March 09, 2025

A Musical Military Meme


A Musical Military Meme
So sigma. Red Boi Cong, YouTube.

On February 22, a video of the Red Army Choir singing a song entitled "Sigma Boy" was broadcast on Russia Today and Sputnik, two television channels run by the Russian state.

The song was released to coincide with Defenders of the Fatherland Day, a Russian holiday honoring men. Of course, it also nods to Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine, with plenty of shots of tanks, artillery, helicopters, and President Putin himself (who is undoubtedly a sigma boy).

The song has a rousing beat. In part, its lyrics translate to:

"True sigma boy, sigma boy, sigma boy / All the girls want to dance with you / Strong and brave / Stands for the Fatherland like a mountain ... Ah, what a man! / This look is fire! / Age will not be a problem / You will never bend."

The term "sigma boy" appears to be a reference to Gen Z internet slang, wherein a "sigma male" is an assertive, aloof, ambitious individualist. This contrasts with the traditional conceptions of an extroverted "alpha" and submissive "beta."

The song first first appeared on the internet written and performed by Russian middle-schoolers last year (it received millions of views), but was only recently covered by the Red Army Choir.

To answer a meme with a meme: How do you do, fellow kids?

You Might Also Like

Memes For Our Times

Memes For Our Times

We explain ten recent memes that best capture the current sociopolitical mood across a large subset of Russian society.
Narrow or Russian?
  • September 19, 2022

Narrow or Russian?

A sappily patriotic pop song, "I'm Russian," gets a parody: "I'm Narrow."
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

At the Circus
January 01, 2013

At the Circus

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.

The Latchkey Murders
July 01, 2015

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...

Bears in the Caviar
May 01, 2015

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.

Jews in Service to the Tsar
October 09, 2011

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.

The Moscow Eccentric
December 01, 2016

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.

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka
November 01, 2012

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

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