Vocalist and guitarist of garage band Glintshake, Katya Shilonosova merges 90s grunge influences and noise. She’s been a frontwoman for over three years and goes by the philosophy of the louder the better. She shares her secrets of freedom, onstage and in the big city.
Your secret spot in the city?
I used to ride my bike a lot at night when I lived in Proletarskaya and would always stop by Krutitsy. It was closed at night so I would have to jump the fence. The backyard was full of flowers and kittens who lived there. It was my own kind of secret garden, beautiful and calm.
I admire all those people who really love and believe in what they are doing
What would you change in Moscow to make it more liveable?
Move it to the coast so it could be by the sea.
Which living person do you admire the most?
I admire all those people who really love and believe in what they are doing.
What track defines your mood today?
Badman’s Song by Tears for Fears.
What is your guilty pleasure?
Listening to 90s pop and early Mariah Carey.
What is the biggest shift in the city in the last 5 years?
The government has finally started to pay attention to parks. Gorky Park underwent a major reconstruction and finally we got the first cool park that could compete with leading parks around the world.
Is there a book that changed your life?
The Inseparable Twins, a Second World War story by Anatoly Pristavkin. I was very young when I read this book. I cannot say whether it changed my life but I was in shock for several months after reading it. It is a autobiography which is what makes it all the more horrifying.
What would be your superpower?
To be able to heal myself and everyone around me.
If you weren’t a musician, what would you be?
I’d be an architect since this is what I studied at university. Or maybe I’d be a video editor or an illustrator because I already do this when I’m not making music.
Olya Markes knows that for someone who’s in control of their willpower, the sky’s the limit. With her health school Sekta she has inspired thousands of people all over Russia to turn to a healthier and more active lifestyle, work on their bodies and minds and achieve new goals every day.
What is your biggest achievement?
I’m proud of everything that’s to do with my business. My most rewarding experience, however, was getting into university after competing against a large number of applicants, and learning to “bunny hop” on my BMX.
I’m proud of everything that’s to do with my business
Which living person do you admire the most?
Pavel Durov (founder of social network Vkontakte) for his open mind, his values and the fact the he’s also Russian.
What track defines your mood today?
Fighter by Gym Class Heroes.
What would be your superpower?
To be able to heal with words.
What would you change in Moscow to make it more liveable?
There aren’t enough cycle lanes!
If you weren’t an entrepreneur what would you be?
I think I’d be a journalist. I love opening up a world for people and revealing the borders of reality.
Actress Anna Shepeleva’s debut was in the painfully sincere and at times brutal series School by Valeriya Gai Germanika. Shepeleva is currently dedicated to theatre, in her opinion a craft much more vibrant and risky than films.
Is there a book that changed your life?
The Wild Dog Dingo by Ruvim Isayevich Frayerman.
I would bring the sea to Moscow, it’s the only thing that’s missing
What is your biggest achievement?
It’s too soon to speak of my accomplishments, the best is yet to come.
If you weren’t an actress, what would you be?
I’d be a journalist.
Your most secret spot in the city?
I love the front yard next door to the theatre where I work.
What music track defines your mood today?
Girl You’ll be a Woman Soon by Urge Overkill.
What would you change in Moscow to make it more liveable?
I would bring the sea to Moscow, it’s the only thing that’s missing.
What would be your superpower?
The power to be invisible.
What is your most embarrassing moment?
My first date at 16 years old, when I fell up some steps as the boy I liked was walking me home. Ever since then I don’t get embarrassed easily.
What would be your signature Moscow look?
Simple and casual with a single signature accessory.
Katya Shengeliya was born on 21 June, the international day of skateboarding, and has spent half of her life on a board. Skateboarding is as natural to her as a heartbeat, and this year she was the first Russian skateboarder ever (among both men and women) to compete at the X Games in Austin. We go for a ride with her in a Moscow skate park.
In Moscow, and generally the whole of Russia, people don’t understand the true nature of skateboarding
Is there a book that changed your life?
I have a lot of favourite books but if you’re a skater you need to read the story of “professional skater” and skateboard legend Tony Hawk as if it were a textbook. This book motivated me to ride even when I had plaster cast on my leg.
What is your biggest achievement?
Participating at the X Games in Austin this year was a cool adventure for me. Not only was this my first time in America — the home of skateboarding — but also to take part in a competition of this level. Even though I came 11th, I know this is only the beginning.
What would you change in Moscow to make it more liveable?
In Moscow and generally the whole of Russia people don’t understand the true nature of skateboarding, and assume that we’re kids without any brains because we jump off steps and ride on rails and edges. I would like to change the view from “vandals” to something more dignified especially because it is one of the most technical sports in the world, requiring maximum physical and psychological preparation. I would also do something about the lack of indoor skate parks, since you can’t swap winter for summer.
What would be your superpower?
Learning how to skate is a superpower in and of itself! Watch a video from any skating competition — how can any ordinary person do that?
What is the biggest shift in the city in the last 5 years?
The building of numerous skateparks in various public parks across the city. Over the past two years Moscow has undergone considerable change for the better, and the changes haven’t stopped, with the emergence of even more pedestrian spots — its great!
Produced in partnership with Nike Russia
Photography: Erik Panov
Video: Avdotja Alexandrova
Make-up: Ekaterina Stolbova
Production: Lesya Myata
Text: Anastasiia Fedorova, Liza Premiyak