Ivan represented Belarus at the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest with Help You Fly. He performed at the ‘We Can’ charity anniversary festival held in St Petersburg, Russia on 7 October. Eliana Goncharova interviewed Ivan for ESC Covers.

At the charity concert Ivan sang the famous song The Show Must Go On (Queen) with a girl in a wheelchair. Then our correspondent Eliana Goncharova interviewed him (English translation here)

Eliana: – Charity. What does this mean for you?

Ivan: – This is an opportunity to do something good for people from the heart and soul.

Eliana: – How long have you been doing charity work?

Ivan: – I often participate in some charity projects. For example “Northern Crown”. After St. Petersburg, we will go to the children to “Northern Crown”. And there are many such projects. I sing and try to teach someone to sing. I help as much as I can.

Eliana: – Did you start doing charity work when you lived in Belarus or when you moved to Russia?

Ivan: – In Russia. I was not very popular in Belarus. There were no offers for charity.

Eliana: – Some people think if they donate only 100 rubles to charity, or, for example, 1000 rubles, they will not be able to help anyone. But I believe that any donate can help. Do you agree?

Ivan: – Of course, any amount can help. Everyone donates as much as they can. This is the meaning of charity.

Eliana: – You are a famous person. I think a lot of people turn to you for help. How do you make decisions? Any resource is not unlimited and it is impossible to “answer yes to everyone”. How to build a balance and make a right choice?

Ivan: – This is a good and difficult question. I will help if this help is feasible for me. For example, I teach. But it’s hard for me to take money from people for lessons. My lessons are not economically correct. I can teach one hour, two hours, three hours. And if a person likes a lesson, I can teach for free.

Eliana: How long have you been working with the charity project “We Can?” Or are you participating for the first time?

Ivan: – As I remember it for the first time.

Eliana: How do you feel when you help children with disabilities?

Ivan: – I feel like I’m doing something good. And it’s great! It is very nice to see the happy eyes of any person, especially a child. And it is even more pleasant to be the cause of this joy.

Eliana: Thank you for the interview, Ivan

You can see a short clip of Ivan singing The Show Must Go On by Queen below and the video interview (mainly in Russian).

Source: ESC Covers; Eliana Goncharova