elisi's humble abode

Two days ago Dimash's grandfather, Kudaibergen Aitbayev, passed away age 82. He always seemed like the nicest, kindest man.


(x)

And so here is a song that Dimash wrote for his grandparents and that he performed for them at his Arnau concert in Astana in 2019. You can watch the actual performance here, but this video has many many pictures of the family over the years. In accordance with traditional Kazakh traditions, Dimash was raised by his (paternal) grandparents in a multi-generational household, (when he was born his grandmother gave up her teaching job to look after him fulltime), and he grew up calling his grandparents 'Papa' and 'Mama'.

Dimash Kudaibergen sings Papa – Mama [with English & romanized Kazakh subs]


Looking at Dimash's upbringing it's easy to see how he became the kind, compassionate, humble man he is. His goal is always to honour his parents and grandparents, so I am also going to include this utterly lovely little video:

Dimash's love for his grandparents


"Family is important. Call your parents, grandparents, and just say you love them!"
- Dimash Qudaibergen

ETA: Dimash posted to his Instagram. <3

Today is Dimash's birthday, he turns 29. :)

For his birthday he created a song for his Dears. It's labelled as a 'mood video' which is not really accurate. The video chronicles his life, and the song itself is (apart from being a love letter to his family and his Dears) a reflection on Life, Love, Fame (and its fleeting nature) and overwhelming gratitude.

I have been a Dear for 2 years, and I think any fan will agree that they come for the voice but stay for the person. The kindness, the humility, the contemplative nature that is so at odds with most stars.

Daily Dimash: OMIR (Life)



«Life,
I'm infatuated with you.
I will rise up
as a white cloud to a dream.»

On 24 May, on his birthday, Dimash Qudaibergen presented a new musical composition ‘Omir’, which he dedicated to all his fans. The work tells the story of the singer's life and creative path from the very beginning to his becoming an artist who is known today.


This is what he wrote on Instagram:

Dears, tomorrow at 20:00 Astana time, my video for the song «Omir» will premiere, the music and lyrics of which I wrote myself. Previously unreleased footage from my life will also be in this video. Every year you make the coolest gifts for my day birth and in turn accept this musical gift as a token of my gratitude to you for your love.


ETA: Projects from Dears in honor of Dimash’s birthday

ETA: He also released a live version where his brother, Abilmansur, accompanies him:



Dimash Masterpost

A few petitions:

Urgently review the current Ofsted Framework and associated methodology

Good Law Project: Protect Our Rivers

Stop “conversion therapies” in Colombia

~

Fascinating video essay:

Doctor Who Was Queerbait
The Doctor and the Valeyard's lesser known second trial, with Thasmin on the stand.

Brilliant format and it examines the topic from every angle. Whether or not you agree with the verdict, they delve into both pros and cons and their conclusion is very nuanced.

~

And a few interesting news stories from Aljazeera:

Refusing Putin’s war: The Russians fleeing to Kazakhstan

Vatican rejects ‘Doctrine of Discovery’ justifying colonialism

Hydrogen no break from fossil fuels, energy colonialism: Report

~

Daily Dimash: Together

🎶 If you want to change the world let’s start today 🎶



On April 9, 2023, Dimash Qudaibergen released a new music video for the first composition work of his younger brother Abilmansur. The cosmic plot of the music video “Together”, starring Dimash, Abilmansur and Raushan Qudaibergen, tells about how important friendship and support of relatives is.

(For a breakdown of the video please see this article. And the quality of his videos is just *chef's kiss*)

It's a lovely and very catchy pop song, with a really positive message, but mostly I'm 😭 because he is working with his brother and they're so happy together.

Also it's amazing that he is able to steer his own career without any compromises or signing up with a record label. I wish all artists could have this degree of freedom.

ETA: Wonderful reaction here, delving into not just the music but also the meaning:

Do not remove LGBT content from the Relationships Education curriculum

Reverse the decision to block the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill

~~

And a few random links:

https://mcmansionhell.com/

^this is such a delightful thing. A bit like realestateagentphotos, but just with rich people houses. And goes to prove that you can't buy taste.

~

Really nice article. Minor spoilers. I want to watch it again...

I’ll tell you ’bout the Fool on the Hill… Rian Johnson’s “Glass Onion” pondered.

~

Daily Dimash: Menıñ Qazaqstanym (Anthem of the Republic of Kazakhstan)

Dimash just posted this a few hours ago, and it must be said that Kazakhstan has one of the awesomest national anthems in the world. Obvs this one is Dimash singing, and he could make anything sound good, but it's just such a great melody. It's big and inspiring and tuneful.



~

Of course I am biased towards the Faroese anthem, which is more meaningful to me (I like the Danish one, but it's a bit... twee?). There are not a lot of versions on youtube, but I rather like this one and the translation is mostly correct:



Týr have recorded a version, but it's instrumental only. However it showcases how good the tune is:



~

Personal opinion: England should scrap God Save the Queen King - it's slow and dreary - and just bite the bullet and declare Jerusalem the official anthem. It's big and bombastic and properly great. (And weird, yes, but let's go with 'And did those feet-' and the satanic mills. Eccentric is good.)

