Post-Soviet Pop 2
WWC-040 Sounds of the Russian Radio
It’s been some time since I posted anything new so I thought I’d get things back on track a bit after wandering so far afield. So here’s some Russian pop songs you can dance to, tap your foot, or just play in the background. Nothing too serious this time. Pop music isn’t really meant to be serious, just fun. I’ll say up front that I’m not a big fan of contemporary western pop music. Truth is I cringe every time I hear some, which is unavoidable as some of our customers have it playing nonstop (I pity their employees) but there are exceptions to every rule, and I really like the two artists featured here, so file that under guilty pleasures.
Nyusha (Anna Shurochkina) and Olga Seryabkina are very popular in Russia and both have had long successful careers in music and entertainment. The two are complimentary - Nyusha seems to go for the happy love themes while Olga is a master of torch songs, so plenty of ups and downs in this program.
Here's a Russian Wiki page about Nyusha, and here’s another about Olga.
Some of the songs listed are credited to the trio Серебро (Silver) of which Olga was a founding member and lead singer in 2006 until she left the group in 2018. She also wrote most of the group's material and continues to write and produce under her own name.
Also worth mentioning is her appearance in the film 'The Very Best Day' where she plays a self-absorbed alcoholic pop star who messes up the marriage plans of a rural policeman and his lovely fiance. Everything I’ve heard about Seryabkina tells me that she’s a very kind good-natured person, so she must have had a great time playing the anti-Olga. Some of her music is also in the film, which I highly recommend, even though I’m not a big fan of romantic comedy. Unfortunately only the trailer is available on YouTube. Maybe you can find it on Netflix, otherwise you’ll have to search on bit torrents which is where I found my copy.
In addition to my two favourite pop singers I’ve included a track by Russian artist Instasamka and another by Bulgarian artist Virsavia Nikolenko (VIVI N).
These two are worlds apart in their style and outlook, Instasamka being mainly a hip-hop artist while Virsavia sings what she calls Christian Pop. Both songs are rather nice and fit the general theme, so I thought I’d include them.
Here’s something you don’t often see. A top billing pop star performing in a metro station! Can you imagine Taylor Swift doing something like this?
