Living The Red Life - Nutsa: From Small-Town Singer to 179 Countries

Episode Date: August 5, 2026

A singer from Georgia sends audition videos from Dubai and suddenly finds herself on American Idol, representing her country at Eurovision, and reaching listeners in 179 countries. But the real story is not about fame. In this episode of Living the Red Life, Nutsa Buzaladze opens up about the pressure of performing on the world stage, the failure that forced her to rebuild herself, and why changing environments can completely reshape a person’s future. She shares the mindset that helped her keep moving through public criticism, personal setbacks, and the pressure to achieve something bigger every year. For anyone building a business, personal brand, or creative career, this conversation explores confidence, reinvention, resilience, and the bold decision to stop fitting in and start becoming fully yourself.Key TakeawaysLeaving a comfortable environment is often necessary for real personal and professional growth.Confidence is a critical part of performance, leadership, and long-term success.Public criticism becomes unavoidable as visibility and influence increase.Gratitude and humility help maintain clarity during both highs and lows.Major failures can become the turning point that creates a stronger future.Notable Quotes“Standing up is harder actually than achieving success.”“The world is your oyster.”“I think you get the biggest breakthroughs when you actually embrace and become yourself.”“Bad people are going to try a lot to put you down.”

I remember when I was like 17, I won this one contest, and it was a big, huge success for me. And I remember everyone was so happy. Nobody was hating on me yet. And that's when everything started, you know? Well, the bigger you get, the harder it gets, and the more challenges you have, I believe. Exactly.

I realized that the most important thing is, like to stay true to yourself, you know, don't change for anybody. And the most important thing, what I've realized this month is... My name is Rudy Moore, host of Living the Red Life podcast and I'm here to change the way you see your life in your earpiece every single week if you're ready to start living the red life ditch the blue pill take the red pill join me in Wonderland and change your life what's up guys welcome back to another

episode of living the red life today I have my friend in town Nutsa she's a very famous singer you may recognize her from American Idol finalist there and has done a whole host of things this year in particular represented Georgia in the Eurovision which if you're American, you may not know, but a lot of famous people came through it. In England and Europe, it's the bit is the Olympics of singing. Yes. Right. But welcome to the show.

Thanks, Rudy. Thanks for inviting. I'm very happy to be here. I'm very happy to be in Miami. Miami is the place. Yes, I love it. I love it. And thanks for inviting.

Yes, it was a really big year for it as a song called. Last couple of years. Yeah, last two years, it was really crazy. It was a great years for me as a singer to grow. It was a good years for me to grow as a person as well. And, you know, and see myself in bad situations and good situations as well. But I love that. It was great.

Well, and I always say, you know, entrepreneurship, you have your ups and downs, your highs and lows. If you're a pro athlete, you get injured, right? Or you don't get picked for the team for the Olympics. And I think singing, you know, I'm not into that industry. but anything where you're trying to be the best at what you do, it's full of ups and downs. And that's what today is about, your success in the highs and lows in the singing world, right?

Yes, yes, exactly. I'm to be a singer, like, it's everybody thinks that it's fun. Oh, it's so fun. And you go somewhere, oh, you're a singer. Could you sing for us? It's so nice. We love singing. And, you know, and everybody's saying,

oh, I wish I sing. But actually, it's very hard to, you know, be on spotlight. you know and once you do something big then you want to do something bigger and then you want to do something bigger and then you want to do something bigger and you know to be you know thinking all the time about it and to be fully into in this you know it's very hard to then live your personal life well you know and then to balance your personal life and career it's kind of very hard well well also it's like you know the entrepreneurship you're chipping away every hour of every day yes but you're also like practicing, but you, but everything comes to one moment, right?

Like the big, you know, on stage. Yeah, the big moment. And you kind of like every year, like since I was a kid, I wanted to have like every year something bigger and bigger happening. So I kind of program my mind and myself that Nutsa every year, you got to go higher, you got to go higher. You got to go higher. And that it's kind of like punishment. as well for yourself, to be honest.

