You're reading: Wonderful, musical world of Pianoboy

A very confident yet humble Dmitriy Shurov has been a music practitioner for many years, experimenting with different styles and arrangements. He writes his own lyrics, composes music, sings and plays the piano.

“I believe that it is more common for 16 year-olds to choose one thing to be stubborn about. With age comes the realization that genres and styles are conditional and that the most important thing is not what you sing – it is how you sing it. Once you realize that, you get rid of some particular complexes and it becomes easier to create.”

To bigger crowds Shurov, 32, is known as being a member of Ukrainian rock band Okean Elzy from 2001-2004. But he was also a co-founder of the Esthetic Education band (2004-2008). His latest and by far the most successful solo project is Pianoboy.

However, the artist’s work doesn’t stop there. He collaborates with famous Russian singer Zemfira, writes music for Alena Akhmadulina’s fashion shows and is currently the music supervisor of the “Cinderella” musical.

Shurov has been surrounded by music for as long as he can remember. His recollection of the piano comes from a picture he was shown even before his first birthday. “The photograph shows me on my tip-toes trying to reach the keys of the piano and looking at the camera with such a stare!” he says with a frightened look on his face. “It captures my admiration mixed with a fear of the instrument being taken away from me.”

“I believe that every person has a talent within – there are no talentless people,” Shurov says. “It (talent) can be a tiny one, but it is there. The question is whether this talent was elaborated during childhood.” Shurov partly credits his parents for his talents.

“They developed in me the understanding that if one doesn’t succeed, one should try, try again,” he added.

Shurov confesses that with Pianoboy he was unsure as to how the project would progress, and even how to present it.

Pianoboy’s concerts are always passionate and raw. The second album, released this fall, is available online, on CDs and on vinyl records. (c) courtesy

“I make plans all the time (but) they never come true. Something else works out and that ‘something else’ is great,” he says.

In spring 2013 the artist released his second album, “Ne prekrashchai mechtat” (Do not stop dreaming). In its review of the album, Open.ua mentioned that “this is the most courageous album in the Ukrainian music industry,” giving the record eight out of 10 points.

Shurov says he has a lot of material written, some of which might go into his third album.  But he warns that if he is going to “pour everything I write on people, they are going to drown,” and dreams about creating a minimalistic album of “just piano and voice – that is it.”

Shurov also counts among the Ukrainian celebrities who have made a statement concerning the country’s pressing political issues. His Facebook status from Dec. 1 shows the singer’s encouragement to protestors on Independence Square, saying that everyone “should be there, imagining that they are guards, protecting their home from evil.”

Shurov passionately speaks about EuroMaidan: “I like the mood in that, I like that when a lot of people think the same it always brings changes but I don’t like that the majority of banners carry negative sentiments. I don’t like people screaming out ‘Hanba’ (Shame)… there is no need to turn these slogans into some kind of mantra. Only positive thoughts should be turned into a mantra. Don’t yell ‘shame,’ yell, ‘Europe’ if you want to be a part of it.”

Promoting his second album in cities accross Ukraine and Russia, Shurov confesses that on concert performance days is when he has a day off: “For me every workday is an inspiration. It is like a staircase. The present day is very important to me. It is backed up by yesterday and precedes tomorrow. This is a very close three-day span in which I exist all the time.”

Pianoboy believes in the purity of what he does and in the message that his songs and performances carry. “The strongest side of my personality is the ability to translate everything there is in the air, the things that one can’t describe with words… channel that through my music. I really think I can do it. And everything else is being done to help this main thing get through to the people.”

Pianoboy concert

Dec. 19. 8 p.m. Yunost club (37-41 Artema St.) Hr 150-300

Kyiv Post staff writer Alisa Shulkina can be reached at [email protected].