Minchanka in the rhythm of Moscow: singer and TV presenter Angelika Pushnova returns home with a solo concert

Singer, songwriter and TV presenter of Minsk Angelika Pushnova conquered Moscow, becoming a popular face in the Russian media space, and on September 11 will perform a solo concert in the Belarusian capital. The correspondent of the agency “Minsk-Novosti” found out what surprises the artist will please fellow countrymen.

- This is a really long-awaited event, because for several years I did not have big performances in Minsk: all the time I took away the development of my career in Russia. Our audience was bored, so fans and followers in social networks took the news of the concert with enthusiasm. We plan to break the program into contrasting blocks: a dynamic dance set from well-known and beloved Belarusian compositions, a lyrical part with my author's poems and a live acoustic sound. There will be musicians on the stage with me. We will do everything to make the evening warm. By the way, my family and friends will gather in the hall, who will come from different cities of Belarus.

Moscow time

- There is an opinion that the Belarusian artist finally declares himself only when he achieves recognition in Russia: they say, only there come real fame and big budgets.

- My story looks different because I have already found the sincere love of the public at home. Since childhood, released songs, participated in music competitions and for many years led programs on ONT, so I was recognized on the streets. Moving to Moscow simply added media weight and expanded the audience. Five years ago, when I started working as a presenter on the federal channel MUZ-TV, friends and former colleagues began to massively upload our common photos to the Internet, openly proud of the fact that the Minsk woman is now on the air of the main music television of the CIS.

- You are a multiple winner of the Song of the Year of Belarus award (from 2016 to 2019) and a finalist of national selections for Eurovision. It is quite natural that at some point the framework of the native scene became small and wanted to move on.

- I have been very active since childhood. Already at the age of 18, for the first time she won the diploma “Songs of the Year”, constantly tried her hand at new TV projects, and everyone around in one voice said: “Pushnova, your scale is wider, you need to conquer Moscow!” This was a logical continuation of my professional growth.

- In terms of dynamics, this metropolis was comfortable for you?

- I did not love him immediately, it was uncomfortable at first. It took several years to adapt. The situation changed when she found friends, discovered her favorite places in the city and immersed herself in work. But I still actually live in two countries: I often come to Belarus and, being in Russia, longing for my homeland. I’m always looking forward to finally slowing down and reaping the pure emotions of meeting loved ones. I love going to the countryside, picking berries from my grandmother’s beds and enjoying a measured country life. As soon as the internal balance is restored, I am again heading for Moscow, because I begin to miss its rapid rhythm, live broadcasts, concerts and meetings with unique people.

Don't lose energy

- In one of the interviews, you mentioned that you really enjoyed playing concerts in tandem with showman Timur Rodriguez. Why did this experience become special?

Timur met on my professional path at the most crucial moment – at the start of his Moscow career. By that time, I knew how to work at the leading Belarusian venues, but I had not yet fully grasped the specifics and requirements of Russian show business. With Rodriguez, we were introduced just a few minutes before the appearance of the thousands of music awards, where top artists performed. He asked, “Do you like to run events dynamically or at a more measured pace?” I told him I preferred top speed, and he admitted with a smile that it worked the same way. In the end, we got together, perfectly complemented each other and improvised a lot on the air. At half-time, Timur came up to me and said: “You have a great future, most importantly, do not lose your inner energy.” He stressed that this is not a duty compliment, because for the Russian media space, a professional smart girl presenter with an excellent sense of humor and the skill of instant improvisation is rare. It was after that conversation that I decided to always be myself, as sincere as I was in Minsk, and I never regretted it.

- It seems that now you have begun to pay even more attention to your own creativity: you write music and poems, boldly experiment with new genres.

- It really is. Previously, I mainly collaborated with well-known authors from Belarus, Russia and Ukraine, buying finished material from them. But over time I realized that the audience is much warmer to the compositions that I wrote myself and lived from the first to the last note. Sketch phrases, rhymes and future tunes are always with me - in the notes of the mobile phone. The muse is an unpredictable lady: often inspiration covers in planes and trains, and sometimes the most successful lines come to mind during the morning shower. There are periods of spontaneous illumination, but sometimes you have to include professional discipline and purposefully seat yourself at the desk.

The mood of my creativity has also changed. If before the songs were mostly sad - about unrequited feelings, finding yourself and suffering of girls, now I'm experiencing a happy stage. I want to share with the viewer only bright emotions: joy, inner harmony and faith in the best. This summer, I posted photos of my wedding on social media. Until the last moment, my husband and I kept the preparations for the celebration in the strictest secret from the general public, although it was not easy to do it. We quietly celebrated an important event with close relatives and friends in Belarus, and only after a while I revealed the secret to subscribers.

- Your main music producer is still your father – Dmitry Pushnov?

No one can replace the Pope in this position. Over the years of working in Moscow, I managed to cooperate with many top PR agencies, creative teams and major music labels. But life has shown that there is no partner more reliable than the father. No one is so genuinely interested in my success and is not rooting for the common cause. Dad is well known and respected in show business. Secretly from me, he asked famous artists to record video congratulations for our wedding. It turned out a stunning surprise: we were congratulated by the singer Shura, People’s Artist of Belarus Anatoly Yarmolenko, the group “Room of Culture” and many other colleagues dear to my heart. Today it is a double happiness for me to feel the strong support and unconditional love of the two main men in my life: my father and my husband.

Photo from the interviewee's archive