- Describe your sound in three words
Music to watch
- What is the main idea behind the VOSTOK project?
We wanted to create an experience for our audience to immerse itself fully, an experience that is tangible on many levels. In the first place, it is characterized by closely intertwined music and visuals that are equally important to me as an artist. With VOSTOK, we’ve created our own original universe and the music we release is a soundtrack to what’s happening in this sci-fi setting.
- EBBA and EBBA Public Choice Awards winner-2018, Eurovision-2017 runner-up…What moment in your career are you proudest of?
You forgot to add China 🙂
Being an artist that gained fame through different TV shows, it was a big game-changer for me, when I first started seeing other young artists referencing my art in one way or another. People would talk about someone else’s track and say “Oh, it sounds like Kristian Kostov”. I feel like I gained a distinguishable style, an image in the heads of others, and built some kind of identity along the way, which has always been my biggest virtue.
- You have participated in talent shows. Many people argue that talent shows can be exploitative with less focus on actual talent. What are your thoughts?
It’s actually not as black and white as it seems, there are too many factors at play that define talent and success on TV shows. I think that any kind of publicity instrument that exists today for young and independent artists is a blessing, especially when you think about what the artists of the previous generations had to go through to get to that level of exposure, it’s truly incomparable.
My experience in music shows like The Voice or X-factor was that more often than not, I wasn’t fully in control of what I would sing in the next episode. The content is very heavily based on what the producers and scriptwriters decide it should be and since it’s their show, you cannot have as much say as you would otherwise. People need to understand that there is actually very little malice in the entertainment business as opposed to what it’s usually painted as. There are people trying to do their job and sometimes your views just don’t coincide.
- What is your favorite album of the past year?
Definitely, Jeremy Zucker – “love is not dying”. One of my favorite artists ever.
- If you could change anything about the industry, what would it be?
I would love it if there were more opportunities for young artists to showcase their music that are less dependent on connections and pure luck. And also some kind of reform in the A&R job description i.e. having more people listen to more music attentively, instead of focusing on a small selection of songs recommended to them personally by somebody in the business. Lots of my songwriter friends are terrific artists that just cannot break through due to their sheer lack of connections and I’m talking about A-list level material.
- What was the best film you have watched during the quarantine?
It’s an anime called “A Whisker Away”. It touches upon many topics and the whole conflict in the plot occurs due to the protagonist’s lack of confidence and self-love. Very relevant for me right now.
- Something that we do not already know about you?
I play “Among Us” with my fans via video chat often, it’s a lot of fun, you should also join our discord channel sometime! 🙂
- Thank you!
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