BIANKA

Those funky, sensuous ethno-pop sounds coming out of car radios around the city these days might very well belong to lustrous-haired Belarus-born pop sensation Bianka, who met up with us last week to tell us all about what’s going on in her career.
Bianka shows up at our interview at Azteka restaurant an hour late, but in an upbeat mood and strikingly dressed in a long, bright skirt and a shirt with a plunging neckline. Her long, dark hair is down, making her look exotic. She orders a cup of coffee and only and then, sufficiently caffeinated, does she start discussing the latest developments in her career.



“My producer and I have started a new group called Coffee Shop,” she says, “and I’m happy to have the chance to try out my capabilities in a new field. I’m actually going to be producing songs for the new group.”

Danya, a handsome boy who’d been waiting for her at the restaurant when she arrived, is Coffee Shop’s lead singer. Bianka gives the lad a gentle hug and calls him her ‘brother’. Why has she turned producer? “When I was graduating from school I wrote a song called ‘School Years’ and I wanted to sing it, but it was obvious that I couldn’t, because I don’t sing rock. So I found myself a talented boy who could sing it.” Danya was that boy. Bianka, in fact, considers herself to have created a new musical style called “fresh rock” and the new project is going to be squarely in the fresh rock vein.

As for her own music, her fans will soon be able to get her hand on her new album, chock full of songs characterised by her distinctive blend of R&B beats and winding folk melodies. “I write my songs with an open heart,” she says. “I don’t think of their commercial aspect.” Bianka differs from a lot of pop singers in that she writes her own songs, and even if you might be able to argue that sometimes her lyrics are a little too simple, Bianka has to be admired for her insistence on not singing other people’s material. She certainly is an efficient songwriter, saying that she can crank out a lyric in 5-10 minutes.

A Magical Country
Back in her native Belarus, Bianka started her musical career singing with a symphony orchestra and performing showtunes. She even came quite close to representing Belarus at the Eurovision Song Contest, but instead she ended up singing what she likes most – R&B. Her love for R&B dates back to her childhood. “When we were 12 years old we were listening to the Backstreet Boys and to us, that was cool R&B. I would never sing pop music even though pop singers earn so much money. What I’m trying to do is to combine what I like and what other people like.”

Bianka is very popular in Russia and Belarus, but she prefers living here in Kyiv. The members of her crew are Ukrainians and she likes this country a lot. “Ukraine is a magical country,” she says. “It’s so different from Russia and the people are so kind and patriotic. I love Ukrainian towns like Odessa and Chernivtsi and the others I’ve been to.” She regrets that she so seldom visits her native Minsk, but her tour schedule is demanding. Her Belarus fans keep writing her e-mails, sending her poems and music. Other fans aren’t quite as charming, however. “I treat my fame casually,” she says, “but sometimes I meet such morons!”

Her big long-term dream is to sing with Beyonce; short-term she’s concentrating on promoting her album and getting more experienced, perfecting her art. Critics have been taken by her unique vocal style and are predicting a big future for the young star. “I’m a self-taught person,” she says. “I learned to sing myself. I used to shout into the microphone when I was in the recording studio alone. Over time I noticed that I’ve got an interesting timbre, and that I have what I have.”

Experimenting isn’t really her thing; she’s found her idiom and plans to stick with it. “I sang along with Danya on ‘School Years,’” she says, “and that was a big experiment for me, as I sang rock. It was interesting, but I prefer to stay within the range of jazz, soul and R&B.”

For last two years, the singer has been planning a vacation but hasn’t managed to find the time. She likes to vacation in quiet outdoor places, and partake of shashlyk and the company of her friends. This year you might run into her down in Yalta, if she manages to work a break into her hectic schedule.

When asked what inspires her she answers, jokingly, “Love and when something really bad happens!”

Then she’s off into the Kyiv day with her flowing skirts and hair, headed for the next stage in her booming career.

- Kateryna Kyselyova

The author of the immortal lines "Sponges bow, pop krantikom" finally decided to illustrate their creativity. We wanted to find out the mystery behind Bianca.
So we decided to ask her.

Bianca, what else do people call you?

Tanya. Parents call me Tatiana! Many friends abbreviate it Yana. And Bianca - that's my nickname, meaning "white light" like the color of my skin!

You have the nationality of Belarus, you live in Kiev, performing in Moscow ... What do you consider yourself - Russian, Belarusian?

Well, start with the fact that I did not always live in Kiev and it's not my primary residence. In Belarus, Ukraine and Russia I call those places home because of my family & friends, it’s a warm feeling. Also I lived for quite some time in each of these wonderful countries. But my passport and citizenship is Belarusian.

So do you speak those languages?

"Yes" - boldly said. I speak Russian fluently but Ukrainian and Belarusian I know well enough to understand what people are saying. I sing in Russian, since it is my best. However, I may do my third album with a combination of English and Spanish songs.

Do you think that R'n'B in Russian - is rap in Chinese?

I don’t think so. And by the way, rap in Chinese sounds very organic.

Is it true that you yourself write songs?

Yes, it's true. I love to make music. I also play the cello and a little piano.

How did you gear towards r'n'b?

Wind Just like Christopher Columbus. But he discovered America, but I - Russian folk r'n'b! But seriously, r'n'b – is a state of mind, an ideology, a lifestyle, it's like love! I heard it and fell in love with it for eternity.


You are pretty loaded clips, joyful male eyes. However, in men's magazines you almost never appear. Why?

I like to wear mini-skirts slinky dresses and other clothing that barely hide my body. But I always try to make it look beautiful, sexy, but not to provocative. Many men's magazines are often based on a primitive sexuality, excessive eroticism, at least - to me excessive. So I only appear in editions, where sexuality is natural, where girls are seen as beautiful creations of nature and not as a means for momentary relaxation of single gentlemen.

By the way, we have pictures in our office we will like to use?

Hopefully, they will inspire you to further creative achievements.

A hundred years ahead of non-stop feats achieved, thanks. But we could not decide, tell me, what part of your body do you think is the most outstanding?

I am satisfied with myself. Perhaps most of all I love my narrow waist and my beautiful long hair!

What is the ideal woman's life in your view?

If a woman is healthy and happy, her life is perfect it does not matter who she is - professor, singer, a housewife or a nun.

Interview: Alexander Malenkov
Photo: Yuri Koltsov
Style: Irina Volkova

- MAXIM MAGAZINE