Exclusive Interview with MissDjaneMag September Katusha Svoboda

Katusha Svoboda - dj, sound producer, author and performer of her own songs, MissDjaneMag September in a talk with DjaneMag about dreams, goals, travelling and having rest.

DjaneMag: Who came up with your nickname? What does it mean? 

Katusha Svoboda: I came up with the project name in 2012, when I thought of starting a musical career as a housedj, sound producer, releasing musical tracks and performing. "Katusha" is a shortened version of my real name - Ekaterina, and "Svoboda" is the Russian word for "Freedom". Of course, there is nothing political about it, being a creative person, I thought only of the freedom of feelings.

DjaneMag: Tell me please, how do you begin with music and Djing?

Katusha Svoboda: I have always been drawn to the stage and music itself. I have graduated from the music school as a pop singer, was performing on city events. And 4 years ago I opened a DJ school. That's when I started Djing and sound producing.

DjaneMag: Do you travel a lot? What countries or cities do you like most of all and why? Do you like to play in your native country? 

Katusha Svoboda: Since the very beginning of the project, I had lots of performances on different venues, however official ones were mostly in Russia and China. To be honest, I fall in love with every town I get to visit. If there is time, I always go sightseeing. It's not a secret that Russia is multinational country with unique music culture and history, and of course, being a musician, I first of all try to visit places connected to music.I could say just the same about countries I have already visited and those that I am about to visit during my career. However, my favorite city was, is and will be Ufa (Russia) Of course, I love performing in my country, Russia. And if conditions meet the requirements for my performances, it is a great pleasure for me to perform even in the farthest and smallest towns.

DjaneMag: Do you think that «Dj world» is men's world? In your opinion is it harder for girl to become famous Dj?

Katusha Svoboda: First of all, I wouldn't say that I thing that gender is something that divides Djing into different parts. Djing is creativity just like singing, or playing any instrument. The only difference is the usage of a greater amount of technical means for performing than while singing or playing the guitar. I am sure that it is equally possible for both men and women to master these means. As for the second part of the question, I wouldn't want to answer as a "famous" DJ, for I am only heading towards the desired level of fame. And this road is easy or difficult for each in its own sense, depending on the understanding of goals and how fruitful are the steps, taken towards reaching them. 

DjaneMag: What challenges have you faced being a female DJ and how did you overcome them?

Katusha Svoboda: Of course, once during the course of history, formed a stereotype that Djing is purely for men. Despite that this stereotype is fading away, quite often you have to face misunderstanding and some disbelief when you hear people talking about female Djs. This summer I uploaded a video, where I was performing on 4CDJ. All I wanted was to show another life set, which would differ from those, uploaded earlier. Me and my team were hoping to receive an opinion on the performance technique, whether it would be good or bad, maybe some help on pointing out the possible mistakes. However, we were astonished that almost all the comments were about me personally, about the dance or that being a lady I am Djing etc. I am sure that still there are lots of those who do not know the difference between female Djs, Djanes, topless female Djs etc. Without this notion, the understanding is often misleading, which sometimes makes it more difficult to organize and event or perform there. I do not set my dances on purpose, and my outfit is different from the kits, which are trendy right now. And what I really would like to achieve by that is for the Katusha Svoboda project to be regarded as female house Djing.

DjaneMag: Could you describe your feelings when you play music? 

Katusha Svoboda: The feelings and the exchange of energy are the most important things during the performance. What I always want is to absorb the energy of people who come to my performances and give them mine through good music and high-quality sound. But the most important is the feeling of participation. It doesn't matter that I am standing "on the other side of the action", I always feel part of the event, the immediate participant in the crowd, enjoying the show with everybody else.

DjaneMag: Djs travel a lot, but still have time to rest. How do you spend your free time?

Katusha Svoboda: Cannot say that I have a lot of free time. Russia is a huge country and sometimes, there is not much time between different performances. But all the free time that I have I dedicate to my son and helping him to study, because he is already attending the primary school. 

DjaneMag: You look so slim! Do you go in for sports? Give advice for readers how to keep fit. 

Katusha Svoboda: Thank you for the compliment) Yes, besides taking care of healthy nutrition, I go in for sports. Bicycling is my favorite sport. On the days that I am not performing, I do my best to go out on my bicycle each morning and sometimes during the evening and ride for several kilometers. Moreover, I am sure that Djing also helps me to stay fit, because the physical load during the rehearsals and performances is rather big.

DjaneMag: Can you share your dreams and plans for future concerning Djing? What would you like to achieve? 

Katusha Svoboda: My dream is to achieve all the goals set for the Katusha Svoboda project. Of course, they will be changed and reshaped for different stages of my musical career. However, the main goal and dream will always be composing quality and demanded music and intense tour schedule.