The new album by Naadia – integrity and openness

A famous musician Nadezhda Gritskevich has shared with us her story of becoming a musician, getting interested in the creation of jewelry, and a new wave of creativity that has started when the new studio album "Осколки" by Naadia has been released. The album is now available for listening on Apple Music or Google Play Music. We congratulate the band and invite you to learn more in our interview with Nadia ✨

Aloha, Nadia! Tell us how you eventually got into music even though you are a journalist?

Obviously, I have never really wanted to do journalism and was always looking for ways to avoid it. It was a perfect time to met Vanya, with whom we became friends and began to do something together. After classes, we stayed in the radio room and twisted all sorts of delays, reverbs, and recorded vocal loops. It was so much fun. Then we released the album, and things started to happen. At some point, we both realized that this is not just entertainment. 

How long ago did you start getting interested in music?

Since childhood, I have been singing, and when my parents asked me what I would like to play, for some reason I said “the viola“. Vladimir Spivakov was my idol. So, I went to an art school. Unfortunately, I was not able to finish my education, but music has always been present in my life anyway.

For example, we often organized family concerts for the New Year’s Eve: dad played guitar, my elder brother played the trumpet, and my mom – the piano. Then, a pretty drunk and terribly funny Santa Claus came and pretended that he liked all that a lot. He was a friend of our family – Mike – and was wearing a fake beard. Actually, that's funny, but my first stage, like many can recognize themselves, was a chair, and my first and very appreciative audience were friends of my parents.
 

You have been a fan of making silver jewelry and dreamed all life of doing it. Do you have a follow-up story?

Yes, now I'm finished working on a new album and want to focus more closely on jewelry. I really love to create something with my hands. The shine of molten metal awakens something primal in me. Anyways, this passion does not subside, and now my task is to make it more practical. 

Yes, creating jewelry is a real magic, but the songwriting is no less magical and interesting. Do your songs have some special purpose? What do you want to convey to your audience?

When I sit down to write a song, I sink into myself. I think the thoughts of the observer in the process of writing music or thinking about a specific purpose are harmful as they only hinder. That’s why I am so amazed when others write me that my music helps to understand something about themselves, reconciling them with the world. If we think about an ultimate goal, it is concerned with being on the same frequency with others, immersing yourself into the universal experience, and to talk about it simply and clearly. To get into this state I sometimes ask myself: what would Viktor Tsoi do? 

In your Tumbler, there is a phrase that "Inspiration comes from self-pity". Does this mean that your muse is melancholy?

It seems that I have found this phrase in an interview with Philip from the band called “Everything is made in China”. There is lots of truth in this: inspiration often comes from self-pity, at least for me. But the truth is that inspiration consists of various inputs and outputs, or, more correctly, access points. I think inspiration is like Wi-Fi. All the time, constantly, it happens in space, and you need to find the right moment to catch it. And, of course, you need to know the password. 

You said that your new album "Осколки" will be less dark and even inevitably joyful. Does this mean that Naadia has made a new step in creative development?

It seems to me that it is indeed so. This period is certainly rather forced than natural. Nevertheless, I do not think that there is something particular behind that. This album is not going to be joyful, of course, but it will be more honest and more open. That is what I call “joy” at the moment.

Your shows are always very beautiful. At the last solo gig in the Aglomerat club, the whole stage was decorated with flowers and the atmosphere was intimate and a bit mysterious. What to expect from the presentation on the 23rd of November?

First, I want to invite more musicians. Those who have time to listen to our new album will be very surprised by its live sound. The recording sounds intimate, delicate, and very personal. When we started playing these songs live, it turned out that they are very powerful. Of course, we are going to invite the best lighting designer. I also want to do a new video for the tour. Overall, I'm really looking forward to these concerts! This is, perhaps, my first record that I was up to before the actual recording began, and it is certainly the first in which I was able to say exactly what I wanted.