For sure SEVI rock band has traveled a thorny road however also full of adventure, surprise and unexpected success. Anxiety, hardships and problems sometimes look like a very high cost to pay in today's world, but they come in handy to develop strength of character and will needed for those who pursue fame.

“There are guys who find it a nuisance to be themselves and they opt for a different kind of security that I think is illusory”, says Svetlana Bliznakova who has lent her nickname Sevi to the band itself. “The question is what we prefer: being or not being ourselves”, she and Rali Velinov contend. “In art it's the same as in life. A man sides firmly with his beloved woman, and shares her love for music. The important point is to do what you love.”

The Price of Being Oneself is a book that traces the development of SEVI band and was premiered at the 5th anniversary of the band hosted by the Sofia Live Club. A fairy-tale snow was blocking Sofia traffic but this did not prevent fans from celebrating with musicians Svetlana Bliznakova, vocals, Rali Velinov, bass, Pavlin Ivanov, percussion, Temelko Temelkov-Tommy, guitar, and Desislava Markova, piano, as well as with the book's author Nikolay Hristov - without a birthday cake but with some music for the soul.

In principle, Nikolay has not written other books: this has been his debut. In real life he is a tradesman, but has a soft spot for music and can definitely spot a band with a future.

 ЧThe way I came across the band is an interesting story”, Nikolay Hristov says. “I met with old friends in a club where by way of coincidence, a festival was on organized by SEVI. It was back in 2012 and the first rock marathon with the motto 23 Hours and ½. At the club we didn't listen much to the music until SEVI came on stage to close the event. Then we listened, and decided to get acquainted with them. Since then I keep myself updated on what they are doing, and I am glad to have been in the right place, at the right time. They would for sure become famous but it could be that someone else would have written a book about the band. Now it's me though!”

At that time Nikolay Hristov was busy writing for various music websites about rock and heavy metal. He started writing reports about SEVI describing their struggle in a four-part article. The band is just five but its bio is quite eventful: starting with their first stage experience while opening a concert of Vasko Krupkata, on to taking a lead in the charts of Z-Rock and Kamenitza Rock 40, all the way to the prize from Kavarna Rock Festival in 2014 when SEVI played on the same stage as Europe and Halloween bands. Their signature tunes can be heard on British and US radio stations. The band often appears in clubs, records music in various studios, joins festivals and goes on tours abroad. Their concerts are always based on distinct concepts, with special costumes and plots. Ambitious and creative they have always fought for the right to write their own music and dream of world fame.

So far, SEVI's most popular track is On My Own. The song is about important life choices, a story told in a most emotional way. The nice video to the track is the work of talented screenplay writer and director Emil Tsonchev with whom the band plans to work in the future too.

English Daniela Konstantinova