Alyosha (Альоша; real name Olena Kucher, Олена Кучер) is a well-known contemporary Ukrainian pop singer and songwriter who has written hits for both herself and other artists. She is known both for her male name—“Alyosha” is usually a diminutive of “Aleksey”—and, of course, her singing. Her website introduces her thus: “In her character, as well […]

Boris Grebenshchikov (Борис Борисович Гребенщиков) is a Russian singer-songwriter, and one of the “founding fathers” of Russian rock. He is a founding member of the seminal and long-running Russian rock band Aquarium (active since 1972). As a lyricist, Grebenshchikov has an eclectic style that combines themes of Buddhism, Russian Orthodoxy, alcohol consumption, technology, and so on. […]

Animal Jazz (normally written as Animal ДжаZ) is a Russian alternative rock/pop group based in St. Petersburg. Since their founding in 2000 the group has released 11 full-length records, including four acoustic albums, as well as 16 singles and four DVDs. They have also played a number of important festivals, including Invasion, Wings, SKIF, Megahaus, and Kubana. The […]

Gilza (Гильzа) is a contemporary Russian rock band fronted by Lesya Gismatulina (Леся Гисматулина). Gismatulina has quickly risen to prominence as one of the leading rock vocalists in Russia, and was nominated for Best Soloist by Nashe Radio in 2016. As a group, Gilza is enjoying a lot of popular success as well, having recently […]

SerGa (СерьГа) is a Russian rock band from Moscow. The band is fronted by legendary rock musician Sergey Galanin (Сергей Галанин) of Brigada C (Бригада С) fame. The group plays an experimental brand of rock music, and their official motto is “For those who have ears” (“Для тех, у кого есть уши”). SerGa was formed […]

Northern Fleet (Северный Флот) is a contemporary Russian rock band. Formed in 2013 by members of the seminal King and Jester (Король и Шут) after the death of frontman Mikhail Gorshenov (Михаил Гошенов), Nothern Fleet plays a distinctive brand of rock influenced by metal, industrial, and hardcore punk. Northern Fleet annouced their formation as a band […]

Casual is a contemporary Russian rock group. Started in 2009, Casual has seen quite a bit of success, with a number of singles climbing the Nashe Radio charts, as well as four successful albums: Inside (Инсайд), People Always Went (Все время люди шли), 242 Grams (242 грамма), and Be Quiet (Сделай тише). The group has played […]

Gaitana (Ґайтана; real name Ґайта-Лурдес Ессамі, or Gaita-Lurdes Essami, which means “strong and great” in the Lingala language) is a Ukrainian/Congolese jazz, funk, soul, and pop singer. Her biggest fame may have come from representing Ukraine at Eurovision in 2012, but she also has a slew of successful albums to her name and is one of Ukraine’s most […]

Svetlana Loboda (Світлана Лобода) is a contemporary Ukrainian pop singer. Though she sings mainly in Russian, most of her career has taken place in Ukraine, and she is widely esteemed in her country. She was named a Distinguished Artist of Ukraine in 2013. Loboda grew up in Kyiv, where her parents encouraged her musical leanings […]