The main pop star spring

We understand whether Ekaterina Mizulin will grow a new patriotic pop culture

The latest news from the world of pop music looks like this: the rapper Scally Milano came to apologize to Ekaterina Mizulina, the head of the League of Safe Internet, followed by Instasham , followed by a rapper Hoffmannite. Musical critic Nikolai Ovchinnikov explains that such walking to a bow will change in the music of pop stars, and tries to figure out whether this will lead to the emergence of a new patriotic pop culture.

In order not to miss the main materials of the "cold", subscribe to our Instagram and telegram .

All these short meetings are accompanied by photographs: the triumphant Mizulin in red and artists with an impenetrable indifferent expression on the face. In social networks they joke who is next, and compare a photo series with pictures of a man with a fish caught by him.

Ekaterina Mizulina really became the most successful fisherman of Russian pop music. On her nets, she dragged almost all more or less mainstream artists under the age of 30 (with the corresponding audience). Moreover, many sailed to her themselves. How did it happen? Why are the artists only happy to run to bow to a woman with incomprehensible powers? And what will happen next?

Where did Mizulin-2 come from?

Ekaterina Mizulina is the daughter of Elena Mizulina. She became famous for the struggle for censorship under the guise of salvation of children: it was Mizulin who became one of the author’s laws that allowed to block sites. Daughter Mizulina also built a career for “helping children”. At the end of 2017, she headed the “Safe Internet League”-a public organization once created by the Orthodox businessman and sponsor of the occupation of Crimea Konstantin Malofeev. Lby on paper is engaged in the salvation of children from pornography, violence and bullying, and in fact acts as a pseudo -public tool for censorship.

Ekaterina Mizulina began to flicker in the news in 2021, when she began to fight against Morgenstern. The concert will help to cancel, then he will accuse of the influence on the next school shooter. Morgenstern eventually escaped from Russia-not because of the attacks of Mizulina, but because they became interested in the Investigative Committee. The rapper has not returned home yet and lives in Dubai.

The next enemies of Mizulina became a dud - after the start of a full -scale war, she asked the prosecutor's office to check him for foreign financing - and Oximiron - for the line “Ingria will be free” in the song “OIDA”. Miron Fedorova was fined for "calls for separatism."

Oximiron and Dud in emigration, they were outwardly affected by either the attacks of the authorities or the status of “foreign agents”. Another thing is pop artists remaining in Russia. They turned Mizulin herself into a pop heroine.

Mizulina ran into Instasamka - concerts began to be canceled at that. As a result, the singer now promises to go to a tour without a mat and an “old style”. Mizulina called Scally Milano a “bastard” - he removes the mention of drugs from songs and promises to improve. Mizulina writes in the UK with a request not to run into the rapper and at the same time talks about others who want to apologize: among them the popular Lovv66, Mayot, Soda Luv and Mukka. Mizulina ran into Lokimin - he remained in Russia and continued to critically speak out about power; His concerts are canceled, he is forced to write explanations on Libi: they say, he does not promote drugs and LGBTK+, but he loves Russia. Alena Shvets also does : after accusations of LGBT Propagand, she turns through telegram to Mizulina, they say, I used to have ambiguous songs, but now “traditional value guidelines”. Hofmannita came to apologize to Mizulina, although she only called on the organizers to cancel her concerts, but in the end she did not go anywhere - as in the old Panche of Oximiron "You apologized, but you were not even beaten." And so on, up to the photo in a red dress. Mizulina scolded Instasam for the publication of a joint photo (although she herself published it), and also said that she spent with the musicians who came to her “preventive conversations”. It seems that the only one who did not answer Mizulina to the accusations was Yandex: the publicist did not like that his musical Sevris has the songs of “Ino -Agent Oximiron” and “Anti -Russian tracks in support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine”.

This would all look expected - the authorities in Russia now actively took up the alteration of culture for their needs, from books to cinemas - if not for one “but”. Ekaterina Mizulina is not a deputy, not an official, not Roskomnadzor. It does not hold any major positions, but simply leads a public organization. In fact, Mizulin is nobody. And half the top of the “VK music” goes to her.

