Philipp Bedrosovich Kirkorov PAR (russian: Филипп Бедросович Киркоров; bg, Филип Бедросов Киркоров, Filip Bedrosov Kirkorov; born 30 April 1967) is a Bulgarian-born Russian pop singer. He is a five-time winner of the "Best Selling Russian Artist" title at the

World Music Awards The World Music Awards is an international award show founded in 1989 under the patronage of Albert II, Prince of Monaco and co-founder/executive producer John Martinotti. The event is based in Monte Carlo. Awards are presented to the world' ...

ceremonies.

Biography

Philipp Kirkorov was born on 30 April 1967 in Varna,

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...

. His father, Bedros Kirkorov, is a

n-born singer of Armenian descent. In 1990, Kirkorov won the Grand Prix in the competition "Shlyager-90" (Hit-90) in

Leningrad Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

with the song "Nebo i Zemlya" (Sky and Earth). In 1992, his music video to the song "Atlantida" was selected as "Music Video of the Year". His popularity began to spread outside of Russia and he toured in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

, and

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

. 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. Kirkorov represented Russia in the Eurovision Song Contest 1995 held in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

with the song " Kolybelnaya dlya vulkana" ('Lullaby for the

volcano A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates ...

') and finished in 17th place. He co-wrote the Belarusian entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 2007, "

Work Your Magic "Work Your Magic" is a single released by Dmitry Koldun, which ranked 6th in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 in Helsinki, representing . The title is a pun on the artist's surname, since ''koldun'' () in Russian means "magician" or "sorcerer". ...

" for Dmitry Koldun, wrote the

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

entry " Shady Lady", performed by

Ani Lorak Karolina Myroslavivna Kuiek, russian: Каролина Мирославовна Куек (born 27 September 1978), popularly known as Ani Lorak,, russian: Ани Лорак is a Ukrainian singer, songwriter, actress, entrepreneur and former U ...

, and also co-composed

Moldova Moldova ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Moldova ( ro, Republica Moldova), is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. The unrecognised state of Transnistri ...

's Eurovision entry for the contest, "

Sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or do ...

", which was performed by

Natalia Gordienko Natalia Gordienko ( uk, Наталія Гордієнко, also spelled Gordienco; born 11 December 1987) is a Moldovan singer and dancer. Alongside Arsenium and Connect-R, she represented Moldova in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with the son ...

. He was also a judge in the second season of ''

Music Idol ''Music Idol'' () was the Bulgarian version of the British television hit show ''Pop Idol''. It was a talent contest to determine the superior pop performer. Its first season was aired on bTV from February 26 until June 7, 2007. During its third ...

'' in Bulgaria. Kirkorov makes a cameo in

Verka Serduchka Andriy Mykhailovych Danylko ( uk, Андрі́й Миха́йлович Дани́лко; born 2 October 1973), better known as his drag persona Verka Serduchka ( uk, Вє́рка Сердю́чка, links=no, ; russian: Ве́рка Серд ...

's video "Do Re Mi". Other than his native Bulgarian, he is fluent in Russian, and is proficient in Spanish and English. In December 2012 he signed an open letter criticizing a St. Petersburg bill banning "homosexual propaganda", along with pop stars like Dima Bilan and Valery Syutkin.

Public image and controversies

Kirkorov has maintained a " bad boy" public image for most of his career and has caused a number of media controversies. The most notorious scandal followed an incident in

Rostov-on-Don Rostov-on-Don ( rus, Ростов-на-Дону, r=Rostov-na-Donu, p=rɐˈstof nə dɐˈnu) is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. It lies in the southeastern part of the Eas ...

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. During the ensuing discussion, Kirkorov eventually told Aroyan that he was "tired of her pink blouse, her tits, and her

microphone A microphone, colloquially called a mic or mike (), is a transducer that converts sound into an electrical signal. Microphones are used in many applications such as telephones, hearing aids, public address systems for concert halls and publ ...

" 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). Bedros Kirkorov cropped

At a pro-

Viktor Yanukovych Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych ( uk, Віктор Федорович Янукович, ; ; born 9 July 1950) is a former politician who served as the fourth president of Ukraine from 2010 until he was removed from office in the Revolution of D ...

candidacy concert during the

2004 Ukrainian presidential election Presidential elections were held in Ukraine on 31 October, 21 November and 26 December 2004. The election was the fourth presidential election to take place in Ukraine following independence from the Soviet Union. The last stages of the election ...

