The interview with the participants of the “non-Angels”, which I post below, is old (March 2009), but for me it turned out to be interesting and informative in terms of behind the scenes of the organization of any group and the work of show business. Read, be interested.
For three years now the following have been heard from the stage: “You are one of those very, very desirable men,” “I will be with you, boy,” “Yura, goodbye, Yura, forgive.” During this time, the low voices of girls have ceased to be perceived as something out of the ordinary and no longer shock the listener. And even the appearance of the rather forgotten Dana International in the group’s video did not cause the expected sensation. Nevertheless, “non-Angels” continue to remain an extraordinary and original group in all respects, except one - the name.
It so happened that six years earlier a group with a similar name - No Angels - was formed in Germany. She was destined to become the most successful female project in the history of German pop music, scoring several hits and releasing three discs, two of which went platinum. After three years of existence, the group disbanded. And when in 2007 the girls were brought together again to participate in Eurovision, for some reason no one inquired that the title was no longer vacant and that the “nonAngels” project already existed in Ukraine. I don’t know how much we can talk about plagiarism here, but the fact that the “non-angelic” name is not authentic is a fact.
The Ukrainian “non-Angels” approached their third anniversary with the following achievements: they released six videos and the album “Number One”. The name is pretentious, but not typical for the groups of producer Nikitin. No, to write together, upside down, divided by syllables, decorated with exclamation marks... I don’t know the reason for such an ill-considered approach, but I can offer two options: either they didn’t do it well, or again they wanted to surprise (they say, official grammar is not alien to us ). Although there is another assumption, according to which the second album will be called “Number Two”, the third - “Number Three” and so on.
Vika and Slava are the permanent soloists of the duet, who have not yet experienced any replacements or consolidations. They believe that this is not a threat to them, since there are simply no other such performers. Evil tongues say that they are not Slava and Vika and call them differently. But we remember well how the same languages three years ago claimed that they were not girls at all...
Over the past six months, I had the opportunity to communicate with the lead singers of the group three times (!), and now I know much more about them than about my other heroes and heroines, and disproportionately more than this publication can contain.
Vika:
Maybe because the whole family - father, mother, grandfathers, grandmothers - are musicians, I was not drawn to music and wanted to be an artist. But failure in the entrance exams to the Art and Industry Institute made its own adjustments, and I realized that painting was not worth pursuing. Therefore, I decided to repeat the feat of my older sister and entered the Faculty of Information Activities. I didn't like studying. I couldn’t even write a term paper on my own, and creativity still took over: I took up embroidery. I went around to stores that sold clothes and offered to contribute to ready-made items. Some agreed. I even started my own catalog with embroidery samples and even had success in this business.
- How much did you have to suffer at the university?
Two years until I found a producer in Kyiv. It was Alexander Yaremenko, who at that time was producing the SMS group. We worked for a year and a half on the Kaira project, recorded six songs, and were preparing to shoot a video. But due to financial problems and personal qualities, we had to separate. If we recorded Nikitin’s first album in a month, then with Sasha we could record one song for three months or more. While participating in the television project “Chance,” I allegedly lacked a certain number of votes, and Sasha said that I had to pay money to get to the finals. At that time I was an incorrigible maximalist and declared that I would move towards success only by honest means. This incident also could not help but affect our relationship.
Where did you have to go?
I was noticed in “Chance” and received several offers. One of them is from Yura Nikitin. But I hid from him that I was working with Yaremenko, to whom I also didn’t say anything. The only thing I couldn’t agree to for a long time was working in a team (at that time Nikitin planned to make a trio), because I saw myself only as a solo performer. But after talking with Slava, they decided to convince Yura to leave two members in the group and not take a third. I was ready to do this.
- When did you come up with the idea of working under pseudonyms?
After the first conversation, Yura said that he sees me only as Victoria, regardless of whether I sing solo or in a group.
Since then they call you Vika, no one calls you differently, but your real name is carefully hidden and is not made public?
Now many people already know both their first and last names. I am Katya Smeyukha, and Yura, in fact, became the godfather, calling me Victoria.
Have you ever been interested in anatomy, the structure of the organs that create such a low voice?
I have a contralto - the deepest and rarest female voice. I didn’t do anything specifically for this: I don’t smoke and have never smoked. I think it's hereditary. Dad also has a very low voice.
Glory:
Studying at music school was a very interesting time for me. I tried to play the piano, but I realized that I didn't like it. Now I won’t play anything except “Dog Waltz”. I went to school only for the choir.
- Is the whole family in Odessa?
No, I took my mother to Kyiv. And my father, sister, and grandmothers remained in Odessa. My parents are out of wedlock, and now my mother helps me a lot. This is especially felt now. I recently separated from my boyfriend, with whom I had lived together for a long time. It started three years ago, and now it's all over.
