ANNA BELAN & DIMA BILAN

Anna Belan is a Russian singer, the younger sister of the popular singer Dima Bilan. After studying to be a director, she nevertheless decided to connect her life with music.

Let’s find – how did she come to this, how filmmaking skills help in creating music, and how the nickname Otana was born

Anna, as far as we know, you studied as a film director in the U.S.A and only recently decided to conquer the stage. Why did you choose to opt for music?

I love filmmaking as much as before. And I am glad that I studied to be a director. But to shoot projects, you need a team. Also, everything related to cinema takes much more time. What about music? It is created more at the moment. Love it! I many times caught myself thinking: that even when I was directing, still drawn to music.

When did you start making music? Did you equal your brother’s success?

Subconsciously, I think yes. My brother’s success influenced my attitude towards the industry. In the beginning, didn’t think that I would equalize. But the more I do music, the more I catch myself thinking – I look at Dima’s example. I stop myself at such moments and explain that there cannot be the same path. And definitely, everything is already going differently for me.

In 2020, you debuted with the single Utopia and now actively working on a solo album. How do you manage it in a protracted pandemic?

The pandemic has made its changes in my plans. It was difficult on the one hand. On the other hand, there was a lot of time to find material and understand in what direction I want to move on!

Why did you decide to create a duet with Dima? Initially, you talked about a cardinal difference in musical tastes.

Everything happened by itself. We just talked about how it would be nice to record something together, maybe. Yes, the music is different, but Dima also agreed to have some experiments. The collaboration will not be like his style, nor will it be like mine.

In the states, you broke off your engagement with your chosen one and are now sure that this is for the best. You already have an army of admirers. What is your ideal type?

I do not have a specific type to say for sure. I can be very unpredictable in my choice, even for myself. But still, there are several points. The main things - same wavelength with me + charisma. I appreciate the sense of humor, intelligence, and ease of communication. Of course, I also like confident men. I need to feel his strength of character and authority.

How did the nickname Otana come about?

Before starting to release tracks, I thought that I would need an alias. Although I love my name and surname, I wanted to put some meaning in my stage name. It’s simple – I began to think about what I like in general. At that time, I was very attracted to shamanism: one of the oldest forms of religion, which focuses on belief in the supernatural. I love everything mysterious. I started looking at all sorts of different names on the Internet related to this. And I came across the word - Otana. So, at once, understood this is it!

It is hard to stand out from the background of professional artists nowadays. But you have your style. Tell us what trends do you like in modern fashion and how did you create your image?

I like some unusual things, experiments in everything. And also, whenever I got into interesting companies, I took an example from people who, in my opinion, were stylish. Also, of course, I continue to follow all new trends and choose something of my own from this.

How do you feel about social networks? Do you think that an artist should regularly update Instagram, try himself on TikTok and other popular platforms?

This is a new reality in which every creative person should live. What does an artist need to listen to his music? Well, always remind yourself and be in trend. Therefore, of course, he must understand all the new things and constantly appear somewhere. Every artist on social media has their own platform. And of course, you should always find and provide appropriate content to your audience on those platforms.

How do you plan to use your directing skills in your musical career?

These skills help me to quickly understand the whole filming process and participate effectively in it.

How would you describe Otana’s solo project and its mission?

The mission is to give life inspiration and energy for endless creative search. Plus, allow yourself and the world around you to improve. Some things are important to me, and I would like to draw attention to them. I make music about this.