May 07, 2021

Happy Birthday to Russia's Quirkiest Pop Icon


Happy Birthday to Russia's Quirkiest Pop Icon
The man, the myth, the legend: Philipp Kirkorov. Wikimedia Commons user Okras

Russian pop celebrity Philipp Kirkorov celebrated his 54th birthday last week, and it was a television spectacle.

Right after the news on Friday, April 30, Kirkorov's many-houred concert was broadcast on Rossiya Channel 1. The concert was actually filmed four years earlier, on his 50th birthday, but it was so beloved that it reappeared in 2021.

Despite not conforming to traditional gender roles, Kirkorov has been and remains a major Russian star. At the concert, operatic pop singer Nikolai Baskov sang Kirkorov's song "Diva" while the birthday boy tried to decide which of the two was the greater diva.

Kirkorov was born in Bulgaria to an Armenian father and Russian mother. He was married to famous singer Alla Pugacheva from 1994 to 2005.

His two young children joined Kirkorov on stage to perform one song. Both were born in the United States via surrogates. His daughter, whom he named Alla in honor of his ex-wife, was born in 2011, and his son in 2012.

The concert reviewed all of the years of Kirkorov's performing career, with pictures of his changing look and with other stars performing his songs in his honor. These stars included Grigory Leps, Dima Bilan, Sergey Lazarev, Ani Lorak, Svetlana Loboda, Timati, Polina Gagarina, Aleksandr Revva (who may be better known by his stage name Artur Pirozhkov), Valery Meladze, Kristina Orbakaite, and Valery Leontev.

Kirkorov claims that he has friends from all social classes, not only spending his time with other celebrities. He does have a warm personality and a talent for bringing people together and reminding us of the important things in life, like family and friends.

You Might Also Like

Not-Russia Does Great Figure Skating
  • April 25, 2021

Not-Russia Does Great Figure Skating

The non-doping "Russia" won three out of four events at the recent world figure skating championships and swept the ladies' podium.
Raving in Khimki
  • April 16, 2021

Raving in Khimki

Grab your glowsticks: the Moscow region city of Khimki is lit! And unlit... and then lit again.
Rapping for Russia
  • March 09, 2021

Rapping for Russia

With Russian teenagers in mind, plans are being made for "The First All-Russian Festival of Patriotic Rap." 
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

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.
Bears in the Caviar

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.
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.
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.
A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.
Okudzhava Bilingual

Okudzhava Bilingual

Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 
Tolstoy Bilingual

Tolstoy Bilingual

This compact, yet surprisingly broad look at the life and work of Tolstoy spans from one of his earliest stories to one of his last, looking at works that made him famous and others that made him notorious. 
Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

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.
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. 

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