How a drummer from Crimea conquered Moscow

We met Timur Belobrov from Simferopol five years ago when we wrote about the Tavrida forum. Timur is a twice-participant of the forum, for his active life position he was awarded a medal and gratitude from the President of Russia. During the pandemic, he conducted online music workshops for children from all over the country. Timur played drums in the Crimean band Wishlist, worked in the service 112 and dreamed of moving to Moscow to devote himself to music.

Having stumbled upon an article from five years ago, we wondered how the life of this talented guy has changed and, most importantly, whether the dream has come true. We find Timur’s page in social networks and see in the profile: the city of Moscow, the founder and mentor of the Dream Tim Drum School, the artist of the top pop projects NANSI & SIDOROV, Serebro. We immediately contact Timur and ask him to tell us how he managed all this.

I am so glad you remembered me and wrote about me. I just blossomed - Timur's voice has so much joy and sincerity. Your edition has become one of the most important checkboxes in my life, as I call it: I always put flags to remember who I am and who I was.

Who was our countryman, we remember, but how he began to collect stadiums and tour the country in the company of famous performers, I wanted to know.

Rebirth

“I call it rebirth,” Timur Belobrov begins. It so happened that I ended a long relationship. I began to grow up abruptly and realize that I was not really holding anything. The most important thing I can do now is to fulfill my dream. When I first came to Moscow from Tavrida (we were supposed to perform at the Bolshoi Theatre), I saw what a beautiful city it is, what people there are. And I said, I want to live here, this place will be my home.

In 2021, Timur saw a poster about the casting in the best drum show of Russia “Vasilyev Grouv”. The friend said, "Well, why are you sitting here?" Go, try it. Really, why not? There is a desire, but there is no money.

“I scraped up the money for a ticket to Moscow, but I couldn’t buy drumsticks,” the musician recalled. I go up to my mom and she keeps a couple of my autographed name sticks. I said, "Mom, can you give it to me?" I'll go to Moscow, win one casting and return them to you. And she gives me this pair of sticks in bright green on the condition that I win.

In Moscow, he was met by Masha Shchedrinova, a singer known under the pseudonym Marytale, whom they met on Tavrida.

“Masha is the only person who offered support on my first independent arrival,” Timur said. - Feed, escorted to the audition and escorted back to the airport. I don't forget things like that. I'll never turn my back on her in my life. By the way, on November 8, we have a concert with Masha.

At the casting, the Crimean so fascinated the musicians with conversations that they forgot to listen to him play. They were ready when they were about to leave. A few days later, when Timur had already returned to Simferopol, he received a call and was informed that he had passed the selection and was waiting for him in Moscow.

But any story about a scene, a dream, or a job ends up being a love story. A creative person cannot be without love - and Timur is proof of that.

As we remember, disappointed in love, our hero wanted to devote his life to music. He said to himself, “No relationship in the near future.”.

A small spoiler, Timur says with a smile, showing off his engagement ring.

He met Diana at 112. It turned out that they grew up in neighboring houses, went to the same school, but never met. Fate brought them together 10 years later. Timur immediately realized that she was his future wife. He told his mother, “Hello, my name is Timur, your daughter will marry me.” Then I planned a trip to Moscow, the realization of my main dream. But he knew that if he left now, he would lose the love of his life. He called the organizers of the project and asked for a few weeks of delay, realizing that he was risking a place in the team. In response, he heard that he would be waiting.

This time was enough to convince the girl of the seriousness of his intentions. They had a long-distance relationship for two years. In August they celebrated their first wedding anniversary. Now Diana received her second education, wants to try her hand at work, and Timur dreams of children.

I am one of those men who considers myself a breadwinner in the family. I work for my wife not to work, but to get high and enjoy life. But I understand that she also needs to be realized. So I say, "My love, just go ahead." I am close, says Belobrov tenderly.

Moscow's Test

Moscow, with its big money and prospects, staged a tough check on the guy from Crimea. During the day, Timur taught drums, in the evening he worked at a construction site. Lived where it turned out: then in the hostel, then on the object, or even a whole month slept on the sofa in the music room. Fortunately, the compatriots from Simferopol, who have long settled in Moscow, learned about his adventures in time and took him home.

I felt love and support from my native Crimea. Timur could not confess to his mother, how difficult it was for him, but she and her mother felt everything. Knowing that her son would not accept financial aid, she acted more cunningly.

To make you understand, I did not even have money for travel, Timur does not hide anything from us. - Mom calls to pick up the package. I walk to the post office, and there's a box weighing 13 kilograms. I open, and tears in my eyes come out: stew, sausage, my favorite porridge "Artek"..

Over time, everything fell into place, and events began to unfold in the best possible way. Timur began to go out, make acquaintances, realizing that he stands out among the locals.

I wasn’t poisoned by Moscow, I wasn’t cynical. I really like music, people. And I only meet good people who are willing to lend a helping hand. I think Moscow taught me to take care of my family and cherish people.

