The young pop-group “Arbat” is a Belarusian group with Nordic character and German past. The poet Dmitry Lurye and composer Pavel Guzband left their native land when they were young only to meet each other in Germany and start a pop-group that won over the Russian-speaking Germany. This is the first group that starts its musical career in a very peculiar way that no other Belarusian singer ever tried. This is a completely new trajectory: from Europe to Belarus, and not vice versa. The guys hit the charts in Europe and gathered full houses, which gave them a good idea: what about trying the same in their native land, Belarus? On the other hand, it could have been banal homesickness… It was not long ago that “Arbat” performed in Belarus for the first time. A bit later the composer and producer Pavel Guzband said he was ready to invest his own money in young Belarusian singers and start his own producer center that will change the popular opinion about the Belarusian showbiz…— Why are you called “Arbat”?
Pavel: Most of our romantic feelings are associated with this [Moscow] street. It is in Arbat that I met the girl I dedicated my first verses to.
— Have you changed much in Germany?
Pavel: I was born and grew up in a small Belarusian village, and whatever my attitude to Germany, my heart belongs here. The German mentality is not for me, we are different as water and fire.
Dima: I felt I was changing for the worst. Besides, our girls are prettier. If you see a pretty girl in Germany, you may easily come up to her and start speaking Russian.
— Guys, it seems you have some illusions about this country.
Pavel: I come to Belarus from time to time and I see how this country is developing. When you live here you may not notice it. You can see it from the distance.
Dima: Yes, when I came to Minsk, I saw an absolutely European city. You cannot feel these changes, because they are gradual: today you get this, tomorrow you get another thing built, and when you come from a foreign country, you are stunned.
Pavel: I believe I can get to the elite. The easiest way is to make some money. In Europe it is quite different now, you have to be part of a clan, a family. This is some closed circle that you will never be able to get into. Our elite is open, you can easily get there. On the other hand, it is very easy to drop out… We never pay attention to attitudes, education, culture and blood… In Europe they worry too much about them.
Valentin Pepeliayev
