When you think about pop music, there are some definite expectations and stereotypes. You might imagine boy bands, bright colours and artists from North America, the UK and maybe Japan and South Korea.
And if you’re interested in the Russian language, then you’ll be excited to learn that there’s a whole world of pop music that most people don’t pay attention to. So this article is going to give you an introduction to Russian pop.
Now of course, it would be impossible to write a comprehensive, end-all-be-all list of Russian pop that you should know, so this is just a teaser. The aim is variety rather than showing you a top 20 list of pop artists who all work in the same idiom.
And of course trends in Russian pop change just as fast as they do anywhere else, so what was hip yesterday might be passé today and get remixed and riffed on tomorrow.
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Table of Contents
A Bit Of Background About Russian Pop
One of the first things to understand is that Russian pop music isn’t necessarily from Russia, but is instead from other Russian-speaking countries, and isn’t necessarily in Russian.
The CIS countries like Kazakhstan and Belarus make up a huge block and artists are still making music in the Russian language. Likewise, artists from Russia sing plenty in Russian but also in local languages, European languages and of course English.
Pop music really started to flourish in the USSR in the 1970s. Some of this was inspired in part by the music genre known as chanson and some by folk music and some by American and European pop.
At the time, there were also quite a lot of soundtracks from мюзиклы/myuzikaly (musicals) written by talented musicians that also lent some influence.
A wave of bands started forming in the 1960s, and by the 1980s, Russian pop had developed into its own idiom.
As with pop music anywhere in the world there are a whole lot of songs about love and longing and good times. But Russian pop also has a habit of being campy and not taking itself too seriously.
These days pop music is influenced by and samples and integrates plenty from other genres like rep (rap), džaz (jazz), rok (rock) and khardbass (hardbass). As such, it can be just as varied as pop from anywhere else.
For Russian learners – the standard word for pop-music in Russian is поп-музыка (pop-muzyka) but you might also run into casual terms like попса (popsa) or even поп (pop).
Eurovision
Up until 2022, Russia had been a regular participant in the Eurovision song contest. While every entry most definitely comes from the Russkiy mir, these songs are often in English, especially in the last 20 years.
In 2008, Russia’s entry “Believe” by Dima Bilan won the entire contest. Other entrants throughout the years include Alla Pugacheva, Little Big and t.A.T.u.
Some Russian Pop Gems
1. Alla Pugacheva – Алла Борисовна Пугачёва
Alla Pugacheva is such a giant in Russian pop that I almost forgot to include her on this list.
She is an icon, her body of work is enormous (more than 500 songs) and if you engage with Russian-language media, you will hear some of her work.
This titan of pop sings…well with a discography as large as hers, she sings every kind of pop music.
Some songs are slower and more melancholic like her famous milion alykh roz (A Million Scarlet Roses) and some songs are more upbeat and lighthearted like Arlekino (Harlequin).
If you’re interested, try out Mirror of the Soul and see if you like it.
2. Zemfira
I talked about Zemfira in my previous article on popular Russian songs but like Pugacheva, she’s worth mentioning again.
The Tatar-Russian singer-songwriter has been making music since the 1990s and has quite the back catalogue.
In terms of genre, Zemfira kind of straddles the space between rock and pop music, often overlaying one over the other.
That being said, sometimes labels are just for jars and if you’re interested try the songs Хочешь (Do you want to?) or Я искала (I was searching).
3. Rauf & Faik
Rauf and Faik are a set of twin brothers who come from Azerbaijan who took inspiration from their homeland and American rap.
Their music can range from a mix of pop and R&B to a more chill rap style. Their song детство (Childhood) is without a doubt their more well-known track and worth checking out.
4. t.A.T.u.
Of all the Russian groups out there, t.A.T.u. is probably the most well known outside of the Russian-speaking world.
Singing in both Russian and English, they made a huge splash in the 00s and are probably one of the most recognisable groups today.
Noticeable Russian hits include Я сошла с ума/Ya Soshla S Uma and Нас не догонят/Nas ne dogonyat. Their English hits include Not Gonna Get Us and All the Things She Said (a re-release of Ya Soshla S Uma).
5. Little Big
Little Big is another Russian pop/dance group that has had quite a lot of success outside of Russia, which is due in part to how weird they are.
Songs by Little Big and most especially their music videos tend to be loud, campy, satirical, irreverent and feature absurd premises.
The song Skibidi is the one that made them world famous which isn’t really about anything but has a very unique music video and is great to dance to.
It’s worth mentioning that some of Little Big’s work has rather…adult jokes, so you might want to check it out before throwing it up on a projector.
6. Philipp Kirkorov -Филипп Бедросович Киркоров
Bulgarian born, scandal-prone, talented pop-icon Philipp Kirkorov is one of the older names in Russian pop music.
His songs tend to be pure pop, often with love and longing as themes, slower tempos and emotionally charged language a bit like Michael Buble.
While not as vast as the discography of Alla Pugachova (his ex-wife), Kirkorov has made a lot of music.
For Russian learners – with slower-paced songs and clear diction, Kirkorov and ex-wife Pugacheva are good for upper beginners.
