Shaman, or the voice of the Putin Jugend era

Just lately, on the wPolityce portal, I wrote about “Era Z”, that’s, as we speak’s Russian youth below the good affect of the Kremlin, which makes use of social media to indoctrinate younger folks, combining imperialist and nationalistic content material with a lovely and entertaining format. The identify of this era comes from the letter “Z”, which seems on Russian tanks and fight automobiles through the armed aggression in opposition to Ukraine.

Learn extra: Putin’s Jugend, or “Z” era, is rising in Russia. Canadian researcher’s pioneering work on Russian youth

Shaman as we speak has change into the voice of the “Putin Youth” era. This creative pseudonym is worn by 32-year-old Jarozla Dronov, Russia’s rock reply to the problem of the West. If Moscow’s “political technocrats” are to win the tradition conflict with the USA, they need to notice that they can not concede any floor to the enemy and should give it an opportunity at each degree of the competition. One such sphere is rock music, which pursuits hundreds of thousands of younger folks in Russia. That’s the reason Shaman’s music “Zha Ruskij” (I’m a Russian) has change into the anthem of “Era Z” as we speak.

“I used to be made within the Soviet Union”

Up to now, one such character for the primary era to enter maturity after the collapse of the Soviet Union is Oleg Kasmanov’s rock music “Stellen w CCCP” (produced within the USSR), which is a response to Bruce Springsteen’s “Born within the USA”. It’s related in sound. It’s the anthemic “Soyuz Orphans,” expressing eager for a fallen empire. The music begins with the phrases:

Ukraine and Crimea, Belarus and Moldova –

That is my nation.

Sakhalin and Kamchatka, Ural Mountains –

That is my nation.

Krasnoyarsk Territory, Siberia and the Volga,

Kazakhstan and the Caucasus and Baltic States:

I used to be born within the Soviet Union.

I used to be created within the Soviet Union.

The following a part of the music is all about: Rurikovichs and Romanovs, Lenin and Stalin, Pushkin, Yesenin, Vysotsky and Gagarin, destroyed church buildings and rebuilt temples, reapers and torpedoes, oligarchs and poor, KGB, oil, diamonds, gold, fuel, navy, ballet aviation. , Opera, Spetsnaz, Vodka, Caviar, Rockets, Hermitage, and so forth. The piece ends with the remark that after they have been all collectively, the Soviet Union gained World Battle II and was probably the most highly effective nation on the earth. , which is in stark distinction to what occurred later. “How are you with out us?” sang Kamchanov within the final verse of the music, posing this query to the previous residents of the Soviet Union, separated by borders after 1991.

This music turned extremely popular not solely in Russia. Kamsanov carried out it, for instance, on Might 9, 2012 through the Victory Day celebration in Kharkiv. Tens of 1000’s of younger Ukrainians sang with him in Russian, enthusiastically obtained the efficiency of the singer, an enormous order with a hammer and sickle above his head on stage.

“I’m Russian, I’m going to the top”

Right now, such a scenario is unthinkable in Ukraine. So much has modified in Russia too. Within the context of the struggle, the function of Casmano is taken by the already talked about shaman, who’s 40 years youthful than him. Within the final decade, he tried unsuccessfully to interrupt into the native present enterprise. He participated in numerous competitions and festivals, singing “covers” of nice rock stars or easy, romantic songs about love. with out success. He bought the possibility of a lifetime when Kremlin propagandists started in search of an actor who may change into the voice of “Era Z.” Established singers haven’t any intention of participating in this sort of efficiency. So Drono accepted the provide. His benefit was that he didn’t seem like an apparatchik, however like a “krasavczyk”, wearing modern garments and with yellow dreadlocks on his head, he may inform the younger folks “I’m considered one of you”.

Coincidentally, his music “Let’s Rise” had its premiere on February 23, 2022, forward of the full-scale aggression in opposition to Ukraine. It’s a hymn and patriotic music, referring to the Russian previous and the reminiscence of nationwide heroes, affirming that God and fact are on Russia’s aspect. The rock ballad was shortly promoted within the media and have become a preferred hit.

The music turned an excellent larger hit. “I’m Russian”, which premiered in July 2022. For 9 months it has been sung by younger folks on all-Russian radio, in discos and in colleges. The music video accompanying the music has garnered over 32 million views on YouTube. The clip options the shaman in two interwoven scenes: first, as a rock star, giving deafening live shows in arenas stuffed with followers, and second, a fair-haired younger man strolling alone in a Yesenin-style linen shirt. By means of wheat fields. Tirono sings, amongst others:

I’m Russian, I’m going to the top.

I’m Russian, my father’s blood.

I’m Russian, I’m fortunate.

I’m Russian regardless of the entire world.

I’m Russian.

The final scene of the music video reveals a spaceship flying via the sky with observers from extraterrestrials, who choose up vague sounds from Earth on their listening units. At one level, the shaman’s music performs over the audio system. The aliens momentarily choose up on the phrases and start singing “I’m Russian” as they dance.

“We – One Fact for the entire world”

Over the previous 12 months, the shaman has carried out a number of live shows to packed halls throughout the nation, performing not solely his songs, but in addition the Russian nationwide anthem. Throughout a live performance titled “Collectively Perpetually,” he sang the Russian nationwide anthem to a packed Crimson Sq. in Moscow, flanked by Vladimir Putin and different state officers. Dronov additionally carried out within the occupied Ukrainian territories, e.g. In Mariupol and Luhansk, it insists that it’s Russian land.

Just lately, the singer was provided the function of Prince Vladimir the Nice within the deliberate new rock opera of Kievan Rus (his baptism in 988 went down in historical past because the baptism of Rus). It will almost definitely be one other propaganda challenge geared toward proving that as we speak’s Moscow is the true successor of Kievan Rus.

Many critics contemplate Szaman’s work to be sly and pretentious, however they don’t dare to speak about it publicly. One of many few was comic Alexander Gutkov, who parodied the music “Ja Ruskij” as “Ja Uskij” (I’m quick). His music video has obtained 7.2 million views on YouTube. Because of this, MP Yelena Afanasyeva appealed to the prosecutor’s workplace to cost the satirist with “Russophobia”, and the FSB opened an investigation into Gutkov’s “extremism”.

A couple of days in the past, on April 20, Shaman launched the music video of his newest music on the Web. “We’re”. The clip is maintained in fascist poetry (we’re speaking about creative stylistics, not ideological overtones). It depicts a blond-haired artist carrying tall black boots and a brief black leather-based jacket, with an apron within the colours of the Russian flag, as he marches via Crimson Sq. in Moscow and sings:

A pleasing day.

The banner goes up.

Hope and love are with us.

God is with us.

We – it’s everlasting in our blood

And my era.

We – linked by one sky,…

We – We is not going to let anybody break us

We don’t stay on our knees.

We – that is the one fact in the entire world – we.

Some netizens criticized Drono for her garments associating her with Nazi Germany. Additionally they recalled that the music’s launch date – April 20 – coincides with Adolf Hitler’s birthday. Total, nevertheless, optimistic evaluations prevailed, and the music video has already garnered almost 2 million views.

Shaman’s reputation just isn’t solely because of the penetrating publicity of his songs. It not solely shapes the pondering and angle of Russian youth, but in addition suits completely into the mindset of a big a part of native society. This doesn’t bode nicely for the long run…