I like, fire under you. Yeah, because you're always like, you always want more. You always want more. But also, I learned how to like live in the present as well. And, you know, and when I have the best moments, I fully enjoy it. I think what's interesting with entrepreneurs is like I've had a lot of wow moments too, right? Big stages and Amazon Prime TV show. But because I'm so competitive, I'm like, yeah, that's.

cool, but I'm like already onto the next thing. And some of my friends and family almost say like, Rudy, you got to stop and enjoy the moment. But I'm like, I think ultra successful people, they're like, by the time the moment comes, they're already like on to do next day. Yeah. It's so true. Yeah. And also other thing is what I think that, you know, for example, you know, you come from England, right? And I come from Georgia, right? And it's kind of also like you have to be also a person of like, you know, you cannot be so into your culture and into your small country. They say, yeah, you know, you have to make your eyes and make yourself like, like, open.

It's like the world's your oyster, right? Like, you got to try and, yeah, do whatever you can. Because I was thinking, like, if I'm going to act the same way, if I'm not going to show myself up to everything, like how these people are going to know that, you know, oh, there is a singer coming from Georgia. Like, no one really cares in America. I mean, you've got to prove it. It's very hard if you're not an American trying to break in and the singing and all that.

Very hard. But in my case, an American Idol, it happened like I was not even living here. I was living in Dubai by the time. And I just sent my videos. I tried. And then it all started happening like that. Yeah, it's funny because I just filmed a documentary on myself. And I say part of it, I'm like,

I think I'm delusional, and that's why I'm successful. Because you have to be, like, so delusional that you believe in yourself. Like, you're going to go from Georgia in Dubai, apply for American Idol, and then somehow get in, right? You've got to be delusional. But that's what makes the better. You know, and Muhammad Ali is famous for saying, I am the greatest. When he wasn't, he was just starting his boxing career, right?

So, so that successful trait lives on. And also, you know, you said, I'm from. England. Like, if I walked around in England like this, I'd probably get attacked, right? Or, you know, no one in England dressed like this, right? Especially out of London, like in a small city. So you have to be a little different to be successful and, and, uh, be yourself as well. Yeah, be yourself, of course. And that's when you actually, you know, me and Tim Storri, which is talking about this, I think you get the biggest breakthroughs when you actually embrace and become yourself because people are too scared. Exactly. Exactly. And also, I've realized,

that, for example, I have, like, big thing, right? And then something, like something bad happens. Yeah, always. Like, you know, ways, maybe in the family, maybe in your personal life, maybe in career, maybe there's something happens and your career starts to go down. And then I think the strongest people and the most successful people is, is like, they are very strong. Yeah, yeah.

Because you've got to be strong to, you know, hip fighting and stand up. because standing up is harder, actually, than achieving success, you know, because I remember when I was like 17, I won this one contest, and it was a big, huge success for me. And I remember everyone was so happy. Nobody was hating on me yet. You know, everybody was so happy and I was so lovely. And that's when everything started, you know? Well, the bigger you get, the harder it gets and the more challenges you have.

Exactly. Exactly. Because then, you know, you have some status and people are waiting from you. to, you know, when something is happening, you've got to make a statement. You know, then you make a statement. Then some people don't like... Yeah, you can never win, right? Never.

Never. So I realize that the most important thing is, like, to stay true to yourself, you know, don't change for anybody. And the most important thing, what I've realized this month is that, you know, bad people, they're going to try. They're going to try a lot to put you down. and they're going to try you to make like they are, you know, like bad, bad people. Well, bad people are, they live, they have nothing for them going, and they have all the time in the world to try and make other people supper. So, you know, I had like many, many, you know, thoughts about that.

I'm like, like, why those people are like ours, why they are like so hateful towards me? I didn't do anything wrong, right, to them. Yeah, yeah. But they want to, they're trying to make you bad guy. they want to try to make you the same way as they are. So the most part thing is like to stay true to yourself and and, you know, remember who you really are and, you know, just keep fighting and just, you know, go like this. Yeah, yeah, you have to, yeah.

