Dimash Kudaibergen 2017 Bastau - 'Wings'

Behind the Scenes of 'Singer'

"I am still young and I still have so much to learn" (Dimash)

Relationship with the other competitors

Although it was a competition, the other singers were very supportive of Dimash and he soaked up their expertise and experience. He repeatedly acknowledged and showed his appreciation for all that he was learning from them and showed them deep respect:

'It's an honour for me to just walk alongside such famous singers, to say hello to them and talk with them and singing on the same stage is a dream'

'Since I came to China, I have had the extraordinary support of conoisseurs of art, they lifted me to the sky and did not let my feet touch the ground. I say thank you'.

Dimash is fun to be around and inspite of the language difficulties, there were jokes and humour among them. He was seen hugging them, given his 6'3" height, often lifting them off their feet! He was relaxed, spontaneous and there is footage of him playing piano for a sing-a-long, pushing a contestant on a trolley, receiving gifts, teasing and having a good time with them.

When he lost his voice (just prior to episode 8, 'Daybreak') and had to have hospital treatment, one of the other contestants bought him 'liquid gold' (very expensive) medicine to help his throat! There was genuine concern for him clearly written on the faces of the other contestants when he was performing that night. After singing, he said to them:

'When I am nervous, I talk with friends, share with those in my inner circle, talk about what makes me nervous. Your encouragement and applause help me forget any worries or unpleasantries'

During the series, he formed really positive relationships and even gained several adopted relatives, much to everyone's amusement – 'Papa' Terry Lin, 'Uncle' Li Jian and 'Godmother' Han Hong (all veteran singers).

Musicians and Orchestra

The 'Singer' has an amazing orchestra which showcased Dimash's singing talents beautifully but even they were surprised by his 'hands on' approach to each song's arrangement.

'It's surprising that such a young singer has such great mastery over music arrangement'. (Musical Director – 'The Singer')

Difficulties

Workload:

Dimash works incredibly hard and this was his most challenging competition. He selected cover songs that are known to be difficult, in different languages (including some, like Mandarin, where he was learning from scratch) and in different genres but due to the commercial commitments of the show plus having to deal with his increasing popularity (everyone wanted a 'little piece of him'), his workload became extremely heavy giving him little preparation time for each episode. It was not surprising that he developed a severe throat infection and lost his voice mid-way through the series. However, he continued to do everything that he could to please his audience and 'put his best works on stage'. No one has ever heard him complain about the work schedule but it was noticed that he and his team were seen wearing shirts with the slogan 'I need a sleep'! It is concerning to hear of someone singing in three different cities, at three differing venues, with three interconnecting flights in one day!

Homesickness:

Dimash struggled with this, which is not surprising given that this was his first time away from home and his homeland for a prolonged period. Of course, his family were missing him too so his father, Kanat, taught 'Mama' how to use 'WhatsApp' so that she could keep in regular contact!