Above the Rainbow

Guys, believe in miracles!
One day in the spring morning
Scarlet sails of a white ship will fill with wind
And the sound of the violin will play over the sea…
V.Landsberg

Do you know why we start speaking about a fairy tale by Alexander Green? The answer is easy because we have seen a wonder. But it is not the eighth wonder of the World. It is Diana Shik’s songs. How many ideas and inspiration we feel in her songs! There is an air of mystery about her. Nature endowed her with great talent! Diana’s charming voice sounds mystically. Her songs are cheerful and sincere, they warm our hearts.

Do you remember that day when you were dreaming? Not about a goodish sum of money or terrestrial glory, but about peace, reliable friends and true love. All these are not inherited by us. Everyone can dream and achieve his own dream however difficult it could be. Diana Shik sings about such dreams and opens her heart.

The first Diana’s disc “Ocean on the Water” released in 2006 was sold instantly. It was unusual occurrence for the show business of Kazakhstan. But not long after Diana recorded the second Solo Album. Duet Song of Diana and Abraham Russo was included in that Album.

Diana’s life is full of the mysteries and wonders. She was born in a clear frosty morning on the 21 of January in Almaty. Valeriy Fedorovich Shik, her father, gave his daughter the name Diana. He liked that name when watching a popular film “A Dog on Hay” where the name of the heroine was Diana (Margarita Terehova). Then Valeriy Fedorovich said: “We will call our daughter Diana!”

One day a fairy tale writer met a girl.
-What is your name, little one?
-Diana, - she said, placing the toy that fairy tale writer handed her back into her basket.
-“Very good,” continued the old man. “There was no real reason to ask your name. I like it because it is so unusual, so musical, and also all in one tone like the whistle of an arrow, or the roar of a sea shell. Wouldn’t it have been awful if you had told me you had one of those fine-sounding but intolerably ordinary names so out-of-tune with the Beautiful Unknown?”

Diana was born under a lucky planet. Misfortunes passed her by. Small troubles had no effect on her life. Diana lived with her mother, father and grandparents in a small flat not far from the river in Almaty, a beautiful city where houses were situated without any scheme… Blue shadows, yellow walls with picturesque cracks, and old houses were buried in verdure…

When Diana was five her parents got a new three-room flat and moved there. That time Diana’s younger brother, Igor, was born. And Diana was both a sister and a nurse for him. Just then her parents understood that Diana had a talent for music. The girl could listen to popular singers such as Alla Pugacheva, ABBA band and many others for hours. She danced to music, sang their songs in front of the mirror. A fairy of music settled down in her heart. She often imagined herself playing the piano.

In summer when Diana was six her grandmother took her to the Children’s Music School named after Amre Kosheubaeva. At first the teachers refused to hear Diana’s singing because she was too little. The grandmother insisted them on hearing Diana’s voice. As a result, Diana got accepted. She did brilliantly at her examination and was on the top of the list. Later Diana will graduate from the grammar and music schools with honours. The girl managed to do a lot of things like her favorite fabulous heroine Asole. Diana was as busy as a bee, she was facile in everything she did. She also went in for gymnastics and dancing. She was keen on drawing and stamp-collecting. She helped her mother, looked after her little brother. Once Dana planted a small cut of a white acacia and she believed that one day it would bloom. And after six years when Diana was sixteen her acacia had come to full flowers for the first time. Diana remembers the days of her childhood: “I adored my beautiful acacia and enjoyed its delicate savour night after night.”

Diana took part in the show of amateur talent groups at the secondary school. She prepared music programs and performed well enough. The secondary school took the first place in Municipal and Interdistrict music competitions. After finishing the secondary school with honours Diana entered the music college named after Chaikovsky for the choral conducting.

