Dmitry Koldun
Encyclopedia
Dmitry Aleksandrovich Koldun ' onMouseout='HidePop("74261")' href="/topics/Minsk">Minsk
, Belarussian SSR, USSR) is a pop
singer from Minsk
, Belarus
.
Koldun participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007
and has been the most successful entrant from Belarus to date. His song "Work Your Magic
" was the first Belarusian song to enter the Eurovision final which later achieved 6th place and top chart positions in Eastern Europe
.
In 2002 Koldun studied chemistry at the Belarusian State University
as his aspirations changed to becoming a chemist as opposed to a doctor. He did well in his chemistry course just as he had done with medical studies as he was said to be “enthusiastic”.
Many people have compared Koldun's appearance to that of Princess Diana
. In Dmitry Koldun's biography
he wrote that his mother was the head of the Princess Diana fan club
in Belarus and admired her dearly. When pregnant with Koldun, Koldun's mother had wished for a baby girl but instead gave birth to Dmitry. She is not at all disappointed but notices the resemblance between Koldun and the late Princess as have other people such as Sir Terry Wogan
who pointed this resemblance out while commenting on the Eurovision Song Contest 2007
.
The biography that comes with the Eurovision CD/DVD of Work Your Magic (concerning the look-alike
situation) reads:
Koldun recently shocked fans by claiming that he is prone to "mutation
s". The singer revealed that he has experienced serious problems with his hair. Koldun puts these 'mutations' down to the Chernobyl disaster
which left long-lasting, radiating effects aross many of the Eastern European countries and notably Minsk
, Belarus
- Koldun's birthplace.
Koldun says (translated from Russian): "Every year my hair colour changes...in my school years I had thick hair. But not now. I believe that that is the fault of the Chernobyl disaster." Koldun states his hair colour has changed from blonde, at an early age in school, gradually (sometimes overnight) becoming shades darker to the 'burning' brunette he is today (naturally).
In 2006 Koldun won the sixth season of the Russian television show Star Factory
on Channel One
. During the show Koldun performed with several artists including the renowned Scorpions
performing “Still Loving You
” after which he was invited by the soloist Klaus Meine
to perform this song on a joint tour. Due to his successes Koldun became popular in Russia
and other past Soviet states. Koldun signed a contract with the National Music Corporation and became the soloist of the reformed group K.G.B. (Koldun, Gurkov, Barsukov).
's song "Mum
".
where he justified the favourite's tag, winning both the public vote and becoming the choice of the jury. After its selection, Dmitry Koldun and his song were caught up in a conflict between Belarus television and his Russian management company which at one stage looked like the lyrics of the song would have to be changed, however the problem was resolved.
In the preliminary stage, Koldun performed "Angel Mechty" receiving 4412 votes, 32% of the public vote. The judges then chose two of their preferred artists to compete in a final alongside Koldun where he was eventually announced the winner with the song "Work Your Magic
" on 22 January. He was the least popular (of three acts) of the proessional judges but won due to the public vote.
, Maki Kolehmainen and Tracy Lipp was included into the debut album of the band Hard Ratzz Hallelujah. As ESCKaz was told by a representative of the label Helsinki Music Centre: "We were not aware that Dmitry Koldun had been performing the song. The rights for both "Aave" and "Get Up, Get Down, Get Crazy" are possessed by HMC & BMG Music Publishing Scandinavia, song was already published by us on The Ratzz album".
According to the application form for participation in the national Belarus pre-selection, songs and their elements music and lyrics, taking part in any stage of the contest should comply with the Rules for the National Musical Project Eurofest and Rules of ESC 2007.
Rules of Eurofest state: "Songs should not be anyhow used by the participant or organizers before the selection show". BTRC has also notified that this provision is first of all related to distribution and sharing the rights for the competing songs. It is clear that the song, which already had been released by another performer, prior to the date of Belarus pre-selection concert, is breaking this rule.
