Philipp Bedrosovich[5][6][7] KirkorovPAR (Russian: Филипп Бедросович Киркоров; Bulgarian: Филип Бедросов Киркоров, romanized: Filip Bedrosov Kirkorov; born 30 April 1967) is a Bulgarian-born Russian pop singer.[8] Kirkorov's career began in 1985 with participation in the Soviet musical TV show "Wider Circle". Since 2000, he has maintained public interest in his person with a scandalous reputation and recording remakes of hits by international performers from Europe and the United States.[9][10][11] In 1995, he represented Russia at the Eurovision Song Contest and took 17th place.[12]
During his creative career, he achieved success in Russia, Belarus and other countries of the former USSR, and was awarded many Russian music prizes, including ZD Awards and others.[13][14] He is a five-time winner of the "Best Selling Russian Artist" title at the World Music Awards ceremonies.
Biography
Early life and education
Philipp Kirkorov was born on 30 April 1967 in Varna, Bulgaria. His mother Victoria, is of Jewish origin, while his father, Bedros Kirkorov, is of Armenian descent.[15][16] He began traveling on tours with his parents at the age of five. During his childhood, he lived in Moscow. It is believed that his first stage appearance occurred at the age of five during his father Bedros Kirkorov’s concert in Petrozavodsk Theater. His father performed the autobiographical song "Synok" ("Son"), dedicated to Soviet tank crews he met in 1944 in Varna. At the end of the song, Filipp walked onto the stage to give his father a carnation as the audience applauded.[17]
He graduated from Moscow School No. 413 with a gold medal.[18] After school, he attempted to enroll in a theater institute but failed the entrance exams.[19]
In November 1985, Kirkorov made his television debut on the program Wider Circle with the song "Alyosha" in Bulgarian.[21]
He was noticed by Svetlana Annapolskaya, the director of Goluboy Ogonyok, who invited him to participate in the program. After a dispute with the show's management, she successfully secured Kirkorov's involvement.
In 1987, he received an invitation to work with the Leningrad Music Hall under Ilya Rakhlin. This led to a foreign tour in Berlin's renowned Friedrichstadt-Palast Theater.[21]
After leaving the Music Hall, Kirkorov met lyricist Ilya Reznik, who became one of his early supporters.
In April 1988, he met Alla Pugacheva at Ilya Reznik's art exhibit. By October 1988, she invited him to participate in her Christmas Meetings. By this time, Kirkorov had graduated from Gnesin College, competed in his first contest in Yalta, and filmed his first music video for the song "Carmen."
During preparations for Christmas Meetings, he collaborated with poet Leonid Derbenyov, who wrote many of his future hits, including "Ty, Ty, Ty" ("You, You, You"), "Nebo i Zemlya" ("Sky and Earth") and "Atlantida" ("Atlantis").
Career
Kirkorov in 1991
In 1989, Kirkorov toured with Alla Pugacheva in Australia and Germany and held his first solo concert in Perm. That year, he reached the finals of the Pesnya Goda music festival.[22]
In 1990, Kirkorov won the Grand Prix in the competition "Shlyager-90" (Hit-90) in Leningrad with the song "Nebo i Zemlya" (Sky and Earth). In 1992, his music video to the song "Atlantida" (Atlantis) was selected as "Music Video of the Year". His popularity began to spread outside of Russia and he toured in the United States, Canada, Germany, and Israel.
At the end of 1995, the double CD Skazhi Solntsu:"Da" (Say "Yes!" to the Sun) was released under the Polygram label. The album's release coincided with the premiere of the program The Best, the Beloved, and Just for You at the State Variety Theatre, which then successfully toured across the country.
In 1996, he won the World Music Awards for best-selling Russian artist with over 2 million copies sold. By 1997, his world tour covered 100 cities, culminating in a month-long residency at the Oktyabrsky Concert Hall in St. Petersburg.
His 1998 album Oh, Mama, I'll give Chic (Oy, Mama, Shika Dam!) contains four cover versions of well-known Turkish songs originally sung by Tarkan, Mustafa Sandal and Sezen Aksu.
