Music is universal, loved literally ALL over the world, crossing oceans and cultures. Case in point- let me introduce you to one of my besties, Dmitry Zaytsev, Moscow musician, arranger, composer and songwriter. I met Dimi in an intensive collaborative songwriting seminar about seven years ago, and we hit it off right away! Our first co-write was with Swedish writer Martin Lorentzson, and we wrote a hauntingly beautiful modern-day folk tune called “The Birch Tree.” It was so cool writing with these incredibly perceptive and thoughtful European men , creating a song from their ancestral lore of winter and birch trees and nightingales near the arctic circle. I guess Wisconsin isn’t THAT far from south either… we shared a love of dark nights, intense emotions, seasonal contrast and passionate music! 

Dimi is a gentleman, a brilliant scholar and an old soul. Born in Moscow in 1975, he was educated at the Russian Musical Academy as a bass-guitarist and jazz composer. In 2002, he won first prize at the festival "Music of the New Generation, XXI Century” in the category "Jazz Composer."  Around that time, Dimi’s interests turned to pop, rock, disco, funk and latin music. His multi genre expertise is endless! In 2006, Dimi formed his solo project Rhythmystica (Ритмистика) were he started his career as a composer, arranger, singer, bass player, guitar player and sound producer. Yes- he does all of that! And in 2015, I entered, providing English lyrics to his tasty compositions. Dimi and I have co-written and released several songs under his studio band "Rhythmystica" including our award winning “Innocent” in 2023 (Finalist in Lyric Writing in The Great American Song Contest") and coming full circle, “The Birch Tree” in 2024.