Stefan Valdobrev and “The Usual Suspects” are among the most iconic bands on the modern Bulgarian music scene. The cult albums of the group O-O-I love you, dear, 10 ½, ...to, Revolution, The world is big and salvation lurks everywhere, Dog boarding, Propaganda, chromosomes, silicon, LIVE, Code Yellow, reached a total circulation of over 250,000 copies.

On August 30, they will blow up the Amphitheater in Sozopol at the 40th Jubilee Arts Festival "Apollonia" with their latest songs from their latest album "!Exclamation Marks Question Marks?", as well as with eternal hits in BG music.

The usual suspects are: Stefan Valdobrev - vocals, Stoyan Yankulov - drums, Veselin Veselinov - Eco bass, Ivan Lechev - guitars, Miroslav Ivanov - guitars.

We conducted a (Un)Usual interview with Stefan Valdobrev, in which the musician, composer, songwriter, actor and director shares his thoughts and emotions on various topics, summed up in one word.

APOLLONIA

Strong, unrelenting emotion. I was a street musician back in 1988 - a student in love with the arts, sitting in the square in front of the Amphitheater with a guitar, having the courage to sing not covers, but my own songs. Later I started presenting theater productions (in which I am an actor or composer), films (in which I am an actor, director or composer), my book and every new album without exception. My connection with this legendary festival is immense.

Photo: Borislav Ganchev

THE SEA

Timelessness. Endless. Carefree. Freedom.

THE ISLAND OF SAINT ANASTASIA

An adventure. An experience like no other. One of the most special places we've ever played.

THE UN (USUAL) SUSPECTS

What's unusual about The Usual Suspects has always been a sense of lightness and joy. The irony, the drama, the sense of humor, the telling of human stories through music. The philosophy that nothing comes at any cost and that song-making is much more than virtuosic musicianship. That complex things should look like they were spontaneously created while you were drinking your morning coffee. And the audience should not suspect the inhuman tension that you actually went through during the long creative process.

THE TOUR

The tour for !EXCLAMATION MARKS QUESTION MARKS? brings me back the enthusiasm of the years before 2020. Such a feeling of romance. For the road, for bikes, racing from city to city, for smiling meetings with people, for noisy tables late at night after the end of the concerts. I decided to make it compact - eight cities within two weeks. And I think I was not wrong, because the feeling of rock and roll is more real. For a long time, people's souls were tightened in a vise, and it seems that they are now relaxing, longing for normality, that's what I see. There is also something that personally makes me happy - many listeners compare the new album !EXCLAMATION MARKS QUESTION MARKS? with the older "10 1/2" and "...to". They were honest albums with a positive charge. I often quote a favorite thought from a show I played in: "Art should light up the world, not fuel chaos." That's what I always try to do, I tried now. The audience's evaluation, the comparison of the new album with these two older albums, sincerely pleases me. I personally think we've taken a big step forward musically as a band, staying true to our style.

Photo: Gergana Damyanova

THE INSPIRATION

It is everywhere, you will see it, as long as you are in a permanent state of love. But from there, the hard part begins. In the new album I have a song with the following title: "Inspiration". In it I do a slight demystification of the process:

What kind of inspiration you ask?

I'll tell you - deadline and tension.

Beginning of a non-finite sentence.

An erection of your mind.

Devastation.

Waiting. Wandering.

You're here, but you're gone.

You daydream and hear your muse whispering…

THE POETRY

It is as if, far back in antiquity, words began to yearn for someone to arrange them so that they resembled music in perfection. And then poets appeared and poetry was born. And when good poetry is combined with good music, the most powerful weapon in the world is obtained.

Photo: Pavel Chervenkov

THE DIVISION

I do not remember a time of greater division and intolerance towards each other. Maybe early nineties. But then there was a feeling in the air that something good was about to happen. And now it's the other way around - everyone feels left to fend for themselves, there's no Promised Land, no Arcadia to escape to. The world's software is reinstalled, we see that the new version is worse than the old, and that's where the tension comes from. But we must move forward. In this world chaos, Bulgaria is the best place to live, I have been saying that for four years now. Here, the vast majority of people are firmly connected to the roots, to the land, to faith. Their instincts for good and evil work without fail.

THE ACTING

Acting is my main profession, the craft I have studied. I feel my strength when I act. I carefully select my roles, and when I take on one of them, I aim for it to be definite, complete, unconventional, memorable. Will he be a successful architect with drug and family problems (in "Parts of a Woman" at the National Theater), will he be a chef - a glamorous TV star, but timid in love (in "With his back to the sunset" at the “Salza I Smyah” Theater) or he will be fanatically confident in his rightness criminal inspector (in the TV series "Alpha"), my aspiration is the same - ultra-precision. It was a successful acting year for me, the broadcast of "Alpha" was a celebration. A world-class series. I'm proud to be a part of it.

THE SUCCESS

To excite someone with your songs or your playing.

Interview by Ani Romanova

WHO IS HE?

Photo: Gergana Damyanova

Stefan Valdobrev is a Bulgarian actor, composer, author and performer of songs, film director. He graduated in acting at the National Academy of Theatre and Film Arts and specialized in film directing at the FAMU Film Academy, Prague. He has released thirteen albums, composed the music for numerous films and theater performances, and played a solid number of roles in theater and cinema. His work over the years has enjoyed a rich festival life, audience interest and prestigious awards and nominations.

Among his more significant films as an actor are: "Izpepelyavane" ("Golden Rose" 2004 for Best Actor), "Staklenata reka", "Migration of the Belted Bonito", "The Sinking of Sozopol", "Away from the shore" (award for best supporting role, FUSION 2019), "Doza shtastie", as well as the TV series "Alpha". As a composer: "Svetat e golyam I spasenie debne otvsyakade", "Pansion za kucheta" ("Golden Rose" 2000 for film debut), "Sadilishteto", "Father's Day" and "Ungiven". In 2009, he directed the television show "100 years of Todor Kolev". In 2010, he made the documentary film "My Mate Manchester United" (Special Jury Award - Almaty 2012, Best Portrait Film Award at the Listopad Festival, Minsk 2012).

He played on the stages of the National Theater, Bulgarian Army Theater, Youth Theater, Satirical Theater, Theater 199, Drama Theater Plovdiv, State Opera Plovdiv, La Strada Theater. He is currently participating as an actor in the productions "Little Play Nursery Room" (IKAR 2008 and A'ASKEER 2008 for dramatic text, A'ASKEER 2008 for direction), "Priyatnostrashno" (IKAR 2010 for dramatic text and direction and A'ASKEER 2010 for best performance and direction), "The People of Oz", "Back to the Sunset" and "Parts of a Woman" (A'ASKEER 2022 nomination for best play).

The albums that mark his musical path are: "To", "I love you, darling", "Revolution", "Propaganda, chromosomes, silicon", "Dog boarding house", "10 ½", "Code Yellow", "!EXCLAMATION MARKS QUESTION MARKS?" (achieving a total circulation of over 250,000 copies). With the band "The Usual Suspects" (Stundji Yankulov, Ivan Lechev, Veselin Veselinov-Eko, Miroslav Ivanov) he made numerous national tours, twice became Bulgaria's artist of the year (1999 and 2000), in 2008 he was nominated for artist of the decade by the music "MM" television, and in 2020 and 2021 "The Usual Suspects" became the best group at the "BG Radio" Annual Music Awards.

In 1999, his collection of poems "Catapult" was published, and in 2020 - his "Book of Songs", which has been reprinted four times so far.