ALEKSEEV, Belarus’ Eurovision 2018 entry
ALEKSEEV: interesting facts
Popular singer Nikita Alekseev, known under the stage name ALEKSEEV, was born in Kiev on 18 May 1993. He was raised by his mom, a medic by profession, and his aunt, about whom he speaks with great warmth.
The story of his family name is also interesting. The singer said it brings him good luck. He inherited it from his grandfather who replaced his family name Chumak for Alekseev in appreciation and memory of a young soldier Alekseev who rescued him during the Great Patriotic War.
At the age of 10 the future pop artist started to take vocal lessons from famous Kiev professor Konstantin Pona. He made the first steps as a soloist in a school band which he set up to get into the junior Eurovision.
In 2010 Alekseev decided to pursue a career in marketing but in the evenings, after the university lectures, he rehearsed with his rock band Mova. Later he decided that he wanted to pursue music professionally and became a free listener of the Kiev Institute of Culture and Art where he majored in directing pop and mass events.
Participation in the Ukrainian TV show “The Voice of the Country 4” became a turning point. The mentor, famous singer Ani Lorak supported Alekseev and helped him make his debut video Vsyo Uspet (Everything Is In Time). After the TV project, Oleg Bodnarchuk became his creative producer.
The first hit in the singer’s career was the song Drunk Sun (lyrics by Vitaly Kurovsky, music by Ruslan Kvinta). It was released in October 2015. In record short time, it received a Platinum status on iTunes (100,000 downloads) and became the first Russian-language single that conquered the top 100 of the world's Shazam Music Charts.
Alekseev’s video “Drunk Sun” made by acclaimed director Alan Badoyev is a romantic story about the protagonist killing his alter ego after breaking up with his girlfriend. The video has scored around 35 million hits and won fans around the world.
Thanks to this song, the emerging singer who received the Ukrainian YUNA Music Award 2016 for Discovery of the Year, managed to make a name for himself and hit the top music charts. He also earned numerous prestigious awards: Record of the Year by RU.TV channel, Breakthrough of the Year by Muz-TV, and M1 Music Awards.
In 2016, Alekseev released the EPs Drunk Sun and Hold, and also the chart hits Dreams of Shards, Oceans of Steel, and Feeling Soul. They made part of his solo program presented at the Kiev-based Bel Etage concert hall.
The artist won ZD Awards and Top Hit Awards for Breakthrough of the Year, Artist of the Year, Most Played Song on the Radio, and Most Popular Artist on the Radio in 2017. At the end of 2017, he was bestowed with the Singer of the Year title in Belarus for the single Feeling Soul at the first edition of the pop music award Our League organized by the BelMuzTV channel.
Forever: A song for Eurovision
The first semifinal of the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 saw Alekseev perform his song Forever, which helped him win the final round of Belarus’ national selection. The audience and the jury gave the act 12 points (the maximum number). By the way, this is the first song in English the young artist has ever performed.
The single Forever was released in November 2017 thanks to a female fan who posted a comment on social media to confess that the new song helped her cope with a difficult life situation and continue to believe in herself.
The artist said in an interview that this tune is his love confession which reflects his personal story to a great extent. “This is a very personal song which pretty much expresses my inner state,” he remarked.
Preparations for Eurovision 2018
A large Ukrainian-Belarusian team is working on Alekseev’s performance for this year’s Eurovision edition. The show will differ from the one staged in the final round of the national selection. Back then the singer’s creative team impressed the audience and the jury with a “smart” flexible screen technology which projected a light image onto the stage and the artist’s costume-display.
The Eurovision act was produced by artistic director and singer’s friend Oleg Bodnarchuk, famous for his innovative TV project and show productions including spectacular shows for America’s Got Talent and M1 Music Awards.
Yet, Alekseev’s Eurovision 2018 act remains a secret. “I am happy that our team has managed to find balance both in visual and audio formats. We looked for the right sound of the song for a long time. Now, we are at the point which I call creative harmony,” the singer said.
In February 2018, Alekseev took part in the production of visiting cards for the Eurovision Song Contest that will take place in the capital of Portugal. According to the main idea, the Belarusian entrant will set the famous mechanical clock that decorates Lisbon’s main attraction – the Rua Augusta Arch.
Alekseev’s promo tour kicked off on 24 February with a concert in Baku. It included concerts in Moscow and Tallinn, and also a Eurovision pre-party in Lithuania. Alekseev’s song was presented in Amsterdam, at the 2018 Eurovision promo party in Madrid and during his tour of Moldova.
The singer and his team see magic in number 8 which pursues Alekseev on his way to the Eurovision 2018. His birthday is on 18 May. He will perform the 8th in the first semifinal on 8 May. Apart from that, number 8 means a life path and, once turned round, represents a symbol of infinity. Alekseev’s song is called Forever.
ALEKSEEV Forever
The video for Alekseev’s song Forever was produced by Alan Badoyev. In the video the singer invites his viewers to see the backstage, the way his songs are created and what the singer thinks about when being alone.
According to the video maker, unlike the previous videos made in the form of stories, the new clip reveals Alekseev’s true nature and personality.
The video presents details about the singer’s hobbies and personal things that add to the image and mood of the song: a football game, dances to favorite melodies, and thoughts during a morning cup of coffee.
Official video on ALEKSEEV’s song Forever – video
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