Amusing/interesting/terrible stuff under the cut.

( Read more... )

ANYWAY. Here, have a nice upbeat song! :)

Daily Dimash: Give Me Your Love

The performance is from his Digital Concert in January 2021. It was written as a homage to Michael Jackson and is definitely suitably poppy, upbeat and ridiculously catchy. Enjoy! ^_^

Music: Dimash Qudaibergen
Lyrics: Jordan Arakelyan
Arrangement: Erlan Bekchurin




Dimash Masterpost

If you wonder where I have been for the past week+, I have been living inside this work of art. And I’m not likely to emerge anytime soon.

A bit of context: Dimash has, over the past few years, occasionally said: ‘You’ve seen nothing yet’ — which seemed maybe… a little odd? Like, he’s already a crazy impossibly talented singer, singing and composing in multiple genres and languages, what more could he do?

The answer: This. Which is… literally on a whole other level. So much more than ‘just’ music, even if the music on its own is quite extra-ordinary. It might best be described as mastering his tools (all of his musical training since age 5, his voice/vocal register, his talents, his influence, his fame and reach), and now putting them to use for a greater purpose. He has apparently been working on this for 3 years, and it shows in the incredible attention to detail.

You know when you find something that is All The Things? Music, story, meaning, symbolism, layers, relevance; something emotionally devastating and yet uplifting? Something that means something, something that is created specifically to make a difference. Something with a message.

This is one of those things. And how. I can’t even begin to explain, just watch (it’s not even 14 minutes long). Although here is the summary from the CPI Film Festival, where it will premiere on the international film scene on 7 March 2023:

Two friends face off in a bloody war. People of all faiths join together to save the Earth from death and help the coming of a new Messiah.

Blurb from youtube:

DimashAli Creative Center presents the new video “The Story of One Sky”

DimashAli Director - Kanat Aitbayev
Music - Dimash Qudaibergen
Lyrics - Liliya Vinogradova
Directed by - Alina Veripia
Script - Dimash Qudaibergen

On September 23, on the solo concert of Dimash in Almaty we saw the premiere of his song "The Story of One Sky". On September 24, at the artist's fan meeting, the audience saw the clip of this composition for the first time.

Dimash Qudaibergen’s 12-minute work is dedicated to the unity of people on our planet. We are all divided into races, nations and religions, but we are all children of one planet and live under one sky. Life is the highest value.

No sacred book calls for the destruction of people. We must learn to be friends; it is impossible for a few adults to cause millions of children to suffer. The future of our planet, the future of people is in our hands, let there be peace in the world.

We are children of one Home, one Earth and one Heaven


Subtitles on — his English is much improved, but his pronunciation is still only about 80% I’d say. Plus there is just so much going on.
Also I feel that I ought to maybe put some sort of trigger warning here, but I’m not sure how to word it. Maybe the best description is that it’s a work that looks into darkness in order to reject it. Or as Dimash said — it features war, but it is about peace.

(If you want the song, you can find it on Spotify, iTunes etc. This post focuses mostly on all the imagery/meta, which neglects to talk about how incredibly beautiful and accomplished the music is.)

SO MUCH under the cut omg, I hereby declare the meta café open once more! \o/



( Requiem: The Story of One Sky )

Dimash Masterpost

I'm not much of Royalist (I like the tradition & the pageantry, and I'm glad we don't have a President Johnson), but a Royal family is an expensive luxury, and I'm not sure it's very humane to keep people in gilded cages. ANYWAY, thanks to the Jubilee I have a four day weekend, which is nice!

A couple of takes from Twitter:

The Impudence Of Youth
(Photo @lealolivas) pic.twitter.com/8DwC4iYZr1

— Larry the Cat (@Number10cat) June 2, 2022

This’ll lose me some followers🤣 pic.twitter.com/EeGNmgezjI

— Michael Warburton 🇺🇦 (@MichaelWarbur17) June 1, 2022

~

And this is fascinating:

“Little Women” author Louisa May Alcott was a transgender man
“I am more than half-persuaded that I am, by some freak of nature, a man’s soul put into a woman’s body.”

Sidebar: I have never read Little Women. Indeed, I didn't know it existed until I was an adult. You are welcome to yell at me in the comments. :)

~

Daily Dimash: Okay

New song is here, now with a fabulous video (I love 'proper' videos that tell a story). The song is very very lowkey (not sure how else to describe it), none of the crazy highs or lows, but it has grown on me, the way good pop songs tend to...



It's another Igor Krutoy creation (the premiere of which was pulled b/c of Russia's invasion of Ukraine). You can read about the idea behind the video here. :)


Reaction videos:

DIMASH "OKAY" | Análisis / Reacción | Vocal coach (Possibly the most excited reaction you will ever see to anything! :) Make sure to put on the subtitles.)