Kirkorov's father, Bulgarian singer Bedros Kirkorov, mistakenly called on Ukrainians to vote for the opposing candidate

Viktor Yushchenko Viktor Andriyovych Yushchenko ( uk, Віктор Андрійович Ющенко, ; born 23 February 1954) is a Ukrainian politician who was the third president of Ukraine from 23 January 2005 to 25 February 2010. As an informal leader of th ...

– to wild cheers from the audience. There was also an incident where Kirkorov sent his guards to attack the

Russian rock Rock music became known in the Soviet Union in the 1960s and quickly broke free from its Western roots. According to many music critics, its "golden age" years were the 1980s (especially the era of perestroika), when the Soviet underground ro ...

singer and DDT band frontman

Yuri Shevchuk Yuri Yulianovich Shevchuk (russian: Юрий Юлианович Шевчук; born 16 May 1957) is a Soviet and Russian rock musician and singer/songwriter who leads the rock band DDT, which he founded with Vladimir Sigachyov in 1980. He is bes ...

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. On 15 May 2009 Kirkorov resigned as head of the Russian jury at the

2009 Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest 2009 was the 54th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Moscow, Russia, following the country's victory at the with the song "Believe" by Dima Bilan. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EB ...

, 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 Anastasios "Sakis" Rouvas ( el, Αναστάσιος "Σάκης" Ρουβάς, ; born 5 January 1972), also known mononymously as Sakis, is a Greek singer, film and television actor, businessman and former pole vaulter and model. Born in Co ...

and having dinner with Norwegian entry Alexander Rybak. 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. On 3 September 2009 Philipp Kirkorov, clad in his (in)famous 2008 Music Awards 'gold' suit was caught on camera while 'confiscating' the camera belonging to journalist Veronica Kozlova. Since the act could have been interpreted according to the law as a robbery, some reports said the singer was facing 2 to 7 years' imprisonment and a heavy fine. All charges were dropped, however, and Kirkorov stated that his actions were 'provoked' by the journalist. Kozlova was immediately dubbed 'Pink Blouse the Second' by her colleagues and other journalists. 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

and had himself interned at a psychiatric hospital. On 7 December 2010 the singer publicly admitted that he had psychological problems on his official website and apologized to his latest victim. Russian actor Nikita Dzhigurda during a talk show hinted on non-hetero sexual orientations of several prominent Russian pop stars, including Kirkorov. Dzhigurda concluded with the warning: "Come out! Come out from below ground, before it's too late!" On 29 November 2016, Russian media reported that

Didier Marouani Didier "Ecama" Marouani (born 14 July 1953, in Monaco) is a French composer and musician. Biography Didier started his career as a pop singer and made his first single, "Je suis ton chevalier" with Etienne Roda-Gil as a lyricist in 1975. He ...

has 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. In April 2022, Kirkorov criticized RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan for questioning the sexual orientation of Russian comedian and television presenter

Maxim Galkin Maxim Alexandrovich Galkin (russian: Максим Алeксандpoвич Галкин; born 18 June 1976) is a Russian comedian, television presenter and singer. Galkin left Russia in March 2022 following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and was ...

, who fled Russia in protest of the war in Ukraine.

Support for the Russian annexation of Crimea

Due to his public support of the

2014 Russian annexation of Crimea In February and March 2014, Russia invaded and subsequently annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine. This event took place in the aftermath of the Revolution of Dignity and is part of the wider Russo-Ukrainian War. The events in Kyiv th ...

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

has blacklisted Kirkorov starting from 19 January 2021, meaning the performer will not be able to enter the country for five years. Several of his concerts had been scheduled in Lithuanian cities that year. On 23 June 2021 Kirkorov was included in the list of "persons who pose a threat to Ukraine's national security" and was thus banned from entering

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inva ...

for speaking in support of Russia's annexation of

Crimea Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a p ...

.The SBU explained why Kirkorov was considered dangerous: he confuses whose Crimea

Ukrayinska Pravda ''Ukrainska Pravda'' ( uk, Українська правда, lit=Ukrainian Truth) is a Ukrainian online newspaper founded by Georgiy Gongadze on 16 April 2000 (the day of the Ukrainian constitutional referendum). Published mainly in Ukrai ...

(24 June 2021)

Honours and awards

Vladimir Putin and Philipp Kirkorov (2017-11-15)

;Orders *

Order of Honor (30 April 2017) - for great contribution to the development of national music art and many years of creative activity. * Order francysk skaryna rib

Order of Francesc Skarina The Order of Francysk Skaryna ( be, О́рдэн Францы́ска Скары́ны) is an award of Belarus. It is named after Francysk Skaryna, one of the first book printers in Cyrillic script. Order of Francysk Skaryna is a single level awar ...

