At just 23 years old, singer Dovran Shammyev is already widely known and loved by the Ashgabat public. His performances are eagerly awaited by fans of a wide variety of musical styles, because they know that he is equally at home in the classics and in the genres of pop, rock, jazz, blues, and soul.
Dovran's performances are always distinguished by high energy, great artistry, and most importantly, sincerity: he is always honest with the audience, he simply cannot exist any other way.
The most famous concert venues in the capital cannot do without performances with his participation; he is regularly involved in major national and international musical projects. His most recent work, for example, is the main role in the first musical in Ashgabat, “The Grinch.”
Dovran is better known to the Ashgabat public as a vocalist, and perhaps few people know that he is a professional composer, plays the clarinet, piano and a little saxophone. Fascinated by various genres and styles, he himself gives preference to the aesthetics of impressionism, because he is confident in the boundlessness of music and that it is based on emotions, feelings, and impressions.
Despite his popularity as an artist, he is far from being a star. In everything he does, he applies not only his talent, but also a lot of work. You can’t call him a darling of fate, just as in principle - a darling.
He was born in Turkmenabat into a family of musicians. His preschool education was carried out by his grandmother, who adhered to the rules of early education for children. From the age of three, Dovran, like his two older sisters, studied mathematics, languages, literature and writing - everything was taught to them by their grandmother. A perfectionist in life, she demanded the same from her grandchildren - the children studied in all subjects, idleness was not encouraged in any way. Moreover, little Dovran took the exam before the commission in the person of his grandmother. By the age of six, the boy knew the curriculum for third grade students. He went to school in Ashgabat and began studying at the age of 6. He also began attending music school to study clarinet, because his parents decided that playing wind instruments would have a good effect on his health: from infancy, Dovran often suffered from purulent sore throat.
“My parents thought that music would be my hobby, but I took everything seriously, I couldn’t tear myself away from the clarinet. No one thought that I would be a professional singer; I never attended vocal lessons,” says Dovran. – As a child, I had a ringing voice, I loved to sing when there was no one at home, I especially liked to take the “tops.” But when my voice began to break with age, I began to feel depressed. I began to study more on my own, doing voice exercises.”
As Dovran notes, he developed a true love for singing in 2015 after watching the Eurovision contest.
“The competition participants made a great impression on me,” he admits. – Since then, we have had this tradition in our family – every year we watch this competition and have not missed a single one. Both of my sisters are very talented, although they are not directly involved in music right now. When my mother was alive, she also watched this competition with us, we discussed the performance of each participant.”
Dovran’s mother struggled with a serious illness for three years and passed away when he was a first-year student at the conservatory, in the composition department.
“I am very grateful to my mother for always supporting us and being interested in everything that interested us. She was my first adviser, and I could trust her with all my secrets,” says Dovran.
In memory of his mother, he conceived a project that would help people with information that it is possible and necessary to detect serious diseases in time and treat them. I would also psychologically help teenagers and children whose parents are sick.
I went to an interview with a young artist, and during our conversation I saw a deep nature, a big heart open to people, and a desire to make my contribution to this world. In the recent past, Dovran was an ambassador for the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He considers this experience one of the most valuable, as it helped him look at the global picture of the world with different eyes. Active social activities captivated him greatly, and he is seriously thinking about further studies in this direction. Fluent in English, he read in the original a number of foreign authors raising serious social issues.
“I really like working with people and communicating. I think if I hadn’t developed a serious passion for music then, perhaps I would have become a translator,” he admits.
At the end of last year, Dovran, like dozens of active and talented young people of Turkmenistan, was awarded the state medal “For Love of the Fatherland.” A year earlier, he became a laureate of the national competition Türkmeniň Altyn asyry.
“I am very grateful to the President and the National Leader of the Turkmen people for the fact that in our country all conditions have been created for young people to realize their potential. State support means a lot to young people starting their lives. This year, held under the motto “The Fount of Magtymguly’s Mind,” we will apply our efforts for the good of the country with even greater enthusiasm,” says Dovran.
We wish Dovran new interesting projects, creative success and the implementation of the most ambitious plans.
Maral Hydyrova,
“Turkmenportal”
