get myself ready for a big party, I try to make sure I wear things to get me noticed. In fact I think I’m a real fashion addict as I’m typically ready to spend more money than I earn on clothes!”
Even though she might be a fan of them, photographers seem to like her better without them, or at least less of them, as you can see on the recent cover of the men’s magazine, Loaded. “I took a bunch of my lingerie to try a few different things for this shoot. The pictures from which my father was actually afraid to look at once he found out about it. But when he finally saw them, he was okay with it and relieved that I was dressed in at least something!” remembers Jacki.
We would probably talk more but her tight schedule means that we have to wrap up. She’s on her way to film her upcoming video where she tells me six different looks are promised. As she puts on her white fox fur coat, she flies away with her bodyguard shadowing her every movement. Perhaps it’s not so easy to stand out in a crowd after all.

Dressed in Music

The first things many foreigners think about whenever they hear the word Ukraine often include Chornobyl, the colour orange, the Klichko brothers, Shevchenko (which one depends on your preferences) Ukrainkas, vodka... Here at What’s On, however, we think that list is going to continue to grow and grow quickly. What is it going to include? Well The Maneken, of course.
The Maneken is actually 26-year old Eugene Filatov from Ukraine who is big into music. He’s sold a number of his records already in Europe and Japan and so he’s definitely a name to watch out for. Having met in his recording studio one day, down around Podil, he is very forthright and offers everything off the cuff.

“The Maneken represents a variety of musical incarnations,” Zhenya says, getting warmed up. “I’m keen on good music, regardless of its genre or style and so I don’t mind being called a producer, a DJ, a musician, or a performer. But at the end of the day, what I want people to know is that I’m really into sound production and music of good quality. It’s like fashion,where, when you’re sad, you wear blues; when you’re in high spirits, you wear funk or jazz. Being The Maneken means that I can constantly change my clothes according to my preferences at that moment.”

Stitching up Sound
While he does switch between this genre and that, as a musical entity, he’s known best for his exquisite electro. His chart-toppers, These Lines, and, Sunbeam Girl, have also given The Maneken leverage, often keeping him on the lips of a number of clubbers. But what many Ukrainians won’t know is that they will have heard his work before without even really knowing it, as he has been readily involved in the sound production of many of our pop stars like Ani Lorak, Svetlana Loboda, Tina Karol and Gaitana. “I’m quite proud of a couple of Gaitana songs,” he offers. “And Jamala. I’m really pumped about the stuff we’re working on with her right now. There are four or five songs already written for her first pop album which has got superb vocal and sound quality. She’s talented and has got amazing pitch, so as a producer I’m super excited to do what I can for her.”
Jamala is a little bit different from the average girl behind the mic and with Soviet pop (granted wrapped up a little differently) still a big seller these days, there has to be a little trepidation there, at least in the financial aspect of it all. “I think she’ll be popular,” he says, however, “And financially successful. Because sooner or later Ukrainians are going to get bored of the same old music they’ve been listening to for decades.”

His Own Threads
About a year ago, The Maneken released his first album, First Look, with the French label Somekind Music. Finding him online through his MySpace site, this Virgin Records affiliate offered The Maneken something he couldn’t refuse and so the record deal was made, making him a name all over Europe and Japan. Using the Ukrainian recording studio, Lavina Music, it didn’t take long before the disc was all over Russia as well, its release presented on 28 May 2009 – Filatov’s birthday.
Including something he calls an i.m. table in his work, Zhenya says, “It’s like a computer that generates sound, but without a monitor, disc drive or keyboard. In the studio I do what is called sampling, assigning certain sounds to come together that play as one when I’m in the club. This phenomenon is unprecedented as of yet in Ukraine,” he says and goes on to explain the 3Dvideo with motion capture technology he also uses when he’s working. This technology is more or less the same as what was used in Lord of the Rings, “Where every movement is tracked in a 360 degree range. The 8-12 cameras that may be working at any given point pick up the infrared transducers that come from every single one of our bodys’ joints and from that, the computer puts together a dancing model of sticks that moves just like I do. Putting the finishing touches on these ‘sticks’, what we get are dancing robots; which is exactly what you see in my video!”

Staying Put
Using this technology as part of an exhibit last year at Moscow’s annual millionaire’s fair, Zhenya says, “This fair was an amazing experience and things I’ve never seen before like bicycles with speed-regulated wheels, some of the most luxurious cars Dubai produces, and a 700,000euro piano made of seashells were just some of the other things on show.” He even had a few oligarchs interested in this i.m. table device, a couple of them joking with him that they’d buy it if it were pink! So give him another few years and it’s quite possible that The Maneken is truly going to rock Ukraine’s technological world. Something, in fact, he must sense because having been distributed and touring the States, hooking up with Jamiroquai while there, and contracting 10 different gigs in Italy recently, he is already living the life of luxury.
Still, regardless of his cosmopolitan views on music and life in general, he has never thought of leaving Ukraine. “I realise that overseas there are plenty of good musicians, producers and songwriters; all of them more than appreciated because they are locals. But I’m appreciated here in Ukraine and it is this country that makes me popular both here and overseas. And I’m grateful for that.”