– You called yourself a “backstage boy” in an interview. Have you always dreamed of being on stage and becoming a singer?
– To be honest, after I started writing poetry in my second year at the institute, I wanted to devote myself completely to music. And then not immediately. I did not follow a particular profession: since childhood I was creative and kind to animals, so I always had shots in my head, from a zoologist to an actress, from a sinologist to a screenwriter. Time passed and my thoughts came true. Now I am engaged in creativity and helping shelters.
Why did you decide to change your name in your passport? And why did you choose the name Shena?
Shena is a real human name. Like Yesenia or Emilia, but very rare. I chose it when I was still a schoolgirl, and I consider it my real name without using the word “alias”. I think the name should be taken seriously and it’s easy to change. Why doesn’t it bother anyone that women take someone else’s last name when they get married and leave theirs so easily? (laughs)
– Do you write your own songs, from melody to lyrics?
– TRUE. The text and melodies belong to me, I do the arrangements together with the team. Recently started writing beats, but this is for home use only. Just me and my dog heard them (laughs). But I’m a quick learner and who knows, maybe one day my arrangement will come up.
– You published a cover of the rock hit by Diana Arbenina called “Calamity”. However, most of your songs are more pop music. Is it true that you are still looking for your style?
— I cannot say that my songs are classical pop material. Only “format” songs can be counted with the fingers of one hand, otherwise I would have less trouble with radio and TV (laughs). I also have a lot of ethnic and rock in my repertoire. I write the music I love, and I don’t put myself in a single genre framework.
When I was still young, the song hit my heart with disaster. Who would have thought that I would touch this piece as a performer today? Many thanks to Diana Sergeevna for believing and trusting me.
– You can hear folk motifs in some of your songs. Do you like the people?
“As far as I can remember, I loved folk music. Composer Joseph Loduka eventually fell in love with the genre. I was 6-7 years old at the time and I had goosebumps and tears shed from my work. Similar feelings from listening to his music have remained to this day. The passion for ethnic songs intensified at the institute, because there were so many folk vocal lessons that I finally found my outlet.
– What kind of music do you listen?
– I listen to absolutely different ones, from pieces from the 90s to modern little-known artists. There are times when I don’t listen at all. For example, you can play something on an unconscious level while writing your songs. Some artists specifically sin with this, but I take a principled stance. I always ask the team if they have familiar tunes in my demos.
– You are collaborating with the label “First Musical”. What does it give you? Even though there are social networks in today’s world, is it necessary to seek help from big brands?
– I have partnership and friendly relations with “First Musical”. The advantage for me personally is that this is a big help in management and I wouldn’t have time to do it. It all depends on what the artist himself wants and the opportunities he has at the beginning. At the same time, 5 years ago this topic could be freely discussed, but now the statistics of social networks have fallen to the bottom. Alternative platforms do not have such algorithms, so it is unknown whether they will help you as before. As we move towards the 2000s.
– Drag queens appear in one of your videos. In an interview, you said you wanted to show your attitude towards LGBTQ+ representatives by doing this. Do you think artists should explain their positions on social and political issues?
– For me, drag queen culture is first and foremost a spectacle, just like drag king. It seems to me that any art has a right to exist. I think everyone has the right to choose how to express their opinion. This should be done not only by artists, but also by people of any profession. And you should at least stop throwing bulls out of car windows, don’t leave trash after picnics in parks, and clean up after your street pets.
— You usually post posts from animal shelters on social networks. You defended the adoption of the law “on domestic violence” and recently accused Dmitry Pevtsov of opposing abortion. Did you always have this “social person” trait, or did it happen suddenly?
– An acquaintance of mine said that if I was from the universe of superheroes, the name Justice Man would suit me. I had this trait since I was a kid, and so I often hit my head. I consider it my duty to raise such issues. Themes of cruelty to both humans and animals. I know from my own experience what violence is, and I think our laws at the moment to deal with these problems are, to put it mildly, very weak.
– You shared on Telegram that you separate items for recycling. Tell me, what other good habits do you have?
– Not fully recyclable. I give something to foundations or private individuals in need. Only non-wearable items are sent to recycling companies. After learning that batteries take more than a hundred years to rot and cause great damage to the Earth, I stopped throwing them away and gave them to private places.
– And finally, what does your collarbone tattoo mean?
I love all my tattoos! There are 6 and it’s not over yet (laughs). On the collarbone – one of the first. This is a sentence from my song “They didn’t like it” written in French – “Be yourself”.