How did you end up in the “non-Angels”?
The path to the group was very long. Initially there was a desire to sing. I moved to Kyiv, entered the university, went to various castings, took part in the television projects “People’s Artist” and “Island of Temptations”. Thanks to this, in my fourth year I was kicked out of the university for non-attendance. I spent all my money intended to pay for my studies on a television project. And then there was a casting for the group “non-Angels”. A friend called me and told me to wear sneakers at such and such a place at such and such a time. When I learned that the casting was being conducted by Yura Nikitin, I didn’t expect anything. She didn't believe in her strength. Many models came, very beautiful young ladies, but I was not at all in marketable condition. And she firmly believed that vocal abilities have no meaning for show business... Two weeks later they called me: “Yuri Nikitin wants to meet with you.” At that time I was in a state of hopelessness and spiritual emptiness. About the same as now, after breaking up with a young man. And when Yura called me the next day and asked if I would mind working with him, for me it was like manna from heaven. Surely, the coolest producer in Ukraine chose me. And then Yura disappeared. Disappeared - that's all. I thought that this was probably not fate, not my finest hour. But two weeks later, they called me again and said: “We have a surprise for you. Please come to the office." I arrived and met Vika here. A week later we recorded the first song “You’re one of those people.” And soon they released a video. Nobody expected that everything would go so well. It must have been us that Ukraine was missing at that moment.
- How did you perceive the surprise prepared for you?
No way. Either I had too high an opinion of myself, or I made great demands on my partner. But then we went to visit Vika and chatted the whole night. And I have never seen so much in common in any other person. We even called our cats the same - Filki.
- Have you ever wondered why Nikitin chose you?
It's better to ask him about this. But I think that there are talented people, there are beautiful people, there are interesting people, and there are charismatic people. No matter how pretentious it may sound, my person combines at least three components: talent, originality and charisma. This combination can be found very rarely. The same can be said about Vic.
Today no one knows what your name was before the project?
Why? They know. But the fact is that even my own mother no longer calls me that. Only Glory. You know, whatever you name the boat, that’s how it will float. And the fate of a person with a new name changes. I experienced this myself.
Being a meticulous journalist with a strong desire to get to the bottom of the truth, I opened the website of the TV project “Island of Temptations” and among the photographs of the participants I found an image of a girl, as they say now, who looks like Slava from “non-Angels”. There she is listed as Olga Kuznetsova.
LIKE A CAT AND A DOG
- Is there a leader in the team?
Vika: Probably not. I used to think that I was a leader. After all, it was my low voice that became business card groups. Well, Slava thought that she was a leader. Disagreements arose. We quarreled terribly. It got to the point that we went on tour in different carriages. Conditions were created for us so that we would have as little contact as possible. Otherwise, the group could break up as soon as it was formed.
Glory: Two ambitious people tried to impose their points of view on each other, which at that moment were radically different. And they did it emotionally, in a raised tone, without hiding the fact that they did not like each other.
Vika: I think if someone had been more compliant, such problems would not have arisen. This went on for two years. The conditions were terrible. And only thanks to the love of music I was able to endure it.
What was the cause of your conflicts?
Vika: Incredible ambitions of each participant.
Glory: Friction in a team arises naturally. When you spend too much time together, at some point your views on creativity and life begin to diverge. We sorted things out with each other very vigorously. But if someone else was nearby and spoke negatively about her or me, we could be at each other’s throats.
- Are you saying that this was not PR, since this is how the name “non-Angels” should be used?
Glory: The name characterizes our state: we are eccentric, explosive. We definitely justified him with our behavior. Or it justified us. But this was not PR, it was a madhouse. We don't need to invent anything or do anything special. They come up with everything for us, but we just read in newspapers and the Internet and wonder how such nonsense can be written.
- But participation in an erotic photo shoot is also part of PR?
Vika: Undoubtedly.
Glory: Although our fans don’t love us for our naked bodies. On the other hand, if the body is beautiful, why not show it off? I always wanted to be on the cover of an erotic magazine.
- For what purpose?
Glory: To do everything at once: both satisfy your desires and provide PR. Not without it. And eat fish...
Vika:... and prove to yourself that you are beautiful.
ON THE WAY TO EUROPE
- Has your relationship changed now?
Glory: Yes, at some point we realized that we could not exist without each other as creative individuals. And we need to find common ground, we need to talk, that is, do something we haven’t done before. And we started talking, finding out what people didn’t like and how it could be fixed. And they began to give in to each other in some ways. Today, if our concerts are booked, flowers are given not to her or to me, but to both. This already suggests that people came to look not at one or the other, but at the team.
Vika: Together we are strong, we are a team, a single whole. Because no one will understand me as much as Slava.
