"For me, he is not dead": a friend of Yuri Shatunov spoke about the last years of the soloist of "Tender May"

Yuri Shatunov was born on September 6, 1973. His first performance took place in 1986 in the assembly hall of the Orenburg boarding school No. 2, where he was brought up. Shatunov's talent was opened by the head of the amateur art circle Sergey Kuznetsov. He wrote the first songs for Yuri, which later became popular hits throughout the country. There, in the boarding school, they created a group and called it "Tender May".

Andrey Kartavtsev is a singer, composer and songwriter. In 2009, he began to collaborate with Yuri Shatunov and wrote several songs for him. With the composition "A Summer of Color" they became laureates of the festival "Song of the Year - 2013". Andrei Kartavtsev told RT how cooperation turned into friendship, how he survived the news of the singer's death and what he promised him on the day of farewell.

— How did your creative tandem come about?

- We met in 2008. I saw an article that Yuri Shatunov announced a competition and is looking for authors. I sent the song and did not even hope for success. His director called me and said that Yura would like to work with me. In 2009, we met in person at his concert in Omsk. And literally after 5-10 minutes of communication, we both had the feeling that we grew up in the same yard, went to the same school, ate from the same pot.

• Yuriy Shatunov and Andrey Kartavtsev
• © From the personal archive

— What was your musical career like before you met Yuri Shatunov?

- I wrote my first romance at the age of seven, performed with it at school. Everyone liked it, they said that I was a child prodigy. Then I studied at a technical university. I joined a musical group there. I wanted to be a keyboardist, but I sang a couple of songs, and I was hired as a soloist. Then he began to sing in different groups. At the same time, when "Tender May" appeared, I created the group "Tender Age". They toured the south, and we traveled around Siberia. We heard about each other, but pretended not to know. In 1987 or 1988, when "Tender May" came to us in Omsk, I said that someday we would work and I would write for Shatunov. And so in the end it happened.

When I shared this episode with Yura many years later, he said that all accidents are not accidental, so it should have been so. He generally believed in fate. He once said: "The Heavenly Father has already reeled out his tangle of life for everyone. And it unwinds there until the measured time comes.

• Andrey Kartavtsev during the performance of the group "Tender Age", late 1980s
• © From the personal archive

- And what happened to "Tender Age"?

"Everything was fine. The group was gaining momentum, sponsors appeared. We were invited to perform in Sergey Minaev's program "50 × 50". But I didn't get there because I joined the army. In two years, everything has changed. When I returned, I started all over again. He gathered a group, called it "ABC of Love". But there was no breakthrough, and I spat, tired. I started working in another field. And he wrote songs on the table until he met Shatunov.

Yura was my teacher, I sometimes even called him Sensei. Every day he explained what to look for, how to act, how to write lyrics, music, make arrangements, mix. I always said: don't think about money when you write songs, otherwise they will run away from you. Money comes only when you do everything for real.

Once I wrote the song "Do not tear my soul", Yura invited me to sing it myself. I released the track for fun, and three or four days later it had 2 million views on YouTube. Later, Yura said that he wanted to perform "Don't tear my soul" on his 50th birthday. But life decided differently.

• Yuriy Shatunov and Andrey Kartavtsev
• © From the personal archive

"My Boyfriend"

— Did you live in different cities? How was your interaction built?

- Yuri lived in Moscow or in Germany with his family. I'm in Omsk. Sometimes I came to see him, and if he was in Omsk, he always stayed with me. The rest of the time, almost every morning began with the fact that we measured the time difference, turned on the video call and communicated until the evening. I wrote the lyrics, the music, made the arrangement, hummed, threw it to him. He listened. If I liked everything, I started working on this song. That's how we got two albums.

We felt each other at a distance. I'm writing something, and he calls me and asks: "What do you have there?" I am surprised: "How did you guess?" He says: "I don't know, something pushed."

Once I wrote the lyrics to his music, and Yura said that this is the level of Kuznetsov. For him, Kuznetsov was number one of the authors, and for me it was the highest praise.

• Sergey Kuznetsov - songwriter, founder and first leader of the group "Tender May"
• globallookpress.com
• © Komsomolskaya Pravda

- What was Sergey Kuznetsov like? How did Yuri remember the time of the break with him?

- I have never encountered Sergey Kuznetsov. It seems to me that Yura even protected me from this. Of course, we talked a lot about everything, and about their relationship with Kuznetsov, but I gave my word that it would remain between us.

- On Shatunov's website there is not even a mention of Andrei Razin, although for many both of these names are associated with the group "Tender May". What was Yuri's attitude towards him?

- I saw that when it came to Razin, Yura could flare up so much that you bring a match - and everything will explode.

- In the songs of "Tender May" I was surprised by some kind of purity, despite the fact that the years were very difficult then. And there was a feeling that Shatunov had become some kind of anchor for teenagers. Do you think this was really the case?

- I think so. Who was on stage then? Talents, blocks. But there were no groups that would reach out to young hearts. And "Tender May" sang about what teenagers felt: about girls, about first love, about unhappy love. This, probably, hooked. Plus, the appearance, the voice is not academic, but such a one's own, yard, boyish. Yura performed in jeans and a T-shirt, rarely wore shirts, only recently he wanted to. And this position, a guy like the rest of us, bribed.

• Group "Tender May"
• Legion-Media
• © Alexander Shogin / TASS

Well, the songs themselves were written very simply, affordably. And they wrote in one fell swoop, within three to five minutes, because then there was a rise, the eyes burned, and the hands themselves reached for the paper. The first two albums, I believe, are the best collection of "Tender May".

