Yulia Gamaliy: “I’m planning to release two solo tracks soon.

Open Kids, a well-known Ukrainian pop group of five girls, brightly entered show business eight years ago. The collective has become a new step in the career of its once small members. Today, one of them, 16-year-old Yulia Gamalii, has become a successful performer and influencer. Woman decided to get to know the girl better and find out how she managed to achieve such success while on stage. Filming, concerts, studies and personal life – how the young star has been combining all this for years and what it costs her, Julia told us personally during an interview.

This summer you shared a trip to the Carpathian Mountains with your Instagram followers. How else are you resting and recovering this summer?

In general I would like to fly somewhere abroad, but for me the Carpathians is such an amazing place that I would like to go there once every two months. The work schedule is easier now, since the quarantine is ongoing, and there is more time for now. It was possible to go out for a few days and rest. Now I’m also starting to get into reading, it’s very relaxing to listen to music. I plan to release two solo tracks soon(smiles). But it’s still a secret. Also in the plans to go to drawing. I’d like to develop in that way, too.

You’re going to turn 17 one day. This is the beginning of the college years. Are you already in school or are you just getting in?

I’m about to leave for my second year(smiling). I left after ninth grade and went to the Variety and Circus Academy to study vocals. When I get my associate’s degree, the next thing is a bachelor’s degree. I’m glad I went to the academy after ninth grade, because I can’t imagine what I would have done under quarantine. It’s a lot of stress.

When did you first realize that your calling was the stage?

From my earliest childhood I liked it, and in my school years I already knew that I would be engaged in creative work, I put an emphasis on vocals.

Your childhood is all about filming, concerts, and tours. Don’t you think you’ve lost your carefree times?

I think I’ve had enough of everything. Even before I participated in the group, I somehow combined all the things that all children have in their lives: studies, time with friends and parents.

How did your parents support your formation?

They always supported me, it wasn’t like: “Well, now she’s going to have some fun, sing…”(smiles). They understand that this is serious, that this is work. And that’s why they’ve been seriously supporting me for a long time.

You became very popular on TikTok very quickly. Almost 2 million subscribers. What is the advantage of this platform for you?

I’ve been doing this kind of video format since the days when Musical.ly was popular. They were children’s videos, I was just a toddler there. But I liked this format from the beginning, I knew how to shoot it. And I see that even older people now also prefer this platform because of the accessibility and simplicity of the format. As soon as TikTok appeared, I started to get subscribers. Then there was a time when the stats stopped a bit, but now they are starting to grow again. And now it will soon be 2 million. On Instagram now, too, I try to post more often and make interesting content. But sometimes it’s all in the mood there: and when there’s no inspiration, I just don’t publish anything.

It’s hard to find out anything about your personal life on your Instagram. What topics do you prefer not to bring up?

I rarely show my family, I don’t know why. I guess subconsciously I don’t want to show much. I don’t purposely limit myself, but I don’t talk to my subscribers about politics or the coronavirus at all.

Has the right person already appeared in your heart?

There are photos with a young man, I just do not put a lot of them. But we’ve been dating for a long time. So the heart is busy(smiles). I don’t hide it at all.

This year will be your eighth anniversary as a member of the Open Kids team. How much have you grown morally and creatively during this period?

I can’t believe that eight years went by so quickly. Thanks to Open Kids, I know what show business is and understand how it all works. And because of that. That I was the youngest in the group, I feel older than I am. I learned to find common interests with those who are older than me.

How do you remember your appearance in the group?

The girls and I went to a dance studio for child development. We decided to make a dens band, and among all of us, the five of us were the smallest. And Yuri Petrov, our producer, said he wanted to make a band out of us. I was very young at the time, I didn’t quite know what it was going to be, but I’m very glad it happened to me that way.

You and the girls continued to delight fans with new tracks. One of them is “LMNP. How and when was the music video filmed?

That was before the quarantine, and there was something after the quarantine. We have footage of us filming on our phones from home. But creatively and in general quarantine was stressful for me. And that’s why the only way to shoot something is at home on your own.

What was the experience of the reality show “I Want to Open Kids” like for you?

It was very interesting, and we were really in a casting format to choose a girl to join our group. The winner was one of us. We filmed in a cabin outside the city, and the cameras were on all the time, even at night. The reality format is very honest. In fact, that’s what I liked best. In this format we also had a show called “I want with Open Kids”, where we chose among the boys who we would sing with. There are a lot of good memories and acquaintances from these two projects. With one girl from the show I study at the academy, with another – we correspond, communicate, and when she was in Kiev – we saw each other.

What can’t you imagine your stage career without?

Without a great love of vocals and music nothing would have come out and in principle – it’s impossible without it. It’s not a shot, but it’s the basics.

Are you thinking about a solo career after all these years in the band?

I think every girl has thought about it, and that’s okay. But I’m in a band now, and I haven’t started a solo career, although I do my own songs. No serious thoughts about a solo career yet, we continue to work with Open Kids. Over the years the girls and I have really bonded as a team. We went through a lot of hardships together: childhood fights, daily work, fatigue, and the desire to end it all. But we’ve been together for years and we know each other very well, we’re very close.

Victoria Pokatilova