Glory: In heaven, everything was decided for us long ago. If we came together, it means someone needs it. At the most difficult moment for myself - when breaking up with my fiancé - I realized that besides Vika and my mother there was no one next to me.
I noticed this moment during the interview: Slava quickly answers the question, and then grins slyly at how Vika, who thinks about the same, tries to formulate the answer in other words.
Glory: No, that's not true. I just formulate thoughts faster. And Vika has moments when she doesn’t answer exactly what is asked. And then I feel happy. But I can say that Vika is working on herself and evolving in this regard, which is a huge plus for her.
You recorded your first album very quickly, and are now working on your second. But the gap between their releases will be at least three years. Are you testing your fans' patience for too long?
Glory: The first album was very strong. It is still for sale. Therefore, for the second it was necessary to select songs that would be in no way inferior. Unfortunately, hits don't come that often.
Vika: It seems to me that after the release of the new album, the female audience will be conquered. Lyrics, slow compositions about love and experiences are what women need.
- You withdrew your application to participate in Eurovision in Moscow. What is the reason?
Glory: We discussed and decided that NikitA should try herself this year. And we will still have time.
Vika: We would not like to get attached to this competition, since we have more serious plans for the future. But as practice has shown, all the Ukrainian performers who took prizes at Eurovision never made it to Europe. We have a chance to shine there without participating in the competition.
Glory: Moreover, these are enormous costs. But for our group now this is not entirely advisable.
The topic of plagiarism has not yet become a stumbling block for Ukrainian show business. But when we are talking about the European music market, going there under the inauthentic name “non-Angels”, it seems to me, is just as ridiculous as going under the stage names of Masha Madonna or Misha Jackson. Although show business representatives have nothing to do with what seems to people from the outside. They justify their decisions by their own activities and personal success. Or they don't justify it. And it is right! I remember one of my fellow journalists wrote: “He’s Nikitin, he knows better!” I completely agree and agree...
2006. The permanent soloists are Victoria and Slava.Story
The NeAngels project was created by producer Yuri Nikitin. His decision was largely due to the gradual decline in the popularity of the group “VIA Gra”, which, after constant replacement of its members, lost its flavor. As a result, in Ukraine the need arose again to create a new pop group performing Russian-language songs for greater rotation. The group consists of girls Victoria from Kharkov and Slava from the city of Odessa.
In December 2006, the group released their debut album “Number One”, which sold 50,000 copies and became a “Golden Disc”. In August 2008, NeAngels shot a video with the winner of Eurovision 1998, the world famous drag queen named Dana International, for the song “I Need Your Love”. In 2009, the single “Little Red Riding Hood” was released. In 2010 - the single “Let Go”.
In the spring of 2013, the group participated in the Ukrainian Eurovision selection with the song “Courageous”, which was written for them by Alexander Bard - participant and founder of the projects Army of Lovers, Vacuum, Gravitonas, BWO (Bodies Without Organs). On May 31, 2013, the group held its first solo concert in honor of its seventh birthday. In September 2013, the second album of the group “Roman” was released, which took the leading place on iTunes from the first week
In 2014, the singles “By the Cells” and “You Know” were released, for which videos were also shot. On December 20, 2014, the song “Bridges Over the Dniprom” was released, in the recording of which, in addition to NeAngels, famous Ukrainian performers took part - Potap, Nastya Kamenskikh, Natalya Mogilevskaya, the group “Time and Glass”, Irina Bilyk, Alyosha, Aviator and others. In February 2015, the group went on the “DANCE ROMANCE TOUR” concert tour, after which in May-June they traveled through the cities of Ukraine with the extended “ROMAN” tour, which included one and a half hour performances with live musicians. On July 17, 2015, the premiere of the single “Heart” took place, and on July 31, 2015, the shooting of the video took place in the center of Kyiv - near the Opera House. Now NeAngels are recording the album “Heart”, the presentation of which will take place on May 12, 2016 at the Kiev Sports Palace at a show dedicated to the tenth anniversary of the group.
Participants
Glory
Slava's name before the name change was Olga Kuznetsova(July 16, Odessa) took part in the television competition “People’s Artist”, then, together with Andrei Skorin (, Vyshgorod), with whom they studied at the Kiev National University of Culture and Arts, participated in the reality show “Temptation Island” in 2005. In her youth she was involved in acrobatics. Singing voice - coloratura contralto.
