December 01, 2019

Russia's Pop King


Russia's Pop King
Dima Bilan has been active in Russia since the early 2000s. Screen shot from "I'll Never Let You Go" via YouTube

Anyone familiar with Russia’s history in Eurovision knows that there is one name in Russian pop music that stands above others: Dima Bilan. The musical icon has been active since the early 2000s, and his influence continues to be felt not only in Russia, but across the world.

Born in Karachay-Cherkessia in Southern Russia in 1981, Bilan began engaging with music from an early age. He went to a music school for children and competed in multiple competitions for young talent, including the “Young Voices of the Caucasus” award.

When it came time to decide where to go for university, Bilan moved to Moscow and studied at a music academy, Gnessin State Musical College. He worked as a shop assistant while studying, and dreamed of a career on stage. Luckily, during his time at Gnessin State, he met the musical producer Yury Aizenshpis, who recognized Bilan's potential.

According to Bilan, Aizenshpis’ role in his life cannot be overstated, “The role which Yury has played in my life can't be described in just a few words. It was a very large part of my life and now it's deep inside me, in my heart and in my consciousness. I can't pinpoint it exactly, he was more than a producer, he became a second father to me.”

Aizenshpis passed away in 2005, but his belief in Bilan helped launch the artist onto the world stage. Yana Rudkovskaya is Bilan’s current producer.

In 2006, Bilan participated in Eurovision, with his song “Never Let You Go.” He went on to represent Russia at the MTV Europe Music Awards in Copenhagen later that year. In November, Bilan performed at the World Music Awards in London, where he also received the award for Best Selling Russian Artist. Bilan’s rise continued, through collaborations with foreign musicians, including a Spanish song with Nelly Furtado, and another Eurovision performance in 2008. This time, Bilan took first place in the contest.

Bilan has continued to produce music, and has also branched out into other forms of entertainment. In 2010, he produced and starred in a short film called Theatre of the Absurd, which was based on his song “He Wanted To” («Он хотел»). Currently, Bilan is one of the four coaches of the Russian version of The Voice.

Keep an eye out for whatever this talented individual has planned next!

See Also

Alsou Safina, singer

Alsou Safina, singer

She may be just eighteen, but she has been ruling Russia's pop charts for two years. Alsou Ralifovna Safina (known to her fans as simply Alsou, pronounced “all-soo”), daughter of Lukoil's first vice-president Ralif Safin, has taken the music industry by storm. 
Eurovision Revisited

Eurovision Revisited

“It's nice to receive such news from Europe!” - Ukrainian singer Ani Lorak on winning the revote for Eurovision 2008
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Turgenev Bilingual

Turgenev Bilingual

A sampling of Ivan Turgenev's masterful short stories, plays, novellas and novels. Bilingual, with English and accented Russian texts running side by side on adjoining pages.
Russian Rules

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.
Moscow and Muscovites

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 
Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Bilingual series of short, lesser known, but highly significant works that show the traditional view of Dostoyevsky as a dour, intense, philosophical writer to be unnecessarily one-sided. 
Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.
The Moscow Eccentric

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.
Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.
Jews in Service to the Tsar

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.
Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

This astonishingly gripping autobiography by the founder of the Russian Women’s Death Battallion in World War I is an eye-opening documentary of life before, during and after the Bolshevik Revolution.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955