Interview with Anya Pletneva Anya Pletneva: “As long as I can, I will wear my baby. this is so nice! Anna Pletneva

In an interview with TOPBEAUTY, the singer told how she turned from a spoiled girl into a determined person, that before going on stage she has a split personality, and philosophical lyrics are hidden behind the dance hits of her team.

What do you want to talk about yourself?

(Laughs.) I mean what am I complaining about? Nothing. I am a completely happy person.

How long have you been completely happy?

Since birth.

What, you never had any problems?

No, of course they were. I would even say that events took place in my life that turned me into a rather tough, determined person.

Before that, I lived and looked at everything through rose-colored glasses, and then I faced reality and realized that, in addition to pink, there are other colors in life. But I believe that the Lord gives us exactly as many trials as we can endure and from which - most importantly - we can emerge as normal people.

What tests do you mean?

Now time has passed, and I can talk about it quite calmly. It happened in one year: my father died, my mother lost her job ... But it’s better to tell from the beginning so that you understand. I was born in Moscow, in a very good family, in which I was only child, terribly spoiled. I harassed my parents with whims. Of course, I had a limit, but sometimes I did terrible things. I could, for example, break all the dishes in the house, and I didn’t have anything for it.

I only did what I liked. And I loved dancing and music. I got tired of doing music in the 5th grade - I left it. Then the parents agreed with the teacher that she would come to give lessons to us at home. However, I hid under the bed and didn't let her in. She rang the doorbell, then left. I was too lazy to do it. Even then, as a girl, I thought a lot about feelings, men, I let my hair down and dreamed of love.

Dancing was different. Then in the Soviet Union there were three dance groups - the Igor Moiseev Ensemble, "Birch" and the Ostankino ballet, where I studied. We had a strict leader, she brought us up tough. I remember that she had a ring on her hand, with which she could hit between the eyes for the fact that you are not pulling the rise or building a disgruntled face. I once had a bruise on my forehead from this ring for a long time.

But work in such a team allowed us to travel abroad - at the same time it was impossible to leave the USSR just like that. For example, once we went on tour to Spain, visited forty cities in forty days. Two concerts in each city. Moreover, we were paid money for this, and not bad: I brought 235 rubles from the trip, despite the fact that my father's salary was 150-180 rubles.

Ballet discipline somehow balanced domestic permissiveness. This played a role: in the ensemble I learned to work hard, to achieve my goal. Therefore, when my family came Hard times- Dad passed away, and mom was out of work, - I realized that I had become the only breadwinner. I was 19 years old.

In the same year, I entered the "Red Banner Ensemble" "Lyceum", and then to the institute. And so my adult life began.

There is no bad without good, as they say.

I think that everything in life happens for a reason, although I still miss my father, he was an authority for me, a holiday person, and I was his beloved daughter for him.

Does your beloved man look like your father?

He is a little different in character. Perhaps it would be more correct to say that my father lives inside me. It may sound strange, but I am convinced that dad became my guardian angel. After all, it does not happen that a child simultaneously begins to study and earn money. At the same time, he does not make special efforts - everything goes into his own hands.

What events of childhood and youth would you call character-forming?

You won't tell right off the bat. I can tell you what's on my mind right now. I grew up as a hyper-responsible child. I was sure that Lenin was my grandfather. AT dance hall, which I visited, hung a huge portrait of Vladimir Ilyich, I looked at him and cried. They asked me why I'm crying. And I answered that my grandfather died.

Once I was the chairman of the council of the squad in the pioneer camp and had to command the main line. And here I am, next to the head of the camp, all the guys are looking at me. And I really want to go to the toilet ... The responsibility was so high that I was embarrassed to ask the Pioneer leader for leave. I commanded "Equal! Attention!" and at that very moment she peed herself ... This incident seems to have influenced my whole life. A terrible impression when everyone is looking at you, laughing, and this treacherous puddle is growing under you.

You were condemned or, on the contrary, they said: behold, a selfless Soviet girl!

The counselor praised me, the children gave me hell. But now, no matter what happens to me on stage, I can withstand any blow - from a skirt that fell off me to a chandelier that fell on the stage. That situation from childhood hardened me for life and made me reinforced concrete.

The second episode from my childhood that comes to my mind is connected with the October asterisk, which I managed to "push" to foreigners in the Kolomenskoye park in exchange for chewing gum.

Did you propose the exchange yourself or did the initiative come from the "vile capitalists"?

She came up and offered. I just really wanted gum. Suddenly, a policeman appeared from somewhere and grabbed my hand. Then I realized: if I ever want to do something forbidden, I will always be watched.

I still remember how I was expelled from the same pioneer camp because during a quiet hour I kissed a boy who was punished - they put him in our ward.

Did you want to somehow compensate for his suffering?

Yes, I felt sorry for him. I told him: "Don't kiss me!" He said: "Kiss!" So we kissed the whole quiet hour. I was handed over by a neighbor in the bed - apparently, she also liked him. Then there was the same line on which they condemned me, branded me with shame and kicked me out - the pioneer Pletneva committed a terrible act, kissed Vova. Morality is broken.