In 1999, Kirkorov joined Michael Jackson's MJ & Friends charity concert.[23]
In 2017, after collaborating with rapper Timati, Kirkorov signed with the Black Star record label. In 2018, his song "The Color of Mood is Blue" became a viral hit, garnering over 40 million views on YouTube. That year, his duet with Nikolay Baskov on "Ibiza" also gained attention for its satirical music video. In September 2018, he collaborated with Egor Kreed to release "The Color of Mood is Black" ("Zvet Nastroenija Tschorny"), which became another viral hit, amassing over 100 million views on YouTube.
In November 2024, Kirkorov presented his music video/short film Black Panther.[25]
Television projects
From 2003 to 2016, Kirkorov hosted various ceremonies and television shows, including "Morning with Kirkorov" on STS, "Minuta Slavy" ("Minute of Fame"), "Factor A," and the "RU.TV 2016 Awards," among others.
Since 2006, he has frequently served as a judge on numerous programs, such as "KVN," "Dancing with the Stars," "Minute of Fame," "Star Factory," "New Wave," "Odin v Odin!" ("One to One!"), "Toch-v-Toch" ("Just Like"). Since 2020, Philipp Kirkorov has served as a judge on the Russian adaptation of the international hit reality show The Masked Singer, titled The Mask (Maska). The show, aired on NTV, features celebrities competing in elaborate costumes while concealing their identities.[8]
In 2021, Kirkorov won the TEFI award for Best Entertainment Show Host for his work on The Mask. The show remains a top-rated program on Russian television, with Kirkorov becoming one of its most iconic figures.[26]
In 2023, Kirkorov joined Emperor's Treasures (Sokrovishcha Imperatora) together with actor Wolfgang Cerny, a competitive reality show that combines adventure, history, and treasure hunting. Airing on TNT, the program involves celebrities exploring China's rich cultural and historical heritage while solving clues to uncover hidden treasures.[27]
Film
Philipp Kirkorov occasionally participates in musicals and film dubbing. For example, he provided the voice for the main character in the film The New Adventures of Aladdin (2015) and the parrot Kiki in Richard the Stork (2017).[8]
Kirkorov has also made numerous cameo appearances in various TV series and films, including My Fair Nanny (2006), Flight Crew (2016), The Double (2013), Voronin's Family (2017), Naughty Grandma (2017) and Grand Hotel (2018).
In 1994, he proposed to Alla Pugacheva and she accepted. On 13 January the couple announced their engagement in Moscow. On 15 March the marriage was registered in St. Petersburg by then-mayor Anatoly Sobchak. On 15 May the wedding of Kirkorov and Pugacheva took place in Jerusalem.
Other than his native Bulgarian, he is fluent in Russian, and is proficient in Spanish and English.[28]
On March 24, 2024, Philipp Kirkorov left Russia for Baku, Azerbaijan, after an administrative case regarding tax evasion was opened against the artist, and the bank accounts of his companies were blocked.[31]
Order of Honor (30 April 2017) - for great contribution to the development of national music art and many years of creative activity.[32]
Order of Francesc Skarina (Belarus, 18 May 2012) - For a significant personal contribution to the development and strengthening of Belarusian-Russian cultural ties, high performing skills.[33]
In November 2024, Kirkorov was revoked of the title of People's Artist of Ukraine, as part of a decree that stripped 34 people labelled as traitors to Ukraine.[35]
2005: Kak Sumashedshiy Ya (duet with Sakis Rouvas)
2009: Zara
Eurovision covers
Philipp Kirkorov has covered a few songs which appeared in the Eurovision Song Contest and its national finals, as well as entering a song in his own right. Songs include:
"Dreamin'" (Ireland 1995 entry) (English and Russian)
"(I Would) Die for You" (Greece 2001 entry) (English and Russian as "Ya za tebya umru")
"Diva" (Israel 1998 entry) (English, Hebrew, Spanish and Russian)
"Go" (United Kingdom 1988 entry) (Russian as "Lish by ty vsegda byla moej")
"Maria Magdalena" (Croatia 1999 entry) (Russian)
"Hero" – Charlotte Perrelli (2008 Swedish entry) (Russian as "Novyj geroj")
"La voix" – Malena Ernman (2009 Swedish entry) (Russian as "Golos", English and French) (with Anna Netrebko)
"Let's get wild" – Helena Paparizou (2005 Greek National Final) (Russian as "Kaif")
"Carnaval" – DJ Mendez (2002 Swedish National Final) (Russian)
"Let your spirit fly" – Jan Johansson & Pernilla Wahlgren (2003 Swedish National Final) (Russian as "Vljublennaja dusha") (with Anastasia Stotskaya)
Kirkorov in August 2016Kirkorov with the Russian-Ukrainian singer Anna Asti in May 2022
Philipp Kirkorov has maintained a "bad boy" public image for most of his career and has been involved in a number of media controversies.
