Cancelling Russia’s Antidote: 2000s Pop, Fur Hats, and Slavic Style Captivating Western Youth- Analysis

Pop culture trends in recent years seem rather odd in Russia. Rappers who once rhymed about narcotics, sexual encounters, and cool things have now turned to express patriotism. Moreover, soldiers on the battlefield enjoy listening to feminine pop songs about self-love and nefarious partners. Alongside this, a resurgence of ironic, patriotic memes has been observed on the internet. However, these are internal Russian trends. Outside of Russia, a 20-year-old Russian pop song is currently making waves across the world, especially on TikTok.

In 2023, when foreign tours of Russian musicians were called off due to their nationality and Michael Jackson’s music was removed from Russian streaming platforms due to sanctions; a frivolous song from the Russian pop music archive gained considerable worldwide attention. Girls from all over the world were seen on TikTok, swathed in Russianistic apparel, as they danced to this song.

This viral trend began in November 2023, when videos of people lip-syncing to the song ‘Moi Marmeladnyi’ (My Marmalade) by the Russian singer Katya Lel appeared on TikTok. The song quickly caught on, accumulating tens of millions of views. Influenced by the supposed ‘Slavic vibe,’ users demonstrated their Russian-style attire and others reminisced about their Russian heritage.

Surprisingly, ‘My Marmalade,’ which was originally released in Russia two decades ago, climbed up to the third spot on Spotify’s Viral 50-Global chart and also made it into Shazam’s Global Top Ten (Pop).

The song was a creation by the singer, actress, and TV personality Ekaterina Chuprina, popularly known as Katya Lel, and Maxim Fadeev, her producer. Despite significant career and legal hurdles, the song stood the test of time and turned out to be Lel’s biggest success.

The song’s belated popularity took Lel by surprise. In an era when people across the world are embracing the Russian language and culture, she expressed profound joy. However, she insisted that she had no plans to relocate to the West, stating herself as a proud Russian patriot.

Fadeev, the song’s co-creator, was also amazed by its renewed impact. He stated that many people who felt confused have now turned back to Russia’s culture because of the song. Maria Zakharova, Foreign Ministry spokesperson, lauded this viral trend as a “slap in the face for Russia cancelers.”

Despite the straightforward and lightweight lyrics, TikTok users managed to construct a complex narrative around the song using visual content. The recurrent fur coats and hats highlighted in these viral TikTok videos played into the notorious Russian stereotype; however, these were worn more as a testament to the wearer’s wealth in post-Soviet Russia.

Nonetheless, some condemnations have been observed under ‘My Marmalade’ videos, mainly from Ukrainians against using Russian music to make videos. Also, some people refer to it as a “Slavic song” for “Slavic girls,” which is technically accurate only to an extent. This viral trend indicates that Russian culture, an inseparable part of global culture, is alive and well.

It’s important to note that the energy behind the viral popularity of ‘My Marmalade’ did not come from an elaborate promotional campaign or a state-sponsored effort to advocate Russian culture. Instead, content creators worldwide merely enjoyed the song. Although there have been significant societal changes in the last twenty years, Russian girls today, just like two decades ago, still sing about love and passionate feelings, best encapsulated by the term “jaga-jaga.”

Source: RT news: The antidote to attempts at cancelling Russia: How a 2000s pop hit, fur hats and Slavic style have captivated Western youngsters