Many boys then wanted to be punished in your ward?

(Laughs.) I don't know it anymore - my parents had to pick me up. Again, dad and mom did not scold me, did not shame me. They even remained silent when I ended up in a London prison.

And what did you get there for?

After leaving school, I was going to enter the foreign language, and I was sent to London to practice my English. I settled in an English family - then it was accepted that way, by exchange. And then she ran away from them with a taxi driver. He apparently liked me, and he decided to hit on me. He allowed me to drive a car - I wanted to drive a right-hand drive car. I rode around London until they arrested me and put me in jail.

How much did you spend there?

Two days.

What were they fed?

I still remember that it was corn, from a can, which always seemed very tasty to me. I remember my cellmates - adult uncles, to whom I sang Vladimir Presnyakov's songs - "Zurbagan" and others. Yes, a lot of things in my life are connected with Vladimir Presnyakov.

For example?

Thanks to him, I became a singer. I fell in love with him as a child, constantly listening to his songs. And my girlfriend lived in Medvedkovo right opposite the house of his parents. I went to visit her, stayed overnight, and in the dark on Severodvinskaya Street we wrote declarations of love to Volodya on the pavement under the Presnyakov windows. Recently, by the way, I confessed this to his mother Elena Petrovna - she laughed for a long time: "So it was you?! That's who I wiped the street for." But those childhood feelings for Vladimir Presnyakov changed my life.

At an older age, do you allow yourself to make rash acts or have you become more cautious?

I stopped after everything changed dramatically in our family and I actually became its head.

Do you agree that difficulties and tragic events in life are for the benefit of a creative person?

In general, I believe that the author, artist, artist must be hungry, cold, unhappy. Recently, my friends and I even discussed this phenomenon: if you look at biographies famous composers past, they, as a rule, actively created 10-15 years of their lives, and this period was the most tragic for them. Unfortunate unrequited love, financial difficulties, etc. As soon as the artist becomes full and satisfied, the Muse leaves.

Does this theory also work for contemporary artists?

100 percent. Contemporary artists must also be hungry, cold, miserable...

And you say that you are absolutely happy.

Well, I'm a woman. Everything is a little different here, I can play these mind games, I even have a certificate that I suffer from a split personality.

Like the singer Beyonce, or what? She becomes a different person when she goes on stage.

Truth? Well, they will say that I borrowed the idea from her. I can’t say that it started for me since childhood - rather, with the formation of the Vintage group. I learned to be on stage completely different from what I really am. For eight years of work in the Lyceum group, I got used to playing a certain role - a girl from a neighboring yard, smiling, radiant, with a guitar. It was not at all difficult for me, but even the sound that I extracted from myself was the one that the producer demanded of me - flat, cheerful.

In "Vintage" I learned to sing again - for six months we beat out of me what was not me. And we managed to do it. On the this moment we can say that both I and my teammate Alexei Romanof got rid of those phantoms that we acquired earlier. In the Amega group, Lesha also did not write songs, but was only a performer. Now, before going on stage, while still in the dressing room, I am reborn, reincarnated, like the hero of the film "Mask". Should I draw arrows, put on stage costume how I stop remembering myself.

In general, from a serious business woman you turn into a bitch in leather underwear?

Too easy, I become different. Alien.

How seriously do you take your art?

To music - very seriously. Everything else - with a slight smile. Especially to all these concepts "sex symbol", "star". I know how to play it, but I don't take it seriously.

One does not interfere? With good serious music, can you do everything else, frivolous?

One without the other is impossible.

Doesn't light-weight presentation with a touch of eroticism make the material easier to perceive?

Facilitates - and thank God. Without this shell, nothing would have reached people. Nobody would have heard the albums "Criminal Love", "Sex", "Anechka", which are completely philosophical, if not for this shiny wrapper. Without her now nowhere.

But there are other examples - Zemfira.

Don't touch the sacred.

Doesn't she have a wrapper?

Zemfira is a separate planet, I would say that she is a superman. It is impossible to take such people into account, people like her are born once in a hundred years. And it is a great happiness that we live with her at the same time.

By the way, do you know her?

We were at her December concert. Then we were invited to a banquet. We met - this is loudly said, I would not even dare to talk to her.

The Vintage group is perceived more as a dance group.

We have been striving for this for a long time.

This is the contradiction: on the one hand, when you go to dance, you want to move and unload your brain without thinking about the lyrics of the song. To what extent is this the right presentation for the music that you call philosophical? Maybe you should sing it quietly, with a guitar?

We have different concerts. There are those that we perform for real fans who listen to our lyrics, know them by heart. These fans first fell in love with the lighter dance hits, and only then - with our other, deeper songs. And we are just now releasing two collections of our best songs- "Mickey. Alternative", which includes songs that did not sound on the air, and the Light album, where all our lyrics will be.

