“GUFFY IS NOT A DOG!” was created around one year ago as my reaction to the psycho-emotional complexity and difficulty of the immigration period. At one moment, all my life changed. The idea to create something new appeared like my inward attempt to save lightness, the slipping feeling of play and joy at the point when reality became too difficult. I wanted to write something bright, light, dreamy, fairy, and even silly!
In the beginning of 2024, the new material was composed, and in several months I finished my first mini album, Whistle for Friends. We’ve been together with the word “GUFFY” (which might seem like gibberish) for almost three decades. At the age of 12–13, I was hanging out with friends in the countryside, and one girl gave me the nickname “Goofy” because she thought the way I laughed was really similar to his. I liked this cartoon and didn’t mind—maybe because I was in love with that one girl, or probably because at that age I wanted to be an adult.
When the name “GUFFY IS NOT A DOG!” was already born in my mind, I wanted to keep those mistakes—because thanks to them, exactly, I can open up absolutely different dimensions. When I make mistakes, I start to look at usual things from a different angle, like never before, and I learn.
At the same time, I didn’t like being responsible and just wanted to continue playing—like… Goofy. Now, when I try to analyze this image, I understand how relatable he is to me. Goofy represents the moment when a kid explores the world freely, without any fear of making mistakes. He acts spontaneously, with trust, getting into all sorts of stupid situations, but still remains kind and naive. His character says that everything will be fine, even after some fuckups. He symbolizes a feeling of lightness and playfulness that we often lose when we become adults. Later, as a teenager, I used this nickname in various public chats but spelled it with mistakes. Well, I was just writing it the way it sounded.