Yulia
Smooth Jazz Pianist & Composer

Sandeep Kulkarni (00:06.488) Today's guest is Yulia, a pianist and composer whose musical journey began in Novosibirsk, Siberia, where she trained at a specialized music school and state conservatory. After moving to the United States, she entered a new creative chapter, blending her classical foundation and contemporary expression through performances, releases, and teaching. Her music is deeply emotional and reflective, shaped by culture, personal experience, and faith. We are happy to welcome Yulia and share her story today.

Suraaj Parab (01:00.385) Help us to understand how to pronounce it, Yulia.

Yulia (01:06.997) Novosibirsk. Like "new"—Novosibirsk.

Sandeep Kulkarni (01:47.618) Today's guest is Yulia, a pianist and composer whose musical journey began in Novosibirsk, Siberia, where she trained at a specialized music school and state conservatory. After moving to the United States, she entered a new creative chapter, blending her classical foundation and contemporary expression through performances, releases, and teaching. Her music is deeply emotional and reflective, shaped by culture, personal experience, and faith. We are happy to welcome Yulia and share her story today.

Suraaj Parab (02:26.243) Welcome, Yulia, to The Artist Conversation, the Sanctuary of Frozen Souls podcast. Welcome.

Yulia (02:30.185) Hello, thank you so much for inviting me. Thank you.

Sandeep Kulkarni (02:33.806) It's awesome to have you. So Yulia, you were born and musically trained in Novosibirsk, Siberia. When you look back, what was the first moment that made you realize that music was going to be your life?

Yulia (02:58.389) It started not from my desire to be a musician. I liked to sing; it was natural for me when I was four or five years old. My parents noticed that I liked to sing, and they had a piano at home, so they decided to find a teacher for me. That's how it started. It started not from my desire but from the decision of my parents, and I'm very grateful to them for it, of course. We had a piano—my brother played a little bit, and then it stayed without sounds for a long time. No one played, and they wanted someone playing in the house, so they thought maybe I would start to learn, play songs, and be a musician.

Later, when I started to study music at a specialized music school, I realized that it was something very valuable. It was a very special education, an interesting environment, and filled with the people surrounding me there. Everyone played instruments; the school was completely full of musicians. It was a great experience, of course. I was looking at what else I could do—nothing, I just played. I practiced every day for four hours. I didn't even have time for anything else, so I thought that it was maybe not a bad idea to be a musician in the end. I liked it, and that's how it began.

Sandeep Kulkarni (05:05.944) That's amazing. You've been shaped right since childhood. How old were you when your parents got you into classes?

Yulia (05:16.742) I started to sing melodies that were just in my head. I didn't know what I sang, but my parents found a teacher when I was five years old, and she prepared me for the school. At six years old, I passed the exam to the school, and I was happy about it. I didn't know what the future held for me, but I was very excited.

Sandeep Kulkarni (05:56.281) But I bet it was a great experience. Like you said, being surrounded by musicians right since childhood and going to that school must have been so special.

Yulia (06:09.364) Yes, right. In our school, we had all the standard subjects like math and literature, alongside music literature, music theory, and piano classes. Even those whose main class was the violin or cello had piano classes as well. But I took piano as my main instrument, so I just focused on the piano. We had two instruments right in front of us.

Suraaj Parab (06:54.117) You have worked across many genres. I have heard your songs during the Grammys voting period. As a composer, producer, performer, and teacher, how did exploring different musical worlds shape your artistic voice?

Yulia (07:21.46) There was, of course, a big influence from classical music because I spent many years on classical music and symphonies. I listened to a lot of different classical genres there. How I started to write and compose in different genres was interesting. I just had to practice a lot. As I said earlier, I had to practice three or four hours a day, every day, just because I was young and my parents said I had to do it. When time passed, I knew the songs very well, and there was no point to just stay on one song and play it for a long time.

But I still had to practice for hours, so I tried to imitate different composers. For example, if I played Bach, I tried to improvise something in Bach's style. I had fun because it was something new where I could be more creative and find ways to play something similar. My parents didn't play because they weren't professionals. That's how I started to improvise, and I liked it. Also, I listened to a lot of music on the radio. We didn't have many genres—we had pop music, Estrada, and also Estrada from Italy, which was popular in our country at that time. Some songs I liked, I would play by ear on the piano when I could do it, and I also started to compose my own songs. I tried to play in different genres, imitating the style but with my own melody and harmony.

Later, I accidentally met a metal group. That was absolutely opposite to classical music! Before, my opinion about that music was that it wasn't worth listening to and that it wasn't professional playing, because I didn't know much about it. But those guys played fast, together, and were technically amazing. I was like, wow, you can do that? Because I was curious, whenever I listened to music, I always tried to understand it. What is this music about, and what is interesting about it? Why do people like this music, and why do they like to play it? I found something that I wanted to try myself. They asked me to help with an arrangement sometimes, giving little consultations because I was in music school. Then I also did about three slow compositions utilizing that genre. It was interesting for me to explore the nature of music.