When your group took their first steps, they were predicted to succeed t.A.T.u. To what extent was this forecast correct?

The forecast was natural, we then released a provocative video "Bad Girl". I can't say that it was a calculated move, but we wanted to be noticed. We decided to invite a famous person to participate in the video. Offered to many - Tatyana Navka, Anna Sedokova. But they didn't know what "Vintage" was. Although we had hits by that time - "Mamma Mia", "All the best", we were brushed aside.

Why did Elena Korikova agree?

She liked the music. True, later, when we were already standing at her door to pick up and take to the shooting, she suddenly said that she had changed her mind. She said: I won’t go - my car broke down, the door jammed. So we repaired the door for her there. Almost by force they brought her to the studio. And I don't think they missed it. Then the whole country recognized me as the soloist of the "Vintage" group, and Lena Korikova, who before this clip was "Poor Nastya" for everyone, in a new bold image.

With the help of this outrageous video, we wanted to laugh at all the "singing cowards" that appeared at that time, incomprehensible girls who decided that they could sing. However, everyone took it seriously and put a stigma on me, as Madonna once did, which, it seems, will remain Material Girl for all time for us. No matter how much we later recorded songs with a different mood and meaning, I forever remained the most "Bad Girl" of the domestic show business.

What song would you now call your calling card?

We have many of these. "Bad Girl", "Loneliness of Love", "Moscow", "Roman" ...

What if one?

I think, "Moscow", which is already time to replace the song "Moscow - the bells are ringing." And, of course, "Sign of Aquarius" - has been on the air for almost a year and reflects the mood of the group. At concerts, we try to sing all our hits - because people come for this.

Is it true that at one of the concerts you broke your leg right on stage?

Yes, I fell out of the coffin.

From what coffin?

It was Halloween, there was a flying coffin on the stage among the scenery - I appeared in front of the audience in it. She couldn't resist and fell out of it. Broke her leg. Nothing special.

You talk like you break every day.

No, I broke it for the first time in my life. And everything turned out to be so serious that a metal pin was inserted into my leg, I visited twice wheelchair. If a week after the fracture I had not stood on crutches and heels, I would have recovered faster.

The theme of our issue conventionally sounds like "superwoman" - how do you understand that?

They sometimes say this about me: everything is fine in her personal life, and in her work. She is a superwoman. It's funny.

And what do you really do?

It's all just a buzz for me, but I'm not a superwoman at all.

Why don't you like to talk about children?

I like to talk about them, but with relatives, friends, I can with you, outside of the interview. Now many artists do nothing but show their children, their families, houses, toilets in the media ... I don’t want to be in this stream. At the same concert, Zemfira showed a video filmed by Renata Litvinova, where in the frame the baby, who is turned over in every possible way, is photographed, and in the finale is burned. I do not want children to become a tool for my advancement. Suddenly they will grow up and say: "Mom, why did you do this with us?"

If you are asked about child education?

Does it happen to you that you commit an act, and then you are afraid that the public might find out about it?

I don't tend to be reflective at all. I know a lot of people who think over their every step, but I myself try not to think, but to do as my heart and soul tell me.

Are you afraid of growing up?

I'm afraid of becoming a callous person.

Are you afraid of external changes?

Do you mean old age?

Yes. Does the word antiage piss you off?

No Coco Chanel said: "If a woman has not become a beauty by the age of 30, then she is just a fool." I believe that a woman must take care of herself. Now there are all means in order to correct external flaws.

Any means are good or are there still limitations?

I know for sure: no matter what you inject yourself and pull up, if you have a void in your head, you will still grow old ugly. Girls do not take this factor into account, they do not understand the importance of the internal component.

I wonder if you've ever been embarrassed about your body?

In general, I have an exhibitionist soul. My beauty is non-standard, so many tried to shame me for it. However, I remember the words of my dad - he said: show everything you have, because you are beautiful. Here I am showing.

My colleagues who spoke with you agree on one thing: you are very flirtatious.

There is such. Since childhood, I can not help myself. True, now it is less.

Why?

Several times I hurt people badly with my coquetry.

So someone misunderstood this?

Yes, many. There were those who suffered greatly from my coquetry. But I myself am to blame - I can’t control myself 100 percent. AT recent times I try to turn off coquetry, because I am aware of the consequences.

Tell me, please, these people - are they at least alive?

Yes, but some of them are still sick.

PHOTOGRAPHER: NIKOLAI TEMNIKOV. STYLE: STANISLAV OSTROVSKAYA. MAKE-UP: SVETLANA NIKIFOROVA, LANCÔME MAKE-UP ARTIST. HAIR HAIR: AIRAT GADELSHIN, STYLIST MOROCCANOIL.

“My daughter ran away from home several times. Sometimes she collected her things, and sometimes she did so, empty-handed. And in last time she ran away barefoot in the snow somewhere, it is generally not clear where. So it's not easy for her. I would say that it was not easy for my parents with me either, but it seems to me that they didn’t raise me at all, I was left to myself, ”says the singer.