Discography
| - "Number one" | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| № | Name | Duration | |||||||
| 1. | "You're one of those people" | 3:18 | |||||||
| 2. | "Dance with Me" | 3:31 | |||||||
| 3. | "I know it's you" | 3:33 | |||||||
| 4. | "Only love" | 3:59 | |||||||
| 5. | "Disco" | 3:38 | |||||||
| 6. | "One Hundred Lonely Candles" | 3:28 | |||||||
| 7. | "Migratory birds" | 3:39 | |||||||
| 8. | "Farewell, my love" | 3:36 | |||||||
| 9. | "Enchantment" | 3:38 | |||||||
| 10. | "Boy" | 2:54 | |||||||
| 11. | "Yura, goodbye" | 3:38 | |||||||
| - "Novel" | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| № | Name | Duration | |||||||
| 1. | "By the cells" | 3:46 | |||||||
| 2. | "Yours" | 3:32 | |||||||
| 3. | "Kyiv-Moscow" | 3:24 | |||||||
| 4. | "Little Red Riding Hood" | 2:53 | |||||||
| 5. | "Novel" | 4:11 | |||||||
| 6. | "If only you were" | 3:05 | |||||||
| 7. | "Kill me" | 3:29 | |||||||
| 8. | "Play with Love" | 2:31 | |||||||
| 9. | "Let go" | 4:05 | |||||||
| 10. | "Lilac (Feat. A-DESSA)" | 3:27 | |||||||
| 11. | "Just say" | 3:23 | |||||||
| - "Heart" | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| № | Name | Duration | |||||||
| 1. | "Higher" | 3:00 | |||||||
| 2. | "By the cells" | 3:46 | |||||||
| 3. | "Yours" | 3:32 | |||||||
| 4. | "You're one of those people" | 3:20 | |||||||
| 5. | "Heart" | 4:05 | |||||||
| 6. | "Jealous" | 3:29 | |||||||
| 7. | "I miss you so much" | 3:28 | |||||||
| 8. | "Roman (Acoustic Version)" | 4:08 | |||||||
| 9. | "You know" | 3:21 | |||||||
| 10. | "Yura, goodbye" | 3:39 | |||||||
| 11. | "Let go" | 4:05 | |||||||
| 12. | “Lilac (feat. A-Dessa) (remix)” | 3:21 | |||||||
| 13. | "I know it's you" | 3:33 | |||||||
| 14. | “I need a man (I need your love Version 2015)” | 3:21 | |||||||
| 15. | "Happy birthday" | 3:12 | |||||||
Videography
| Year | Clip | Director | Compound | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "You're one of those people" | Alexander Igudin | Slava, Victoria | "Number one" | |
| "Yura, I'm sorry" | Alexander Filatovich | |||
| "Boy" | Evgeniy Timokhin | |||
| "I know it's you" | Alan Badoev | |||
| "Hanky panky" | Semyon Gorov | T.B.A. | ||
| "I Need Your Love" (feat. Dana International) | Victor Skuratovsky | T.B.A. | ||
| "Little Red Riding Hood" | Alexander Filatovich | "Novel" | ||
| "Let go" | Alan Badoev | |||
| "Kill me" | Sergey Tkachenko | |||
| "If only you were" | Dmitry Peretrutov | |||
| "Kyiv-Moscow" | Sergey Tkachenko | |||
| "Yours" | ||||
| "Lilac" (feat. A-Dessa) | Oleg Borshchevsky | |||
| "Novel" | Semyon Gorov | |||
| "By the cells" | Taras Vorobets | |||
| "You know" | Sergey Tkachenko | "Heart" | ||
| "Heart" | ||||
| "You were flying" | Sergey Tkachenko, Val Voronenko, Vitaly Pravdin | T.B.A. |
Confession
Awards
| Year | Prize | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Radio "Sharmanka" | “Golden organ” (for the song “Yura, forgive me”) | Victory |
| Song of the year of Inter TV channel | “Song of the Year” (for the song “Yura, forgive me”) | Victory | |
| 2013 | Song of the year of Inter TV channel | “Song of the Year” (for the song “Roman”) | Victory |
| 2014 | YUNA | "The best group" | Nomination |
| 2015 | YUNA | "The best group" | Nomination |
Charts
| Year | Name | Charts | Album | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Russia and CIS (TopHit General Top 100) | Russia (TopHit Moscow Top-100) | Russia (TopHit St. Petersburg Top 100) | Ukraine (TopHit Ukrainian Top 100) | Ukraine (TopHit Kiev Top-100) | Radio chart based on TopHit 200 requests | Russia and CIS (TopHit Total Annual) | |||
| 2006 | "You're one of those people" | 158 | - | - | 80 | 168 | 104 | - | Number one |
| "Yura, I'm sorry" | 100 | - | - | 52 | 225 | 54 | - | ||
| 2007 | "I know it's you" | 256 | - | - | 142 | 202 | 302 | - | |
| 2008 | "I Need Your Love" (feat. Dana International) | - | - | - | - | 85 | - | - | T.B.A. |
| 2009 | "Little Red Riding Hood" | - | - | - | - | 38 | - | - | Novel |
| 2010 | "Let go" | 74 | - | - | 161 | 12 | - | - | |
| 2011 | "If only you were" | 209 | - | - | 116 | 174 | 187 | - | |
| "Kyiv-Moscow" | 104 | - | - | 40 | 54 | - | - | ||
| 2012 | "Yours" | 84 | 137 | - | 2 | 3 | 76 | - | |
| "Lilac" (feat. A-Dessa) | 61 | 136 | - | 3 | 5 | 15 | - | ||
| 2013 | "Novel" | 52 | 127 | - | 2 | 1 | 64 | - | |
| "By the cells" | 133 | - | - | 47 | 27 | 46 | - | ||
| 2014 | "You know" | 75 | - | - | 1 | 1 | 26 | - | Heart |
| 2015 | "Heart" | - | - | - | - | 38 | - | - | |
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Excerpt characterizing the NonAngels
Napoleon was sitting under the mound and drinking punch when Murat's adjutant galloped up to him with assurances that the Russians would be defeated if His Majesty gave another division.- Reinforcements? - Napoleon said with stern surprise, as if not understanding his words and looking at the handsome boy adjutant with long, curled black hair (the same way Murat wore his hair). “Reinforcements! - thought Napoleon. “Why are they asking for reinforcements when they have half the army in their hands, aimed at the weak, unfortified wing of the Russians!”