Beyond the golden thread the heavens, beginning to blaze, shone in an enormous fan of light. The blind path lost itself in a trembling soft whiteness of childhood. The white clouds were touched with a pale glow of happiness. The white clouds were riding high above the road and splendid splash of the future tumbled down reaching right up to Diana’s feet… Diana became a young beautiful Lady…

Graduating from the music college with honours Diana entered the Alibek Dnishev’s Theatre Academy. She also took part in “Salem, Hollywood” Vocal Competition where she got a medal place. At the same time Diana was offered to sing at Vodoley Studio where she recorded her first songs. She also performed in different clubs, recorded her first video, gave radio interviews and recorded the second video.

Now she did not have leisure time as much as before and when she fell asleep after a hard day she saw her favorite dream: blossoming trees, yearning , fascination, songs and mystery, but on awakening she like Asole remembered only twinkling of blue water. But life like a fairy tale can not be without the powers of darkness trying to deceive and give false hopes. Diana graduated from the Academy and got married. Her teachers tried to persuade her to enter the music Conservatory, but the young wife refused to continue her study. In addition, she thought that classical academic education was not to her, she wanted to be a pop-singer. Diana was not interested in opera any more. But life itself – is a miracle!!! Birth of a child – is a miracle! Rainbow is a miracle! When the weather is gloom and overcast and then you see the sun – isn’t it a miracle! There are many miracles… You just need to recognize them. It is a miracle when you meet HIM in a stranger city and you learn that you live in the same street and went to the same kindergarten… It is a miracle when two people loving each other have a little pug-nosed baby. Diana says: “Miracle is when you are tired and lay down for a minute and you hear your son saying: “Hushhh! Keep quite! You will awake mummy!” It is a miracle when you rush to the kitchen thinking that a pie got burned, open the oven and see the golden crust and everything is as should be… It is a miracle when you enter the bedroom and see that the floor is covered with a lot of rose petals… Your beloved man remembers the day when he saw you for the first time!!!

Soon Diana decided to participate in SuperStar KZ competition. She performed brilliantly and became the finalist and the darling of the jury.

After the competition she was again invited by the Vodoley Studio where several songs were recorded. Then there was no money to go further. Diana had to give up music and forget about her dream. The same situation happens with millions of young people. Diana had to change romantic life to the prose of existence. She decided to work as a shop assistant in a photo saloon – why not? Or a designer –Diana persuaded herself: “It is interesting, well-paid, very promising job…” All the hopes connected with music in the future failed.

But at home Diana continued to sing and play the piano. Sometimes she sang at the photo saloon parties. And again she tried to find something unusual in daily life.

There was a second anniversary of the photo saloon and Diana performed “Solovey” by Alyabyev. It was her present to her chief. Among the guests there was the chief’s partner – Smirnov S.A. who discerned Diana’s deeply hidden talent. Sergey asked Diana to give him the records of her songs. Then for a long time there was no news from him and Diana even forgot that episode. But one day Sergey called her and from that moment the events developed with fantastic speed.

Suddenly started storm stopped at once soaking through the whole world and filled the air with fragrance of mowed meadow grass. Glittering rainbow appeared in the sky… Diana’s heart filled with calmness and warmth and everything seemed to be beautiful: an old log house, a kettle with a broken spout, the storm and of course the rainbow…

If you believe in miracles they will come true. And not only to believe and dream but like Diana to create something new every day and to feel yourself a creator! And… “One day, far out to sea, the sun will shine upon a white ship with scarlet sails. From among the rushes a sailing ship will appear. It will sail and stop right in the middle of the dawn. Radiating joy, it will glow, like wine, like a rose, like blood, like lips, scarlet velvet, a crimson fire. Wings of foam will quiver beneath the powerful weight of its keel… The white ship will slice through the waves and move right toward you. The ship will approach majestically amidst the sounds of beautiful music. A fast boat, gilded and decorated as for a holiday, with oriental rugs and flowers will be lowered from it. Just then you will see a bold and handsome prince. He will reach out his arms to you. “Hello!” he will say. "In a faraway land I saw you in my dreams and I have come to take you away with me forever to my Kingdom.” (“Scarlet Sails” by Alexander Green).