- Anna, you have three children, a big family. Can you call her friendly?

Children love each other, but since each of them is a person, individuality, they always find out something, swear, establish their own rules. The eldest Varya, she is fifteen years old, is trying to show and prove that she is the best. The younger Cyril, he is eight, just fights with or without a reason. He is a terrible fighter, he is engaged in boxing. I'm thinking of taking it from there.

Are you familiar with the problem of childish jealousy?

When the middle one, Marusya, was born, Varya was only three years old. And now I understand that then I behaved myself wrong. Now I know for sure that when new member families, the older child should be given maximum attention. Twice as big as the little one. And then I did not understand this, and as a result, I still notice notes of jealousy in Vara. At the same time, recently she has been asking me for another brother, sister. Periodically closely examines my stomach and sticks with questions. And Marusya also really wants another brother. But my son is definitely against it. He is very categorical.

- The girls are already almost adults, especially Varya ...

In general, I am surprised: here some adult girl walks around the house, orders here, expresses something to me, says what should be and how ... Varya is much taller than me. Well, this is not difficult, my height is 156. And my foot size is 35, and hers is 38.5. Now she has such an interesting period, she is trying in every possible way to compete with me in a feminine way, and I see it. Sometimes she goes to the mirror and looks at herself, then at me. That is, she is very worried that she was more beautiful than me. I tell her: “Varya, you are the most beautiful, there is no girl in the world more beautiful than you. You are tall, slim, you have an amazing figure. And it happens that she even literally starts fighting with me. To show physical advantage, superiority in strength. Or he says, for example: "I'm smarter than you, mom, I know many languages." Daring girl! And in my head there are only suitors, it seems to me. But we must give her credit, she is getting older, she wants to become a doctor. From childhood, she loved all sorts of experiments; everything related to numbers and formulas was easy for her. And it's definitely not for me! She has very good grades in mathematics, in biology, and in chemistry, in general, five plus, moreover, she does not make any effort.

- Copies you in clothes, in make-up?

She says all the time: “Oh my God, mom, maybe I should make you up at least once?” Or: “Who did this highlighter for you?” In general, criticizes me constantly. I answer: “Var, are you kidding me? Do you understand that in this area I am much more experienced than you? How many years have I been on stage, how many times have stylists painted me? And she: “Look, you have problems with style, with clothes.” At the same time, it discreetly takes all my clothes. But every time I'm dissatisfied with the way I look.

The strength of a woman is in her weakness. A woman who takes upon herself the solution of all problems and does not allow a man to do it is not so much strong as unhappy. You know, just in the past week, several of my acquaintances have complained to me that they have to do everything: earn money, feed the children, while their husbands are at home. At the same time, neither the woman herself nor her beloved become happier because they change roles. Remaining fragile and defenseless, you motivate men to exploits. And you have to be strong in order to find your love, not to get used to loneliness, not to be afraid to change your life for the sake of love.

Russian women are strong in spirit from birth. It's about us - "stop a galloping horse." Why do you think we got this role?

We ourselves repeat all the time that we can stop a horse and go into a burning hut... This stereotype developed in the Soviet past, when the most fashionable memes were a collective farmer and a woman with an oar. It's just that someone needed it at one time - to turn a woman into labor force… But we ourselves make our choice now.

All previous albums of "Vintage" were very conceptual. Each had some idea that connected all the tracks on the record. AT " strong girl"There is no such thing. This is really the story of three years of my life, my personal experience which I lived, felt and turned into knowledge. Summary The album is exactly that: three years in the life of Anya Pletneva.

What awaits the audience at the concert?

The main event, of course, will be our joint appearance on stage with Alexei Romanov. It's not a secret for anyone that after many years of success and victories, our cooperation turned out to be in some kind of impasse. We both did not understand what to do, where to go next. We didn't talk at all for several months. And before the New Year, we met, hugged, cried for several hours and decided that we would be together again. And although Lesha still categorically refuses to go on stage, at this concert he will make an exception. This will be exclusive once on November 1st at the RED Club.

The date of the concert is beautiful - 01/11, was it not chosen by chance? Do you believe in all sorts of esoteric signs?

The date is really beautiful. And, from the point of view of esotericism, it is not we who chose her, but she herself chose us. I became interested in spiritual literature, now I am reading the book of the Indian yogi and mystic Sadhguru "Internal Engineering". She is amazing! Sometimes there is no time, and I can not open it for two or three days. But as soon as I pick it up again, I immediately find the answer to the question that interests me at the moment.

Your performances are always accompanied by bright and deliberately sexy costumes. It seems to be a miniature little girl, but at the same time very frank. Why do you need such self-expression?