“Dites au roi de Naples,” Napoleon said sternly, “qu"il n"est pas midi et que je ne vois pas encore clair sur mon echiquier. Allez... [Tell the Neapolitan king that it is not yet noon and that I do not yet see clearly on my chessboard. Go...]
Handsome adjutant boy with long hair, without letting go of his hat, sighing heavily, he galloped again to where people were being killed.
Napoleon stood up and, calling Caulaincourt and Berthier, began to talk with them about matters not related to the battle.
In the middle of the conversation, which was beginning to interest Napoleon, Berthier's eyes turned to the general and his retinue, who was galloping towards the mound on a sweaty horse. It was Belliard. He got off his horse, quickly walked up to the emperor and boldly, in a loud voice, began to prove the need for reinforcements. He swore on his honor that the Russians would die if the emperor gave another division.
Napoleon shrugged his shoulders and, without answering, continued his walk. Belliard began speaking loudly and animatedly to the generals of his retinue who surrounded him.
“You are very ardent, Beliard,” said Napoleon, again approaching the approaching general. “It’s easy to make a mistake in the heat of the fire.” Go and see, and then come to me.
Before Beliar had time to disappear from sight, a new messenger from the battlefield galloped up from the other side.
– Eh bien, qu"est ce qu"il y a? [Well, what else?] - said Napoleon in the tone of a man irritated by incessant interference.
“Sire, le prince... [Sovereign, Duke...],” the adjutant began.
- Requesting reinforcements? – Napoleon said with an angry gesture. The adjutant bowed his head affirmatively and began to report; but the emperor turned away from him, took two steps, stopped, returned back and called Berthier. “We need to give reserves,” he said, spreading his hands slightly. – Who do you think should be sent there? - he turned to Berthier, to this oison que j"ai fait aigle [the gosling that I made an eagle], as he later called him.
“Sir, should I send Claparède’s division?” - said Berthier, who memorized all the divisions, regiments and battalions.
Napoleon nodded his head affirmatively.
The adjutant galloped towards Claparede's division. And a few minutes later the young guard, standing behind the mound, moved from their place. Napoleon silently looked in this direction.
“No,” he suddenly turned to Berthier, “I cannot send Claparède.” Send Friant’s division,” he said.
Although there was no advantage in sending Friant’s division instead of Claparède, and there was even an obvious inconvenience and delay in stopping Claparède now and sending Friant, the order was carried out with precision. Napoleon did not see that in relation to his troops he was playing the role of a doctor who interferes with his medications - a role that he so correctly understood and condemned.
Friant's division, like the others, disappeared into the smoke of the battlefield. Adjutants continued to jump in from different directions, and everyone, as if by agreement, said the same thing. Everyone asked for reinforcements, everyone said that the Russians were holding their ground and producing un feu d'enfer [hellfire], from which the French army was melting.
Napoleon sat thoughtfully on a folding chair.
Hungry in the morning, Mr. de Beausset, who loved to travel, approached the emperor and dared to respectfully offer His Majesty breakfast.
“I hope that now I can congratulate Your Majesty on your victory,” he said.
Napoleon silently shook his head. Believing that negation referred to victory and not to breakfast, Mr. de Beausset allowed himself to playfully respectfully remark that there was no reason in the world that could prevent one from having breakfast when one could do it.
“Allez vous... [Get out to...],” Napoleon suddenly said gloomily and turned away. A blissful smile of regret, repentance and delight shone on Monsieur Bosse's face, and he walked with a floating step to the other generals.
