Dima Bilan was born in Karachay-Cherkessia, a republic in Russia’s Caucasus region. He entered a specialty musical school in the fifth grade, where he studied primarily the accordion. He also took part in several youth contests in Karachay-Cherkessia and in Moscow. He entered the prestigious Gnessin Musical Academy in 2000. He met his future producer, […]

Russian shanson is a uniquely Russian cultural phenomenon. A traditionally rebellious musical genre, which has a reputation for describing the darkest parts of life in Russia, became widely popular during the Soviet era, despite being effectively banned in the USSR. It has now moved from its underground existence to mainstream Russian culture. There are radio stations and […]

Born into a family of musicians, Yulia Savicheva performed her first solo at age five. In 1994, her father’s band was invited to perform in Moscow, and she moved there from her native Kurgan, a city of about 350,000 in south-west Siberia. In Moscow, she studied ballet and theater for many years, helping her to […]

Radio has been used since the early 20th century for art, entertainment, social value, information sharing, political purposes, and more. Alexander Popov, a key player in the invention of radio, made his discoveries in Kronstadt, an island town in the St. Petersburg municipality. From rebellious Soviet young adults trying to pick up static-filled Voice of […]