All images are obtained by themselves. I feel completely natural and comfortable. When I was a member of the Red Banner ensemble "Lyceum", the producer all the time tried to somehow change me. He forced me to braid a braid, forbade unnecessary movements on stage. I suffered terribly, cried in the toilet before the concert. I untwisted this stupid braid, for which I was fined many times. They made me into someone I really wasn't. But in the Vintage group, when I was already my own mistress, I was able to do whatever I want. And I still keep experimenting. You have no idea how I will look on November 1st! I can say that for my costumes I had to buy 150 Barbie dolls ...

Your daughters are already quite old - 15 and 13 years old. How do they feel about such experiments of mom on stage?

They like it. Children adore the Vintage group, and this helps me not to doubt the correctness of the chosen image. Parents often come up to me and tell me that their kids know all our songs. After all, you can’t fool children, they have a very clear lie detector. They do not analyze what Anya showed and how she dressed. I hope my children in years to come and will perceive me today.

There was just a breathtaking story in your life when one of your fans wanted to force you out of your own life. As in the book by Sergei Minaev "Selfie", where the hero is completely replaced by a double.

Yes, quite a long time has passed since that incident, and I can talk about it, although I do not like to remember it. It began with the fact that a girl approached me, introduced herself as an aspiring writer and offered to write a book about me. After reading some of her work, I agreed. It was supposed to be a novel about a teenage bully at school, a "rebel" in the "Lyceum" and a "bad girl" in the Vintage group. It, of course, had to be about love, my family, children. We began to communicate almost 24 hours a day, Lena almost settled at my house. She was interested in everything: what clothes I wear, what paste I brush my teeth with. We became very good friends. In a short time, she learned about me as much as some did not know for long years communication with me. After some time, I began to notice that Lena was becoming more and more like me: the same hairstyle, the same style of dress, facial expressions, gestures ... At some point, I even felt creepy, but the process of working on the book was in full swing - the content suited me completely, and I drove bad thoughts away from me.

Everything changed in one second. Once Lena forgot her phone with me, the phone rang, I picked up the phone on the machine. The man who called was sure that he was calling Anna Pletneva. But I realized that the phone is not mine! When I opened the "Photos" folder, I was horrified - there were only my photos and photos of my family and not a single Lenina! In addition, I found out that she communicated on my behalf not only with the Vintage fans, but also with my acquaintances! When Lena returned a few minutes later for the phone, I demanded an explanation. She burst into tears and, after threatening to call the police, showed me a brand new passport, where it was written: "Anna Pletneva." Somehow she managed to obtain such a document. According to the girl, an unsettled personal life pushed her to such an act, she really wanted to feel loved. "Everyone loves you, but I don't, I want to be like you!" Lena repeated. Despite the raging inside of me negative emotions I decided to help Lena. She was treated by a psychologist friend of mine. Through acquaintances, I find out how Lena is doing. Now she is doing well, she works. But personally I do not communicate with her and never met again.

In one of your interviews, you called leaving the Vintage group a difficult divorce. Usually, a departed woman always tries to show her ex-partner that she is fine without him, even better. Have you been like that?

Not really. We tried to change the composition of the Vintage group, but the attempt was unsuccessful. It was impossible to separate me from Vintage. And now on the poster of our performance it is written: Anna Pletneva "Vintage". When I talked about divorce, I had in mind our creative relationship with Alexei Romanov. I didn't want to prove anything to anyone. It was just hard, that's all. Over the 10 years of working together, we have become family to each other. And everything that happened to us was like a crisis within the family - mutual claims, resentment ... We were both tired, and we needed a break.

You once said that in order to improve the quality of life, you need to smile every day. Do you follow this rule?

Of course! This is a simple physiological law. Our mind and body are inextricably linked. If you just smile for even a minute, even for no reason, positive thoughts will begin to come to your mind, your mood will improve, everything will turn out easily and simply, and life will become better.

Before going on stage, I draw arrows, put on a revealing suit and become different - liberated, aggressively sexual. I feel good as a bad girl. I even have a certificate from a doctor confirming that during performances there is a split personality.

Remember, in the movie "Station for Two" the train conductor Nikita Mikhalkov spoke to the heroine Ludmila Gurchenko, who ran to him in a compartment on a love date: “Sama-sama-sama!” Like, undress quickly, and no sentimentality. This phrase, alas, has become winged. Women were given equal rights with men, freed from restrictions and dependencies. You're free! But if you want to be equal, do not count on help and support. Probably, someone likes the conquest of emancipation, but I'm sorry that men are losing the role of the protector, leader, breadwinner assigned to them by nature, and women are increasingly saying: "Itself-itself-itself..." We are moving further and further away from harmonious relations As a result, families fall apart, people break up.

I consider myself an independent person, early years I worked and earned money, but I am not at all embarrassed to admit that in my life I have had to rely on a strong shoulder more than once. Thanks to my beloved men, I am who I am.

