Eldrine dedicates first album to Georgian soldiers
By Salome Modebadze
Monday, June 24
The Georgian band Eldrine is planning to issue its first CD album called Till the End dedicated to the servicemen participating in the ISAF mission in Afghanistan.
While working on the CD, they met with veterans of the Afghan War and based their songs on their stories.
Eldrine’s singer Sopo Toroshelidze expressed her condolences to the families of the fallen soldiers. “We are musicians and our only tool is music,” she said, stressing that Eldrine tried to put the emotions of the veterans of the Afghan War in their songs so that the audience could realize how these people have been trying to protect the country– sometimes even at the expense of their lives.
Eldrine’s album was recorded at Bravo Records Studio. The project is carried out in partnership with the Ministry of Defense of Georgia, the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs, and the Ministry of Culture and Monument Protection, together with Gulf and Elit Electronics. Zaza Shengelia, President of Bravo Records said cooperation of the state and private organizations over such projects is always important.
Established in 2010, Eldrine earned its first success at the Altervision Newcomers festival, while at the Eurovision festival in 2011 in Germany, the band finished in 9th place among the 43 countries.
With their joint project, Eldrine and Bravo Records want to express their great support and respect towards the Georgian men serving in the peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan.
Welcoming Eldrine’s idea, the Deputy Ministry of Defense, Tamar Karosanidze, said this is a good example of how society can support its servicemen abroad and make their lives away from the homeland easier. She hoped Eldrine would thus become one of the most favorite bands not only for Georgian servicemen, but everyone serving in Afghanistan.
Expressing his gratitude towards the organizers and partners of the project, Deputy Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs, Akaki Lodia, said on the one hand it is the obligation of everyone to make the lives of the servicemen protecting their countries more beautiful, while on the other hand, paying tribute to the souls of those who have fallen at the battlefield. He hoped this project would become popular not only in Georgia, but in other parts of the world.
Recollecting that the culture of visiting the soldiers in the battlefield is a common practice worldwide, Irina Saganelidze, representative of the Ministry of Culture and Monument Protection, said this would be a relief for the servicemen to realize that the whole country is supporting them. She said such projects are important for making the names of the fallen soldiers immortal.
At a press conference at Bravo Records on June 20, Shengelia said the band wants to perform the songs from the album live for the ISAF servicemen in Afghanistan.
The exact date of Eldrine’s Afghan concert is not yet known, while on July 5, the album will be presented at concert hall of Tbilisi State University.
