me and my gitarrr
There are myriad roads to fame — the road of Pyotr Nalich was YouTube. After posting his song “Gitar” on the website, Nalich has become Russia’s first Internet star.
TEXT LEAH SULLIVAN feedback
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, Pyotr Nalich. Far from the pair of screechy faux-lesbians who were the last Russian export catapulted onto the international stage, Nalich is a classically trained tenor whose song “Gitar” has, so far, been downloaded four million times from YouTube. 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 melifluous tenor voice. The video, shot at his dacha near Moscow, depicts Nalich 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, Nalich 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. He has already attracted the attention of Moscow’s hipsters and Pyotr and his band have played to full house at Apshu. On Jan. 17, he tackles the rather more challenging venue of Ikra. But with songs as catchy as “Gitar,” Nalich should have no trouble getting the crowd to jump to his yaguar. Cover charge is 600 rubles for a 9 p.m. start. |
