Grigory Leps is perhaps the most odious figure in the domestic show business. The selected audience is familiar with his work. He practically does not participate in "national" concerts. He is rarely seen on television. He tours a lot and talks a little about himself. He is different. We met in Dubai. We sat and talked ...
- Gregory, I first saw you and heard your songs two years ago at a private concert here in Dubai. I’m even ashamed of you to admit it. Tell me, why are you so diligently ignored by our television?
- There is nothing to be ashamed of, few have heard me. But recently, on the contrary, they have shown me very well. Now on the first channel, then on the second. To be honest, I don’t suffer from the fact that I rarely glimpse on TV. I work a lot. I always give ten or fifteen concerts a month.
- Are you talking mainly about closed concerts?
- And it doesn’t matter. Now there will be a big concert tour in the Russian and Ukrainian south: Yalta, Sochi, Anapa, Odessa, other coastal cities. Then there will be a big tour in Siberia, then in America. I have a lot of work. I am a singer that everyone needs.
- Which audience do you most need?
- Mostly adults who are over 30 - 35 years old. But recently, young people began to go to my concerts. And it pleases.
- Here in the Emirates, many of our compatriots know your songs by heart and even try to sing them themselves. When will you please your fans in the UAE with a great concert?
- It all depends on how people will pay for my performances. If they are willing to pay, then come is not a problem. Just set a day and that’s it. Tickets for my concerts are quite expensive, not all, I think, can afford them.
- Yes, I heard that in the past few years, the prices of your concerts have grown very much.
- Somewhere in 2000, tickets for my performances began to rise in price, after the release of the album "Rat". And the uptrend is still there.
- They also say that you changed the producer?
- I did not change, but simply fired. I think I don’t need a producer. I have several guys who help me, having certain connections in the press, on television. I pay them a salary and do not understand why I personally need a producer.
- What about your plans to sing a duet with one of the popular singers?
- I used to sing a duet with Irina Allegrova. Now there will be a duet with Soso Pavliashvili. But it is so, in a friendly way. You probably mean a duet with someone strong, some foreigner? Why not. Maybe, maybe ... It's just technically harder than recording duets with our pop stars. But in fact, I do not see much point in this. Roughly speaking, I don’t need to show off that I sang with this and that. They do not give the artist anything.
- You have such a complicated range of songs. Tell me how you choose a repertoire?
- All my songs are selected on the basis of “like - not like”. In general, I use this approach to everything in life, from songs to women.
- Does anyone write songs specifically for you?
- Many try, give to listen. I don’t like much. If a song doesn’t catch me, I don’t see anything in this song, then I won’t do it.
“Have you tried to write yourself?”
- I write, but very little. He probably wrote seven or eight songs in his entire life. This is not mine. Sometimes it’s interesting, then the songs just turn out, such as “Rat”, “Rustle”. These are my own songs.
- Do you often visit the Emirates?
- Recently, infrequently, about once every six months. Now a friend’s birthday has arrived. If not for this reason, I would not have gathered for a long time. In Dubai, I love staying at Le Royal Meridien. I like the hotel, the food is delicious, the service is good. What else is needed? The only thing is that a modern metropolis is being built here, and this, in my opinion, is not very interesting for recreation.
- And where do you like to relax?
- By the sea. I really like in Thailand. For example, on the island of Phuket. There the sea is different, not the same as here, and the mountains are wonderful. This is closer to me. I do not really like the desert. The landscape is boring.
- What cuisine do you prefer?
- I do not have pronounced preferences. I eat everything: Japanese food, and Italian, and seafood, and meat. I love what is cooked well and tasty.
- But doesn’t he go to his native places? Are you from Sochi?
- I’m there, however, also infrequently. By and large, I have nothing to do there. Yes, there are mountains and the sea, but abroad is somehow more interesting. There is more comfort. Not only it seems to me. Well, and then, a lot of work, family, children, running around. When is the ride especially? Once. And when the opportunity arises, it is with great pleasure that I fly to Europe. Just wandering the streets. I go a lot when I'm in Europe. Twenty to thirty kilometers a day I can wind.
- Is this a sport?
- No, I just like to walk, look at the streets, houses, people. I like to breathe that air.
- And how do you feel about sport? Healthy lifestyle?
- Sport is an unhealthy lifestyle. It is rather a disability. I'm just doing physical exercises: doing exercises, I can indulge with dumbbells. I have two exercise machines at home - a bicycle and a treadmill. Here I’m doing it, supporting myself a little.
- Does your eldest daughter study in London? Do you not trust Russian education?
- Do you trust Russian education? It’s not that I don’t trust, I just think that she’s better there. And then, she made a choice, I just offered her. She agreed, and I pay everything. By and large, today you can learn everywhere.
I myself graduated from a musical school in the class of percussion instruments, and then nobody taught pop singing with us. Those who studied for opera artists sang on our stage. Today, however, in Russia there are many talented pop singers. But I am convinced that one cannot teach singing. The technique of singing and proper breathing can be extended, the ligaments can be stretched and the range can be increased too, and you can truly sing only with your heart and soul. A voiceless person cannot be taught anything at all. If he is not given, then at least die next to him, nothing will come of it.
- Is it true that many modern strong musicians and singers often fill up forced breaks in their work or “crises of the genre” with alcohol or drugs?
“This is not in my life.” I haven’t been drinking or taking drugs for a long time. This is in the past. I have rethought many values. True, I didn’t quit smoking. I just live, walk a lot, relax with my family. In addition, I am a passionate collector. I collect icons and books. I often visit my friends, many of whom live and work in Europe. It's enough. In the end, I have a family and children. We must take care of them.
- Besides music and creativity, would you like to do some kind of business?
- There are blueprints, of course. You need to do something else in life. As an option, I am considering a construction business. I have partners in Russia. But while it is still at the level of preparation. Much needs to be improved.
- What would you wish the readers of our magazine?
“I wish your readers to read and buy your magazine more often.” (Laughs). Health of course! Have a good rest here in the Emirates. Good mood. People! Treat your friend with kindness, humanity and understanding. Take care of yourself and take care of your health from a young age. Remember that someday youth will pass, maturity will come, and old age will follow. And then it will take a lot, a lot of strength and the very health that you did not think about. I know for myself.
Interviewed by Irina Ivanova
Photos taken from the official website of Grigory Leps.
Photographer Vlad Burykin
www.grigoryleps.ru