Suraaj Parab (12:06.735) I actually like this about you. Most people who get trained in a classical way are not open to exploring other genres. But the great thing about you is that you went and played in a metal band despite being trained in a classical way. Suraaj and Sandeep always discuss this. Suraaj was trained in a Western classical way but ventured into metal and death metal, going into mosh pits and headbanging, before finding his way into neoclassical. Sandeep looks like a very sober guy now, but in his younger years, he had long hair and looked like a metalhead.

Sandeep Kulkarni (13:05.76) I think it's amazing that you were classically trained but were still open to trying all of these different genres. It's the same thing with me. I'm a singer, and I use the word training, not trained. I'm still training in Indian classical and Western classical singing styles. I'm always open to trying different sounds and genres, which Suraaj and I have done collectively in our songs. I think it's an important thing for any artist to go outside of their little shell and explore other things. There's so much beauty to learn from in music. Did you enjoy metal music, Yulia? Did you do all the headbanging on stage?

Yulia (14:19.412) Yes! The texts were about life and death, and there was a deep meaning to them. It wasn't just scary stuff; I found meaning in those lyrics, and it was interesting to explore something so different.

Sandeep Kulkarni (14:50.082) That's amazing. Yulia, moving from Russia to the US must have been a brand-new chapter in your life. How did relocating all the way from Russia to the US change your relationship with music and self-expression?

Yulia (15:22.164) Self-expression is interesting because in Russia, I worked on commercials, and I liked it because I could write music across different genres. I could write classical orchestral music, do arrangements, and I even tried writing orchestral music for a short movie. For commercials, I could use rock, jazz, and smooth jazz. I loved that I could use different genres to express myself.

When I came here, for a long time I didn't even have a piano. I moved here with suitcases only. I didn't have an easy start; I didn't have money for a piano or a place to work. Then I had kids, so because there was no piano, I focused on having my kids instead. For 10 years, I had a big gap in music where I was just being creative with my children. I put my energy into developing a nice life with them, educating them, teaching them Russian, and teaching them to read. Then I started to teach piano, and I finally had an instrument again. There wasn't much time for composing, but I started to play at least and kept some ideas as drafts.

Later, I was able to record the songs I wrote. One neoclassical song, "Storm," I wrote when I was 16 or 17 years old in school, but I never recorded it until I came to America. We worked with an amazing guitar player and producer, Sergei Ignatov. He played guitar on the track—two guitars, one rhythm and one melody—and he also played drums and produced the song. From there, I continued to compose in smooth jazz and started releasing my instrumental songs. I realized I needed to meet more musicians and talk with them. I met Madok Uchinva and many others, and with Madok, we did the song "For You." He is an amazing producer and wrote the lyrics to my melody. I'm very grateful to him for that collaboration. I realized I had a lot of material in smooth jazz, so I started recording it track by track until I had enough for an album, which I then released. I still continue to work in this genre.

Sandeep Kulkarni (19:34.102) Nice. And was this all in Dallas, or somewhere else in the US?

Yulia (19:43.092) I live in Dallas, but I work online via the internet with musicians.

Sandeep Kulkarni (19:49.15) Got it, so it is all online collaboration. Very cool.

Suraaj Parab (19:56.517) I heard your songs during the voting sessions—like "Heaven I Heard" and your album Best Wishes, which I really liked. One thing I love about your music is that it feels very emotional and introspective. Being a pianist myself, I would like to know: when you sit at the piano, where do these emotions come from to write something so deep? What state are you in when you sit down to play?

Yulia (20:43.764) Music is a language. I need to say something through music, through my notes. It shouldn't just be notes that don't mean anything; I don't want to spend time composing pieces without meaning. Everything should have a purpose. It's very important for me to share positivity to help uplift people and give them good emotions and feelings.

The music depends on my feelings and thoughts. Sometimes I pray, and what I think goes directly into the music and onto the keys. I don't even think about how it happens, but it happens somehow. Other times I feel something that I cannot express with words, so I play, and it happens that way too. I cannot fully explain how it works; it just comes out. I'm so happy that people accept this music, understand it, and like it. It makes me feel like the time spent was truly worth it.

Sandeep Kulkarni (22:49.656) It's beautiful, and you put it very nicely. It is highly emotional. Suraaj forwarded me your links, and when I listened to your music, I could totally feel that deep emotional state you go into. It's gorgeous.

Suraaj Parab (23:18.829) I like that about you. One thing I learned from my childhood idol, the Greek pianist Yanni, is that when you create something on your instrument, you must surrender yourself. When you surrender, whatever comes out is your music—you don't judge it. I felt that exact same thing while listening to your music, and your explanation justifies it. You surrender yourself to the music to create something beautiful.