On 20 May 2004 in Rostov-on-Don, Kirkorov insulted journalist Irina Aroyan at a press conference, using obscene language and criticizing her appearance.[40] After demanding she leave, his bodyguards assaulted her and destroyed her tape recorder. The incident sparked widespread media outrage, and on 11 August 2004, Kirkorov was found guilty of insults and fined 60,000 rubles.[41]
Kirkorov sent his guards to attack Yuri Shevchuk, the frontman of the rock band DDT, following a heated public argument. The conflict arose after Shevchuk made offensive comments about Kirkorov, his wife, and accusations of lip-synching. Shevchuk, who did not have guards of his own, was left unprotected during the incident.[42][43]
On 15 May 2009, Kirkorov resigned as head of the Russian jury for the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest after being seen posing with Greek entrant Sakis Rouvas and dining with Norwegian entrant Alexander Rybak.[44] Kirkorov, a long-time friend of Rouvas, stepped down to preserve the jury's integrity after the incidents became public.[45]
On 3 September 2009 Philipp Kirkorov was caught on camera breaking and seizing a camera belonging to NTV journalist Veronica Kozlova. Charges were not made, and Kirkorov stated that his actions were 'provoked' by the journalist.[46][47]
Another incident occurred on 4 December 2010, when he allegedly slapped a female assistant because he was unhappy with the lighting at a concert venue. The woman, later identified as Marina Yablokova, threatened to sue Kirkorov. As a result, Kirkorov fled to Israel[48] and had himself interned at a psychiatric hospital.[49] On 7 December 2010 the singer publicly admitted that he had psychological problems on his official website and apologized to Yablokova.[50]
On 29 November 2016, Russian media reported that Didier Marouani had been detained in Moscow by Russian police on charges of extortion and defamation. The charges were based on a complaint by Kirkorov with whom Marouani had a disagreement regarding a copyright infringement case.[51][52][53]
In April 2022, Kirkorov criticized RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan for questioning the sexual orientation of Russian comedian and television presenter Maxim Galkin, who fled Russia in protest of the invasion of Ukraine.[54]
After attending the controversial "naked" party organized by blogger Nastya Ivleeva at the Moscow club "Mutabor," where guests appeared almost nude, Philip Kirkorov issued an apology. In a video message to fans on VKontakte, he described his attendance as a mistake, stating that his status requires greater responsibility in choosing events. Kirkorov emphasized that he was unaware of the nature of the gathering and promptly left.[55]
Following media coverage of the event, Vitaly Borodin, head of the Federal Project for Security and Anti-Corruption (FPBC), called for Kirkorov to be stripped of his title of People's Artist.[56]
On 27 December, Kirkorov's image was removed from the promotional poster of the film Ivan Vasilyevich Changes Everything! and replaced with comedian Pavel Volya. Television networks also initiated a boycott, editing New Year's programs to exclude Kirkorov's scenes and solo performances.[57][58]
Support for the Russian annexation of Crimea and invasion of Ukraine
Due to his public support of Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, Lithuania blacklisted Kirkorov on 19 January 2021, preventing him from entering the country for a period of five years.[59] On 23 June, Kirkorov was included in the list of "persons who pose a threat to Ukraine's national security" and was thus banned from entering Ukraine for speaking in support of Russia's annexation of Crimea.[34] Estonia banned the singer from entering the country on 24 February 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine; Ukraine imposed sanctions on him for promoting Russia in January 2023.[29][30]
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