The first person to whom I owe a lot is, of course, my dad. I was born in Moscow in a loving friendly family and grew up as the only spoiled child who was allowed to do absolutely everything. My parents, far from creativity (mother is an engineer, father is a lawyer), nevertheless immediately understood what kind of girl they got, and did not try to change me, to squeeze me into the framework. I am very grateful for this - the freedom gained in childhood still lives in me. From the age of three, I did not hesitate to enter the stages of rest houses and boarding houses, where we rested as a family, danced, sang, recited poems and received well-deserved fees - dolls and sweets. At seven, I began to go on tour with the Ostankino ballet and was already earning real money. At the same time she worked in music school piano class.

I remember the first time I went with dance group to Voronezh in the middle harsh winter. They settled us in a dilapidated house with amenities on the street. When I refused to relieve myself in the cold, they handed me a bucket, over which she shed burning tears for a day. Everything that happened seemed like a nightmare to the homely spoiled girl. Years later, already in the Lyceum group, everything happened: scrambled eggs with a live cockroach for breakfast, squashed beds in tattered hotel rooms ... My colleagues were worried, but I remained calm and unflappable - I got used to touring life from childhood.

Yes, time has passed, and now this secret will not harm anyone. When I remember all this, I get goosebumps from horror! It began with the fact that a girl approached me, introduced herself as an aspiring writer and offered to write a book about me. She said that she follows my work, that my story is close and interesting to her. It was supposed to be a novel about a teenager - a hooligan at school, a rebel at the Lyceum and about a "bad girl" in the Vintage group. Naturally, the book was supposed to tell about my personal life: about family, about love, about children. I respected some finished works Lena, that was the girl's name. I really liked everything, and I got excited about the idea of ​​the book.

Lena warned that now we will have to spend a lot of time together, practically live under the same roof, because you can’t miss a single fact from my biography. Naturally, after a while we became very close and even became friends. I did not hide anything from my new girlfriend, in our house she became her own person, the children simply adored her. True, our close friendship raised many questions for my husband, but Lena quickly studied his schedule and tried to catch his eye less often.

In two months, Lena learned more about me than the people who have been with me all my life. Sometimes it even made me laugh. I asked: “Well, why do you need to know what toothpaste I brush my teeth and what face cream I use?” She argued quite convincingly: “You don’t understand, now I am you. I need to get used to the image, to become you, so that readers believe in what I write. So it didn't surprise me that we were becoming more and more like each other. That is, at the time of our acquaintance, it seemed to me that we just had one type. But soon Lena completely copied my hairstyle, clothing style, makeup, even facial expressions and gestures. “Nothing surprising, because if you spend a lot of time with a person, you involuntarily adopt his habits,” I thought.

I was pleased to make small gifts for my girlfriend - for example, something from my clothes. Once Lena liked the pendant, I immediately took it off and hung it around her neck. It was a real knick-knack, but Lena was literally crying with happiness. And I, fool, rejoiced ...

- When did you begin to understand that something was wrong in this story?

After a couple of months, I became terrified of how Lena had changed. Well, we became too similar, and I felt some tension. But just at that moment, Lena showed me the first chapters of the book, creative process was in full swing, and I relaxed. And then everything changed - literally in one second. On that day, after the departure of my girlfriend, the mobile rang, I took it and realized that it was not my phone, but hers - Lena forgot it. Without any doubt, I answered the call. And suddenly I heard: “Hello, Anna? ..” I was confused: “Why Anna? You are probably calling Lena? ..” - “No,” answered confidently male voice. - I'm calling Anna Pletneva. We agreed to call her at this time. Let her pick me up." It felt like I was crazy...

I began to view contacts - my friends, relatives and even my children watched from the screen. In the "Photo" folder were all my photos and not a single Lenina! SMS and messages in in social networks were written in my name. Lena actively communicated not only with Vintage fans, but also with my friends. A conversation with Andrei Shirman came to mind. (Russian DJ, music producer, known as DJ Smash. - Approx. Ed.) Even before our duet "Moscow", he corresponded with my clone in some social network, believing that it was me. And even agreed to record a song. Then we only laughed at this fact, but now I understand who this clone was. And I didn't laugh. You have no idea how I felt then! My life was stolen, or rather - someone lived my life in parallel with me.

Fifteen minutes later Lena returned for the phone. It looked like everything was written on my face. When she saw me with a pipe in her hands, she turned around and tried to run away, but I needed to find out everything to the end. I grabbed her hand and didn’t let her in: “Either you tell me everything now, or I’m calling the police ...” Lena burst into tears, sat on the floor right in the corridor and took out her brand new passport from her bag, in which “Anna Pletneva” was written. She received it two weeks ago. Somehow she managed to achieve a change of name and surname ...

How did she explain her behavior?

She was betrayed by a loved one. Unhappy love, beatings, betrayal - everything is intertwined. And Lena just wanted to get rid of it all, in own life she felt bad. “I have only just begun to live,” she sobbed. - I am loved! Everyone wants to get to know me… What will happen to me now?” And this question of hers was very difficult for me. But no matter what, I decided to help her. Lena was treated by a psychologist friend of mine. And recently the doctor said that her condition is stable, she is fully aware of who she really is. Well, if so, I decided to tell this story. Suddenly, due to the fact that Lena pretended to be me, some misunderstandings arose that I don’t know about, some people were misled ...