(Belarus, 18 May 2012) - For a significant personal contribution to the development and strengthening of Belarusian-Russian cultural ties, high performing skills. ;Titles * Order of Francysk Skaryna (18 May 2012) * People's Artist of Russia Federation (12 February 2008) * People's Artist of Ukraine (29 May 2008) *

Merited Artist of the Russian Federation Merited Artist of the Russian Federation (russian: link=no, Заслуженный артист Российской Федерации, ''Zasluzhenny artist Rossiyskoy Federatsii'') is an honorary title in the Russian Federation. The title is ...

(2001) * People's Artist of

Chechnya Chechnya ( rus, Чечня́, Chechnyá, p=tɕɪtɕˈnʲa; ce, Нохчийчоь, Noxçiyçö), officially the Chechen Republic,; ce, Нохчийн Республика, Noxçiyn Respublika is a republic of Russia. It is situated in the ...

(2006) * People's Artist of

Ingushetia Ingushetia (; russian: Ингуше́тия; inh, ГӀалгӏайче, Ghalghayče), officially the Republic of Ingushetia,; inh, Гӏалгӏай Мохк, Ghalghay Moxk is a republic of Russia located in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe. ...

(2006) * Honorary Citizen of

Yalta Yalta (: Я́лта) is a resort city on the south coast of the Crimean Peninsula surrounded by the Black Sea. It serves as the administrative center of Yalta Municipality, one of the regions within Crimea. Yalta, along with the rest of Cri ...

(2010) * Honored Art Activist of

Autonomous Republic of Crimea The Autonomous Republic of Crimea, commonly known as Crimea, is a de jure autonomous republic of Ukraine encompassing most of Crimea that was annexed by Russia in 2014. The Autonomous Republic of Crimea occupies most of the peninsula,

(2000) * Goodwill ambassador of

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoni ...

(2000) ;Medals *

Medal "10 years of Astana" The Medal "10 years of Astana" ( Kazakh: Астанаға 10 жыл, ''Astanaǵa 10 jyl'') is a state award of Kazakhstan. It was first introduced on May 6, 2008, in honor of 10 year anniversary of the city of Astana. List of Recipients * Nursu ...

(Kazakhstan, 2008) ;Public awards * Record holder of the Russian Book of Records (2017) , - ! colspan="3" style="background: cyan;" ,

, - , - ! colspan="3" style="background: cyan;" ,

, -

Discography

Albums

;Studio albums *1990: Philipp *1990: Sinbat-Morehod *1991: Nebo I Zemlya *1991: Ti, Ti, Ti *1992: Takoi Sakoi *1994: Ya Ne Raphael *1995: Primadonna *1995: Ckazi Solncu – "Da" *1998: Edinstvenaya *1998: Oi, Mama Shika Dam *2000: Chelofilia *2001: Magico Amor *2002: Vlubloniy I Bezumno Odinokiy *2003: Neznakomka *2007: For You *2011: Drugoy – 2 Edition *2016: Ya ;Live *2001: Vchera, Segodnya, Zavtra... ''(Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow... )'' ;Compilation *2003: Luchshie Pesni ''(The Best Songs)'' *2004: Dueti ''(Duets)''

Singles

*1999: Mish` *2000: Ogon` I Voda *2000: Kilimandzaro *2001: Diva *2001: Ti Poverish`? *2001: Ya Za Tebya Umru *2001: Maria *2002: Zesrokaya Lubov` *2004: Sam P..A?! Ili Kirkorov MAZZDie!!! *2005: Kak Sumashedshiy Ya (duet with

) *2009: Zara

Eurovision covers

Philipp Kirkorov has covered a few songs which appeared in the

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...

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 "(I Would) Die for You" is a song released by Antique, a duo consisting of Helena Paparizou and Nikos Panagiotidis, both born and raised in Sweden by Greek parents. It was the entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2001, performed in English and ...

"'' (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 Anna Yuryevna Netrebko (russian: Анна Юрьевна Нетребко; born 18 September 1971) is an Austrian operatic soprano with an active international career and performed prominently at the Salzburg Festival, Metropolitan Opera, Vienn ...

) *''" Let's get wild"'' –

Helena Paparizou Helena Paparizou (; , ; born 31 January 1962) is a Swedish-born Greek singer, songwriter and television personality. Born and raised in Sweden to Greek parents, she enrolled in various arts schools before launching a career in Sweden in 1999 a ...

