NRK.no: Alexander Rybak – The boy, who just wanted to be seen

Article in Norwegian. Published by www.nrk.no 10.11.2018

 

RYBAK AND THE VIOLIN: It is well-known, that Alexander Rybak is a master of the violin. It is less known, that he has a wish to make a joik. A joik, which means something special. PHOTO: JOHAN MATHIS GAUP / NRK

 

Alexander Rybak – The boy, who just wanted to be seen

 

Once upon a time Alexander Rybak was the one, who had to stand outside and watch. Now, he makes a Joik for those, who have been bullied and felt outside.

 

On a summers day there is a little bright-haired boy,  six years old, out in the street and testing his new bike. It’s incredibly stylish. On his head he has a brand new bike-helmet. He hopes, the bike will help him make friends. Some other boys arrive. They are clearly impressed by the bike. They say something to the bright-haired boy. Something like; “Do you want to play with us?” But the boy does not answer. He can not answer. Because he does not understand what they say. The boy has recently moved to Norway from Belarus.

The other boys look at him. The boys drive a few rounds around him, asking more questions. It is clear that they do not get any answer from the boy with the cool two-wheel. They look at each other. Then they shake their heads and ride off.

That is how, Alexander Rybak remembers one of his first days in his new country 

– Then I looked at mom. She cried. And I cried a little too. From that day on, I decided to learn the language as quickly as possible, says Rybak.

 

Alexander Rybak with guitar when he was a little boy in Belarus
Alexander showed an early interest in music. Here with the guitar in Belarus. PHOTO: ALEXANDER RYBAK / PRIVATE

 

The, now popular, celebrity artist remembers, that it was hard, not to be able to speak Norwegian. He has experienced, how it feels, to be outside. Almost 30 years later, he tries on an ancient culture and music tradition. A tradition that for a long time was held outside, by  both society and church. He is going to make a joik to all those, who have felt like himself or worse. How is Alexander going to make a joik, that encourages those who feel outside? For that, he will receive good help and inspiration from one who is so good at joiking, that he is a professor of Sami music.

“Like me, like me!”

The Alexander Rybak you know from the stage is a sparkling and smiling artist who reaches people. At home, he is more cautious. He thinks a lot. It is quite clear that there is a lot of thought-activity behind his eyes when he is asked questions.

– People say that we always want others to like us. But I do not believe it. It’s not so much that a person thinks; “Like me, like me!”. I rather think that people walk the streets, thinking: “Please, see me!”

DID NOT FEEL UNDERSTOOD. When Alexander went to public school, he did not feel understood by the other children and he walked alone a lot. On the picture, he is on his way to Barratt Due, the music institute, where he has met others like-minded. FOTO: BENGT ROGER KÅVEN / NRK

 

To be seen, he had to work hard. Without encouragement, that would not have been possible. The first step was to learn Norwegian, which didn’t take him a long time. Soon he spoke fluently. But it was not eas,y to find something to talk to the other children about. When they went to football training, Alexander had violin training. He had a lot to say about violin.

“It was just that there was no one who wanted to hear about it,” says Rybak

When one burns for something and wants to tell about it, but nobody wants to listen, you feel depressed and different. Even worse, it feels for a child.

 

LEARNED FROM DAD: Alexander and papa Igor Alexandrovitsj Rybak. Even though, Alexander has had many violin-teachers, it is his father, who gave him inspiration to hang on and become a maestro on the violin. PHOTO: WIHT PERMISSION FROM ALEXANDER RYBAK / PRIVAT

 

Alexander came home crying to his parents. The first-grader was desperate. He had already practiced violin for a couple of years, willingly sharing the world of the violin. But the other kids wanted to talk about Mini-Jakobsen or other football and sports heroes. Violin was not music. Michael Jackson was music. Then I said to Dad, “What’s really the joke that I go home and practice when nobody is interested?” The father replied, “You just have to trust yourself and trust the music. Instead of trying to prove it, you just have to show them what you’re up to. ”

The little boy with the bright hair worked determined. Throughout the year he practiced hard. Harder than ever. The goal was the celebration at the end of the school-year. There, he would show what he was capable of.

 

IN A WELL-KNOWN POSTURE.  Alexander Rybak has come a long way with his music. Among awards and prizes, he has won the Melodi Grand Prix, the Hedda Award and Kjempesjansen. PHOTO: BENGT ROGER KÅVEN / NRK

 

“That’s probably the most important thing we experience in life”

Eight year old Alexander Rybak is nervous. The big day has come. Thousands of violin exercises have passed. Despite his nervousness, he is still quite confident. He can do this. The school-concert can begin. Alexander convinces. He plays like a hero. The other kids are impressed, and finally they realize what he has tried to talk to them about. Suddenly, he is completely unique in the class. He is seen.

– “It was lovely to finally be heard. That is probably the most important thing we experience in life. To be seen and understood. But before that, before being seen and understood, we must have inspiration”. The inspiration he got from his father. My father said,”Do you know what? Now you just need patience. be cool and trust what you have, which no one else has. You must trust your talent for violin and piano.”

Alexander believes he can thank his parents for being there where he is today. They encouraged him and made sure he never gave up.

 

MUSICAL FAMILY. Mom, Natalia Valentinovna Rybak and Alexander. She is also a musician. The father plays violin and mom plays the piano. Alexander practiced violin with mother and father for a whole year before the school-final-concert. PHOTO: USED WITH PERMISSION FROM ALEXANDER RYBAK / PRIVAT

 

Even now in recent times, Alexander has been in hard training. This time he will not show how much he can with something that is well-known to him, as the violinist, he is. He has tried something that is completely unknown to him: Sami Joik. In season 2 of the TV series “Muitte mu” he wants to make a joik,  which will give to others, what he himself got from his parents. “When I feel down, I hear a melody inside me . This melody is a joik. We must have encouragement, and I hope this joik will be an ever so small encouragement, “says Alexander Rybak.

” Muitte Mu – Remember Me “is an entertainment series where six established artists will learn to joik in three days. Together with a mentor, they compose a joke to a person who is close to the artist. The first artist is Alexander Rybak. Alexander is of the very ambitious type. He has stated that he wants to conquer all music genres. But joik is much more than just a music genre, and Alexanders joik-mentor struggles a bit,  to get him on track.