Napoleon experienced a heavy feeling, similar to that experienced by an always happy gambler who madly threw his money away, always won and suddenly, just when he had calculated all the chances of the game, feeling that the more thoughtful his move was, the more likely he was to lose.
The troops were the same, the generals were the same, the preparations were the same, the disposition was the same, the same proclamation courte et energique [proclamation short and energetic], he himself was the same, he knew it, he knew that he was even much more experienced and now he was more skillful than he was before, even the enemy was the same as at Austerlitz and Friedland; but the terrible swing of the hand fell magically powerlessly.
All those previous methods were invariably crowned with success: the concentration of batteries at one point, and the attack of reserves to break through the line, and the attack of the cavalry des hommes de fer [iron men] - all these methods had already been used, and not only were not victory, but the same news came from all sides about killed and wounded generals, about the need for reinforcements, about the impossibility of bringing down the Russians and about the disorder of the troops.
Previously, after two or three orders, two or three phrases, marshals and adjutants galloped with congratulations and cheerful faces, declaring the corps of prisoners, des faisceaux de drapeaux et d'aigles ennemis, [bunches of enemy eagles and banners,] and guns, and convoys, and Murat, as trophies He only asked for permission to send in cavalry to pick up convoys. This happened at Lodi, Marengo, Arcole, Jena, Austerlitz, Wagram, etc., etc. Now something strange was happening to his troops.
Despite the news of the capture of flushes, Napoleon saw that it was not the same, not at all the same as in all his previous battles. He saw that the same feeling that he experienced was experienced by all the people around him who were experienced in battle. All faces were sad, all eyes avoided each other. Only Bosse could not understand the significance of what was happening. Napoleon, after his long experience of war, knew well what it meant for eight hours, after all the efforts expended, for the attacker to not win a battle. He knew that it was almost a lost battle and that the slightest chance could now - at that tense point of hesitation on which the battle stood - destroy him and his troops.
When he turned over in his imagination this whole strange Russian campaign, in which not a single battle was won, in which neither banners, nor cannons, nor corps of troops were taken in two months, when he looked at the secretly sad faces of those around him and listened to reports about that the Russians were still standing - a terrible feeling, similar to the feeling experienced in dreams, gripped him, and all the unfortunate events that could destroy him came to his mind. The Russians could attack his left wing, they could tear his middle apart, a stray cannonball could kill him. All this was possible. In his previous battles, he pondered only the accidents of success, but now countless unfortunate accidents presented themselves to him, and he expected them all. Yes, it was like in a dream, when a person imagines a villain attacking him, and the man in the dream swung and hit his villain with that terrible force that, he knows, should destroy him, and he feels that his hand, powerless and soft, falls like a rag, and the horror of irresistible death seizes the helpless man.
The news that the Russians were attacking the left flank of the French army aroused this horror in Napoleon. He sat silently under the mound on a folding chair, head down and elbows on his knees. Berthier approached him and offered to ride along the line to make sure what the situation was.
- What? What are you saying? - said Napoleon. - Yes, tell me to give me a horse.
He got on horseback and rode to Semenovsky.
In the slowly spreading powder smoke throughout the entire space through which Napoleon was riding, horses and people lay in pools of blood, singly and in heaps. Napoleon and none of his generals had ever seen such horror, such a number of people killed in such a small space. The roar of the guns, which did not stop for ten hours straight and tormented the ear, gave special significance to the spectacle (like music in living paintings). Napoleon rode to the heights of Semenovsky and through the smoke he saw rows of people in uniforms of colors that were unusual for his eyes. They were Russians.
The Russians stood in dense ranks behind Semenovsky and the mound, and their guns continually hummed and smoked along their line. There was no more battle. There was an ongoing murder that could lead neither the Russians nor the French anywhere. Napoleon stopped his horse and fell back into that reverie from which Berthier had brought him out; he could not stop the work that was being done in front of him and around him and which was considered to be guided by him and dependent on him, and this work for the first time, due to failure, seemed unnecessary and terrible to him.
One of the generals who approached Napoleon allowed himself to suggest that he bring the old guard into action. Ney and Berthier, standing next to Napoleon, looked at each other and smiled contemptuously at the senseless proposal of this general.
Napoleon lowered his head and was silent for a long time.
“A huit cent lieux de France je ne ferai pas demolir ma garde, [Three thousand two hundred miles from France, I cannot allow my guard to be defeated.],” he said and, turning his horse, rode back to Shevardin.
The group was born in 2006. The girls Slava and Vika are bright and memorable, sexy and feminine at the same time, owners of low, unique voices, they leave no one indifferent.
The producer carefully calculated the timing of the group's appearance on the stage. During the decline in popularity of the ViaGra project (which had recently been at the peak of its fame) due to frequent replacements of soloists, Nikitin managed to successfully fill the void with the new group “NeAngely”. The composition of the group has not changed since then.