ESCKaz also learned that Koldun was regularly performing the song "Get Up" on a Star Factory
6 tour including the series of commercial concerts in Belarus at the beginning of September. The song was also available since mid-September on the internet. Both are prohibited by "Eurovision Song Contest 2007" regulations that do not allow competing songs to be publicly performed before 1 October 2006. This same rule is repeated in the "Eurofest" rules in following variant, paragraph 2.1: "The songs for contest ("entries") (lyrics and music) must not have been commercially released and/or publicly performed before 1 October 2006. The entry as a copyright object must not have been released through the Internet or any other media".
Angelica Agurbash
was also accused of cheating in the same competition and, unlike Koldun, she was disqualified.
Since being selected to represent Belarus at Eurovision, Dmitry Koldun has taken part in the biggest promotional tour of any Eurovision artist competing in Helsinki, visiting almost twenty countries performing his Eurovision entry.
As Belarus had not finished the 2006 Contest in the top 10, the song was performed in the semi-final. Here, it was performed fourth (following Cyprus' Evridiki with "Comme Ci, Comme Ça" and preceding Iceland's Eiríkur Hauksson
with Valentine Lost). The song received 176 points in the semi-final on 10 May, placing 4th in a field of 28 and qualifying Belarus for the final.
In the final on 12 May, the song was performed third (following Spain's D'NASH with "I Love You Mi Vida" and preceding Ireland's Dervish with "They Can't Stop The Spring"). Koldun received the maximum 12 points from Israel, Russia and Ukraine and in total receiving 145 points earning 6th place in a field of 24, the highest position ever achieved by Belarus.
Recently, while touring in Israel
, Koldun expressed an interest in entering the Eurovision Song Contest
in 2009
. Since Koldun's participation in the 2007
a common question asked of Koldun is about future participation because of his success (Belarus'
only success) in the contest. Koldun has said that he will only participate with the 'right' song and is currently unsure as to which country to represent - the likely choices being Russia
or Belarus
. If failing to enter the 2009 contest Koldun has stated he would still like to participate again in the future. This would be the third time Koldun would become actively involved in the Eurovision Song Contest
.
following Koldun's experiences including his Eurovision tour, rehearsals for Eurovision and other interesting material including one of Koldun's first ever performances as a 13-year old boy at his school in Minsk
.
The documentary was shown on 21 May 2007, First TV Channel (Russia)
. It was then broadcast (or available to watch) throughout most of Eastern Europe
- Belarus, Ukraine, etc. The documentary can be seen in several parts online (like YouTube
).
Topics (chapters) include:
. The two out-spoken producers who wanted to work with Koldun were Philipp Kirkorov
(producer of "Work Your Magic") and Victor Drobysh (producer of controversial "Get Up") who both spoke out against each other in the media
. However it was Alexander Lunev, famous for the song "Never Let You Go
" by Dima Bilan
, who became Koldun's producer. Lunev would then go on to produce Koldun's debut album
.
In 2008 Koldun stopped working with Lunev due to conflicting opinions. Lunev did not want songs written by Koldun on the debut album. Since the dispute Koldun is now his own producer and the album
release has been postponed again. In 2009 Koldun founded his own label with Alexander Astashenok (a Russian musician, member of Russian band Корни (Roots)) named Lizard (Ящерица or Yasheritsa in Russian).
". Koldun was originally asked just to perform the songs but popular Russian composer
Alexei Rybnikov
insisted Koldun also play the star of the opera named "Звезда и Смерть Хоакина Мурьеты" (The Star and Death of Joaquín Murety) alongside Svetlana Svetikova
and Igor Sandler, to which Koldun agreed. The opera received support from Dmitry Chetvergova's rock band as well as financial support from the government of Moscow
.
The opera is based on the life of Joaquin Murrieta
, a semi-legendary figure in California
during the California Gold Rush
of the 1850s. Murrietta was partly the inspiration for the fictional character of Zorro
, Zorro themes are used in the opera. Svetikova played Murrieta's love interest in the opera. The opera follows one famous story of Murrieta as several exist some describing Murrieta a hero
, others a villain
. The Russian opera depicts Murrieta as a hero who has to prove his innocence despite his "Wanted
" status.
Minsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
, Belarussian SSR, USSR) is a pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
singer from Minsk
Minsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
, Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
.
Koldun participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007
Eurovision Song Contest 2007
The Eurovision Song Contest 2007 was the 52nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It was won by first-time appearance as an independent country Serbia and was held at the Hartwall Areena in Helsinki, Finland from 10 May to 12 May. The host broadcaster was YLE.Finland earned the right to host...
and has been the most successful entrant from Belarus to date. His song "Work Your Magic
Work Your Magic
"Work Your Magic" is the most successful single released from Dmitry Koldun to date. The song ranked 6th in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007. Note that the word Koldun in Russian means magician or sorcerer....
" was the first Belarusian song to enter the Eurovision final which later achieved 6th place and top chart positions in Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
.
History
Since Koldun was four he aspired to be a doctor and went on to do medical studies at Minsk High School. His achievements in this class allowed him to graduate with a silver medal.In 2002 Koldun studied chemistry at the Belarusian State University
Belarusian State University
Belarusian State University , Minsk, Belarus, was founded on October 30, 1921. The BSU is a higher education establishment in the Republic of Belarus.-History:...
as his aspirations changed to becoming a chemist as opposed to a doctor. He did well in his chemistry course just as he had done with medical studies as he was said to be “enthusiastic”.
Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
. In Dmitry Koldun's biography
Biography
A biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...
he wrote that his mother was the head of the Princess Diana fan club
Fan club
A fan club is a group that is dedicated to a well-known person, group, idea or sometimes even an inanimate object . Most fan clubs are run by fans who devote considerable time and resources to supporting them. There are also "official" fan clubs that are run by someone associated with the person...
in Belarus and admired her dearly. When pregnant with Koldun, Koldun's mother had wished for a baby girl but instead gave birth to Dmitry. She is not at all disappointed but notices the resemblance between Koldun and the late Princess as have other people such as Sir Terry Wogan
Terry Wogan
Sir Michael Terence Wogan, KBE, DL , or also known as Terry Wogan, is a veteran Irish radio and television broadcaster who holds dual Irish and British citizenship. Wogan has worked for the BBC in the United Kingdom for most of his career...
who pointed this resemblance out while commenting on the Eurovision Song Contest 2007
Eurovision Song Contest 2007
The Eurovision Song Contest 2007 was the 52nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It was won by first-time appearance as an independent country Serbia and was held at the Hartwall Areena in Helsinki, Finland from 10 May to 12 May. The host broadcaster was YLE.Finland earned the right to host...
.
The biography that comes with the Eurovision CD/DVD of Work Your Magic (concerning the look-alike
Look-alike
A look-alike is a person who closely resembles another person. In popular Western culture, a look-alike is a person who bears a close physical resemblance to a celebrity, politician or member of royalty. Many look-alikes earn a living by making guest appearances at public events or performing on...
situation) reads:
Koldun recently shocked fans by claiming that he is prone to "mutation
Mutation
In molecular biology and genetics, mutations are changes in a genomic sequence: the DNA sequence of a cell's genome or the DNA or RNA sequence of a virus. They can be defined as sudden and spontaneous changes in the cell. Mutations are caused by radiation, viruses, transposons and mutagenic...
s". The singer revealed that he has experienced serious problems with his hair. Koldun puts these 'mutations' down to the Chernobyl disaster
Chernobyl disaster
The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine , which was under the direct jurisdiction of the central authorities in Moscow...
which left long-lasting, radiating effects aross many of the Eastern European countries and notably Minsk
Minsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
, Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
- Koldun's birthplace.
Koldun says (translated from Russian): "Every year my hair colour changes...in my school years I had thick hair. But not now. I believe that that is the fault of the Chernobyl disaster." Koldun states his hair colour has changed from blonde, at an early age in school, gradually (sometimes overnight) becoming shades darker to the 'burning' brunette he is today (naturally).