Actor and Filmmaker REACTION and ANALYSIS - DIMASH "OKAY" MUSIC VIDEO! (Lots of insights into what the video is doing, A+ commentary)


Dimash Masterpost

A few things I've been meaning to share:

The guitarist who saved hundreds of people on a sinking cruise liner

The book that sank on the Titanic and burned in the Blitz

~~

Europe’s new Iron Lady: Estonian prime minister Kaja Kallas
The Baltic leader has become the EU’s strongest advocate for an uncompromising response to Russia.

~~

Daily Dimash: Happy Birthday

Apparently it's exactly a year since I posted my first Dimash post, fittingly on his birthday. He's 28 today, and released a new song - О'кей (Okay). It's another Igor Krutoy composition/collaboration, and the original release day was 5th of March, when the premiere was supposed to have happened on the Russian TV channel NTV. There was a whole article on DimashNews, which included the fact that they had been shooting a video... which is also yet to be seen, since of course then the war began, and they cancelled their appearance (like many other artists) and delayed the release. I would share it, except so far it's only available to buy. When the video comes out, I'll post it. :)

Dimash has put a lovely video up on insta, showing all the flowers that the Dears have been sending him. And then I came across this adorable video from last year, of Dimash reacting to birthday messages from his Dears. Most wholesome star ever. <3 (It's so wonderful/necessary to have a place that is just full of positivity.)

ETA: From Dimash News: “Let charity become a tradition!” (On May 24, Dears from eight countries held a charity event to help mothers whose children are being treated at the National Scientific Center for Mothers and Children in Nur-Sultan.)

To add a song to this post also, I'll put a recent performance of SOS under the cut... However Dimash does a speech before singing. It's from the EMI GALA 2022 in Dubai, and he was being presented with an award - which he then dedicated to his grandmother, and did a speech before giving her the award. (Sidebar: he brought both his grandmothers with him to the gala, one on each arm as he walked up the red carpet. ♥)

( Read more... )

Accurate:

February is the worst month of the year and this man is wonderful pic.twitter.com/vV73ZF2Qn4

— Alexis Benveniste (@apbenven) February 4, 2022

~

In UK politics news, Jonathan Pie is back! :D

“Seriously I can just come out and say it? Call him a liar?” asks @JonathanPieNews, a fictional broadcast reporter created and performed by comedian Tom Walker, in a satirical video about Britain’s Prime Minister.
“God bless America.” https://t.co/Hu6Q6q8TBp pic.twitter.com/ojr8Pb1d0S

— New York Times Opinion (@nytopinion) February 4, 2022

~

I keep meaning to post and then... not. So have some petitions:

Save my foster son Samet - he is family!

World Leaders: End Plastic Pollution

Everyone Should Have a Safe Place to Call Home. Agree? Add Your Name to Say There Should Be a Home for All of Us in the UK – No Exceptions

~

And the Olympics are here (again). There is always this difficult contrast between what the Olympics stand for - striving for the best, harmony between countries, incredible feats - and the reality underpinning the whole thing... not just China's genocide of the Uyghurs, but how the whole history is pretty terrible. (Twitter thread here.)

And yet we watched the Opening Ceremony and enjoyed it... And I love figure skating!

I guess it's a bit like trying to separate a 'problematic' creator and their work. I still love Buffy, even if Joss turned out to be a terrible person.

Speaking of China, then this is a very interesting article:

The misunderstood—and misrepresented—Zero COVID policy in China
This analysis of China’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been submitted as a contribution to the WSWS Global Workers’ Inquest into the COVID-19 Pandemic.

~

Daily Dimash: Swan Goose

Let's end with something beautiful. Dimash Kudaibergen & Tengri performing 'Swan Goose' at the Spring Festival Gala 2019. (Or: Kazakhstan + Mongolia + China in musical format.)



Dimash Masterpost

Some nice things.

PTSD: Ex-soldier builds castle as mental health rehab space - BBC News

David Tennant and Michael Sheen being adorable friends for 7 mins

Drone footage follows 10,000 ducks “cleaning” rice paddies in Thailand

If Bible characters had iPhones w/ John Crist

benedict cumberbatch having a crush on his wife for 3:44 minutes

~~

Daily Dimash: Dears

This is not a song - 'Dears' are what Dimash calls his fans, and today is the 5th anniversary of that naming. There is an article on Dimash News, and Dimash posted a video on youtube to thank his Dears and wish them happy anniversary. (Translation here, although I'm sure subtitles will be added.)

Although I have been in many show fandoms, until now have not been following an singer to this extent, so have nothing really to compare it to, but I can confidently say that the Dears are some of the nicest, most dedicated and welcoming fans I have ever come across. They take their cues from their idol and do their best to always be polite and honourable, and have created the most positive and supportive fandom. <3

(I might add to this at some point, just to collect stuff in one place - because there are ton of fun videos out there - but it's late and I'm tired.)

Dimash Masterpost