7. Nyusha – Нюша
If asked, I might put Nyusha in the category of glamour pop. She has a definite feminine energy to her music and themes to her lyrics.
Overall, her work tends to be more up-tempo but not fast or aggressive. She’ll often dabble with other genres, throwing in bits of electronica or rap but always staying firmly in pop territory.
8. 2Mashi – 2Маши
The name 2Mashi refers to the two singers named Masha who bring a lot of strong energy to their music. This is stuff to belt out at karaoke or alone in the car.
It has a strong feeling and often takes elements of Russian folk music. It’s a group that does undoubtedly put you in the mood to get up and move.
The song Мама, я танцую (Mom, I’m gonna dance) is a great starting place.
9. Егор Крид – Egor Kreed
Kreed has been somewhat ubiquitous in the Russian music scene for the last few years.
Getting his start on YouTube, Kreed started more as a rap and hip hop artist but now has done more overlays of pop music with rap and R&B.
Additionally, Kreed has done collaborations with many artists as old school as Philipp Kirkorov and recent names like Timati.
10. Тимати – Timati
I often hear Timati and Egor Kreed mentioned together, which makes sense – they’ve done some collabs, they are the same age and both do rap and R&B stuff.
That being said, music by Timati is more calm and more importantly, his stuff has more saxophone.
It does have a distinct R&B influence through and through so if you like that, try the song Дорога в аэропорт (The Road to the Airport).
11. Аквариум – Akvarium
Admittedly, Akvarium is more a rock group than a pop one but they’ve been winding that way in their more recent work.
As a group that formed in the 1970s and has reformed numerous times it’s hard to describe their work.
There are themes like counter-cultural energy, questioning authority and individual freedom but with this much music, they should be considered on their own terms.
You can compare their older song Город золотой (Gold City) which has a decidedly slow and folky feeling, to the more recent Месть Королевы Анны (Revenge of Queen Anne) which is blend of pop, folk, and world music.
12. Cream Soda
A blend of pop and electronic and indie, Cream Soda has a transportive quality to them.
The beats are slower, more meant for a long car ride than a dance party but they have some time to them that communicates a mood so well.
If you’re interested, try out the song Уйди, но останься (Go away, but Stay here)
13. Valentin Strykalo – Валентин Стрыкало
Not everyone would agree with my decision to put Valentin Strykalo on this list but I’m writing it so that means I get to show you some artists I love.
This is definitely indie pop and definitely kind of weird. In fact, he’s been compared to Anton Lepenko (Антон Лапенко) from the surrealist Russian YouTube series Inside Lepenko (Внутри Лапенко).
Songs like Наше лето (Our Summer) have a feeling to them like you can almost feel yourself experiencing someone else’s summer of love.
14. Leningrad – Ленинград
When I asked a friend to describe Leningrad’s music, she said “I listen and I’m not sure if I want to fight or dance but I definitely want to move.” And if I had to describe the group, I’d say high-energy, fun, and trumpets.
Leningrad belongs to the class of musical acts where the music is great but watching the music videos elevates it even more. Often songs will be sort of meandering stories about something absurd and comical.
Очки Собчак (Sobchak’s glasses), referring to the famous interviewer Ksenia Sobchak, is about stealing money so the singer can seem glamorous like Sobchak.
Кольщик (Tattoo Artist) is about a souring love affair that through many incidents results in the destruction of a circus.
Russian Pop FAQ
Who is the most famous Russian pop star?
Alla Pugacheva is often considered the most famous Russian pop star, with a career spanning several decades. In modern times, artists like Dima Bilan and Polina Gagarina are also very popular.
Is pop music popular in Russia?
Yes, pop music is extremely popular in Russia. Russian pop blends local styles with global influences, and many artists enjoy large followings both in Russia and neighbouring countries.
Who is the queen of Russian pop music?
Alla Pugacheva is known as the queen of Russian pop music. Her influence on Russian culture and music is immense, and she remains a national icon.
What is Russian style music called?
Traditional Russian music styles include folk, romance, and bard music. Modern Russian music genres include pop, rock, and a style called Russkiy Pop (Russian Pop), blending Western pop sounds with Russian themes.
Learning Russian With Russian Pop Music
The world of Russian pop is vast and this meagre list is just a drop in the bucket. So if any of this music has caught your…ear, check out more because there are so many good artists out there to enjoy.
If you’re trying to learn the Russian language, then pop music is a great tool to help you along in your journey.
With the lyrics you can more easily take in common Russian expressions, Russian idioms, as well as how different grammar structures are formed.
And with the melody, you can better hear where the stress falls in each word as you learn and sing.
But if you prefer story to songs, my course, Russian Uncovered, might be what you're looking for. Try it free for seven days.
Olly Richards
Creator of the StoryLearning® Method
Olly Richards is a renowned polyglot and language learning expert with over 15 years of experience teaching millions through his innovative StoryLearning® method. He is the creator of StoryLearning, one of the world's largest language learning blogs with 500,000+ monthly readers.
Olly has authored 30+ language learning books and courses, including the bestselling "Short Stories" series published by Teach Yourself.
When not developing new teaching methods, Richards practices what he preaches—he speaks 8 languages fluently and continues learning new ones through his own methodology.
