Musician Pavel Artemiev: We are few and we need to stick together

The group of musician and actor Pavel Artemiev has been changing and developing for all twelve years of its existence, but remains essentially devoted to the original idea of ​​an independent creative team. By the current moment, the musicians have gained a decent creative baggage: four LPs, three mini-albums and several soundtracks, one of which can be heard these days in all cinemas in Moscow: the rom-com “Free Relations” was released, and one of the musical themes in it was composition “Instinctively”, recorded by ARTEMIEV with Musya Totibadze. The team is currently working in the studio on new material, which is scheduled for release in the near future in singles format.

Why did you decide to release new material as singles and not as an album? After all, the album creates a special microcosm with its own unique sound and, moreover, sums up an important period in the development of the band.

When you’re working on an album, you can afford to work for a long time. Today, I want to speak out more often, create and release tracks more intensively – this is the main reason. And the singles and mini-EP format is perfect for that. But maybe later we will combine everything that has been released into a single album.

You had a successful collaboration with Musya Totibadze. Will there be any other collaboration in the near future?

Now there are no specific plans, but there are already some desires and thoughts. Not so long ago, I took part in a charity event, where Antokha MS also performed, and we had a great joint performance. Perhaps this pleasant and unexpected jam could be the basis for some closer cooperation. Wait and see.

Track “The sky is somersault» entered in 2022 in two films at once: “Normal only me» And “Vinyl Sellers»and the composition “Instinctively” sounds in romcom “open relationship». Now another interesting biopic is in production, which will include the song “Heart». How did the music you create for movies come into your life? How does this process differ for you from creating songs for ARTEMIEV?

In addition to the fact that our songs are often taken to the cinema as musical themes, which is very pleasant and interesting, because the tracks begin to sound differently in the context of a particular scenario, I really managed to work together with Anton Khabibulin on the soundtrack of the film “Only I’m Normal” . This was my first experience as a composer for a feature film, and this experience, of course, is fundamentally different from working on my own material for the ARTEMIEV band. The difference, first of all, is that you work, roughly speaking, “to order” – you communicate with the director, producers, and everyone has their own vision of the picture and sound. And you have to not betray yourself, and at the same time do something that will please the film team. We can say that in order to create music for each film, a new musical group arises. You illustrate the story with music, completely new musical images are born – it’s incredibly interesting and gives a unique experience. During this time, I have already managed to work on another television series and, I hope, will continue to work in this area.

The composition of the ARTEMIEV band has not changed for a long time, you have been playing together for more than 10 years. How do you evolve within the team? How would you describe your general condition today?

The current line-up of the groupPavel Artemyev – vocals, keyboards, guitar Oleg Zanin – drums Sergey Khashevsky – moog, synthesizer. — Approx. ed.), indeed, has not changed for a long time. In the early years, everything was different, someone left, someone came. There was a big problem with bass players and drummers. Everything was not easy until we finally started playing in the current line-up. Unfortunately, a great loss for us was the unexpected death in December 2022 of guitarist Anton Khabibulin, who brought a lot to the life of the band and its sound. This is a loss that cannot be fully understood. Over the years, we have become very attached to each other, we have become a real family. Today, vocalist and actress Inna Sukhoretskaya and cellist Sasha Kozlovsky often join us in the studio and at performances. In addition to constant co-creation, we are very close friends, this is very important for us.

Your last track was called “Roadside”. What’s new on the way?

Now we are finishing work on two singles – “Wake up” and “140”. They are in the information stage. Some of these tracks will be released soon. And of course, they will be performed at the Moscow concert on March 4th. We have been running them live for some time now – we are interested in the reaction of the audience.

Your distinguishing feature has always been a clear disposition to unusual places and formats: you played in an Anglican cathedral, staged real performances and held unusual interactives with the audience. Do you still want to experiment and surprise?

It seems to me that a concert is more than just a few people on stage playing music. At best, it should be a shared experience with the audience. The most memorable concerts for me as a spectator are always something more than just the sound of music on stage. It’s more of a show, a performance. A show that hits the very soul and awakens some important emotions does not have to be expensive – it can be done with minimal funds. The concert also performs a therapeutic function – joint experiences, the exchange of emotions are very important, especially today. It only seems that there are many of us – in fact, we are few. And we need to stick together. On March 4, we will help each other survive.

Interviewed by Marina Pushkina