Russophonia: A Beginner’s Guide to Russian-Language Music

@angel_ulyanov on Instagram - 07/06/2018

Russophone music - infamously elusive to Western listeners. Many a Slavonic student has trudged the same weary path from Victor Tsoi to Dima Bilan and back again, only to taste bitter disappointment. For the uninitiated, Russophone and Slavonic music can seem wholly unapproachable. If this sounds all too familiar, fear no more! This simple guide can offer you a few places to start depending on genres and artists you already know and love. 

You like hyperpop, Charlie XCX, Rina Sawayama, power ballads, Eurovision… try LOBODA, Pussy Riot, or AНГЕЛ. 

Loboda

Kyiv-born Svitlana Loboda, Honoured Artist of Ukraine had always been highly involved in music, having been educated in the Vocal Department of the Kyiv Variety and Circus Academy, and performing in musicals and as part of various groups in her early career. However, her career really took off after her participation in the 2009 Eurovision Competition, where she finished in 12th place for her song “"Be My Valentine! (Anti-Crisis Girl)". 

The electric sounds of her songs are reminiscent of the early 2000s pop that we all know and love, with her gravellier voice and grittier tone adding slightly more sex-appeal and angst to the mix. 

Some songs to try: Новый Рим, к черту любовь. 

@lobodaofficial on Instagram - 09/03/2023

Pussy Riot

As for Pussy Riot, my recommendation is hardly necessary. The group was initially founded in 2011 with 11 different members, but caused national controversy when 5 of them staged a performance in Christ the Saviour Cathedral, to protest against the church’s support of Putin’s second presidential campaign. Three of the women were subsequently arrested on charges of “hooliganism”.

The group’s music itself is also highly entertaining. Whilst they started out with punk rock songs, their music has since moved more in the direction of mainstream pop music, whilst still conserving their provocative subject matter. With songs entitled SUGARMOMMY, Putin’s Ashes, 1937 (the year of Stalin’s Great Terror), it would be hard to argue that Pussy Riot have lost their edge. Indeed, with an upcoming American tour this Summer they will continue to entertain a global audience.

Songs to try: PANIC ATTACK, НОЖ/ KNIFE, 1937. 

@pussyriot on Instagram - 22/02/2023

АНГЕЛ (ANGEL) (main photo of article)

A self-described “freak pop artist”, with a relatively small base of listeners, ANGEL only released his first music in 2020. I discovered this artist through his exceptional music video for the song “Давай Замутим”, the plot of which tells a stylised coming-out story of a gopnik (a term used to describe an anti-social lower-class youth dressed in sportswear, could be translated as ‘chav’) who discovers himself and ends the video completely transformed. You’ll have to watch it yourself to find out what exactly I mean by this. 

For me, his songs are a lot more hit-and-miss than those from the more established Pussy Riot and LOBODA, but his music videos, personal style, and well-curated Instagram attest to a clear creative vision that will be interesting to watch develop. 

Songs to try: Давай Замутим, Отпускай. 

You like hip-hop, Drake, DJ Khaled, ASAP Rocky… try Your Old Droog and Jah Khalib

Your Old Droog 

Your Old Droog’s song “Malchishka Krutoy” is perhaps the most unusual first listening experience of a Russophone song that I’ve ever had as a Russian student. My brain took a while to process what language was being spoken as a familiar American hip-hop tone opened up into Russian-language verses. 

Dmitry Kutsenko, the face behind Your Old Droog, is a Ukrainian-born American rapper, who - it must be said - raps mostly in English. However, his music, especially the album “Dump YOD: Krutoy Edition”, represents quite a unique take on post-Soviet themes, with songs entitled “Ukraine”, “Kazakhstan”, “Kyrgyzstan”, and “Uzbekistan”, and a lyric base that often mixes Russian and English. 

Songs to try: Malchishka Krutoy, Matryoshka, New Religion. 

@yourolddroog on Instagram - 24/08/2022

Jah Khalib

Real name Bakhtiyar Mammadov, this Kazakh rapper and producer of Azerbaijani origins, received a classic musical education at the Kazakh National Conservatory. 

