Q & A with Celebrated Russian Drummer Zhenya Prokopenko
When leaving his home in the U.S. rock star Zhenya Prokopenko manages to fly relatively under the radar and enjoy a bit of privacy; however that’s far from the case in Russia, as well as in most parts of Europe for that matter. Zhenya’s insane talent on drums catapulted him into the spotlight surprisingly early on in his career as a professional musician.
A founding member of the rock band Libido, which he helped jump start in 2003 (and continues to be the drummer for today), Zhenya quickly began playing to some of the largest crowds in Russia, such as the First Interregional Rock Festival ‘Hero of Our Time’ in 2007 at Luzhniki Stadium, a massive venue where both the 1980 Olympics, and the recent FIFA World Cup games took place. To put things in greater musical perspective, just days before Zhenya and his band took the stage Metallica played at the very same stadium as part of their Sick of the Studio tour. So that’s pretty big. Playing drums on three of the five studio albums that Libido’s released to date, not to mention creating the rhythm section of the songs and being credited as co-author, Zhenya played a massive role in the band’s development and subsequent fame; but for him, Libido is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to success.
Over the past decade and a half he’s been the drummer for many of the most celebrated pop rock and alternative bands in both Russia and the Ukraine, such as Velvet, which earned the FUZZ Award for Best New Group in 2008 and the 2010 Golden Gramophone Award for the song ‘Forgive’, which played on Russian Radio for 27 weeks straight and was nominated for the MUZ-TV Award for Song of the Year. He also spent several years playing with the famous pop folk singer Evgeniya Otradnaya, who earned the Golden Gramophone Award in 2008, the Ukrainian pop star Valeria Kozlova (who was acknowledged by RU.TV as the Best singer of 2010) and her band Lera Lera, and the pop rock band 4POST, which was nominated for Best Pop Rock Band by the Real Music Box Awards in 2013. He even played at the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi with his drum show ‘Drum Cast’ alongside Russian celebrity Mitya Fomin.
Zhenya has achieved a level of recognition that most people only dream about, and we got lucky enough to catch up with him for an interview. Enjoy~!~
Hey Zhenya, thanks for joining me!
Can you start off by telling us where you are from and little about what it was like growing up there?
I’m from the semi-small town of Belgorod in Russia where I was born. It wasn’t simple to grow up there, as at that time the town was partially criminal, partially musical. It’s been very competitive to be a musician there. There’s always been a lot of bands performing in the clubs there, so you had to be really good at what you do. And at the same time you could be attacked after the concert just because you have long hair.
Woah, that sounds pretty intense. Did anything like that ever happen to you?
Yes, sure. A couple of times. Fortunately nothing bad happened to me, but being a metalhead guy was like a red flag for lots of crooks there.
How was music present during your childhood?
My parents really loved music, they were listening to it all of the time and they had a pretty good audio system. Of course they mostly played pop music. I enjoyed the sound and most of all the energy each song brought, I could feel it and I was very excited and inspired by it. As I got older I was introduced to hard rock and heavy metal music. I remember the moment when I listened to the CD “And Justice For All” by Metallica and realized that was my kind of music as it had lots of power, energy and a strong vibes.
What was your first instrument?
Drums were my first and the only true love. Of course as I was training and growing as a musician I learned other instruments, but drums for me are forever and ever.
What is it about the drums that made you fall in love with the instrument?
The first thing you hear when you listen to any modern track is a drum beat. You just can’t miss it. It’s powerful, loud and beautiful to me. When I was young I was always attracted to the magic a drummer creates. It was absolutely incredible to me how they play. I was much more interested in the drummer than the frontman. I sincerely desired to discover the mystery of this specific instrument and to learn how to play it.
What kind of musical training have you had?
I began my musical training at the age of 11 in an elementary music school that specializes in percussion instruments. From 1998 until 2002 I continued my education at Belgorod State College of Culture and Arts, which is named after S.A. Degtyarev, in the jazz/pop section where I majored in drums. While studying I was also playing in different metal and rock bands in my hometown. And of course I’ve continued to learn and train by myself ever since, and there have been a lot of experience exchanges with my colleges, producers and other bands on the music scene over the years.
In your mind, when did you officially become a “professional” drummer? What band were you playing with?