"I did everything sincerely"

- In 2013, for the song "A Summer of Color" you received a diploma of the laureate of the festival "Song of the Year - 2013". How was she born?

- Her idea belonged to my youngest daughter Sasha. Yura said that this song is like a second wind. Thanks to her, he seemed to return to the stage for the second time. I am very glad that it turned out. Although we didn't bet on it at all, we considered it a passing one, we even wanted to put it in the middle of the album. But when Yura sang it, the audience was shocked. She was received with a bang. And it sounded everywhere the very next day.

He said that he had already grown out of "Tender May", wanted to change something and expected this from me. So maybe he liked my songs. There was something in them, as he himself called it, "a new connecting rod." He was very worried about whether he would be accepted. They accepted, and "Tête-à-tête" went, and "A summer of color", and "My Life", and it is generally recorded in the chanson. Different authors sent him 200-300 songs a day, but everyone tried to write to "Tender May". And this should not have been done. This, by the way, was my first mistake when I started writing for Shatunov. Kuznetsov cannot be repeated.

- What was Shatunov's character?

"He did everything sincerely, like a boy. He rejoiced in other people's successes, it seems, even more than his own. And at the same time, it's like an old valuable book with locks: it will reveal something in itself, then close it. Many were offended by the fact that he was closed. And I think I've learned to understand him. He appreciated it and trusted me.

To the gallery page

- You had completely different childhood destinies. You grew up in a complete family. Yura lost his mother early. He didn't know his father at all. Have you discussed this topic?

"Yura has never seen my father. But when I said something about him, I listened very carefully. I have never seen such an attitude on anyone's part, even among relatives. He always said, "You listen to your father, you're lucky."

When my father passed away, people expressed condolences and sympathized. But for Yura it was a genuine shock. Then we remembered my dad, sat and read poetry. I was amazed and grateful for his support.

"Did he say anything about his mother?"

"Never. But when I wrote the song "Mom", Yura said that this is the best song about his mother that he has heard in his life. True, he added that he would not be able to sing it: "Very emotional, strong in lyrics." Then I myself understood at concerts what he meant: it was not possible to sing it beyond the first verse. Everyone is smashing, everyone is crying.

"Made me believe in myself"

How did you find out about your friend's death?

- On that day, we communicated as usual. The last conversation was six hours before his death. I showed him a new song that I had just written, "Sails". He listened to it, said: "Cool song. I'll stay here for a while, then I'll fly to the German region, I'll dial you and we'll write it." We talked on various topics, sent greetings to the families, said goodbye. Nothing foreshadowed trouble.

• Yuriy Shatunov and Andrey Kartavtsev
• © From the personal archive

And the next day they call me and say that he died. I couldn't believe it: we just talked, what are you saying? I called his director back. He affirmed. I was driving and stopped in the middle of the track. I got out of the car, sat on the hood and sat in shock. A traffic police car drove up to me, the police came out, found out what had happened and why I was here. They were very correct. They only asked to remove the car.

When I was at the funeral, they let me in early. We managed to be alone. And I made a promise to Yura: to try to finish the songs that he sang. He managed to come up with music, and I will have to write lyrics, make an arrangement, adjust it to Shatunov's key. But do not copy it in any case.

- How do you interact with fans, of which Yuri Shatunov still has a lot?

- The first fan group I encountered was from Omsk. When Yuri died, they held a memorial evening. About a thousand people gathered. It was hard for me, but I talked to them. I understand that my songs are a connecting thread for them with Yura, and I am grateful to them for their trust. Such an army of fans cannot be let down. For me, this is a huge responsibility.

• Monument to Yuri Shatunov at his grave at the Troekurovsky cemetery, September 6, 2023

- How is your creative life after Shatunov's death?

"He made me believe in myself. I quit my job, where I had been for almost 30 years, and set off on a musical voyage. After Yura's death, I realized that if I didn't do it now, I would never do it again. And I also realized that you need to appreciate every moment. Life is so fleeting that you can't put it off until later - it may simply not come.

I miss Yura very much. For me, he is not dead, but still nearby, only I don't see him via video link. Sometimes I consult with him silently when I write.

- What do you have in your work now?

- Now I am writing a new album, "80s", dedicated to that time, to him, to myself and to all the people of our generation who grew up on that beautiful, harmonious music. I think I'll have time to finish before the New Year. The album will be in the style of Eurodance: Modern Talking, Bad Boys Blue and, of course, "Tender May".

• Fans of the singer from the initiative group, collecting signatures for the assignment of the square in Moscow named after Yuri Shatunov. Troekurovskoye cemetery, September 6, 2023
• RT

- Have you heard about the initiative to name the square in Moscow after Yuri Shatunov?

"This group of people is just great. I respect them very much and with both hands for it.

In memory of Yura, I made a concert "Sails", the premiere was in Omsk. The hall could not accommodate everyone. People came from different parts of Russia, crying. You have no idea what was going on there.

Then we showed this program in St. Petersburg, where it was also well received. On September 24, they decided to show it in Moscow. We tweaked it a little, added songs to make it more interesting. We don't advertise the concert, because we don't earn anything: what we invest is what we get, we break even. But we try to convey these songs to people. If everything goes well in Moscow, then thanks to this we will be able to show in two more cities: in Novosibirsk and Chelyabinsk.