After a while, because like, you know, I've been advertising online and stuff for nearly eight, nine years. And I think in the first couple of years, like each comment started, you've analyzed it bothered nearly a little. Oh, you got? Yeah. a bit, but now the last five, six years, like, genuinely, I laugh at them now. I don't even see them. My team handle them. Like, you get to a point where you just kind of, you know,

just get on with it. And you have to be true to yourself and know that you're doing good and you're on the right path. But I mean, a lot of people listening, they're actually too, they allow it to impact them too much. They get too bothered and too upset. And then they question themselves and it's like causes this snowball effect over this one random person in their mom's basement. You know, that person that didn't do stay out of their life. But it's really hard. So people who want to be successful and get successful, this is what I'm going to say,

that be ready for that. And I'm sure you're getting a lot in the last two years, right? You know, when you're a kid, especially when you, I started my career when I was 16 years old. And when you're a kid, everyone looks at you, oh, she's so cute and she's so old. And then when you grow up and you get bigger than they actually are, especially like singer, you know, like, and they see you as their competition. And then they try to put you down in any ways they can. And you got to be ready for that. You got to be, it doesn't matter how good of a person you are. And doesn't matter how kind of a person you are. With that type of people, with that kind of people, you just have to be like, like don't look them, don't give them any attention, don't give them any energy and just, you know, ignore, ignore completely. That's what drives them crazy. Yeah, yeah.

So that's what I'm going to say that, be ready for that. Yeah, and I just switching gears to something you said earlier because I want to ask you, you said you got to, you're going bigger every year, right? So American Idol, Eurovision. Yes. 2025. What are you going to do? Well, on 2025, I wanted to do this on 2020.

for, right? I don't really like to sing my plans. So it's done, right? But the most important thing for me on 2025 is to completely change my living space. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. I'm like, I'm living like my half life. I'm living in Georgia. I'm always traveling. Either I'm in U.S. either I'm in other countries, right. But I really want myself to like, just to move in some other city. other country and just to be there for at least one year. Okay. And that country is U.S. Definitely.

And I love Miami for that. You know, I would love, love to be settled here and to live in here because I feel like that this city is going to give me like a lot of doors and opportunities, you know, and to, you know, show myself to other segments. I see that. Yeah. You know, and that's very important for a person as a person. person to grow because in your country and in the place where you are so comfortable, I

realize you never grow. No, you have nothing. Because you're like very comfortable. Everybody loves you. Everybody knows you. You're very successful. You know, and then what? That one.

Every time I've moved, my life's got massively better. Yeah. And one of the first podcasts on here was Grant Cardone. And he said the same. He said every time you move, it pushed him and his life got better. And I was actually thinking back the other day, like, what does. some of the biggest things in my life, like cheat codes or hacks, that made my life significantly better, right? Like miles better, right? Not like a new car, a new watch or a new friend, but like

miles better that I'll look back when I'm 80 years old. And the main two was moving to America and then moving to Miami. It's like, yeah, it's like, hot five things. And you had so many great people. It made so many successful people. And I've realized every time I meet a new person who is successful in their field, they always teach me something new that makes me think about life, makes me think about myself, and I always get some knowledge from them, and it's so beautiful. The same thing I can say about you, the things that you say, your story, you know, it's inspiring. So you meet this type of people in Miami, particularly a lot. Yeah, a lot, yeah.

And I love it, you know, it's really great. Yeah, I think for, you know, anyone listening, the whole, like, where you live is fascinating. Because most people, I think they are born and they believe they have to stay in that area, right? Where it's like you've got the whole world to live, right? And obviously you have family and stuff, but... And it's always scary. Yeah, of course. That's the biggest thing.

It's scary, yeah. It's scary, but it's so beautiful. You know, once you go out from that space, a little bubble, it's so many adventures. Yeah. And when I moved to America, everyone said, well, what if it doesn't work out? What if you don't like it? Yeah, if there is so many. If tomorrow you die.

And my reply was, well, if it doesn't work out, I just move home, move back next year. Yeah, you always have your home. You always have your relatives, your friends waiting for you. And it's beautiful. When I go back to my country, yeah, they love it. Yeah, it's so beautiful. I love it there. But then after like maybe two weeks, you know, I have to start, well, I had to start moving, you know.

I can last about five days in England and then it feels like the walls, you know, like in the movies, like the horror movies, the wolves come in and that's how I feel after like four or five days. I'm like, I go leave. Yeah, I understand that. Yeah, yeah. So last few questions for you. What is, you know, the biggest highlights of your life most things you're proud of? I imagine, right?

