Nechayeva values control over her freelance career

Singer Elina Nechayeva has deliberately worked as a freelancer throughout her career because she values control over her life and professional choices, ERR’s Vikerraadio reported.

I like having power over my life. I like deciding for myself which projects I take on and which I do not. My entire career management is in my hands, she said.

Nechayeva acknowledged that not all of her decisions may be good, but said she appreciates bearing full responsibility for them.

She said her mother has recalled that she was born a month and a half prematurely, and that her lungs had not developed sufficiently by that time. A doctor recommended swimming or singing to help develop her lung capacity, and her mother enrolled her in both. Nechayeva joined a choir at the age of four.

At the beginning of puberty, when her grades began to fall somewhat, her mother started asking her serious questions about what she wanted to become and how she wanted to make the world a better place. Nechayeva said she spent months thinking about her future and eventually saw a broadcast from the Salzburg Festival in which Anna Netrebko sang in Verdi’s opera La Traviata.

It was so beautiful, and I thought that this was what I wanted to do, Nechayeva recalled.

She also spoke about the precautions she takes to protect her voice. Before performing, she avoids going to the sauna and exercising excessively so as not to strain her abdominal muscles, which can affect the flexibility of the diaphragm.

Every step in my life is about keeping my voice in shape, Nechayeva said. Her favourite role is the Queen of the Night in Mozart’s opera The Magic Flute.

Nechayeva released the album Dreams in 2025. According to the singer, it cost more than 200,000 euros to produce.

I am still working to somehow survive it. Sometimes I think that this investment is a bit like horror dreams, she said, adding that the situation was not so bad and everything would work out.

Nechayeva described making the album as an interesting journey of self-discovery and a journey in Italy.

She also said that love can be found in everyday small moments, which bring joy and make life feel good.