Since releasing his first album in 2015, Mammadov has already achieved considerable success, being featured in the 2015 and 2016 Forbes Kazakhstan magazine list of stars, as well as winning the Muz-TV 2017 Prize for the "Breakthrough of the Year". In 2018, he received a Golden Gramophone Award, the national Russian music award, established by Russian Radio in 1996. Anecdotally, his songs can be heard in marshrutkas (minibuses used as public transport in post-Soviet countries) and cafes across Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, which attests to his popularity. 

Songs to try: Созвездие Ангела, Искал-Нашел, Ты словно целая вселенная. 

@jahkalib on Instagram - 03/12/2021

You like house music, Tyler the Creator, playful lyricism, Rex Orange County… try Антоха МС or прыгай киска.  

Aнтоха MC (Antoha MC)

This Moscow-based rapper and trumpet-player offers consistently energetic, upbeat music that mixes elements of hip-hop, jazz, and even reggae to create a unique mix. To all this is added the unusual quality of his voice and pronunciation that you don’t often hear in Russophone music. 

His lyrics are playful and earnest, to the point of almost being comic. For instance, his most played song on Spotify encourages the working classes to give up tobacco. In another song, he repeatedly lauds Tokyo as a “город, сказка” (City, fairytale) over a catchy electronic beat. The overall effect is a great set of songs for running, dancing, or getting ready to go out with friends. 

Songs to try: Бросай табак, Ритм Сердца, Множество путей, Tokyё. 

@antohamc on Instagram - 22/02/2023

Прыгай киска (Prygai Kiska)

For those who are averse to misogynistic lyrics, this recommendation is best avoided. Indeed, categorising this musical ensemble, whose stage name translates as “Come here, pussy” was a challenge in itself. With almost humorously aggressive lyrics and song titles such as “You must take your clothes off” (“Ты должна раздеваться”), as well as an homage to Ryan Gosling in their discography, their work certainly makes for interesting listening. 

However, taking the musical stylings of this group too seriously would certainly be missing the point. As Petar Martich, the creator and a participant in the musical project noted in an interview with Piterstory: ‘It’s still not quite music. It’s only a parody of the pop music that our generation grew up on and out of which grew styles like trap, “swag”, and house’ (‘Это все-таки не совсем музыка. Это только пародия на поп-музыку, на которой выросло наше поколение и из которые появились стили вроде трэпа, свэга, хауса.’). 

Songs to try: Ты должна раздеваться, Райан Гослинг, Лиза ты свэг. 

You like Indie, Indie rock, Paramore, WILLOW, folk… try Глум, 5’nizza, or ДахаБраха

Глум (Gloom)

Despite having more than 60,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, this Russian musical group keeps a relatively low profile, and reveal little about themselves on their relatively conservative Instagram page. 

The singer’s relaxing drawl, and the mix of rock and electric sounds creates an appealing indie sound. 

Songs to try: Друг, Искать тебя, А там. 

@gloomnotgloom on Instagram - 10/07/2020

5’nizza

This two-man Ukrainian-based acoustic group is a personal favourite. They successfully combine folk, reggae, Latin, and rock elements in their stripped-back style, with songs achieving a remarkable variety despite mostly only using the two member’s voices and a guitar.

Whilst this pick may seem a bit esoteric, one of their songs was actually featured on American Idol, Season 16 Episode 2, on March 12, 2018 when performed by one of the contestants! 

Songs to try: Солдат, Весна (правильная версия), Человек дождя. 

@5nizza_offical on Instagram - 05/07/2021

ДахаБраха (DakhaBrakha)

DakhaBrakha is a Ukrainian “folk chaos” band/ “live theatre musical group”. With a truly beautiful use of ethnic Ukrainian music as inspiration, their work has earned them the Sergey Kuryokhin Prize in 2009 and the Shevchenko National Prize in 2020.

Many of their songs are cinematic, slow-builders that send shivers down your spine. They recently sound-tracked the new version of Oleksandr Dovzhenko’s «Земля» (Earth), a classic of early Soviet cinema, which completely transforms the viewing experience. For cinephiles, I would highly recommend watching this as your introduction to DakhaBrakha’s work.

Songs to try: Vesna, Specially for You.

@dakhabrakha on Instagram - 13/02/2023