Vitas – Sedmoy Element (The 7th Element)

2000s: In Russia, Vitas is first and foremost known as the Opera №2 singer. It may be hard to believe now, but when it first came out, a popular rumor had it that Vitas actually has gills, as shown in the video. And that’s what apparently allows him to sing like that. Those were the days! 

Nowadays: Worldwide, however, he’s more known not as an amphibian man, but as an… alien. The video for The 7th Element, a pretty other-worldly song in itself, accompanied by the artist’s robotic dance moves and futuristic costume, was able to reach over 55 million views on YouTube. The international public rediscovered it around 2015, and since then a large number of reaction videos, as well as various cover versions, have been posted online.

Glukoza – Nostra

2000s: This and several other songs by Glukoza were huge hits. Largely, this was due to the aesthetics behind this project. Kind of like Gorillaz, the artist had an animated persona, an edgy girl in a leather coat and big boots that you can see in her videos. Plus, the singing voice was heavily autotuned. This wasn’t common back then in Russia and I remember how lots of people were genuinely puzzled by it. 

Nowadays: In 2024, Nostra by Glukoza resurfaced thanks to TikTok user El Ricardin who posted an adorable video of himself dancing to the song. It quickly gained popularity and is now often used in videos, mostly about simple things that make one happy.

Katya Lel – Moy Marmeladny (My Marmalade)

2000s: When this song first became popular, the public was baffled by the lyrics. They involve a lot of made up words, so the message is barely comprehensible. A lot of jokes were made on the topic. But who cares – the tune is really catchy, so it’s no wonder it wasn’t completely forgotten as time went by.

Nowadays: It went viral last year, coupled with the so-called “Slavic bimbo” aesthetic. If you’ve seen someone in a fur hat attempting to lip sync to the infamous lyrics, you know what I’m talking about. 

For more info on popular Russian music, see our stories on artists topping the charts and must-known singers.