Little Big has topped charts and headlines with their provocative style of rave music with pop, hip hop, punk, and EDM elements. The group calls itself a “satirical art collaboration” and is known as much for its catchy music as its infectious dancing and shockingly bright, brutalist videos. Often funny, occasionally inflammatory, Little Big is known for its sense of humor and absurdist commentary on Russian culture. The group sings in Russian and English, with one song, “UNO,” sung partially in Spanish.
The Russian band was founded in 2013 in Saint Petersburg and counts among its members Ilya “Ilich” Prusikin, Sergey “Gokk” Makarov, Sonya Tayurskaya, and Anton “Boo” Lissov. The group has fluctuated somewhat over time, though always retaining the four core members. One of the founding members, Olympia Ivleva, left the band citing creative burnout. The group brought on two additional members, Florida Chanturia and Yuriy Muzychenko, ahead of its 2020 Eurovision bid.
Prusikin provides lead vocals. Born in the village of Ust-Borzya in Siberia, he studied music as a child before temporarily abandoning his love of music to pursue studies in psychology. He moved to Saint Petersburg to attend the State Institute of Culture. Prusikin worked at a nursing home for a while, but found the stress of working with dementia patients to much and returned to creative pursuits. In 2011, he began working on a video production project ostensibly aimed at children while actually “lampooning the folly of mankind.” He also produced the Internet sitcom “Полицейские будни” (“Police Weekdays”) which failed after three episodes. In 2013, Prusikin and his friends/future band members released the song “Everyday I’m Drinking,” and thus launching Little Big. The accompanying music video included bears drinking vodka, satirizing Russian drinking culture.
Soon after, Little Big released their first full-length album With Russia From Love. The group caught fire and toured in Europe, Russia, and North America. Their second album, Funeral Rave, topped the Russian iTunes charts. The group continued their over-the-top satirical style with pastiches of Russian and Soviet stereotypes. Among the group’s wildest concepts is the song “LollyBomb,” which is about Kim Jong Un having a romantic relationship with a nuclear bomb. In 2016, Little Big received the dubious honorific “Most Trashy” at the Berlin Music Video Awards for their song “Big Dick.” The group followed up the feat, winning a second “Most Trashy” title for “LollyBomb.” When a Ukrainian comedy group made a parody of Little Big’s hit “I’m OK,” Prusikin himself made an appearance in the music video playing a homeless man. The group has come under fire for sexually explicit content, reliance on stereotypes, and even for singing most songs in English rather than Russian. However, comedy done in simplified English is something of a genre in Russian pop culture and plays to many demographics. Despite any criticism, the group has not backed away from its trademark styles.
Little Big really hit it big in 2018 with their song “Skibidi,” which featured a distinctive dance. Celebrities and fans of the band posted their videos doing the Skibidi dance with the #skibidichallenge. The hashtag went viral and became a popular meme in Russia. The music video of “Skibidi” accrued 23 million views in its first week and now tops over 411 million views. “Skibidi” won the Global Film Festival award for best music video.
After a failed 2019 bid to represent Russia in the Eurovision song contest, Little Big was selected as Russia’s 2020 contestant. A mark of the group’s popularity, fans even launched petitions on change.org to voice their support. The group was set to compete with their song “UNO,” a catchy hit sung in English and partially in Spanish, before 2020 Eurovision was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The group hopes to represent Russia in Eurovision in 2021, but their status as competitors has not yet been confirmed.
Little Big can be found on Apple Music, Amazon Music, Spotify, and YouTube.
“UNO” Lyrics
It’s gonna take more than one margarita
I’m gonna call you my sweet señorita
I’m gonna leave after night only with ya
All you have to do is to be ready for some action now
Don’t be a dummy, dummy
I got that yummy, yummy
Can we be chummy, chummy right after midnight?
Yeah, you so charming bunny
Yeah, you so funny honey
All you have to do is to be ready for some action now
Uno (uno), dos (dos), cuatro (cuatro)
Uno, uno, uno (uno), dos (dos), cuatro (cuatro)
Uno, uno, uno (uno), dos (dos), cuatro (cuatro)
Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis
Uno, uno
Ho! Are you ready?
Ha! Hold it steady
Ho! Come to daddy
All you have to do is to be ready for some action now
Don’t be a dummy, dummy
I got that yummy, yummy
Can we be chummy, chummy right after midnight?
The night is charming bunny
You are so funny honey
All you have to do is to be ready for some action now
Uno (uno), dos (dos), cuatro (cuatro)
Uno, uno, uno (uno), dos (dos), cuatro (cuatro)
Uno, uno, uno (uno), dos (dos), cuatro (cuatro)
Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis
Uno, uno
Uno (uno), dos (dos), cuatro (cuatro)
Uno, uno, uno (uno), dos (dos), cuatro (cuatro)
Uno, uno, uno (uno), dos (dos), cuatro (cuatro)
Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis
Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis
Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis
Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis
Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis
Uno, uno
Uno (uno), dos (dos), cuatro (cuatro)
Uno, uno, uno (uno), dos (dos), cuatro (cuatro)
Uno, uno, uno (uno), dos (dos), cuatro (cuatro)
Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis
Uno, uno
Uno (uno), dos (dos), cuatro (cuatro)
Uno, uno, uno (uno), dos (dos), cuatro (cuatro)
Uno, uno, uno (uno), dos (dos), cuatro (cuatro)
Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis
Uno, uno
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjilYa1zxSg
“Полюшко поле” Lyrics
La-la-la-la-la,
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la…
La-la-la-la-la,
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la…
God, save my soul…
God, save my soul…
God, save my soul…
Полюшко-поле,
Полюшко, широко поле…
Едут по полю герои…
Эх, да русской армии герои…
Только мы видим,
Видим мы седую тучу,
Вражья злоба из-за леса,
Эх, да вражья злоба, словно туча.
God, save my soul!
God, save my soul!
God, save my soul!
La-la-la-la-la,
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la…
La-la-la-la-la,
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la…
God, save my soul!
La-la-la-la-la,
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la…
La-la-la-la-la,
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la…
God, save my soul!
God, save my soul…
Translated Lyrics
La-la-la-la-la,
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la…
La-la-la-la-la,
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la…
God, save my soul…
God, save my soul…
God, save my soul…
Field, field,
Field, wide field,
Heroes are riding over the field,
Oh, Red Army heroes.
Suddenly we can see
Suddenly we can see a gray cloud
The hate of the enemy from the forest,
Oh, the enemy’s hate, it’s like a cloud.
God, save my soul!
God, save my soul!
God, save my soul!
La-la-la-la-la,
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la…
La-la-la-la-la,
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la…
God, save my soul!
La-la-la-la-la,
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la…
La-la-la-la-la,
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la…
God, save my soul!
God, save my soul…