I guess I started to recognize myself as a professional musician when I started getting paid for it. I suppose that is the difference between people who just love to play music and the ones who devoted their lives to it and call it a profession. I was playing with the pop rock band Libido at the time and we were signed by the record label RDM. They asked us to perform and record our debut album in the studio and they released it and paid us for the work. That was very satisfying and exciting for me as a 20 year old.
How do you feel when you’re playing on stage? Was it something you had to get used to, or were you immediately comfortable in front of the crowd?
Well, it’s actually harder to play in front of a few people in a more intimate setting to try and get them going and amp’d by the music than it is for a big crowd. I’ve played in small clubs and in stadiums, so I’ve had both experiences and can compare. I’ve never felt any discomfort or fear, just the excitement, which was over right after I started playing. You just have to know what you’re doing.
Who are some of your music influences, and how have they influenced you?
When I was young I preferred hard rock and heavy metal music, so I loved Metallica, Megadeth, Pantera, Entombed, Dimmu Borgir, and Sepultura. Later of course I’ve discovered more classic rock bands like Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and Pink Floyd. Now I’m completely open to any good music, my favorite bands that I’m listening to are Nine Inch Nails, Prodigy, Kasabian, Kid Rock, and recently I’m enjoying Slaves and Royal Blood… Those influences gave me a clear understanding of the sound I needed to reach, the way to present it to the audience and the whole technique I use.
How would you describe your personal music style?
I’m totally into rock music, so I have a powerful, loud, punchy, solid, groove-based playing style with a driving rhythm. But I really had to work hard in order to reach that quality and type of sound. And I’m always searching for any possible improvements to make the drum beat even more irresistible.
In terms of skill and personality, what do you think the most important qualities are for a drummer to have in order to be successful in the industry?
There are a few really important skills that any successful drummer must have, those are good sound, a great sense of time, excellent technique and the ability to feel the the entire song, not just the drum beat. I named these qualities in that specific order, but most young and less experienced drummers put technique first, and miss the sound, ignore the tempo or just smack the drums as hard as they can.
Regarding personal qualities I would say you have to be a “chair glue” type of guy as you need to practice a lot. Cause a good drummer should be capable of providing the foundation for other musicians to follow. So the drummer should be the anchor of the band, the reliable reference for others, the most experienced member of the band. The rest of the musicians have to depend on you for every aspect of the song, such as the tempo, volume, expression, structure, and energy. So a good drummer is a team drummer who knows that. You need to be professional, willing to work hard, put the music first and leave your ego aside, and practice constantly.
Can you tell us about a few of the most memorable moments of your career so far?
Well one moment I definitely remember was when I played with the industrial rock band Lex Nulla. The band was personally noticed and chosen among lots of other alternative rock bands by Marilyn Manson for his official support on the Russian portion of the 2012 Hey, Cruel World Tour.
I saw Marilyn Manson in a very casual working atmosphere when he was friendly and politely communicating with us and his crew, and then after, I got to see him get ready for the show and ‘come into the state’ in which he performs, converting into his character for the show. He was wheeled in on a mortuary table! Then I realised how much you have to sacrifice as a true artist. You can’t just put on a mask and go on stage, you need to be in the vibe and the state you want the audience to feel. After all, the success of a performance totally depends on the energy you share with the crowd.
Another moment was at the Olympic Games in Sochi in 2014 where I was performing with my drum show Drum Cast and Russian celebrity Mitya Fomin. It was freezing and the hats on the drums were bursting, I could hardly feel my fingers and was wondering how am I going to make it through this? But when you’re at such a huge event broadcasting all over the world you don’t have a choice. They put some grease-paint on our faces, we wore our stage costumes and we performed at our best, that’s the moment when you realize all these bothersome things are nothing compared to what you do.
What are the challenges of being a professional musician?
I believe the most challenging part is to put your selfishness and ego aside as you work with a lot of people. You are not a person, you are part of something bigger, part of the team. Another thing is you really have to be confident and have zero doubts in what you do, cause it effects the music and the performance a lot. No matter how you spent your day and what happened to you, you have to leave it behind, you can’t bring your personal problems on the stage, you need to come clean with your true core in front of the audience.
What advice would you give to young drummers who want to make it as a professional musician?
Constantly work on improving your sound, practice daily at least for a bit, always stay open-minded to anything new, be patient and focused on your goal, always move on and never look back, then lots of doors will open for you even if you move to another country like I did.