Music
In 2004, he tried out in the RTR show Narodnyi Artist 2, but did not qualify to the main stage. This did not deter him from his musical interest and in 2004/5 he worked in the State Concert Orchestra of the Republic of Belarus headed by Mikhail Finberg and in the Grand-Prix studio headed by the composer Oleg Eliseenkov who is still Koldun’s business partner. In the same year Koldun took part in the concerts of the National Festival of Belarusian sons and poetry Molodechno-2005 and the Arts Festival Slavyansky Bazar in Vitebsk.In 2006 Koldun won the sixth season of the Russian television show Star Factory
Star Factory
Star Factory is a Russian television show aired on Channel One since 13 October 2002. The show is the Russian version of the Endemol format Operación Triunfo....
on Channel One
Channel One (Russia)
Channel One is the first television channel to broadcast in the Soviet Union. The channel was renamed Ostankino Channel 1 in 1991, after the Soviet Union broke up and the Russian SFSR became the Russian Federation. According to a recent government publication, the Russian government controls 51%...
. During the show Koldun performed with several artists including the renowned Scorpions
Scorpions (band)
Scorpions are a heavy metal/hard rock band from Hannover, Germany, formed in 1965 by guitarist Rudolf Schenker, who is the band's only constant member. They are known for their 1980s rock anthem "Rock You Like a Hurricane" and many singles, such as "No One Like You", "Send Me an Angel", "Still...
performing “Still Loving You
Still Loving You
"Still Loving You" is a song of Scorpions from their 1984 album Love at First Sting. It was the second single of the album, reaching #64 on Billboard Hot 100. In France, the single sold 1.7 million copies...
” after which he was invited by the soloist Klaus Meine
Klaus Meine
Klaus Meine is a German singer, best known as the lead vocalist and occasional rhythm guitarist of the heavy metal band Scorpions...
to perform this song on a joint tour. Due to his successes Koldun became popular in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and other past Soviet states. Koldun signed a contract with the National Music Corporation and became the soloist of the reformed group K.G.B. (Koldun, Gurkov, Barsukov).
2006
Koldun first took part in the national selection in 2006 with the song "Maybe". Koldun had written this song himself after his appearance in People's Artist in Russia and after touring with the Belarus state orchestra. Koldun lost the national final to Polina SmolovaPolina Smolova
Polina Smolova is a pop singer and the country's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with the song Mum, with which she took part in the Eurovision semi-final. She is one of the most famous Belarusian pop singers, coming up with very poetic and lyrical songs...
's song "Mum
Mum (Eurovision song)
"Mum" was the Belarusian entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 2006, performed in English by Polina Smolova. As the previous Belarusian entry had not finished in the top 10, Smolova performed the song in the semi-final....
".
Eurofest 2007
After leaving the group Koldun returned to Belarus to take part in EurofestEurofest 2007
Eurofest 2007 was the television show in which Belarus selected three competitors to fight for the Belarusian place at the Eurovision Song Contest 2007, to be held in Helsinki, Finland on the 10 and 12 May 2007. As Belarus failed to qualify from the semifinal for the third time in a row in 2006,...
where he justified the favourite's tag, winning both the public vote and becoming the choice of the jury. After its selection, Dmitry Koldun and his song were caught up in a conflict between Belarus television and his Russian management company which at one stage looked like the lyrics of the song would have to be changed, however the problem was resolved.
In the preliminary stage, Koldun performed "Angel Mechty" receiving 4412 votes, 32% of the public vote. The judges then chose two of their preferred artists to compete in a final alongside Koldun where he was eventually announced the winner with the song "Work Your Magic
Work Your Magic
"Work Your Magic" is the most successful single released from Dmitry Koldun to date. The song ranked 6th in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007. Note that the word Koldun in Russian means magician or sorcerer....
" on 22 January. He was the least popular (of three acts) of the proessional judges but won due to the public vote.
