MOSCOW, August 1, Yulia Zachetova.Alena Sviridova became a star, performing the hit «Pink Flamingo». The singer is still actively performing concerts, traveling around the country a lot on tour. Together with Pelageya, Dmitry Malikov and other artists, she will take part in a festival dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the legendary club «Chinese pilot Zhao Da». In an interview, Alena told what has changed in show business since the 90s, why she regrets sending her son to study abroad, and also about how she keeps fit and when she plans to leave the stage. 
— Has show business changed a lot over these 25 years?
— Everything has changed — both how this business is built and how artists are promoted. There are a lot of talents now, most of them sing very well — much better than they used to. I am glad that the square-nest rhythmic structure of thinking accepted in the Soviet Union has changed among the younger generation, thank God. The older generation grew up in the rhythm of the march, the youth emphasizes the weak beat in music, swings and uses different styles. Rhythmically, it's just a hundred times richer.
— What was needed for success then and now?
— Nothing has changed here — you need a hit and charisma.
— Alena, what does participation in the festival dedicated to the anniversary of the club «Chinese pilot Zhao Da» mean to you? What memories are associated with this place?
— This is the beginning of my career and its continuation. There was a very bohemian, informal, very free atmosphere there. And Vladimir Zhao, the founder of the club, watched our life all this time, gathering us every year for the Chinese New Year.
— With whom of your colleagues who were famous throughout the country in the 90s are you friends now?
— I communicate a lot with Denis Klyaver — my brother works for him, and we have long been related. Or Mitya Fomin — we live close by, so we meet periodically.
— Do you often tour Russia? How are the country and audiences changing?
— Often. And I am very glad that our cities have changed so much for the better. And the quality of the audience does not change, the artist changes. And if before some unforeseen circumstances could throw me off track, now, it seems to me, even if a meteorite falls nearby, I will not bat an eyelid.
— Alena, you once admitted: you really regret sending your eldest son to Canada, where his father lives. Why?
— Yes, I regret it, because due to the damn time difference, we have a limited number of hours to communicate. And it's far away, you can't go there. It turned out that I deprived myself of my son with my own hands, I don't advise anyone to do this. When a child leaves for a long time, for the entire school year, he is torn away from his roots. So if you want to see your children rarely, send them to study abroad.
— You are in excellent physical shape — slim, beautiful, young. Do you have any secrets? Can you share them?
— I don’t feel any age-related changes at all — I’m still as light and strong as I was, and, touch wood. Movement brings me pleasure. For example, if I have to choose between sitting, riding, or walking, I’ll choose to walk. If I need to buy groceries, I ride my bike instead of driving. For example, this morning I put on my flippers and swam for about an hour along my native Kerch Strait, where I’m going for the summer.
— Being an artist is an energy-consuming story; you always need to be in a cheerful mood, radiate energy, and give the audience a thrill. How do you cope?
— I really like my profession because it combines traveling, performing, and communicating with people. I swear, every morning I say, “Lord, thank you so much!” And when you realize that the audience is singing your songs, it’s so cool! So you're on the same wavelength and that's really cool.
I love performing. And I've become very skilled at playing the guitar — for the last five years we've been performing an acoustic program, where I play the entire concert myself. And I like the way we sound, I like going on stage and enjoying what we do, and how the audience receives it. It's a real celebration for the artist and, accordingly, a celebration for the audience.
There's such a colossal exchange of energy that after the concert I'm still very charged. For example, I can't eat or sleep — I need to go for a walk, maybe even run.
— Can you imagine the time when you stop performing? What will you do then?
— Usually the voice deepens with age, but I still sing in the same keys — and this makes me very happy. As long as I have an angelic voice, I will perform. Maybe I'll be a funny old lady on stage with a guitar. That'll be cool. And when I start creaking like an old cart, then I'll end my career.
The jubilee musical «Pilot Festival», dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the «Chinese Pilot Zhao Da» club, will be held on August 2 and 3 in the cultural and ecological space «Zhao Da! Cha» near Pereslavl-Zalessky.