June 28,2008
Anna Rekhviashvili , Georgia Today

In Tbilisi everybody remembers the legend of “Mziuri”, or at least the movie “Mziuri”, about a ship of young musicians who travel around and make beautiful music.

Many of those children, who are now all grown up, have continued their careers in showbusiness, and are some of the best performers of Georgian music. Today, the legendary Mziuri continues to offer youngsters a chance to get a foothold in the world of professional performance.

The Mziuri concert was held in the Young Students’ Palace on June 26, and featured a very talented singer. 11 year-old Nutsiko Buzaladze sang an impressive solo of “Ave Maria” – which is an incredibly difficult piece, especially for someone so young. She also sang a duet called “Spring” which was a song from the first “Mziuri”, holding the audience captivated throughout.

Georgians may remember Nutsa from children’s contest “Ana-Bana” where she was invited as a representative of a Georgian girl living in Turkey, as most of the time Nutsa lives in Turkey with her aunt. At “Ana-Bana” Nutsa sung two songs “Ister Sallan Gez” in Turkish, and “Sakvarelo Mamulo” (My Dear Land) in Georgian, and her performance left many members of the jury and even the vice state minister of Georgia, attending the concert, in tears. Nutsa also enjoyed success at the international youth festival “A Voice from Georgia.”

The most incredible thing about this girl is her age. When one hears her amazing voice, it is astounding to think that she is only 11 years old.

Nutsa’s teacher said of her student: “Some people learn singing, improve their hearing, work on their voice. Nutsa doesn’t really need to learn anything, singing is just her gift, and she naturally has it. She has everything: the manner of singing, giving it her own character, the way to stand of the stage, she is born with this talent.”

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Nutsa started to sing before she started to talk. As her mother explained, she was only one year and two month old, when she began to climb on the table and sing. Soon she could almost sing 9 songs, even with lyrics, which she would perform in front of guests. She had remembered all the songs which her mother had sung to her. That was the moment when it became clear to her mother that this child would never stop singing. To this day, Nutsa wants to sing; she chose to sing at “Mziuri” and does not rely on her parents’ choice.

This article is the first interview that Nutsa has done, but like a true professional, she answered all the questions without confusion. She said: “I have my favorite singers, and songs, I learn to sing them myself. My favorite singer is Whitney Huston, but I also like Shakira, Beyonce, Eve, and Gwen Stefani. I know some of their songs are not for children but I like to sing them myself.”

Nutsa is also fond of old classical jazz and Louis Armstrong, as well as the first generation of Mziuri performers, like Maia Jabua and Nukri Kapanadze. As for her future plans, Nutsa wants to stay active, she wants to sing at Euro Vision one day, or try her hand at Russian show-business. Nutsa dreams of becoming a star in Hollywood, which probably is a dream of many at her age, but very few have real potential for it, and who knows what time will bring.

Wherever Nutsa goes, she says she’ll always remember her homeland. “If I take part in any festival, I will always represent my country – Georgia - there, and no matter where I go I’ll always say that I’m Georgian,” said Nutsa.