 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. |
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Talking the City With Singer Kamaliya
Thursday, December 9, 2010
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
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
Christmas Kino, Master Klass Cultural Centre (Ivana Mazepy 34), Every Thursday for the month of December at 19.00
Saturday, December 4, 2010
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 Monday, November 22, 2010
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.
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.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
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.”
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.”
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
The Last of the Defectors
London’s Golden Girl
The international radio hit, The Selector, is being launched in Kyiv at the beginning of next week. Hosted by one of Britain’s favourite DJs, Miss Goldierocks, it should be good. The girl will be coming to the capital, and throwing a bash in Heaven to kick it off on 13 November. What’s On hooked up with the adventurous girl in between flights from the Philippines for a quick but consonant chat.
Jumping into her music career first as a journalist, Samantha Hall wrote monthly columns for a number of British music magazines. Deciding that writing wasn’t enough, she tried her had at DJing and was immediately picked up by Aaron Audio. Transformed over night into DJ Goldierocks, she become known everywhere in London for her energy, her wild parties and her crazy aftershows. It has been her radio programme, The Selector, however, that has brought her international status, and broadcast in 23 countries to more than two million people, this girl is young, talented and crazy about music!
Identified as one of the most well-known London DJs around, tell us how your passion for music got started?
Sneaking off to dance hall sound-system parties in Jamaica when I was a young teen, I become totally addicted to that unique feeling of heavy bass vibrating through your back bone.
How did you decide to link you life with music?
I studied theatre at Goldsmiths College but always loved music so it just felt natural to join the two together. Eddy Temple Morris was a major influence on me way back at the start and continues to be today. He did a great mix for The Selector a few weeks back.
What is The Selector and how did you come up with the idea?
The Selector has been on the airwaves since 2001! But I took over presenting duties in the summer of 2009. The idea came from the London’s British Council as a good way to promote new and exciting music from the streets and clubs of Britain to a vast international audience.
What is it that makes the show so popular in the countries you air?
We pick up all the best new stuff straight away and put it on the show – it’s really eclectic! And Britain has a great reputation around the world for music.
Your professional activities are very diverse, and include music journalism, TV production, DJing – do you have a favourite among them?
They are all different and important to me, but the thing that links them together is the music. With that, one of the most thrilling things about DJing is helping people to escape and have a great time.
How would you describe European nightlife culture?
It’s a real melting pot where there is something for everyone.
You travel a lot. What’s the first thing you like to do when you get someplace new?
Presenting The Selector for the British Council has given me some amazing travel opportunities, Ukraine being one of them. I love to try the food and I always take a few bottles of the local booze back with me to the UK. Also, it’s great to see what different music makes people tick around the world. I heard that the club scene in Kyiv is amazing so looking forward to experiencing that.
You’ll be performing alongside Oleh Skrypka here in Kyiv. Do you know each other very well?
I’ve been touring the Philippines so I haven’t met him yet. But we are interviewing him on The Selector this week and I’m very much looking forward to meeting him.
Your life seems very busy – how do you manage to cope with everything?
I have a great team of people around me and I drink chai! For seven months of the year I have this crazy party existence but when I’m home I like to do nothing more than cook, garden and yoga.
What do you see as your biggest professional goal?
To still be doing all of this when I’m 50
The international radio hit, The Selector, is being launched in Kyiv at the beginning of next week. Hosted by one of Britain’s favourite DJs, Miss Goldierocks, it should be good. The girl will be coming to the capital, and throwing a bash in Heaven to kick it off on 13 November. What’s On hooked up with the adventurous girl in between flights from the Philippines for a quick but consonant chat.
Jumping into her music career first as a journalist, Samantha Hall wrote monthly columns for a number of British music magazines. Deciding that writing wasn’t enough, she tried her had at DJing and was immediately picked up by Aaron Audio. Transformed over night into DJ Goldierocks, she become known everywhere in London for her energy, her wild parties and her crazy aftershows. It has been her radio programme, The Selector, however, that has brought her international status, and broadcast in 23 countries to more than two million people, this girl is young, talented and crazy about music!
Identified as one of the most well-known London DJs around, tell us how your passion for music got started?
Sneaking off to dance hall sound-system parties in Jamaica when I was a young teen, I become totally addicted to that unique feeling of heavy bass vibrating through your back bone.
How did you decide to link you life with music?
I studied theatre at Goldsmiths College but always loved music so it just felt natural to join the two together. Eddy Temple Morris was a major influence on me way back at the start and continues to be today. He did a great mix for The Selector a few weeks back.
What is The Selector and how did you come up with the idea?
The Selector has been on the airwaves since 2001! But I took over presenting duties in the summer of 2009. The idea came from the London’s British Council as a good way to promote new and exciting music from the streets and clubs of Britain to a vast international audience.
What is it that makes the show so popular in the countries you air?
We pick up all the best new stuff straight away and put it on the show – it’s really eclectic! And Britain has a great reputation around the world for music.
Your professional activities are very diverse, and include music journalism, TV production, DJing – do you have a favourite among them?
They are all different and important to me, but the thing that links them together is the music. With that, one of the most thrilling things about DJing is helping people to escape and have a great time.
How would you describe European nightlife culture?
It’s a real melting pot where there is something for everyone.
You travel a lot. What’s the first thing you like to do when you get someplace new?
Presenting The Selector for the British Council has given me some amazing travel opportunities, Ukraine being one of them. I love to try the food and I always take a few bottles of the local booze back with me to the UK. Also, it’s great to see what different music makes people tick around the world. I heard that the club scene in Kyiv is amazing so looking forward to experiencing that.
You’ll be performing alongside Oleh Skrypka here in Kyiv. Do you know each other very well?
I’ve been touring the Philippines so I haven’t met him yet. But we are interviewing him on The Selector this week and I’m very much looking forward to meeting him.
Your life seems very busy – how do you manage to cope with everything?
I have a great team of people around me and I drink chai! For seven months of the year I have this crazy party existence but when I’m home I like to do nothing more than cook, garden and yoga.
What do you see as your biggest professional goal?
To still be doing all of this when I’m 50
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Dan Balan - Justify Sex
Dan Balan achieved worldwide success in the mid-noughties as the front man of the hugely successful Euro pop act, O-Zone. Now his solo career is set to explode in the same way with the release of his new single ‘Chica Bomb’ on hit-making label, All Around The World. Featuring slick production, sexy electro grooves, huge hooks and a video that is raising the temperature, ‘Chica Bomb’ is shaping up to be a huge summer hit!
Dan Balan is no stranger to success. He wrote and produced all the O-Zone hits, including the hit single ‘Dragostea Din Tei’. This song alone reached no. 1 in 32 countries, including no.3 in the UK, selling 12 million copies worldwide. It was the best-selling single in Europe in 2005 and remained at no.1 in The USA for six weeks! After O-Zone, Dan decided to take a change in musical direction, delivering a fresh take on pop and merging it with a contemporary European electro-dance sound.
Here is his new Single, "Justify Sex"
Dan Balan is no stranger to success. He wrote and produced all the O-Zone hits, including the hit single ‘Dragostea Din Tei’. This song alone reached no. 1 in 32 countries, including no.3 in the UK, selling 12 million copies worldwide. It was the best-selling single in Europe in 2005 and remained at no.1 in The USA for six weeks! After O-Zone, Dan decided to take a change in musical direction, delivering a fresh take on pop and merging it with a contemporary European electro-dance sound.
Here is his new Single, "Justify Sex"
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