Performances in German supermarkets helped Ukrainian singer Ruslana to gain the stage experience she needed to feel self-secure enough to survive an appereance on an international stage. Ruslana told this in an interview in German news magazine Stern this week.
Ruslana gave account about her past gigs in bigger German supermarkets, for example in Jena, a good while before she stormed Europe with her energetic performance at the Eurovision Song Contest: “There was a sort of stage in front of the cash desks. Costumers passing by with their shopping bags were stopping and celebrating to Ukrainian music.” Ruslana took strenght from this experience: “They were excited. This was the first moment where I believed that I could breakthrough in Europe.” And she did: after her victory at this year's Eurovision Song Contest, her single Wild Dances also made it into the German Top 40 singles charts last week.
Ruslana names her provenance for the fierceness of her performances. She descends from the Huzules, “a wild carphatian mountain folk”. She lived in the rough mountains herself for a while. “I live to the extremes, maybe that is why I am so crazy.” She described her dances as a sort of “fights to survive” and added “whoever does not take care, goes nuts”.
Asked if she would like to sing a duet with German tv show host and singer Stefan Raab, she replied that she would prefer to have a few vodkas with him. “That shall give him a hard time”.
