Arthur Koldomasov had a rough start in the music world when he was barely 16 years old. After a notorious performance on Ukraine’s X-Factor he’s been struggling with bullying. Thankfully young and talented Arthur has not given up music and is currently finishing his debut album “The Road of Life”. It’s set to be his tribute to personal growth, coping with negativity and a collection of stories and topics that concern him as a person, an artist and a human being. We’re happy to let you in his cosy little world with this interview.

Hello! Tell the world about yourself. How did you grow up to become the musician you are today?

Hi out there! My name is Arthur Koldomasov and I try to talk with the world by music. I grew up in a totally musical atmosphere. When I was 4 my mom took me to a musical school in my town and that’s how it started. When I finished the School of Arts, I recorded some covers, because I am a Eurovision Song Contest fan and I’ve always dreamt about performing on such a huge stage. As a result, my covers were highly appreciated on several contests and this was the green light for my musical career. Now I have a lot of obstacles on my way, but I hope that my music makes people’s lives better.

Introduce your current musical projects and tell us what makes each one special for you!

I’ve written some songs for other people, but now I’m fully concentrated on my debut album “The Road of Life”. This album is so special for me, because it tells a very important story. It gives me a chance to tell my own truth. My life is split in two – “Before” and “After” my performance on the Ukrainian “X-Factor”, which wasn’t so successful but I have accepted and understood it, I always understand. It was nearly 2 years ago but people in the town, where I’m studying at the moment couldn’t understand it the way I did and I became an object of a massive bullying everywhere – in shops, supermarkets, even in my university. The only thing I could do was write songs. As a result, this album consists of songs which are written in this same period. They show this split. The album will tell you the story from the happy start to the happy end – just like in real life. This story is my real and this is what I want to tell now. In the world of music people are still bullying others – people don’t want to listen to my songs or watch my videos. They just give bad feedback without any logical explanation. This album is my method to say “sorry” and tell about my feelings, because real life is not sugar-coated. I think, you have to search some the Easter eggs around.

How do you find the drive and inspiration to keep making music?

Sometimes I want to give up, but when I see people writing me that my music inspires them, it makes me confident and satisfied. Besides that, I can’t really live without music and as a student of international relations, I understand how high the bets are. Music and art in common can tell about people’s problems and their solutions. There’s no time for empty topics, it’s time to change the world by new ways, because the old ones are no longer effective. I feel that my music can change not only the music industry, it can even change how the world goes round.

How is your local music scene in your perspective? Do you feel like you belong there?

My local scene has some gems in it, but it’s so cruel, because with a lot of money and the right connections you can make popular even the worst things. I want to show that without “sugar-daddies”, major labels and big finances you can still reach international stages. In my country my art is not so highly appreciated, but I see the stats – listeners from more than 20 countries buy and listen to my songs and people from more than 70 countries are watching my videos on YouTube. It’s cool to connect with all these people, even if it’s not millions or billions of them. Ukrainian music keeps getting better, but some Russian pop influences and teen pop-rock favors are still in people’s mind.

What is your all-time favorite record and how did it change you as an artist?

In my childhood I always loved some synth sounds. In 2015 I stumbled upon a song of the Australian synth-pop band “Owl Eyes”. It’s called “Closure” and it impressed me a lot. It has a progressive and atmospheric production, a charming melody and deep lyrics. It sounds perfect. I love songs which tell something to the listener. Right now my favorite song is “Chained to the Rhythm” by Katy Perry feat. Skip Marley. It has this lovely retro-modern vibe. It has a simple but effective production and the lyrics are so dark but reveal such a nice concept. This catchy tune channels a very important message. I am not a fan of one album or one performer, but I love Katy Perry’s “Witness”. It’s a fresh pop album with a tight concept and has influenced me a lot.

What are your favorite software and hardware tools for music production?

I usually work with incredible Ukrainian producer Viktor Berbeka and he can magic happen with Fruity Loops, Adobe Audition a variety of plug-ins. Recently I have decided to do almost everything by myself and I use similar stuff. Soundtrap is not a bad tool too. But the main thing is the good idea and then come the instruments.

What is your songwriting process like?

A song can stuck in your head everywhere and at any time. You can’t predict when you will write it. Sometimes you start from the verse, sometimes from the chorus. It maybe depends on the stars in the sky. I want to develop my skills and subjects I want to highlight. So, I try to do that and I think, you will see some results soon. Oh, you can see them now. The romantic “Centre of the Universe” turns to a sad and depressed “Paper Birds” and the really raw and difficult “Silent House”.

My friends, by the way, have written songs for me too. My Russian friend and visual artist White Blood wrote one of the tracks in my upcoming album. When the song is done, I send it to a friend for grammar check, because it’s important for me to give everything in the right way. Vlad, thanks for that! Sometimes, my friends would also give me ideas for songs. That’s how it happened with “Silent House”. My friend Galina Sezamskaya from Belarus, who lives in the Netherlands, was researching the topic of Dark-net, which is called a “silent house”, but she gave me this metaphor to use a bit different way. That’s how it works for me.

Out of all the live shows you played, which one was the most memorable, and why?
Of course, the “X-Factor” performance, because it gave me a lot of experience and a lot of struggle. I perform really rarely, because I’m concentrated on the work in the studio and studying. As I said, my music is not very appreciated in Ukraine, because some patriotic stuff is usually the preferred choice for concerts.

What is your biggest musical goal?

My biggest goal is to see music changed by me and to see that my music is heard and my signal is not lost, because that’s the only way to tell the world about the stuff that really disturbs me. A lot of people know me as a very positive person, some people think that I’m a clown, but in my music I show my true side.

How has being on Drooble helped you as a musician?

It gave me more confidence. It’s great to see such a good feedback from people who breathe music and it’s cool to use all these opportunities to be heard. I am very grateful to the whole Drooble community. You really listened to me and the charts and comments prove that. I appreciate it and stay tuned for you and my other fans everywhere.

Thanks for this interesting interview!