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Petr Nalitch and Friends
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February 04, 21:00
B2 Club 
The world of technology is a wonderful place. The invention of the mobile phone means you can say all the things you’ve been meaning to tell your ex-boyfriend by means of drunken text messages at 4 a.m. The proliferation of social networking sites means there have never been more ways to stalk, and be stalked during your working day. And while Russia lags behind this global whirlwind of cyber-embarrassment and procrastination, she can now proudly present her first YouTube star, Petr Nalitch. The Russian media have largely hailed him as Russia’s answer to Borat - but he is more than that. Not does he evade any accusations of cultural insensitivity by parodying people of his own ethnicity, he also backs it up with an irresistibly catchy tune delivered by his mellifluous tenor voice. The video, shot at his dacha near Moscow, depicts Nalitch sitting in a cramped Zhiguli, while he pats the vinyl seat beside him, inviting the viewer to “jump to my yaguar.” Poking fun at his own rudimentary grasp of English, incorrectly spelt lyrics of the song, like “come to my Bouduar” flash behind him, while crudely drawn cartoons of naked women sail past the car.
Comfortable as he looks in his Soviet rust bucket, the 26-year-old muscovite is more accustomed to singing in an opera studio. As Russia’s first major internet star, Nalitch is following in the footsteps of artists such as Kate Nash and Esmee Denters who were discovered on YouTube and have gone on to achieve international fame.
Runet teemed with all kind of rumours about Petr, saying that he was in fact promoted by some oligarchs, e.g. LiveJournal's owner Alexander Mamut, who had invested big money in Nalitch.
In the meantime Nalitch and his ensemble have made appreciable progress. The lineup has changed several times since the first concert, and now this is a band ready to hold the audience of many thousands. They demonstrated their skills at the 2008 UEFA European Football Championship in Innsbruck, where they were invited by the authorities to perform before the Russia-Sweden match.
Nalitch always finds it difficult to answer the question about his musical style. The song "Guitar” features obvious Balkan-Gypsy melodies, but they are not what Nalitch limits himself in. He is very sensitive about music. He takes any musical genre and, letting it through himself, revives it with his voice and as a result something absolutely new is born. And the range of genres is quite wide: reggae, Italian opera, art-rock of the 70s, American country, hip-hop and French chanson. Petr Nalitch represented Russia at Eurovision 2010 (though he was voted only No. 11).
More info
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