Accusations of cheating
ESCKaz (Eurovision Song Contest Kazakhstan) discovered that the song "Get Up" submitted to Eurofest by Koldun and his producer Victor Drobysh had already been released commercially by Finnish band The Ratzz. The song, called "Aave" in Finnish, written by Jörgen ElofssonJörgen Elofsson
Jörgen Kjell Elofsson is a Swedish songwriter who has written or co-written hits for stars such as Britney Spears, Kelly Clarkson, Guy Sebastian, Ana Johnsson, Marie Serneholt, Shayne Ward and Super Junior. He has also written hit singles for groups such as Il Divo and Westlife...
, Maki Kolehmainen and Tracy Lipp was included into the debut album of the band Hard Ratzz Hallelujah. As ESCKaz was told by a representative of the label Helsinki Music Centre: "We were not aware that Dmitry Koldun had been performing the song. The rights for both "Aave" and "Get Up, Get Down, Get Crazy" are possessed by HMC & BMG Music Publishing Scandinavia, song was already published by us on The Ratzz album".
According to the application form for participation in the national Belarus pre-selection, songs and their elements music and lyrics, taking part in any stage of the contest should comply with the Rules for the National Musical Project Eurofest and Rules of ESC 2007.
Rules of Eurofest state: "Songs should not be anyhow used by the participant or organizers before the selection show". BTRC has also notified that this provision is first of all related to distribution and sharing the rights for the competing songs. It is clear that the song, which already had been released by another performer, prior to the date of Belarus pre-selection concert, is breaking this rule.
ESCKaz also learned that Koldun was regularly performing the song "Get Up" on a Star Factory
Star Factory
Star Factory is a Russian television show aired on Channel One since 13 October 2002. The show is the Russian version of the Endemol format Operación Triunfo....
6 tour including the series of commercial concerts in Belarus at the beginning of September. The song was also available since mid-September on the internet. Both are prohibited by "Eurovision Song Contest 2007" regulations that do not allow competing songs to be publicly performed before 1 October 2006. This same rule is repeated in the "Eurofest" rules in following variant, paragraph 2.1: "The songs for contest ("entries") (lyrics and music) must not have been commercially released and/or publicly performed before 1 October 2006. The entry as a copyright object must not have been released through the Internet or any other media".
Angelica Agurbash
Angelica Agurbash
Angelica Agurbash , born May 17, 1970, is a Belarusian singer and former model perhaps most known for representing Belarus at the Eurovision Song Contest 2005....
was also accused of cheating in the same competition and, unlike Koldun, she was disqualified.
Eurovision Song Contest 2007
As Belarus had not finished the 2006 Contest in the top 10, the song was performed in the semi-final. Here, it was performed fourth (following Cyprus' Evridiki with "Comme Ci, Comme Ça" and preceding Iceland's Eiríkur Hauksson
Eiríkur Hauksson
Eiríkur Hauksson is an Icelandic heavy metal vocalist who is educated as a teacher.Eiríkur is considered to be a talented vocalist, able to adopt various styles...
with Valentine Lost). The song received 176 points in the semi-final on 10 May, placing 4th in a field of 28 and qualifying Belarus for the final.
In the final on 12 May, the song was performed third (following Spain's D'NASH with "I Love You Mi Vida" and preceding Ireland's Dervish with "They Can't Stop The Spring"). Koldun received the maximum 12 points from Israel, Russia and Ukraine and in total receiving 145 points earning 6th place in a field of 24, the highest position ever achieved by Belarus.
Recently, while touring in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, Koldun expressed an interest in entering the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
in 2009
Eurovision Song Contest 2009
The Eurovision Song Contest 2009 was the 54th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest and was hosted by Russia after their win in 2008. It took place between 12 and 16 May 2009 at the Olympic Indoor Arena in Moscow, Russia....