(2005 Greek National Final) (Russian as "Kaif") *''"Carnaval"'' – DJ Mendez (2002 Swedish National Final) (Russian) *''"Let your spirit fly"'' – Jan Johansson &

Pernilla Wahlgren Pernilla Nina Elisabeth Wahlgren (born 24 December 1967) is a Swedish singer and actress. She has sung in Melodifestivalen several times; her 1985 entry titled " Piccadilly Circus" became popular and successful. She has acted in several plays and ...

(2003 Swedish National Final) (Russian as "Vljublennaja dusha") (with Anastasia Stotskaya) *''" Cara Mia"'' – Måns Zelmerlöw (2007 Swedish National Final) (Russian as "Koroleva") *''" Playing with Fire"'' – Paula and Ovi (Romania 2010 entry) (Russian as "Igra s ognem") *''" Hope & Glory"'' – Måns Zelmerlöw (2009 Swedish National Final) (Russian as "Tyi vsyo uvidish sam")

Videos

Filmography

* 1995: "Old Songs About Main Things" ''(as magician from south)'' * 1996: "Old Songs About Main Things – 2" ''(as Mr. Singer)'' * 1997: "Old Songs About Main Things – 3" ''(as young actor)'' * 2000: "Salon of Beaty" ''(as Evgeniy Slavin)'' * 2000: "Old Songs About Main Things.Postscript" ''(as magician from south)'' * 2001: "Como El Cine" ''(as himself)'' * 2002: " Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka" ''(as devil)'' * 2003: " Crazy Day or The Marriage of Figaro" ''(as Count Almaviva)'' * 2006: "The Adventures of Verka Serduchka" ''(cameo)'' * 2007: "

Kingdom of Crooked Mirrors ''Kingdom of Crooked Mirrors'' (russian: Королевство кривых зеркал, translit. ''Korolevstvo krivykh zerkal'') is a 1963 Soviet fairy tale film directed by Aleksandr Rou based on the novel, '' Kingdom of Crooked Mirrors ...

" ''(as kite Piliph)'' * 2007: "Stars Holidays" ''(as Baron Ctar, intergalactic star)'' * 2008: "Goldfish" ''(as star groom)'' * 2008: "On Back Of Black Cat" ''(cameo)'' * 2009: " Love in the Big City" ''(as Saint Valentin)'' * 2010: "

Love in the Big City 2 ''Love in the Big City 2'' (russian: Любовь в большом городе 2, Lyubov v bolshom gorode 2) is a 2010 romantic comedy film directed by Maryus Vaysberg. This is the second film of a trilogy about the adventures of three friends ...

" ''(as Saint Valentin)'' * 2010: "

Svaty ''Svaty'' ( uk, Свати; russian: Сваты; "In-Laws") is a Ukrainian comedy series from the production company Kvartal-95. In total, seven seasons were created and the musical ''Novogodniye Svaty'' ("New Year's In-Laws"). Also, a televisi ...

" (cameo) * 2012: "Little Red Riding Hood" ''(As Cat Basilio)'' * 2014: " Love in the Big City 3" ''(as Saint Valentin)'' * 2017: "

Naughty Grandma Naughty Grandma (russian: Бабушка лёгкого поведения, Babushka lyogkogo povedeniya) is a 2017 Russian comedy film directed by Maryus Vaysberg. It stars Aleksandr Revva and Glukoza. The film was the only domestic picture t ...

" (cameo)

Eurovision Song Contest entries

Real estate

* Villa in Ostrov Myakinino (Cottage Village Beresta) near

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

. * Villa in La Gorce Dr,

Miami Beach Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It was incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on natural and man-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter of which ...

.https://idei.club/60588-dom-filippa-kirkorova-v-majami-38-foto.html

References

External links

*
Philipp Kirkorov at the Forbes
* *
Интервью Филиппа Киркорова журналу Rolling Stone
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kirkorov, Philipp 1967 births Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 1995 Eastern Orthodox Christians from Russia Eastern Orthodox Christians from Bulgaria Bulgarian emigrants to the Soviet Union Bulgarian people of Armenian descent Living people Musicians from Varna, Bulgaria People's Artists of Russia Recipients of the title of People's Artists of Ukraine Recipients of the Order of Francysk Skaryna Eurovision Song Contest entrants for Russia 20th-century Russian singers 21st-century Russian singers Russian people of Armenian descent Russian pop singers World Music Awards winners Soviet pop singers Honored Artists of the Russian Federation Russian record producers Russian pop musicians Russian television presenters 20th-century Russian male singers 21st-century Russian male singers Russian National Music Award winners Russian people of French descent Bulgarian people of French descent Bulgarian people of Russian descent Russian people of Bulgarian descent Bulgarian people of Romani descent Russian Romani people Winners of the Golden Gramophone Award