- Artists often have to experience not the most pleasant sensations due to the obsession of fans. Surely this was not the first time for you?

In fact, with rare exceptions, I was very lucky with the fans. We just recently talked about this with the singer Yolka. Despite the fact that we are still pop singers, both she and I have the bulk of fans - educated, intelligent people. Some of them try not to miss any of my concerts. Sometimes I am amazed: I see people in auditorium, then I move to another city, and there again the same faces. And most importantly, how do they find the means and strength to follow me from city to city? In any case, it's very, very nice.

But there were also strange, wild cases. One fan, if you can call him that, apparently wanted to fill me with expensive jewelry. But they weren't gifts. He made online orders at jewelry stores, and they brought them home to me with a demand to pay. Further more. Somehow I come home, and we have guests ... It turns out that this a strange man turned to the guardianship authorities with a statement that I have a bunch of children picked up on the street, on the square 90 square meters. And once, before the tour, he managed to announce in all social networks that my concerts were being postponed to another date.

There was a terrible commotion, because there was only a week left before the first performance, and people rushed to the box office to return tickets. That is, it seems petty mischief but they turned into huge problems. I had to turn to the authorities for help. Later, when this Internet hooligan was found, I was shown his photo. He lived in another city, seemingly an ordinary average man. I don’t know what made him do it, probably he filled some voids in his life. I sincerely feel sorry for him. But such characters are rare, these are still isolated cases.

- You don't have to hire security?

The fact is that security is always with us. But sometimes they can also gape. There were a couple of cases when they tried to steal me. I am a small, fragile girl, weighing only 40 kilograms. And somehow in St. Petersburg I came out of ice palace, suddenly someone grabs me and just takes me away, like a sack of potatoes, on my shoulder. The guards were confused for a few seconds, but then pulled me out of the hands of the kidnapper. And he, judging by his face, was happy that at least for a few seconds he touched me. The guards knocked him to the ground, and he continued to shout: “Anna, I love you! Marry me!" (Laughs.)

- Horror what!

What are you, it was somehow not very scary, rather funny. In fact, there are situations much more dangerous. Once, when we just created the Vintage group, we were invited on tour to one country - the republic of the former USSR. It was a closed corporate banquet party. We go on stage, and I see that only men are sitting in the hall of a small recreation center. And I, like the girls from the ballet, have a rather revealing costume. Just at that time, our song "Bad Girl" was booming. In general, we looked very bold and sexy. At first, nothing bothered me - in principle, artists often have to perform at some private events, and this is an absolutely normal practice. But then I understand that the men in the hall are not just tipsy, but completely inadequate.

A few minutes later, some climbed onto the stage and openly began to pester the dancers from the ballet. And the girls are very young, 18-19 years old, and they were completely unprepared for this and, in general, came to this profession for the wrong reason. And I, feeling responsible for my ballet, began to drag drunken men away. And I must say, I was then in the fifth month of pregnancy. Apparently, I woke up maternal instinct. (Laughs.) Like an eagle rushed to protect her girls. We interrupted the concert, but there was nowhere to retreat. To get out of the hall, we had to go through this brutal crowd. In the end, we just jumped out of the second floor window. Then we climbed over the fence - fortunately, a car with a driver was already waiting for us there. In fact, it was very scary. I remember Lesha Romanof (singer, poet, composer, ex-soloist of the Amega and Vintage groups. - Ed.), having learned about the incident, said: “Yes, Anyut, you won’t get lost ...”

- You are connected with Alexei not only by strong friendship, but also by ten years of cooperation. Why did you end up going your own way in the profession?

Yes, since some time we have moved in different directions. Lesha had some projects of his own, and I understood that this greatly affects our joint activities. On the other hand, fans perceived "Vintage" stereotypically. People wanted to see the same “bad girl” that I was ten years ago at concerts, and that there was undisguised sexuality, audacity, outrageousness on stage. Not everyone realized that our group is still music. We have a lot of lyrical, deep songs that people somehow didn’t really perceive. We brought them to the radio, but they told us: “No! You are "Vintage", you should be just funny, banter, outrageous, sexy. At some point, it stopped working for me. So in August last year, Alexei and I decided together that I was leaving the group and going on a solo "swimming" - becoming an artist Anna Pletneva. But "Vintage" will remain, it's just that the faces will be different there. We recruited new soloists, and everything seems to have worked out for us.

- That is, you left the group easily, without resentment and drama?

Well, how easy ... You know, probably, every woman should go through at least one difficult divorce in her life. And I got this one - a musical divorce, but in fact it is very heavy and tough. It's like spouses who have already experienced a lot together, have jointly acquired property, children ... Of course, I was very worried about this and still worry. After all, we spent ten wonderful years together, and I am grateful to Lesha for this time, for our joint victories. hardly mine creative destiny would have turned out so well if there hadn't been such a true friend like Lesha Romanof. But neither in my personal life nor in my profession would I ever reconcile myself to the role of an unloved wife who can’t wait until her husband stops walking on the side. I'm just not that person. My new song is called "Guardian Angel", you will hear it soon, it very accurately describes the situation that has now developed in my life...