. Since Koldun's participation in the 2007
Eurovision Song Contest 2007
The Eurovision Song Contest 2007 was the 52nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It was won by first-time appearance as an independent country Serbia and was held at the Hartwall Areena in Helsinki, Finland from 10 May to 12 May. The host broadcaster was YLE.Finland earned the right to host...
a common question asked of Koldun is about future participation because of his success (Belarus'
Belarus in the Eurovision Song Contest
Belarus has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest eight times, debuting in 2004. The country entered the contest in the same year that semi-finals began to be used to determine who would compete in the final. Belarus has so far managed to qualify for the final twice in 2007 with Dmitry Koldun...
only success) in the contest. Koldun has said that he will only participate with the 'right' song and is currently unsure as to which country to represent - the likely choices being Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
or Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
. If failing to enter the 2009 contest Koldun has stated he would still like to participate again in the future. This would be the third time Koldun would become actively involved in the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
.
Magic Works in Europe
Magic Works in Europe is a documentary filmDocumentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
following Koldun's experiences including his Eurovision tour, rehearsals for Eurovision and other interesting material including one of Koldun's first ever performances as a 13-year old boy at his school in Minsk
Minsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
.
The documentary was shown on 21 May 2007, First TV Channel (Russia)
Channel One (Russia)
Channel One is the first television channel to broadcast in the Soviet Union. The channel was renamed Ostankino Channel 1 in 1991, after the Soviet Union broke up and the Russian SFSR became the Russian Federation. According to a recent government publication, the Russian government controls 51%...
. It was then broadcast (or available to watch) throughout most of Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
- Belarus, Ukraine, etc. The documentary can be seen in several parts online (like YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
).
Topics (chapters) include:
- Koldun as a child (performances at 13, school life, etc.)
- Reality TV experiences in Narodnyi Artist (2) & Fabrika Zvezd
- Participation in Eurofest! Belarus
- Music video for "Work Your Magic"
- European tour prior to Eurovision Song Contest
- Participation in the Eurovision Song Contest
- Reflection (of Koldun) of the contest
- Interviews throughout (Koldun, Kirkorov, team, etc.)
Producer dispute
After Koldun's successful performance in Eurovision and after "Work Your Magic" became a big hit, there were arguments over who would become Koldun's producerRecord producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
. The two out-spoken producers who wanted to work with Koldun were Philipp Kirkorov
Philipp Kirkorov
Philipp Bedrosovich Kirkorov is a Bulgarian-born Russian singer and producer living and working in Moscow.-Biography:Philipp Kirkorov was born on April 30, 1967 in Varna, Bulgaria. His father is Bulgarian singer of Armenian and Belarusian ethnicity Bedros Kirkorov. His mother, Victoria, is...
(producer of "Work Your Magic") and Victor Drobysh (producer of controversial "Get Up") who both spoke out against each other in the media
News media
The news media are those elements of the mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public or a target public.These include print media , broadcast news , and more recently the Internet .-Etymology:A medium is a carrier of something...
. However it was Alexander Lunev, famous for the song "Never Let You Go
Never Let You Go (Dima Bilan song)
"Never Let You Go" is a pop/rock song that was performed by Dima Bilan at the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest. He was representing Russia and ended up in 2nd place....
" by Dima Bilan
Dima Bilan
' is a Russian actor and pop singer . Bilan represented Russia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with "Never Let You Go", finishing second, and he won the contest in 2008 in Belgrade, with the song "Believe". He has had several Russian no. 1 hits....
, who became Koldun's producer. Lunev would then go on to produce Koldun's debut album
Angel in the Rain
Koldun is the name of the debut album from Belarussian singer Dmitry Koldun. Due to the change in producer and label, the album has been postponed many times and the name has changed from Ангел Под Дождем as it was Koldun's previous producer, Lunev, who named the album. Koldun released the album...
.