Beginning of popularity
It didn’t take long to find the members of the duet. Both girls (at different times) took part in various talent shows and dreamed of a career in show business.
The first song “You're one of those very people” very quickly becomes a super hit, tops the national charts and brings unprecedented success to the team. The NeAngely group releases new compositions one after another. The popular “Yura, Sorry” and “I Know It’s You” are still being released. Immediately, on the wave of fame, the girls present videos for their favorite songs, which also enjoy great success.
The songs of the group “NeAngels” become nominees and winners of various competitions and awards, such as “Golden Organ” and “Song of the Year”.
Six months after the creation of the group, the first debut album, “Number One,” consisting of 11 new and already popular songs, went on mass sale. The discs sell out instantly, and the album receives the honorary “Golden Disc” award.
Well-deserved success
The group's next sensational work was a joint project with one of the controversial Eurovision participants - Dana International. The song and its video I Need Your Love, released towards the end of the summer of 2008, were remembered by fans for a long time and intrigued them even more. The next video for the song “Let Go,” directed by Alan Badoev, becomes mega-popular and occupies the first lines of the domestic charts.
In the second half of 2013, the presentation of the second full-length album “Roman” takes place. The songs of the group “NeAngely” included in it become gold hits and never cease to be heard on the country’s radio stations. It was with this album that in 2015 the girls successfully toured the cities of Ukraine, where they gathered full houses of countless fans.
The clips of the group “NeAngels” gain millions of views on YouTube and do not stop playing on music television channels.
Selection for Eurovision
For the first time, the group “NeAngely” submitted an application to participate in the qualifying round for international competition Eurovision at the end of 2013. The song Courageous, the author of which was the famous Swede - member of Army of Lovers and Vacuum Alexander Bard, took only 13th place.
In 2016, the girls again tried their hand at the national selection to represent Ukraine in the Eurovision 2016 contest. The English-language composition “Above” made it to the final round, but did not receive enough votes to travel to Stockholm.
Personal life
Slava and Vika are popular and recognizable stars today. Although it is worth noting that the names they became popular under are not their real names. Olga Kuznetsova, aka Slava, originally from Odessa, has a diploma in vocal teaching from the Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts.
Ekaterina Smeyukha performs under the pseudonym Vicky, was born in Kharkov, a graduate of the same university, but with a degree in entertainment management. After many years of working together, the girls became so accustomed to their fictitious names that they decided to officially change their passports. And now, not only on stage, but also in everyday life, Slava and Vika “remain themselves.”
Red-haired Slava first married a major businessman living in the USA. The newlyweds' relationship did not stand the test of distance, and the couple quickly broke up. The second marriage, with a successful plastic surgeon, became stronger. IN family life The couple had a son, Leonard, and a daughter, Laura. The presence of small children does not at all prevent the participant of the duet from actively pursuing her creativity.
Dark-haired Vika is still not married. Her last relationship with stuntman Ivan Strizhakov was close to a wedding, but the engagement was called off, presumably due to the groom’s infidelity.
10th anniversary of the duet
The NeAngels group celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2016 since its creation. The duo's last album was "Heart". It contains 15 tracks from new and already favorite hits. The disc was dedicated to the band's birthday.
The history of the emergence of the “non-Angels” group is simple. It’s just that at some point, the eminent producer Yuri Nikitin decided that Ukrainian show business lacked women’s dance music. More precisely, there is plenty of such music, but it clearly lacks quality. The girls, who are now called “non-Angels,” met Nikitin very accidentally. Even after conducting a million castings, it would not be possible to find two... Read all
The history of the emergence of the “non-Angels” group is simple. It’s just that at some point, the eminent producer Yuri Nikitin decided that Ukrainian show business lacked women’s dance music. More precisely, there is plenty of such music, but it clearly lacks quality. The girls, who are now called “non-Angels,” met Nikitin very accidentally. Even after conducting a million castings, it would not be possible to find two completely different girls, but so harmoniously suited to each other in energy, voice timbre, artistry, and plasticity. They appeared very spontaneously and at the right time, Yuri Nikitin is sure. Beautiful and very sweet girls, at first glance they are just angels. This is exactly what the sexy duet, consisting of a dark-skinned Kharkov woman, Vika, and a red-haired Odessa woman, Slava, should have been called at first. But later it became clear that explosive, temperamental, slightly crafty girls are real “non-Angels”. Not Angels - who sing very beautifully, dance well, and look damn attractive.
When the debut song of the “non-Angels” appeared on radio stations, many became interested - who are they?! After all, once you catch the song “You’re one of those people” on some wavelength, it’s almost impossible to switch it. The girls' voices are strikingly different from everything that is played on domestic FM stations. Many who have already heard the songs of girls believe that such voices, deep and low, can belong to adult women, and judging by the piercing lyrics, also with enormous life experience.