- A huge part of your life is connected with Vintage. What do you remember the most?

Probably the brightest impression is our first victory. The fact is that we first released the song “Mama Mia”, then there was the song “All the best”, and it already seemed to us that we were so famous and popular, but there were no concerts, and no one really knew us. I was known as the ex-soloist of the Lyceum group, and Lesha as the ex-soloist of the Amega group, nothing more. And then our very first hit "Bad Girl" happened. But for a long time it seemed that nothing would come of this song. When we were going to shoot the video, everything went wrong! We prepared for a long time, faced a lot of difficulties, and when it seemed that everything was already working out, on the day of filming, at six in the morning, I receive an SMS from cameraman Vlad Opelyants: "Basset is dead." That is, the dog, which was supposed to star in the video, died of old age.

It seemed that this was the last straw, that there was no need to deal with this already - nothing would work out. And yes, we lost confidence in ourselves. Our songs were not taken on the radio, they said: “We don’t need this waste material, you are already old people, you are“ ex ”, nobody needs you.” And then there's this basset ... But it was that clip, that song that eventually broke through the "dam" of failure. We began to sound from every iron, the phones were torn, it was crazy, just crazy popularity, and the Vintage group blew up all the charts. Every day we were told that we were in first place there, in first place here. It was an amazing moment. It is impossible to remember without tears.

- In parallel with your career, you gave birth and raised children. There was no desire to go on maternity leave for a while?

The fact is that I felt great, I was very lucky. For me, pregnancy is such a battery with triple energy. I get incredible strength with which I can move mountains. And I never had the thought to stop, save or feel sorry for myself. Moreover, we started touring big just during my pregnancy - thirteen concerts in Germany, and I'm in my seventh month. Not only me, but also my team remember this in detail. The guys were terribly worried that Pletneva would not give birth right on stage - I danced so energetically, jumped and sat on the twine. (Laughs.)

- And when Varvara was born, did you immediately go to work?

Then I was in a production project and, under the contract, I did not have the right to become pregnant. But I didn't care at all! I immediately told the producer - I give birth! They gave me just two weeks for everything. So I really got back on stage very quickly. I was getting in shape and breastfeeding my baby at the same time. All these breast pumps, freezing - this is about me. If suddenly someone needs a course on remote feeding - also contact me. Because I managed to breastfeed my baby for six months and go on tour all this time, being away from home for two weeks.

- Okay - feeding, but what about separation from your newly born baby?

Oh, you have no idea how I sobbed. And, of course, now I wouldn’t do that: a maximum of one or two days - and back. But my mother helped me a lot, she supported me and was with Varvara all the time. I knew that everything would be fine, but psychologically and morally it was very, very hard.

- By the way, do your children go to mom's concerts?

They go, of course. And they really like my work, they are proud of their mother, they know all the songs by heart. About each new song they say: “Mommy, this one is generally the best!” They sing, dance and dream of becoming artists too: one is a singer, one is a drummer. All three went to me. (Laughs.)

- An, you have, to put it mildly, revealing stage outfits. How do children react to this?

Great, great response. I think it's all very beautiful. And I create almost all concert costumes with my own hands. If something was wrong, if it seemed to me that there was an inflection somewhere, I would never have appeared on stage in this form. Plus my kids go to American school, watch clips foreign performers For example, Rihanna is loved. There, the outfits are much more revealing. They are very advanced in this matter.

- You are thirty-something, three children, a successful marriage, ideal figure, great skin and hair. How do you do it?

I'm a witch! I have never hidden this, I honestly tell everyone that I drink the blood of young boys, I always have a glass in the refrigerator in the evening, it must be infused. (Laughs.) And I constantly perform some rituals, for example, I drink morning dew. But seriously, I'm not perfect at all. It’s just that in my thirties, I learned how to take pictures correctly. Well, I'm wildly lucky with genetics. And as for the figure - there is a very cool way to make the press be with cubes: you need to sing and dance at the same time.

As a teacher of pop-jazz vocals, I always tell my students: if you breathe and sing correctly and dance at the same time, this is better than any fitness. Well, the most important thing, when you are thirty-something, is not to lose the desire to move on. You know, many people have a crisis at this age, all desires fade into the background, people get stuck in their problems, in everyday affairs, come to terms with unloved job. I am terribly happy - I have a favorite job, a wonderful family, and I love everything in this life. That is, I am in complete harmony. I want - it means I can - this is my motto.

- Probably, it was precisely this happy state of yours that made that girl, who was in a difficult life situation try to be you...

It may very well be. And I'm not her judge. I never saw her again, and I don't want to. But I sincerely hope that her problems are over and now she is happy.