In 2008 Koldun stopped working with Lunev due to conflicting opinions. Lunev did not want songs written by Koldun on the debut album. Since the dispute Koldun is now his own producer and the album
Angel in the Rain
Koldun is the name of the debut album from Belarussian singer Dmitry Koldun. Due to the change in producer and label, the album has been postponed many times and the name has changed from Ангел Под Дождем as it was Koldun's previous producer, Lunev, who named the album. Koldun released the album...
release has been postponed again. In 2009 Koldun founded his own label with Alexander Astashenok (a Russian musician, member of Russian band Корни (Roots)) named Lizard (Ящерица or Yasheritsa in Russian).
Rock opera
In 2008 Koldun revealed he would star in "Russia's very first rock operaRock opera
A rock opera is a work of rock music that presents a storyline told over multiple parts, songs or sections in the manner of opera. A rock opera differs from a conventional rock album, which usually includes songs that are not unified by a common theme or narrative. More recent developments include...
". Koldun was originally asked just to perform the songs but popular Russian composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
Alexei Rybnikov
Alexei Rybnikov
Alexey Lvovich Rybnikov is a modern Russian composer.He is the author of music for the first Soviet and Russian musicals "Star and Death of Joaquin Murrieta" and "Juno and Avos" , for numerous plays and operas, for more than 80 Russian movies. More than 10 millions discs with his music have...
insisted Koldun also play the star of the opera named "Звезда и Смерть Хоакина Мурьеты" (The Star and Death of Joaquín Murety) alongside Svetlana Svetikova
Svetlana Svetikova
Svetlana Svetikova is a Russian singer and actress. Born in Moscow, in the Entuziastov. Mother - Marina Vladimirovna, singer, father - Andrew V., painter of Florentine mosaic. Sveta has a younger sister, Natalia....
and Igor Sandler, to which Koldun agreed. The opera received support from Dmitry Chetvergova's rock band as well as financial support from the government of Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
.
The opera is based on the life of Joaquin Murrieta
Joaquin Murrieta
Joaquin Carrillo Murrieta , also called the Mexican or Chilean Robin Hood or the Robin Hood of El Dorado, was a semi-legendary figure in California during the California Gold Rush of the 1850s...
, a semi-legendary figure in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
during the California Gold Rush
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
of the 1850s. Murrietta was partly the inspiration for the fictional character of Zorro
Zorro
Zorro is a fictional character created in 1919 by New York-based pulp writer Johnston McCulley. The character has been featured in numerous books, films, television series, and other media....
, Zorro themes are used in the opera. Svetikova played Murrieta's love interest in the opera. The opera follows one famous story of Murrieta as several exist some describing Murrieta a hero
Hero
A hero , in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demigod, their cult being one of the most distinctive features of ancient Greek religion...
, others a villain
Villain
A villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters...
. The Russian opera depicts Murrieta as a hero who has to prove his innocence despite his "Wanted
Wanted poster
A wanted poster is a poster distributed to let the public know of an alleged criminal whom authorities wish to apprehend. They will generally include either a picture of the alleged criminal when a photograph is available, or of a facial composite image produced by a police artist...
" status.
Singles
| Year | Single | Album | Chart position | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RUS Russia Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects... |
LAT Latvia Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden... |
SPN Spain Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula... |
SWE Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... |
|||
| 2007 | "Work Your Magic Work Your Magic "Work Your Magic" is the most successful single released from Dmitry Koldun to date. The song ranked 6th in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007. Note that the word Koldun in Russian means magician or sorcerer.... " |
Я Не Волшебник | 2 | 3 | 34 | 47 |
| "Я Для Tебя" (Ya Dlya Tyebya) |
5 | 23 | — | — | ||
| 2008 | "Царевна" (Tsarevna) |
13 | — | — | — | |
| "Настройся на Меня" (Nastroysya na Menya) |
Колдун | 28 | — | — | — | |
| 2010 | "В комнате пустой" (V Komnate Pustoy) |
TBA | 70 | — | — | — |
| Number-one hits | — | — | — | — | ||
| Top ten hits | 2 | 1 | — | — | ||
External links
(Rus/Eng)- Official forum (Rus/Eng)