Producer Sasha Santa on sound design, music for TV series and work with Sergey Zhukov

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Sasha, you are not only a performer of your own songs, but also a sound producer — your tracks are sung by Polina Gagarina, Sergey Zhukov, Hannah, Stas Piekha, Dava and many other artists. How did you come up with the idea of ​​writing for others? And which is easier — create for yourself or for someone else?

About two or three years ago, an artist asked me to write a song for him, and I gave mine, which I did for myself. But then the pandemic struck, and we can say that it all started because of it. — we all sat at home, wrote a lot of music and started offering it to artists. Slowly, a very strong team of writers, beatmakers and sound producers gathered, which we later decided to call SantaSong. Every song is like a child. Sometimes it is very sad to part with songs, but when you hear the finished result, you somehow calm down and understand that the song has fallen into the right hands, or voice. (Laughs)

It is absolutely more difficult to write for someone, everything must be observed here: the wishes of the artist, his style, manner of performance. Sound — this is a very big job, you have to guess in advance what the artist needs, while not going into arithmetic and saving the soul.

You are also known for your work for TV series: “Fly” from “Molodezhka” is still remembered on STS, and now you write for “Evgenich” on Friday. How is film music selected? First, a song is born that they want to take on the soundtrack, or do they come to you with a specific request?

Regarding “Evgenich”: Sergey (Zhukov – approx. ed.) already filmed the first season, we started working together after. He offered to work for the series, and we really liked the idea. Some songs were written even before this proposal. I showed them to Sergey, and he said that this is what you need. For example, the song “King of sales”, which was performed by Nikolai Baskov in the series, was written long before the series was released. And before Sergey Zhukov took her to the series, only one artist heard her. Some songs for “Evgenich” were written exclusively to order, directly for the artist, together with Sergei, who also co-authored many songs.

Is there a movie or series you would like to write music for?

By the way, I would like to start by saying that I have been admiring Russian cinema lately. And on many serials of our directors I directly “hooked”. (smiling) It would be interesting to work with Dmitry Tyurin, who directed Trigger. With the “Former” already happened — the song “Butterflies”, which we wrote for Polina Gagarina, became the soundtrack for this series.

Your path to show business went through the New Wave contest and television projects on federal channels, how did they help you? In your opinion, do such projects now have the same impact on the media?

“New Wave” gave me a lot of acquaintances with different people from the party, my performances were appreciated by all my favorite artists, there was more confidence that I was on the right track. And she also gave a three-week marathon of rehearsals, new knowledge from director Alexander Revzin, and a special award from MUZ-TV — Audience Choice Award, as well as filming and rotation of the video.

I am always in the field of creativity of Igor Yakovlevich Krutoy: before the “New Wave” I took part in the project “Main Stage” (this is an analogue of the “X-Factor”), where I sang the song “I will part the clouds with my hands”, to which we ended up and filmed a clip. To be honest, participation in projects only works in the process. There are many different offers, jobs, but at some point I realized that I was tired of the competition, and I just started making my own music. How many covers can you sing? Now I am invited to various projects and vocal competitions as a member of the jury. I must say right away, thanks to my experience, I can’t be strict. I don’t even know if that’s good or bad. (smiling)

Are vocal competitions really necessary? Do they turn the desire to become a popular artist into an eternal race to win?

That’s what I’m talking about. Contest — it’s a competition. I think that very strong vocalists should compete there. But I don’t fully understand what it is for. In sports, for example, everything is clear: he took gold — you are a champion. In our field, if you do not have your own material, then there will be no artist. It always surprises me when people say: well, he won, for example, “Voice”, and why doesn’t he succeed?! But it doesn’t work because no one is interested in listening to endless cover versions of songs already sung by someone. Therefore, I will repeat again and again: the artist creates his song, and the song creates the artist.

Where did the idea for an alter ego come from? — Sasha Darwin? What are the differences with the work of Sasha Santa?

Last year for the Sasha Santa project we decided to try songs in a slightly different style. As many might have noticed, it was a series of yard songs, boys. (Laughs) Some of them turned out to be more successful than the previous ones, but “Sasha Santa” had a lot of other ready-made songs in the same lyrical sound. We decided that it would be illogical to release old, beloved material after new songs — and so Darwin was born. Now we have decided that we will again do the same pop music, thanks to which the listeners fell in love with me, but just with even better quality. “Darwin” is developing quite quickly, so we decided that it will also be, but absolutely with different music. So far, we are looking for a suitable material for it.

In the comments on your music, fans often write that you are an underrated artist. What do you think?

I think everything has its time. Most likely, I myself was not ready: somewhere I was lazy, somewhere I gave out weak material. I used to do everything in pursuit of recognition, popularity — everything is very somehow childish, unconsciously. Now I understand why I record songs, what these songs are about, who will listen to them, how they will be useful … And the audience is growing — so I’m on the right track. There are many examples when an artist shot with one song, it stayed on the charts for a year, but after that we immediately forgot it. I would not like this way. But if now my song will shoot, then I will be very happy about it, because I have something to sing after – mmaterial is very, very much.

Recently you released a new single and video “Tom and Jerry” — a love story where passions are constantly boiling. In general, all your music is sensual lyrics. What are your inspirations for writing, and what was the inspiration for Tom and Jerry?

In my opinion, the song “Tom and Jerry” — this is a very common story that concerns most couples, families. Either they swear, then they reconcile … I think many have found something from their lives in her.

How autobiographical are your songs, or is that all — creation?

Every song — this is a story that I once lived or live at this moment in time, but very often it is someone else’s story, sung in the third person. There are also “motif songs” — I love them and the girls love them too. (smiling)

There is a paradox in the music industry: those who are not very happy themselves sing about beautiful love, and exemplary family men and really happy people sing about former and dancing until the morning, so that “he understands who he lost”. Here you have — wife and two wonderful daughters, and the songs are in minor key. What do you think, what is it connected with?

If you take the new material, it is very different from what I sang before. There are more happy stories here. Again, this could be third person songs or something from a past life. But today, when I already have two daughters, most of all I want to broadcast positive material so that they also have something to listen to. (Laughs) Enough sadness, it’s time to have fun and rejoice!

Are you from a large family? Would you like another child?

No, I have a small family. My parents somehow did not work out, and my mother and I were alone. I am grateful for many things to my grandfather, whose last name I proudly bear and who gave me everything masculine that a child needed at that time. Then, when I had already finished school, my mother successfully married a good man, and I flew away from my Kazakh nest to Russia with ease and peace of mind. In Moscow, I met my own father: we are on very good terms, it turned out that I have half-brothers and a sister. This is cool. It turns out that the family is still big. (laughs) It always seemed to me that having a big family — this is so cool. I still think so, but it is a lot of work and a big responsibility. One more — maybe, but definitely not now. (smiling)

You wrote songs to the son of Sergei Zhukov. There was no desire to bring your daughter into show business and write songs for her?

Oh, I’m not one of those parents who will, as they say, follow in their footsteps. The eldest daughter asks to work out with her from time to time, but I do not see any obvious talent and explain that this is a lot of work. Today I want, but tomorrow I don’t — it won’t work that way. She is doing very well in sports — She goes to gymnastics, swimming. And the youngest daughter is still quite small. Everything can be. If I hear that there is talent, we will develop it. And then let her decide if she needs it.