Noll (“Ноль,” meaning “Zero” in Russian) is a Soviet and Russian rock group founded by accordionist “Uncle” Fedor Chistyakov (“Дядя” Фёдор Чистяков), Alexei Nikolaev (Алексей Николаев) and Anatoly Platonov (Анатолий Платонов) in the fall of 1985. The group first appeared at the Leningrad Rock Club with songs from their first album, Music of Fighting Flies […]
Dimitry Monatyk, known as “Monatik,” (often spelled with Latin letters) is a Ukrainian dancer and singer-songwriter that performs primarily in Russian, and occasionally in English and/or Ukrainian. Born in northwestern Ukrainian city of Lutsk, 1986, Monatik was a member of the Lutsk Breakdance Crew (DBS Crew) from 2000 until 2006. In 2003 he joined the […]
Alexei “Potap” Potapenko, born in Kiev on May 8, 1981 is a Ukrainian producer, singer-songwriter, composer, water polo player, and vocal coach. He performs in Russian. The son of Lyudmila Potapenko, a world champion diver, Potap was primarily engaged in swimming and water polo as a child. Despite devoting nearly all his free time to […]
One of the most controversial groups Leningrad rock scene, Televizor was founded in 1984 by Leningrad University student Michael Borzykin. It has been through several lives since then, having collapsed and reformed twice, but still continues playing today. It was a loud voice of dissent during the late Soviet period and continues that role today. […]
The Olivier Show (Оливье Шоу) is an annual variety show broadcast on Channel One Russia on New Year’s Eve. It premiered in 2010 and was originally based on the Soviet classic holiday program, The Little Blue Light which featured popular Soviet artists and figures, including Heroes of Socialist Labor and cosmonauts, all of whom gathered at TV […]
Originally known as the Gnessin Institute, the Gnessin State Musical College (Государственный музыкальный колледж имени Гнесиных) is an elite music school in Moscow’s Arbat District. In additional to its academic prestige, it’s known as a factory for producing pop stars, including the legendary Philipp Kirkorov, one of Russia’s best-selling and most popular artists, Olga Arefyeva, […]
Sergei Chigrakov (Сергей Чиграков, also called Chizh / Чиж) is a Soviet and Russian singer, songwriter, poet, and guitarist best known as founder and frontman of Chizh & Co (Чиж & Со). He has also participated in Different People (Разные люди), The Colonel and Fellow Soldiers (Полковник и Однополчане), and Shiva (Шива). Born to a […]
Philipp Kirkorov (Филипп Киркоров) is a Russian pop singer, actor, producer, and TV personality that has been nominated by the World Music Awards as the Best-Selling Russian Artist in 1996, 1999, 2004, 2005, and 2008, and is currently the second-highest paid Russian singer with an annual income of $7.4 million in 2017. Born April 30, […]
Valeriy Meladze (Russian: Валерий Меладзе, Georgian: ვალერი ძე მელაძე) is a singer and pianist, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation, and People’s Artist of the Chechen Republic. Born June 23, 1965 in Batumi, now the the second largest city in Georgia, Meladze was considered a disobedient child while his brother and songwriter, Konstantin (Russian: Константин, […]