As for the life experiences of the girls, the producer is still keeping the intrigue. It will be possible to get acquainted with the interesting and very rich biographies of the “non-Angels” girls over time. But the stereotype of “adult women” will be destroyed, I’m sure after the release of the group’s debut video, which was filmed last week.
Nikitin, as always, treated the filming very responsibly. Despite the fact that the project is new and unknown, “the very best” were invited to work on the video. The director is from St. Petersburg - Alexander Igudin (Alla Pugacheva, "Reflex", "Guests from the Future"), the cinematographer from Kiev is the best - Alexey Stepanov, the stylist from Moscow is Yana Airapetyan, who recently worked with Kristina Orbakaite. The journalists present on the set were very interested in one tricky question: which of the two sexy girls is Nikitin’s mistress? Yura replies: “Nobody,” the journalists pretend to believe. These “non-Angels” are very seductive...
What do you remember about the seven years of the team’s life?
Do you know that:
Before joining the group, Slava participated in the reality show “Temptation Island”.
The day after Slava joined the group, Yuri Nikitin saw Vika in the CHANCE talent show and realized that she too should join the project.
Before meeting Yuri Nikitin, Vika performed solo under the pseudonym Kaira.
Vika began her professional career with an audition for the SMS group, which she successfully passed, after which, however, she convinced her first producer that she needed to develop a solo singing career.
Initially it was planned that the group would be a female trio, but after meeting each other, Vika and Slava realized that the third member had no place in the group, she simply could not withstand their explosive nature.
Slava and Victoria (from the Latin “victory”) - the names with which Yuri Nikitin “awarded” the girls were supposed to bring glory and victory to the group, which is what happened.
The girls have become so accustomed to their new names that they do not perceive them as a stage name, but use them in life.
Yuri Nikitin wanted to call the group “Angels” (he really liked the heroines and the film “Charlie’s Angels”), but after meeting the girls, he realized that they were far from angels. We stopped at this name.
There were rumors that the lead singers of the NEANGELS group were transvestites, that men sang for them, and that they smoked cigars to give their voices a special low timbre.
The girls easily dispel these rumors because they only sing live and perform with musicians.
Among the guests at the group's first concert were Andrey Danilko, Philip Kirkorov, Irina Bilyk and Arkady Ukupnik.
The group's presentation to the general public was organized at a hardware store.
For the first six months of the team’s work, the girls lived together in the same apartment.
Thanks to the success of their debut song “You're one of those…”, the girls were invited to grace the cover of Playboy magazine.
You can’t step into the same river twice, but the NEANGELS were able to do it and 7 years later they appeared on the cover of PLAYBOY again, causing no less excitement.
Of the Ukrainian celebrities, perhaps only Dasha Astafieva managed to appear several times on the cover of this most famous men's publication.
The stylist for the “You’re One of Those” video was Yana Hayrapetyan, who worked with Jean Paul Gaultier on the film “The Fifth Element.”
The group's first album, “Number One,” was written by the then unknown author Toria Tal. Toria vowed to write songs only for the group NEANGELA, although many famous Ukrainian pop singers wanted to collaborate with her. NEANGELS also remained faithful to their first author for a long time.
The album “Number One” received gold status, meaning the number of copies sold exceeded 50 thousand
The national hit “Yura, forgive me...” brought the group two awards: “Song of the Year” and “Golden Organ Organ”.
The shooting of the video “Yura, I’m sorry...” had to be postponed, because according to the script, Vika had to actually drive a car, for which she urgently had to master driving skills and get a license.
NEANGELS recorded a song and shot a video with the world famous drag queen Dana International. To do this, Dana had to learn a little Russian.
The composition “Let Go” fell into hot rotation on more than 100 radio stations in Ukraine in record time.
During the filming of the “Whoa” video, the girls got so used to the role of hooligans that the estimate had to include the bar counter of the Arena club and a slot machine: the NEANGELS ruined all of this with their beats. What they managed to film ended up in the video.
The duo performed the song "Lilac" together with Stas Kostyushkin. It is noteworthy that Stas's wife, Julia, was the initiator of this trio.
Slava and Vika became heroines of noir comics based on Frank Miller's Sin City.
NEANGELS are avid collectors: Vika collects figurines of angels, and Slava has a large collection of perfumes, the number of fragrances exceeds 100 pieces!
They like to talk about the explosive nature of Slava and Vika and quarrels within the team, nevertheless, Slava went on a honeymoon not only with her husband, but also with Vika!
Slava and Vika have been together for 7 years, over the years the composition has never changed, which is unique for female pop groups!
The team has 13 clips, and NEANGELS promise to add more to the collection soon.
In addition to the official videos, the girls founded a new movement, NAKED ACOUSTIC. There is no need to explain, it needs to be seen.