Sandeep Kulkarni (24:08.194) How has faith influenced your music and the way you navigate creative struggles?

Yulia (24:33.69) It is a core part of my life; I cannot divide myself from my faith. It helps me go through struggles and hard situations, and that's why I want to give that same strength to people through my music. It encourages me, because if I can uplift someone, I have done something good for them. I thank God because He gave me this talent, and I'm so glad to share it with people. As I said earlier, sometimes I pray, and music just comes from my fingers. Prayers can be musical, too. I have a project I want to start working on; I have several compositions that I wrote as prayers, so my plan is to develop them.

Suraaj Parab (25:58.042) I heard your song related to your faith, "Isaiah 40:31," if I am pronouncing it right.

Yulia (26:09.812) Yes, and I have other songs like "Keep the Faith," "Perfect Love"—because God is perfect love, and we can only learn to love people if we see His perfect love—and "Heaven" as well.

Suraaj Parab (26:34.757) That's nice, because I have studied the major holy books, including the Bible, the Gita, and the Quran. When I heard your song, I was very curious about what you had in mind while creating it from that verse. Isaiah 40:31 is about promising renewed strength for those who trust and wait for the Lord, right?

Yulia (27:13.684) Yes, it's about trusting God and knowing He never leaves you. I worked on it with Lou Lin, Jr., a very talented person who unfortunately passed away at the end of 2025. He sent me an initial idea, and as I listened, I felt that it needed an uplifting message. It felt like the message was already inherent in the track, so I tried to listen closely to what it was trying to say. I felt it was very similar to the passage from the Bible, Isaiah 40:31. I chose that name, and he liked it and agreed.

Suraaj Parab (28:45.381) You are a teacher who has taught many students across different cultures. Sandeep used to be a teacher himself for almost 13 years. Teaching across different cultures, what has that experience taught you about yourself as an artist?

Yulia (29:43.413) Teaching kids has taught me to be patient with people in everything, including music. It taught me not to give up. It helps me to not give up on myself and to keep trying, keep playing, and keep composing. If a piece isn't flowing and no ideas are coming, I shouldn't give up; I should try again and again. It is incredibly helpful. The biggest thing I've learned from teaching is how to be patient with people.

Sandeep Kulkarni (30:41.986) And you are still teaching piano, right? What age group do you usually work with?

Yulia (31:02.9) Usually, I take kids who are six years old or older, but sometimes five-year-olds can start working on music and the piano. I have been teaching for more than 15 years. My youngest student right now is four years old, and she's amazing. She can handle a 30-minute lesson, practices every day, and is happy. I have never seen a student like her at that age; she is very serious. I also have adult students who come to my studio wanting to learn how to read music, read notes, and understand more about music theory and harmony.

Sandeep Kulkarni (32:18.54) Do you hold recitals for your students?

Yulia (32:42.484) I am in the Music Teachers National Association, and our local association hosts three festivals: the fall festival, winter festival, and spring festival. We have judges at these festivals. The kids play and receive a certificate with notes from the judges detailing what was good and what needs a little more work, along with a grade and a ribbon. If the kids work hard for three years in a row, they can earn trophies for each respective festival sequence. Some of my students who I have taught for seven or eight years from a very young age already have their second trophies. They perform at the festivals, and we also do performances at the mall before Christmas and in June. I'm thinking about organizing a dedicated studio recital for all my students together around April or May this year.

Sandeep Kulkarni (34:11.79) Looking at your amazing journey all the way from Russia to the US, was there ever a moment along your path when you doubted yourself as a musician, and what helped you continue?

Yulia (44:52.368) Of course I have faced doubts about what I'm doing and why I'm doing it, thinking that people can survive without my music anyway. But then I think about why I have this talent. I have this talent for a reason; it's not just an accident. If God gave me this talent, I have to say something through it and use it. That truth helps me to continue.

Sandeep Kulkarni (35:37.603) God gave you the talent, and you worked incredibly hard to cultivate it. Suraaj and I firmly believe that talent exists in all of us, but recognizing it at the right time and working hard to cultivate it is what matters, and you clearly have done that.

Suraaj Parab (36:05.549) You went from Siberia to the US, won an award at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards for "Heaven," and became a Grammy voting member. Those are major achievements. There are thousands of pianists trained in Siberia at the conservatory, but not everyone achieves what you have, which shows your immense dedication. Do you feel that your music structurally changed after moving to the United States?

Yulia (37:14.036) When I was in Siberia, I loved to listen to American smooth jazz and contemporary instrumental music—artists like Bob James, Dave Grusin, Chick Corea, Joe Sample, Marcus Miller, and George Benson. We didn't have much of this music in Russia; it wasn't popular, and not many people liked it. I always felt like I didn't quite belong there, as if I should have been born in a different country.