But since we have such a frank conversation, Timur admits that not everything was smooth even when it seemed that he had achieved heights. In five years, he went through burnout, his first depression, hatred and pain: at the age of 28, he was diagnosed with arthrosis, injections every other day, and a ban on running.

“I recently had my first depression, my first creative burnout,” Timur said. I hated music and I hated myself because I hated what I lived for. And now I'm from a person who thought of myself as a robot - there's one activity and I'm willing to do anything for it - becoming a person. For me, friends, family are important, I begin to appreciate my desires, dreams. This is the first year I started loving myself. Thank you to my wife. Moscow also taught me to appreciate the moments, including because everything flies by very quickly here. Today is my day off, and it's the only day I can do 17 songs, because tomorrow I have a rehearsal, the day after tomorrow a concert, in parallel with the students, and everything has to be done. The day before yesterday I was playing at a nightclub, it was incredible, people were texting me that it was a breakup. And his wife said, “I give him shots, and he gives the scene!” I can see how she feels, but I know that this is my conscious choice. I have two options: either leave quickly, as the brightest stars fade, or shine as long as possible, but evenly. Recently, I have chosen the second option.

In his place

Timur is currently the drummer for NANSI & SIDOROV, Serebro. He performed at the international youth forum in Yekaterinburg, VK Fest in Nizhny Novgorod, assembled a stadium in Surgut, worked with singer Erica Lundmoen for almost three years.

“It was my dream to play with Erica,” Timur admits. When he moved to Moscow, he began to make his way to her: he played her music, recorded videos, posted stories, mentioned her every day. At one point, my video with her most popular song shot. She saw and commented. I wrote to her: "Erica, hi, I dream of playing with you.".

One day he had a dream: Erica texted him with two questions: whether he would take her and her mother to study drums and whether he wanted to work with her. The next morning he opened the phone and the message was real.

We worked together for almost three years. From that moment on, I shot very hard in the circle of musicians. They started talking about me, ‘Imagine the kid came in and said he was going to play with Erica, and he’s playing with Erica.’ I not only kept my word, I fulfilled it, and this motivated many friends, says Belobrov enthusiastically.

Timur cooperates with the group Serebro thanks to the musician Denis Marinkin (ex-drummer Grigory Leps, Maxim Fadeev), who considers one of his main teachers in life. Selects the guy and Marinkin, noting the cool technique of Timur, unusual for young people. Therefore, he recommended him to the Fadeev team. For two weeks, the manager tried to call the artist.

And I do not pick up the phone from unfamiliar numbers - I am afraid of fraudsters, Timur opens his hands. Then Dan called me and said, Are you kidding me? People call you and you don't answer the phone! Finally, I arrived, we talked, posted a video. I got hired. But because of the pandemic, everything stopped for a year. Now we're finally starting to work. I have played six concerts with them.

Now Timur is on tour with NANSI & SIDOROV in the Far East. October 15 started from Vladivostok, finish in Yekaterinburg, only eight cities. With these guys, he first felt what it meant to work with people who became a family.

“The offer to work with Oleg and Nastya (music duo NANSI & SIDOROV – note. ed.) came just when I had a desire to play pop rock,” recalls Timur. I shared my idea with my wife at dinner. “Well, if you want, it will be,” the wife predicted. A few hours later, a message comes from Oleg: “You need a drummer, do you want to work with us?” I go to Yandex, I see that they have 8 million listens. I start listening and I realize that this is what I want. From the first rehearsal I realized that this is my future family. We walk together, go to cafes, live nearby. They became friends with my wife. When I posted on social media that I became the drummer for NANSI & SIDOROV, people said, ‘Finally you’re in your place.’ For the first time in my life, I feel in my place.

Something worth living for

Timur admits that the year was not easy: crisis, instability, work depends on other people. But he does not give up, continues to shoot content, talk about himself. He jokes that he has like a zebra: either a white stripe, then a black stripe - either all in excess or complete emptiness. And I began to treat this as an opportunity to reset, rest. You should always look for the positives.

Today he has two personalities, as he jokes. One is a rock star who can't live without a stage, wants everything at once. The second is a man who dreams of buying land, building a cabin in the woods and living with his family and closest friends.

- Timur, what happened to the band Wishlist after you left? - We recall how our drummer began.

I forced the soloist and founder of the author’s group Igor Druzhinin to move to Moscow a year ago. We gave two concerts. We assembled the institution, 80% of my friends and acquaintances, people from different fields, artists came. A month ago, we agreed with Igor to assemble a new composition, write music. I'll come back from the tour and start working on the material.

The main dream of Timur is to collect stadiums, catch the admiring eyes of the public, bathe in applause. For him, this is not just success, it is the highest point of self-realization and the answer to the question of what is worth living for.

You may not believe in yourself, but you have to believe in your business. What you're willing to put your life on, your health, all your dreams, all your time. If it brings you pleasure and you can simultaneously make work out of it, provide for yourself and your family, then you definitely need to try, try and believe. There are people in Moscow who do not know why they are going, do not take root. I knew it. I wanted to play music. And I play, Timur Belobrov summed up.