Beyond the Visible: The Phenomenon of Ziraddin Rzaev by Mark Levin

"The Ultimate Prophecy of 'The Voice of the Country'"

Summer 2011 was in full swing when the phone rang in Ziraddin Rzaev’s apartment. On the other end of the line was his close friend, the renowned singer Stas Piekha.

"I’ve been invited to Ukraine," the artist shared enthusiastically. "I’m going to be one of the coaches on a massive new TV project called The Voice of the Country (Holos Krainy). Ilya Zudin is coming with me. But I really want you to fly to Kyiv too. After all, you have a background in music as a trained violinist—I’m going to need your ear and your intuition out there!"

Ziraddin accepted his friend’s invitation. Shortly after, the creative trio boarded a special flight from Moscow to Kyiv. The atmosphere on the set was alive with excitement and high artistry; joining Stas in the iconic spinning coaches' chairs were some of the biggest names in the Ukrainian and Russian music scenes: Diana Arbenina, Ruslana Lyzhychko, and Aleksandr Ponomarev. Ziraddin Rzaev and Ilya Zudin immediately dove into the process, serving as a reliable backbone and trusted advisors to Piekha’s team.

During a brief break on one of the first days of filming, Stas and his friends stepped out into the television center's courtyard for some fresh air. Spotting them, a reporter and a cameraman from the project's production crew hurried over.

"Stas, could you please introduce your companions?" the reporter asked, nodding toward the rolling camera.

Stas Piekha proudly pointed to Ziraddin: "This is my close friend. A man with phenomenal psychic abilities and a renowned expert. On top of that, he holds multiple higher education degrees; he is an entirely modern, profound, and highly intellectual gentleman."

Deciding to test the artist's high praise on the spot, the journalist turned to Ziraddin with a touch of irony: "If you're a psychic, tell me right now on camera: how many missed calls are on my phone?"

Stas Piekha winced slightly at the triviality of the question, jokingly muttering, "Oh boy, here we go again..." Ziraddin, however, remained perfectly calm. He looked intently at the journalist and responded firmly: "There are currently three missed calls on your phone."

The reporter immediately pulled out his mobile phone, glanced at the screen, and shook his head with a triumphant smile: "Ah, you guessed wrong! I only have two missed calls."

Stas and Ilya Zudin smiled good-naturedly, noting that for an impromptu guess, the result was still impressive—being off by just a single digit on a random question felt like a minor miracle. But no one present at that moment realized that Ziraddin hadn’t just "guessed" or come "close to the truth." He had seen the truth itself, which merely required a couple of minutes to materialize in the physical world.

The journalist shifted his attention to Ilya Zudin, asking him about his upcoming plans. Before the musician could finish his first few sentences, the reporter’s jacket pocket came alive. The phone emitted a brief ringtone and instantly fell silent. The caller had hung up.

For a moment, a stunned silence hung in the air. Ilya Zudin was the first to realize what had just happened and exclaimed emotionally, barely holding back his laughter: "And there is your third missed call!"

The courtyard erupted with astonishment and loud laughter. The cameraman, the journalist, and the artists themselves stood in absolute amazement, realizing that the psychic had peered into the future just a few minutes ahead of time.

This unique video footage, captured accidentally by the reporters, is today carefully preserved in Ziraddin Rzaev’s personal archive and on his official social media pages, remaining one of the brightest and warmest memories of that Kyiv summer of 2011.

However, this amusing incident with the mobile phone in the courtyard was merely a modest prelude to Ziraddin Rzaev’s main, truly sensational prediction—one that would forever etch his name into the history of Ukrainian television.

Like any dedicated coach, Stas Piekha rooted for his team with all his heart. Incredibly talented, young, and ambitious vocalists had come under his wing. A victory for any of them would mean a triumph for Stas’s entire creative group, including his advisors, Ilya Zudin and Ziraddin. Piekha was fueled by this ambition and did everything in his power to guide his proteges to success.

Imagine his surprise when, during the working process on one of the early filming days, Ziraddin leaned over and whispered quietly but confidently into his ear: "My brother, no matter how hard you try, someone else will win this competition. The winner of the project will be a young man who can barely see. His eyes can uniquely distinguish almost no light."

Perplexed, Stas mentally ran through the faces of the contestants on his own team. None of his vocalists suffered from such ailments. However, such a young man—a naturally gifted singer blind from birth named Ivan Ganzera—happened to be on Diana Arbenina’s team. His friend's words struck a deep chord with Piekha, prompting him to follow the unfolding events with a special sense of anticipation.

Long, grueling weeks of filming ensued. Live broadcasts gave way to rehearsals, and the nerves of both contestants and coaches were stretched to their limits. Finally, the day of the grand finale arrived. Months of incredibly hard work lay behind them. The exhausted vocalists, tired yet happy experts, and millions of viewers glued to their screens froze in anticipation of the final verdict. The entire country was guessing who would claim the coveted trophy.

Only Stas Piekha remained completely calm. He had known the name of the winner since the very start of the marathon, having learned from personal experience that Ziraddin Rzaev’s intuition almost never misses the mark.

The host’s voice cut through the silence of the studio, announcing the champion of the first season: "Ivan Ganzera!" The auditorium erupted in applause. Due to his severe vision impairment, the young man had to be guided onto the stage by his arms, helping him step up to receive his hard-earned award. The prophecy, spoken in a whisper months prior, had been fulfilled with striking accuracy.