Sergei Lazarev: “Before trip to Bali, I was skeptical about stories about the magic of the island”

Sergei Lazarev spent New Year's holidays with friends in Bali, where he had a lot of surprises.

Sergey, you were among the lucky ones who flew to Bali before additional restrictions for tourists were introduced on the eve of the holidays?

Since the New Year's work was canceled due to the imposed quarantine, it was a spontaneous decision to fly away. I flew away on the eve of the holidays at the invitation of friends. You could say we jumped into the last carriage right before the entry restrictions. (Smiles.)

Why did you prefer Bali over the Maldives, for example?

Bali is a place of power, after a difficult 2020, I wanted to be with myself, with my thoughts right there. They told me a lot about the island, that it will help me to come to my senses, put everything on the shelves.

How did you celebrate the New Year? Big company?

I met the New Year on a bike. The fact is that my friends and I decided to celebrate the New Year at the club, but due to the curfew imposed in Indonesia, the club closed at eleven in the evening. The way back to the villa took more than an hour, so we met twelve at night and the New Year itself “on the move”. Hopefully 2021 will be like that.

Judging by instagram, you weren't sitting in the villa, but traveled a lot around the island. Tell us about places of power.

Yes, we traveled a lot around the island, visited different parts and regions of it, changed hotels and villas. We also visited different waterfalls, visited the water palace of Tirta Ganga, the Uluwatu temple. In general, Bali is now not crowded, many places are closed, there are very few tourists. In some areas, it is impossible to buy food or even refuel after eight in the evening - everything is closed! "Sekumpul waterfalls - what power, what energy!"

I know that you were skeptical about the tales of the magic of Bali. At what point did your attitude change?

Indeed, prior to this trip, I was skeptical. But I felt magical things on myself, many non-random meetings happened on the island. For example, when we were in the Tirta Ganga palace, it started to rain heavily and we decided to take refuge in a cafe. After talking with a woman who was an ordinary saleswoman at the counter, we learned that this is the property of her family, and she herself is the granddaughter of the last king of Bali. We, of course, did not believe it right away, but a few days later we received an invitation to attend a closed royal ceremony in honor of the god Shiva. And it was unforgettable. We also went to Sebata, we were told about this holy source, that there you need to be extremely careful and respect the gods and spirits. And we walked with a very cheerful mood, filming stories. And suddenly, climbing the steps, just before the entrance, our friend stumbles and falls. At that moment, we realized that we need to come to our senses, to treat the place more respectfully.

I know that recently you have become addicted to meditation. Perhaps this is a special feeling in Bali?

Friends introduced me to the meditation guru Alena, who has lived on the island for over seven years and practices breathing practice. She and I pumped energy, cleared energy stagnation, and I am sure that I will continue to practice this in Moscow

The Tanah Lot Temple can only be visited at low tide. When the waves come to the island, the small beach is completely flooded

Children, Nikita and Anya, did they easily let you go on a trip? Would you like to show them this island in the future?

Unfortunately, there are no direct flights to Bali now and it takes a very long time to fly. My total flight was 36 hours, so there was no way to take Nikita and Anya with me. Of course, I missed them very much during the trip. Last year, many tours were canceled, quarantine made itself felt, there was more free time, and I enjoyed spending it with the children. So the children calmly let me go to travel, but almost every day we talked via video link. (Smiles.)

Did your meeting with Vlad Topalov, who was vacationing with his family in Bali at the same time, really happen by chance?

First we met with Regina, it actually happened by accident. We stayed in the same hotel and crossed paths at breakfast. And a day later I saw Vlad. Sergey practiced meditation on the island.

After your joint video message on Instagram, fans of the Smash !! group revived.

Yes, we talked about the Smash !! turns 20 years old, and we do not rule out surprises for fans about this. The news has delighted many, so musical surprises take place.

After the holidays, your plan is to participate in the Dancing with the Stars project on the Russia 1 TV channel. Tell us about this experience.

For me, this is an experiment and, above all, a challenge to myself. I wanted to get out of my comfort zone: I have not participated in such competitions for a long time, I took part more as a member of the jury. Now I want to feel this competitive nerve again.

What can you thank 2020 for and what are the expectations from 2021?

The past year has opened our eyes to many things and to many people. Made me appreciate what you have. If earlier I sometimes got tired of concerts and a heavy touring schedule, then, having lost this during a pandemic, I realized that I could not live without a stage and spectators - this is my oxygen. Last year was a year of "waiting", this year for me will be a year of "action"!