When I moved here, I realized there is so much talent here. These musicians play so amazingly. You can go anywhere and hear beautiful, highly professional live performances. I felt like I finally found a home for myself as a musician here. I can still write in different genres if needed, but I feel the musical surroundings are much more friendly for me. It is also easier to connect with other musicians here. Part of that is because technology is much better now than it was 30 years ago, but regardless, I'm glad I am here.

Sandeep Kulkarni (39:44.111) You are being very humble because you are an amazing musician yourself. I am certain that the musicians you connected and jammed with here were wowed by your playing, knowledge, and ability. When someone listens to your music for the very first time without knowing your background story, what do you hope they feel?

Yulia (40:23.044) Music is a language. When I put emotions and my thoughts into what I do, it can be felt by the person listening, whether it's their first time or their tenth time hearing it. It doesn't matter. I put everything I have—my soul, my thoughts, and my emotions—inside my music. You can feel the emotions because I explicitly put them there. Because it is a language, you just need to know what you want to say, and the other person will be able to read and feel it.

Suraaj Parab (41:25.593) How do you know when a piece you are creating is completely finished? Is it a technical decision or an emotional one?

Yulia (42:29.556) When I create, I don't think about technical things. I think about the melody, chords, and rhythm. I think about the song's construction, like the intro, verse, chorus, and bridge. Sometimes it starts directly from the chorus or a specific phrase, and I just play around with it, listening to what it sounds like, and then build the other sections around it. When a song is ready, it's fully formed in my head, and you just need to record it.

When I play, I don't hear it solely on the piano; I always hear it as a full band in my head. When I play bass notes, I hear it as a bass guitar playing a certain rhythm. I need a drum player who can capture the rhythm I play and convert it into a drum part, and I can hear what kind of rhythm or voicing the guitar should have. Sometimes it is a conversation between instruments. For example, in my song "Under the Dancing Moon," I envisioned a distinct conversation between the piano and the saxophone while writing it. I recorded my piano part first, and then the saxophone player recorded his part to match what was in my head. I hear the finished product arrangement from the start. My technical goal in the studio is simply to replicate what I hear in my head at the beginning, ensuring good performance quality.

During the final mixing process, I like to participate because I want to ensure the piano sound comes out full and dynamic. I like a dynamic sound where I can play soft and loud without it being over-compressed.

Sandeep Kulkarni (46:18.56) That's great that you actively take part in the post-production mix to focus on those intricate dynamic details. Some musicians just play their part and leave, so it's wonderful that you stay involved.

Yulia (47:05.396) I want to mention one specific song collaboration with Italian producer and composer Enrico Bolognesi called "Only with You." It was challenging to mix because it featured so many instruments: strings, acoustic guitars, piano, and multiple layers of keyboards. I didn't want the sound to turn out flat, where all the background instruments blur together while the guitar takes the lead. I wanted a true conversation between the piano and guitar on top, while maintaining distinct layers for the other instruments like the flute and the bass. If you want to focus your ears on the bass, you should be able to hear it clearly. It was hard to balance because of the high track count. I remember we did seven takes of mixing before it was right; that was my highest number of iterations.

Sandeep Kulkarni (48:50.136) Seven iterations, wow! What is the ultimate message or piece of wisdom you want to give to the future generation of kids who are learning music?

Yulia (49:33.141) I would say follow your dreams because we only have one life to live. We need to live life enjoying the process, enjoying the time, and enjoying what we do. I would not recommend doing something you dislike for long periods of time and being unhappy, especially knowing that you could use that time to fulfill your purpose, express yourself, and bring something heartfelt to people. Do not just do things mechanically if you don't like them. Enjoying life means doing your best all the time and never giving up on your goals.

Sandeep Kulkarni (50:38.958) I love what you said about having one life to live. I have a tattoo in Sanskrit that says Ek Jivanam, Ek Avasar, which translates to "One Life, One Chance." You only get one life, so you have to live it and follow your dreams.

Suraaj Parab (51:05.753) Thank you so much, Yulia, for accepting our invitation, coming onto our podcast, and sharing your journey and music with us. We are deeply honored and grateful. Your honesty behind your art and story reminds us that music carries memory, faith, and emotion across borders and time—from Siberia to the United States. To everyone listening, thank you for being a part of this conversation. Check out Yulia's music on Spotify, Apple Music, and follow her on Instagram.

Sandeep Kulkarni (52:08.654) Thanks so much, Yulia.

Yulia (52:09.236) Thank you so much for inviting me. I'm so grateful. You are amazing.

Suraaj Parab (52:35.907) We will see you in the next episode. Thank you.