Russian politicians fighting to protect so-called “traditional” values have turned their attention to the country’s vibrant music scene, lambasting pop stars for performances and costumes that are deemed too revealing or sexualized.
Pop singer Natalia Chistyakova-Ionova, best known by her stage name Glukoza, was embroiled in a scandal last week after her performance in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk was highlighted by pro-Kremlin censorship activist Ekaterina Mizulina.
“Glucoza appeared on stage in a lewd manner and touched his genitals. [during the performance]”…in front of thousands of children,” Mizulina wrote in Telegram.
“The residents of Krasnoyarsk are outraged and want the singer to be held accountable,” she added. “We encourage the authorities of all other cities where she will be performing in the future to first conduct a drug test on the singer.”
Glucoza later released a public statement apologizing for his behavior during the performance, claiming it was caused by a mix of “sleeping pills and antidepressants” that he had recently been prescribed.
But on Thursday, state media announced that several of the singer’s Russian bank accounts had been frozen over suspected tax arrears, a move that observers said was linked to a loss of trust in the authorities.
Some journalists have also noted that Glucoza’s name has disappeared from promotional posters for a major festival to be held in Moscow in September – the only concert he has scheduled for the next few months.
“This story would have been very familiar to anyone who lived in Soviet times,” Artemy Troitsky, a prominent Russian journalist and music critic, told The Moscow Times.
“Censorship in Putin’s Russia is in some ways much stricter than in the late Soviet Union,” the Estonia-based Troitsky added.
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The Culture Ministry said it supported imposing a dress code for Russian entertainers, following the traditions of Soviet censorship.
The proposal was first floated by conservative Duma member Irina Filatova in the wake of the scandal surrounding pop star Olga Buzova.
Russian law enforcement authorities launched an investigation last month after Buzova sparked outrage among conservatives by wearing a “revealing” costume during a Children’s Day performance.
Singer Olga Buzova. vk.com/Fest
A local councillor in the Muslim-majority republic of Bashkortostan, where Buzova performed, said he had received a flood of complaints from residents after she appeared onstage in a leather leotard.
“Why provoke people like this, especially in an area with a large number of believers? I don’t understand,” Mizurina also expressed her anger.
Buzova and her team later apologised for the “offensive” outfit.
“I always come with love and kindness. I live and work for my country…everyone knows this,” she wrote on social media. “Do not look for evil where it does not exist.”
A number of Russian pop stars have since voiced their support for Buzova and their opposition to the possible introduction of the dress code.
Pop singer Lucia Chebotina has said she would stop performing altogether if a dress code was introduced, saying her more conservative outfits would limit her ability to sing and dance on stage.
“It’s physically very tough and I sometimes lose consciousness. I have had to be carried off the stage several times because it’s so hot,” Russian media quoted the singer as saying.
Chebotina’s views were supported by veteran pop singer Lolita Milyavskaya, who said the revealing bodysuits were not just a fashion choice but part of an artist’s “professional equipment”.
Singer Lolita Milyavskaya. Sofia Sandurskaya/TASS
Russia has yet to introduce formal legal penalties for artists whose appearance goes against its “traditional values” policy, but journalist Troitsky believes recent cases could pave the way for further self-censorship.
“In the USSR, every artist knew what clothes they could and couldn’t wear if they wanted to appear on TV or make a career. The same thing is happening now,” he said.
“So the androgynous costumes that were once so popular have disappeared. [in Russian showbiz]” Troitsky explained.
“Many Russian pop stars who are gay, such as Nikolai Baskov and Philip Kirkorov, have demonstrated this gay aesthetic. [until recently]But now, of course, that is in the past.”
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