Daria Grossman: how a Russian woman with a unique voice conquers music lovers in the USA
Daria Grossman, participant of the Russian version of The Voice project 2018, is now captivating American lovers of quality music. The young vocalist and songwriter from Petrozavodsk, a small city in northern Russia, knew from childhood that she wanted to live in the United States. Her family always played American pop and soul songs, which awakened a love for music in the girl from an early age. This love was reinforced by a natural gift - Daria has an incredible voice and an innate musical flair. Other musicians, including Sergey Shnurov, recognized this gift in Daria, calling it "special".
Darya's natural, infectious and magnetic mezzo-soprano, solid yet polished sound and confidence evoke rave comparisons to cult superstar Amy Winehouse, although the Russian has a more natural performance that appeals to modern audiences. Her path to fame began with a victory in a competition on radio Energy and a television award "High five and sing" on the STS channel.
As a child, Daria spent hours listening to the songs of her musical idols - Michael Jackson, Freddie Mercury and, of course, Amy Winehouse. Daria's parents loved music very much, and the girl was fascinated by listening to Whitney Houston and Stevie Wonder from an early age.
But the life of the little music fan was turned upside down by the legendary Michael Jackson. When Daria first heard him sing, it deeply affected her consciousness, although at that time she did not speak English and did not understand the words of the songs. At the age of eight, Daria announced that she was leaving for America after she saw a Michael Jackson video on TV. The performance of the king of pop gave Daria goosebumps: “The emotions from Jackson’s voice went far beyond the limits of childhood sensitivity - the energy transmitted through the screen knocked me off my feet. I understood every word, not knowing English, I felt the movement of every note, not knowing the staff, I felt exactly how and by what principle the melody was built.”
Daria experienced a rare occurrence - mental transmission of the musical process . According to her, this feeling is difficult to describe, but this led Daria to the conclusion: “If this person from the USA writes such music, then I definitely need to get there.” There is no doubt that young children are more sensitive to emotions and pure sensations. Most of them “outgrow” this intuition, the lucky ones never do. Encouraged by her parents, Daria followed the impulse that encouraged her to find her own sound.
This led her to the “Voice” project. During the “Blind Audition”, Daria only had a few seconds for two of the four judges to turn to her. She sang "Stronger than me", A track from Amy Winehouse's 2003 album.
Daria's musicality, her connection with the public and fellow musicians were so obvious that Sergei Shnurov, the world famous soloist of Leningrad and film composer, pressed the famous red button. She chose him as her mentor, and it was with his group “Leningrad” that she performed in front of 30 people at the Olympic Stadium. This is a significant event remained in her memory forever.
“Leningrad” is perhaps the largest group in terms of the number of participants in Russia, about 30 people on stage at the same time. It's a pleasure to work with them. And the energy you get from so many spectators is indescribable. This is a huge adrenaline rush,” admitted Daria.
It was “Leningrad” that gave her an understanding of her calling. “After this concert, I finally realized that I wanted to perform in front of a huge audience. After “The Voice,” I participated in the show “Come on, All Together” on the Rossiya 1 TV channel, this is the Russian version of the British vocal show “All Together Now.”
91 out of 100 jury members appreciated Daria's performance. Daria was especially encouraged by the comments of Sergey Lazarev: "These are the voices that are remembered, these are the real diamonds of our show."
Daria loves the audience and live communication. Studio sessions delight her too, but she says they require a lot of effort or modification to make the sound exceptional. She has also written and produced her own music, which can now be found on major digital platforms.
Daria arrived in Hollywood in June 2021 and is now working to reach a discerning American audience.
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