When Kyiv-based businessman Mohammad Zahoor announced five years ago that he was launching Ukraine’s first music awards, he found plenty of skeptics.
Critics believed that the Yearly Ukrainian National Awards, or YUNA, would be a one-time pet project of a wealthy man looking to enhance the publicity platform of his wife, Ukrainian singer-actress Kamaliya.
But the idea has proven to be a successful one.
YUNA will take place for the fifth time on Feb. 25 and Kamaliya’s role in it has been minimal: She performs a song every year, but is banned from participating in nominations by a mutual agreement aimed to preserve the fairness of the contest.
“We never positioned Kamaliya as the queen of the ball at YUNA,” Zahoor, the Kyiv Post publisher, said in a recent interview.
But the critics were right about one thing: Kamaliya, indeed, was the reason why YUNA appeared.
The Pakistani native, British citizen and former Moscow resident was not particularly interested in Ukrainian music until he met Kamaliya, a 38-year-old native of Russia who entered show business as a teenager. Since their marriage in 2003, he has generously promoted her career.
His natural interest in his wife’s pursuits soon got him involved in an area unfamiliar to the steel and real estate magnate: the sparkly world of Ukrainian show business.
“I used to be very private,” says Zahoor, who made his fortune in the Donetsk steel business. “Before, people with money preferred to not show their wealth.”
Marrying a pop star changed all his equations. The couple made their marriage part of the Kamaliya brand. Today, Zahoor stands next to Kamaliya at every red carpet event and patiently answers questions from showbiz reporters. He wears bright blazers to fit his wife’s sparkly attire and smiles at the cameras.
“I was uncomfortable doing this at first,” he recalls. “In the business world, we meet at private dinners or conferences. The red carpet events weren’t my normal environment.”
Over time, he got used to it. He even starred in two reality shows alongside Kamaliya: “The Rich Cry Too” on Ukrainian television and “Meet the Russians” in the U.K. where the couple showcased their wealth and private lives.
Zahoor explained his change in lifestyle an act of love: He has achieved all that he wants in life and now wants to make his wife’s dreams to “come true as well.”
“If I can do something to help it happen, besides all the work she’s been doing, I will do it,” he said simply.
While Kamaliya introduced him to the show business world, another person got Zahoor interested in throwing a music awards ceremony.
Producer Pavlo Shylkov, better known as DJ Pasha, came up with the idea of a grand, world-class music prize for Ukraine when he was on a plane early in 2011. He needed a sponsor, but more importantly, he needed a big name behind the prize, somebody whose presence will guarantee the fair procedure. For that, he went to Zahoor and got the green light for the ceremony.
Deloitte, a leading auditing firm that services the Grammy Awards, was hired to oversee the voting process.
The first YUNA in March 2012 focused on the achievements of Ukrainian music for 20 years.
The subsequent ceremonies awarded the achievements of the past year.
To be nominated, a singer or a band has to release at least two songs during the year. The condition aims to stimulate the music market where performers often rely on frequent concerts to make money, rather than producing new hit songs.
The requirements also limit the circle of nominees, making the event somewhat monotonous as some of the same names appear on the list year after year.
Still, the organizers do what they can to prompt diversity.
This year, a Best Performer category replaced the usual Best Female Performer and Best Male Performer awards. According to Zahoor, it was made to give some competition to pop star Ivan Dorn, who kept winning the male category every year.
“There must be intrigue,” Zahoor said.
And there is – for him, as well.
Neither Zahoor nor ceremony producer Shylko, know the nominees or winners before they are announced: Deloitte keeps it all a secret.
As if to prove non-interference, Zahoor says he was disappointed that the jury, composed of various radio and music business personalities, didn’t nominate Ani Lorak this year. One of the most popular Ukrainian singers, she has become a pariah for refusing to stop performing in Russia after the Kremlin started its war against Ukraine. Zahoor is unhappy that political issues get in the way of Lorak’s recognition as a singer. But there is nothing he can do about the ruling of the jury.
When asked how he is involved in the YUNA preparation process, he smiles: “Mostly, I write the check.”
That’s a bit of an understatement. He recalled six working meetings with organizers within two months. Though the check part understandably stands out: The budget of the ceremony is more than $100,000.
Part of the cost is covered by ticket sales and sponsorships, but not much. Ukrainian show business took a hard blow from the economic crisis, and so did YUNA. The budget was five times more at $500,000 in 2012.
“When a person needs to choose between buying bread or a ticket to a show, the choice is obvious,” Zahoor says. “The future of YUNA lies with the future of the country.”
YUNA 2016 Award Ceremony
Thursday, Feb. 25, 7 p.m.
Palace Ukraine
(103 Velyka Vasylkivska St.)
Hr 200 – 1,500
Tickets available online at
www.concert.ua,
www.parter.ua
Nominees for the “YUNA-2016” National Music Award
Best Soloist:
Jamala
MONATIK
Ivan Dorn
Max Barskyh
Tina Karol
Best Pop Band
MOZGI
Quest Pistols Show
Vremya i Steklo
Kley Ugruymogo
Potap i Nastya
Best Rock Band
O.Torvald
Pianoboy
The HARDKISS
Antytila
Okean Elzy
Best Song
“Bumbiggibay” by Potap i Nastya
“Zlyva” (The Rain) by A. Hlyvnyuk, Jamala and Pianoboy
“Imya 505” (The Name 505) by Vremya i Steklo
“Pora domoy” (It’s Time To Go Home) by LOBODA
“Ya vse escho lubliu” (I Am Loving) by Tina Karol
Best Album
“Randorn” by Ivan Dorn
“Vse krasyvo” (Everything Is Beautiful) by Antytila
“Podyh” (The Breath) by Jamala
“Tochka na karte” (A Point On A Map) by Alesha
“Shyt and myach” (The Shield And The Ball) by Potap i Nastya
Best Music Video
“Bittersweet” by Brunettes Shoot Blondes
“Time” by Onuka
“Imya 505” (The Name 505) by Vremya i Steklo
“Pora domoy” (It’s Time To Go Home) by LOBODA
“Trymay” (Hold Me) by Christyna Soloviy
Best Duo
“Zlyva” (The Rain) by A. Hlyvnyuk, Jamala and Pianoboy
“Znaidu” (I Will Find You) by S.K.A.Y. and Alloise
“Mokraya” (Wet) Quest Pistols Show and MONATIK
“Stil sobachki” (Doggie Style) by Potap i Nastya and Byanka
“Ukraina tse ty” (Ukraine It’s You) by Tina Karol and the participants of the children music show
Discovery Of The Year
Alekseev
Mari Cheba
The Erised
Regina Todorenko
Christyna Soloviy
Event of the Year
Boombox’s concert “Desyat Rokiv” (Ten Years)
Ivan Dorn’s concert “Randorn Tour”
Tina Karol’s music performance “Ya vse escho lublu” (I Am Loving)
Svyatoslav Vakarchuk’s music project “Vnochi” (At Night)
“The Memorial Concert For Skryabin”
Best Artist’s Management
Condorn Company – Ivan Dorn
Enjoy! Records – Jamala
Kruzheva Music – Quest Pistols Show
Yaromir Group – Kley Ugruymogo
Community Center – Tina Karol
Egor Kiryanov – The HARDKISS
Muzyka Dlya Mass (Mass Music)
