| Philipp Kirkorov | |
|---|---|
Philipp Kirkorov and Ani Lorak in Moscow, 2009. |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Philipp Bedrosovich Kirkorov |
| Born | 30 April 1967 |
| Origin | Varna, Bulgaria |
| Genres | Russian pop, power pop |
| Occupations | Singer, Songwriter |
| Years active | 1985–present |
Philipp Bedrosovich Kirkorov PAR (Bulgarian: Фи́лип Бедро́сов Кирко́ров; Russian: Фили́пп Бедро́сович Кирко́ров; born 30 April 1967 in Varna, Bulgaria) is a Bulgarian-born Russian singer and producer living and working in Moscow.
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Philipp Kirkorov was born on April 30, 1967 in Varna, Bulgaria. His father is Bulgarian singer of Armenian descent Bedros Kirkorov.[1][2] His mother, Victoria (née Likhacheva), is Russian.[3] In 1984, he entered the Gnesin State Music School and graduated with honors in 1988. His musical style is generic Russian pop music with occasional Western influences and, like many Russian pop stars of the 90s and later, he frequently records duets with other artists working in the same field.
In 1994 he proposed to Alla Pugacheva, and she accepted. On January 13, the couple announced their engagement in Moscow. On March 15, the marriage was registered in St. Petersburg by then-mayor Anatoly Sobchak. On May 15 the wedding of Kirkorov and Pugacheva took place in Jerusalem. Kirkorov represented Russia in the Eurovision Song Contest 1995 held in Dublin with the song "Kolybelnaya dlya vulkana" ('Lullaby for the volcano') and finished in 17th place. He co-wrote the Belarusian entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 2007, "Work Your Magic" for Dmitry Koldun, and wrote the 2008 Ukrainian entry "Shady Lady", performed by Ani Lorak. He was also a judge in the second season of Music Idol in Bulgaria. Kirkorov makes a cameo in Verka Serduchka's video "Do Re Mi". Other than his native Bulgarian, he is fluent in Russian, and possesses great communication skills in Spanish and English.[4]
There are a number of media controversies surrounding Kirkorov.
The most notorious scandal followed an incident in Rostov-on-Don on 20 May 2004. At a press conference he insulted (using Russian obscene language) Irina Aroyan, a female journalist who had asked why so many of his songs were covers of American and European hits.[5] During the ensuing discussion, Kirkorov eventually told Aroyan that he was "tired of her pink blouse, her tits, and her microphone" and demanded that she leave the room immediately. When she eventually did, his bodyguards attacked her outside and destroyed her tape recorder. The incident led to a major response and discussions in the mass media. On 11 August 2004, Kirkorov was found guilty of insults (article 130 of the Russian penal code) and was fined 60,000 rubles (about 2000 US dollars at the time).[6]
At a pro-Viktor Yanukovych candidacy concert during the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election Kirkorov mistakenly called on Ukrainians to vote for the opposing candidate Viktor Yushchenko - to wild cheers from the audience.[7]
There was also an incident where Kirkorov sent his guards to attack the Russian rock singer and DDT band frontman Yuri Shevchuk after their emotional skirmish in a public place (as known, Shevchuk keeps no guards of his own). The reason for the argument reportedly were Shevchuk's offensive statements against Kirkorov, his wife, and his alleged lip-synching.[8][9]
On 15 May 2009 Kirkorov resigned as head of the Russian jury at the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest, which has a 50% say in who will be national Russian Eurovision representative, after having been seen posing for cameras with Greek entry Sakis Rouvas and having dinner with Norwegian entry Alexander Rybak.[10] Furthermore, Kirkorov admitted that he and Rouvas had been personal friends for years. Since the integrity of the jury was deemed damaged, Kirkorov had little option but to resign once these stories had been made public.[11]
On 3 September 2009 Philipp Kirkorov, clad in his (in)famous 2008 Music Awards 'gold' suit was caught on camera while 'confiscating' journalist's Veronica Kozlova camera. Since the act might have been qualified as robbery, some reports said the singer was facing 2 to 7 years' imprisonment and a heavy fine. All charges were dropped, though, Kirkorov himself stating that his actions were 'provoked' by the journalist (the latter having been immediately dubbed as 'Pink Blouse the Second' by her colleagues).[12]
In 2010 Kirkorov was seen striking a female audience member while in the crowd at a performance.[13]
Another incident erupted on the 4th of December, 2010, when he allegedly slapped a female assistant because he was unhappy with the lighting at a concert venue. The woman was identified as Marina Yablokova, and threatened to sue Kirkorov . As a result, Kirkorov fled to Israel [14] in a psychiatric hospital.[15] On the 7th of December on the official website of the singer, it was reported that he admits his illness and publicly apologizes to the victim.[16]
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:
| Preceded by Youddiph with "Vyechniy stranik" |
Russia in the Eurovision Song Contest 1995 |
Succeeded by Alla Pugacheva with "Primadonna" |
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