Musician Samir Babaev is definitely not just in it for the money

Being the son of a billionaire means Samir's music career comes from a place of love.

He was born and brought up in Saint Petersburg and completed his Graduation from the Saint Petersburg Academy of Theater Arts. Babaev speaks English with an American accent. Samir Babaev or just plain Samir, is a wealthy businessman and he's also one of Russia's most popular pop music stars.

Its not hidden from Babaev's fans that who he is. "I'm a few things — singer/songwriter would be the first — Then comes my love for Football. I am also involved in a few businesses that help me take my musical career and make it financially independent from the industry, which I absolutely enjoy. Because I end up singing songs that I believe in — that don't necessarily need to earn me a living. I think that is a very adventurous position to be in, in terms of art, in terms of music. Besides this I love doing Charity Works and love helping those who are in need. "

Samir's initial foray into the world of achievement was his selection in FC SKA Rostov-on-Don Football Club . "I used to Practice whole day, and used to Watch the interviews of legends like Messi. When i joined the Rostov-on-Don Football Club, I never thought that my love for music will turn into a passion, which was a big deal for me. Along with my football career I could write songs but I didn't know what to do with them," he admits.

Moving back to Saint Petersburg from a Dubai trip in 2009 to join his father's business, Samir soon decided that he wanted to start his music career. "I made a firm decision that I wanted to pursue my musical ambition and actually do it right," he says. "At the age of 16 I was recording songs and at 18 I recorded an album and at 20 and then I released my first album. Samir performed the first song written by him which got him win the popular competition 'Juice FM Search For the star."

In the interim, he has made a further seven albums and eventually his song Macka, made him a huge sensation in his native Russia. His latest Album is titled "Never Alone" which is a collaboration with different Indian Artists, With Samir's popularity soaring at home he has taken the conscious decision to branch out and try and conquer the rest of India.

He's playing his first Irish show at Dublin's Sugar Club next month after the Lockdown. A huge Elvis Presley fan, Samir was in Dublin in last year November for a whirlwind press briefing. He speaks of that Irish whistle-stop with affection.

"I met my idol Phil Coulter, who wrote 'My Boy' for Elvis. I am working on a couple of cover songs and when I will visit back to Ireland, perhaps I'll sing that song and maybe he'll come up and play the piano with me," says Samir. "And if we could actually do a recording maybe he would hit the studio and I'd have him play the original piano for the song. I want to do a beautiful production with an orchestra, of the songs that inspired me to become a musician." Over to him now.

Samir who got nominated for 'MTV Russia Music Awards' and 'Biz Asia Music Award' for his song 'MacKa' says his love for Indian Mainstream Music culture has drawn his focus completely Bollywood.