Russia is the largest nation in the world. And what comes to mind when you think of Russia? Big, beautiful cities like Moscow and Saint Petersburg, Matryoshka dolls, ballet, Eurovision. With such a vibrant culture, no wonder Russia has so many brilliant artists — let’s take a look at some of our favorites!
1. Díma Bilán (@bilanofficial)
Díma Bilán is a singer-songwriter and he also participated in Eurovision 2006, where he finished second. He is sometimes referred as Russia’s “Enrique Iglesias” due to his similarity to the Spanish singer. He’s currently one of the judges on Golos, the Russian version of The Voice.
2. Alexander Lominskiy (@Lominskiy)
Lominskiy’s voice is referred to “Steel and Velvet” by many Ukrainian critics — and he’s been compared to crooners like Tom Jones, Paul Anka and early Frank Sinatra. He’s made five albums so far, and a number of music videos.
3. Alexey Vorobyov (@mr.alexsparrow)
Alexey performs both in Russian and English. He is best known for appearing on Sekret Uspekha, the Russian version of The X Factor, in 2005. In 2011, he represented Russia in Eurovision. (He finished 16th overall.) When he’s not singing, he’s also an actor — he appeared in the 2015 film The Vatican Tapes, directed by Mark Neveldine.
4. Sergey Lazarev (@lazarevsergey)
Sergey Lazarev as at this year’s Eurovision! His song “You Are The Only One” was one of our predictions to win, though it ended up coming in third. Still, not too shabby! He was in the pop duo Smash!! along with Vlad Topalov, number six on our list.
5. Stas Piekha (@wolfieha)
Stas Piekha is a popular singer and actor. He’s got an impressive lineage — he’s the grandson of Edita Piekha and the son of Ilona Bronevitskaya, both famous singers. His dad’s Peter Gerulis, a Lithuanian jazz musician. He toured with his grandmother from the age of seven and got a taste for the performing life. He got his debut in 2004 on Star Factory, the Russian equivalent of American Idol.
6. Vlad Topalov (@vladtopalovofficial)
Vlad Topalov is a singer, dancer and actor born in Moscow. He started his pop career in earnest with Smash!!, a pop duo with Sergey Lazarev. When Smash!! broke up in 2006, Topalov went solo. Both members of Smash!! got their start in the children’s music group Neposedy, alongside both members of the faux-lesbian pop sensation t.A.T.u.
7. Mitya Fomin (@mf_agent)
Mitya Fomin is a solo singer, dancer and producer. Between 1998 and 2009, he was a member of the group Hi-Fi. He’s not content just to be a pop star — he studied medicine and got a diploma as a pediatrician! Not just that, but between studying musical theater abroad in the United States and the UK, he also enrolled in film school! Presumably he still finds time to sleep… somehow.
8. Alexandr Astashënok (@alexander_astashenok)
Astashenok used to sing with the group Roots, and he was the first winner of Star Factory, the Russian American Idol. He’s also worked in television as a presenter — and he’s acted in a number of TV shows and movies. Astashënok’s a bit of a renaissance man — he can do it all. (Seriously, we left out a bunch of his accomplishments!)
https://www.instagram.com/p/wcDzD5N2Gt/?taken-by=alexander_astashenok
9. Nikolay Baskov (@NikolaiBaskov)
Not many people can sing both opera and pop, but that’s Nikolay Baskov for you. He’s also been a popular contestant on the long-running game show What? Where? When?. (A short-lived US version was called Million Dollar Mind Game and ran on ABC.) He’s also on our side — in 2012, he joined other Russian artists and singers in signing an open letter decrying a St. Petersburg bill banning “homosexual propaganda”.
10. Philipp Kirkorov (@fkirkorov)
Philipp has Bulgarian-Armenian origins, but sings in Russian. He represented Russia in Eurovision 1995, but finished in 17th place. Kirkorov has proven a controversial figure. He was fined for insulting a reporter and destroying her tape recorder; he’s also sent guards to attack pop rivals. In 2010, however, he admitted he had problems with anger, and was getting help. Like Nikolay Baskov, he also signed the open letter against banning “homosexual propaganda.”