Some of it we've mentioned. But what's a couple of the biggest things you're proud of? Well, I'm proud of, to be honest, obviously my career and how far I can. came from where I started. It's, it's really inspiring for me. And I never forget it and always mention it because I never want to, you know, I want to prove to everybody also like girls, little girls that, you know, it's possible. And that's why I'm very proud of this journey. Also, I'm proud that, you know, I stayed a person, like a good person, you know, it doesn't matter how badly other people treated me or, you know, the situations happened for me, bad situations.

I still stayed a humble, nice, and kind person. And my heart is clean. And that's what I'm proud of, to be honest, because there was some situations that could have, you know, make me really bad person. And I'm very proud that I stayed strong and I kept believing in God. And I'm very proud of this as well. And I'm also proud of my friends and the people there are around me.

I'm very proud that I have friends like that. and my relatives and my family. I'm proud of my family too. And, you know, everything that is happening in my life, you know, I'm very grateful and proud, you know. And just every day I say thank you. And it's, and when you say thank you and you're grateful, it's even better.

Like, better things are coming to you. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I love that. You know, for me, the most part thing is it doesn't matter what, what kind of success you're going to have if you don't stay a good person. Cool. And you, you know, you became, I don't know, like maybe like some people are, you know, they, they take their nose, you know, like that and, you know, they don't care about anything.

I don't like it. I think that as humble and as low as you stay, it's much more better for you as a person. Love it. And next question, the opposite. Biggest failure or set back in life? Biggest failure. Biggest failure I had when I got very like, I had like the silver. weight transformation when I was like 18 or 19. No, I was 18. And I got like super like maybe like I was like plus 10

kilos and it was so hard for me. And then I went to some contest. It was Eurovision. Actually, I went there and I wanted to represent my country and, you know, I was not myself. Like I sing definitely. The voice was mine. But the calm. But the constant that everything's gone, completely gone. And that year was so big for me in ways that it was a big failure for me. Because, you know, last year I won a contest. The next year, I go there and I sing. I just like, I'm just not myself. You know, I just have the voice and that's it.

And it was biggest failure for me. But it made me realize how important it is to take care of my body, take care of myself. And just to be, you know, not to lose my confidence because it's very... Especially in what you do, you know. What I do on stage, I have. have to be 100% confidence. Well, but you know, this year's Eurovision, it was a very epic performance and display. But it was very high every day at the gym, doing the healthy eating and everything.

But still, you know, it's like for me as a girl who is a singer and is on the stage for me, to look good is very important. Because when I look good, I feel good, I am 100% confident. I have different energy. Yeah. I feel like I'm shining. And imagine when I don't have that, that's when it's big failures. Yeah, yeah. I guess so.

Yeah. Biggest failures. So last question or a couple of questions. I always love to ask if you could go back in a time machine to your younger self. Yes. What would you give us advice? I would go and say that like, don't worry. Everything is going to be like the way that you want it to be.

And you don't have to cry over it, you know, you don't have to. push something that is not meant for you. Yeah. You know, because I'd like when I was a kid, I was like, oh, it doesn't work. Like, I'm going to push. I'm going to push. I'm going to wish. Maybe that place is for me.

But, you know, I was meant to bigger places. So I would tell myself that, that don't worry, that place is not meant for you, that environment was not meant for you. And you were meant for something bigger. And that happened. Love it. Yeah. Love it.

Oh, that's what I will. And then last question, people watching or listening. first thing they want to probably do is say, well, I've got to see a sing now. I've not seen a sing. So how do they watch, you know, Eurovision or some of this? They could go on YouTube, write my name, Nutsa, and it pops up immediately. And also on Spotify, I had like a really good year this year. What's a lot of? Like, I had a lot of listeners. I had a lot of streams. And, you know, I was dreaming to see those numbers. What is a good number? Like my song got 6.5 million streams and, you know, my song was streamed in like 179 countries. It was amazing.

It was a great year for me. Love it. Congrats. Yeah. Well, that's a wrap, guys. Hopefully you enjoyed, you know, different industry, but the same success principles, the same mindset principles. And that's, you know, obviously what this shows about is how to be successful and how to build your business and,

you know, half of that or more is in the mind. So thank you for coming on. Thank you, really. And as always, guys, keep living the red life. I'll see you soon. See you.