Mariya Naumova Pop star Date of Birth: 23.06.1973 Country: Latvia

1. Biography of Maria Naumova
2. The Absence from the "New Wave" Festival
3. Response to Alla Pugacheva's Comments
4. Opinions on the Russian Music Industry

Biography of Maria Naumova

Maria Naumova, a pop star and the winner of the latest "Eurovision" contest, is getting ready for her solo concerts on August 22 and 23 at the "Dzintari" concert hall in Jurmala. These concerts serve as a creative report on her successful year. However, during these days, everyone is also interested in why she was absent from the "New Wave" festival. Maria Naumova shared her thoughts on this matter with Matvey Glebov, a correspondent for "Izvestiya".

The Absence from the "New Wave" Festival

According to Maria Naumova, there is no scandal regarding her absence from the "New Wave" festival. She believes it is simply a business where parties can either reach an agreement or not. In this case, it can be said that they did not find a common ground.

There were reports in the press that the organizers of the contest wanted her to host it, but her managers demanded unreasonable fees. Maria Naumova believes that such claims should be left on the conscience of the organizers. She mentioned that the organizers would have liked her to host the contest in Russian and Latvian, occasionally using English and French, which she is also comfortable with, and even sing something. For free. Singing is her profession, and it is her personal matter to decide under what conditions she can perform without payment. However, hosting a contest is a completely different job that requires preparation. She finds it difficult to understand why she should engage in charitable activities for the benefit of the Russian ORT television channel.

On August 21, before her solo concerts, Maria Naumova will perform for diabetic patients in a charity event, which she understands. However, rearranging her busy schedule to prepare for hosting the contest, and feeling happy just because she was allowed to participate in the "New Wave" festival, she finds it unacceptable. No specific sums were mentioned; they simply started discussing a civilized form of relations in the form of a contract, which seemed to cause genuine astonishment among the organizers of the "New Wave".

Response to Alla Pugacheva's Comments

Maria Naumova responds to Alla Pugacheva's comments about not seeing her anywhere after "Eurovision". She believes that no one advised Alla Pugacheva to visit her website, where she could see what she has been doing after "Eurovision". If her performances are not shown on Russian television channels, then the question should be directed to them. During this time, Maria Naumova performed in Germany, Greece, Israel, Cyprus, Lithuania, and received bonuses for her world tour. She now has a new lineup of musicians, which debuted on July 29 at the Lithuanian Television studio, where she performed a two-hour concert instead of the scheduled 45 minutes, which she is very proud of. She walked through the night streets of Vilnius, feeling happy. She has prepared a new program with five old songs in different arrangements, and the rest are new songs. The program includes some almost erotic music, which she believes is good music. Towards the end of the year, a large album will be released in two versions: English and Latvian-Russian. Interestingly, wherever she performs abroad, she is often asked to sing in Russian and Latvian. So, if someone thinks she is wasting her time, it is due to their lack of knowledge.

Opinions on the Russian Music Industry

Maria Naumova admits that she does not aspire to the Russian music industry. She is not satisfied with the format in which it earns money. Additionally, she categorically rejects backing tracks, which the industry heavily relies on. For her, it is evident that the value lies not in the amount of money, but in engaging in something interesting for herself. She also dismisses the foolishness sometimes written in the press, such as the claim that she demanded $8000 for a performance in front of Estonian miners or an outrageous sum in Lithuania. She believes she is immunized against such accusations, as they emerged long before Maria Naumova became known outside of Latvia. However, she finds it important to mention that the numbers mentioned in these stories are pleasing, as the most important thing is that they grow with each new report. She describes herself more as a street urchin rather than a "pop diva" or a lady-vamp. When she says that there is nothing more valuable to her than freedom, it is not just empty words. Therefore, she declined several tempting offers to support certain political forces in the upcoming parliamentary elections in autumn.