Dimash Qudaibergen : Homeland Cultural Connection and the delights of Pure Vocalisation.

So the first of these two videos is the first time I saw Dimash perform ‘Daididau’ on the I am Singer series, I was drawn into the whole feel of the folk song and I really appreciated seeing his pride in his National costume, also his pride in playing his national instrument, the Dombra. He wanted to promote his homeland and represent them, I think it’s safe to say, he did a wonderful job.

This song is a basic, simple love song but the delivery of it is so powerful and passionate it gives me chills.

The second video is the same song revisited by Dimash in 2021 for his Digital Show. His performance of the song is different, changed, more up to date and for me, more powerful. It stops being a national anthem and becomes something much more personal to the artist, so therefore more personal to the listener.

Both versions are favourites of mine, I can’t choose between them because they both bring different qualities.

‘Know’ is a beautiful song that highlights the warmth and richness of Dimash’s tone throughout. It takes us on a journey without the immense highs we are used to hearing from him. He concentrates more on the ending section of the song where he vocalises the instrumental doing it in such a way that it becomes an integral part of the listening experience. Staccato notes at that pitch are a rarity, especially performed so beautifully.

I’m ending today’s little side trip into Dimash land with two new videos he has released very recently.

The first is Stranger and the second is Ave Maria.

Dimash shows us in Stranger, how improved his command of English is. Prior videos have been exceptionally heavily accented, sometimes causing the words to sound distorted. This performance in Stranger, is simply stunning. I am always amazed at this young man’s versatility in language skills. To sing in a foreign language is hard enough, to have the ability to sing in 12 different languages, well… who am I to complain about distortion of words? Oh yeah and there is that gorgeous vocal fry at the beginning of the song!

Once again, his vocalisation of the instrumental sections pulls the listener in to the entirety of the song and not just the lyrical aspect. His performance remains engaged and in ‘character’ throughout the entirety of the song. Magnificent vocals as usual but so very polished from his early performances in 2017. The growth in his craft is immense and is a pleasure to watch unfold year upon year.

Special nod to Igor Krutoy who composed Stranger and Ave Maria and accompanies. He almost smiles a few times too!

Ave Maria is not your typical version. It couldn’t be, it’s Dimash! Once again, he delights us with a pure vocalisation of a composition he asked Igor Krutoy to create especially for him. He told him what he was hearing in his head and Igor created the music. The above video is the end result. It sounds to me like three notes repeated over and again in rising octaves and semi-tones, I’m not musically competent enough to be able to say for sure that these are the correct descriptions for what he does with his voice, all I know is I sat spellbound from start to finish. I have no words, this performance should never be analysed, it should just be enjoyed over and over again.

I hope you enjoyed my little side trip into Dimash’s world once again. Seems I just can’t stay away for too long.

All videos can be found on Dimash’s official YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/DimashQudaibergen_official/featured