In fact, this is an old tradition. Even from the time of “ours”, “gyoros” like Timur Isaev and the SERB movement, in power, there have always been such as independent figures who performed the most dirty work: they wrote denunciations, smashed exhibitions, poisoned people. But even against their background, Mizulin stands out. Unlike the heroes of the past - too correct ourselves and too low wrestlers for social morality and family values ​​- Mizulina is at ease of telegrams, records penetrating circles, communicates with supporters, posts cats and laid out portraits drawn by fans.

What will happen next with Mizulina-2?

It is not known whether it was Mizulin herself leaned against power or she was leaned thanks to her mother’s ties, but the fact is like this: now she is the main devil of pop culture. Mizulina is such a Furtsev for Zumers: an unrecognized Minister of Culture, a youth specialist who knows how to speak on equal terms with people up to 30 and has a resource for pressure on objectionable through security forces.

What will happen next? Mizulina can follow the path, say, Milonov - to be in the State Duma and dissolve among the same obscurantists. Or she can stumble, criticize someone wrong, and she will be asked to shut up like Natalia Poklonskaya. Or she will become the Minister of Culture under the Prime Minister Evgenia Prigozhin. Mizulina has many options for developing a career. But Russian music has much fewer options.

Why doesn’t it make sense to be indignant at the apology of pop artists?

The usual reaction to this behavior of artists is indignation. It turns out that many Russian public opinion leaders are ready to bend without any objection. Because we must speak, I do not want to lose concerts, money, or even freedom. How the state acts with too masterful cultural figures can be seen in the example of the new “theatrical affair” .

Another question: why did we, in fact, expect from apologizing artists of struggle and protest? Yes, the work of Instasamka or Hofmannites is a beautiful slap in the face of public morality and a response to a request from the population to new tricsters reminiscent of a beautiful pre -war past. But neither they nor Scally Milano were fighters by nature. They did not come to protest rallies, did not participate in the shares of Oximiron or charitable concerts for political faces or Ukrainians. About their political views are generally little clear. The artists who have come to bow to Mizulina are people who grew up in the zero paradigm: we are ready to dance for the state, if only it lagged behind us.

The only problem is that in the zero you could still go to Seliger and call Putin on a rap show in the name of something good or that the bad is more likely. Now, behind the red dress of Mizulina, a big blood is seen, which is spilled in the name of those very traditional values. Now these photos, although they have a strong mematic potential , still look terrible. As if indeed, everyone who is in the frame was caught and will soon be stunned with a cobblestone.

In addition, all these artists who are trying to build some kind of relationship with the state-albeit via libi-are forced to do this not from a good life. For, say, oximiron, coins or “Thank you” group have a foreign audience with understandable views about the war and Putin. They have potential for monetization and further survival. Scally Milano does not have this. Even Morgenstern lost all the radiance in the year of emigration, and the main news about him is Diss Oximiron on him. Russian artists have to survive.

Why will a new patriotic pop culture not grow out of these stories with an apology?

The first single instasami after explanations in front of Libi is absolutely the same ode to money, glory and sex, which before. But his Mizulin already did not seem to notice. All these explanations and apologies are an imitation of public life without special consequences for its participants.

You should not expect some patriotic feats from the Russian priest: the new song “I am Russian”, concerts in the Donbass (of all relatively young artists, I decided to go there only three days of rain , who was deceiving Ukrainian fans before this), and even performances on Red Square on the occasion of the anniversary of some very important nonsense for the Kremlin of nonsense. For Mukki, Scally Milano and others, all these explanations and apologies look like a security letter in case of further problems: they say, we have already apologized, leave me alone.

However, this security letter is not eternal. With any change in trends or the appearance of a new fighter for the purity of the morals of Mukke and Scally Milano, you will have to bow again if they are tied to them. Again you have to apologize and take pictures. And again, except for seething in social networks, this will have no consequences.

The main result of this whole story is one. Ekaterina Mizulina became the forces of both pro-government bloggers and the musical industry, the main pop hero of 2023. Three years ago, the face of culture was a crazy tricster, but at least with songs. Now the songs are not required: the daughter of the deputies working for the Orthodox millionaire and humiliating the musicians with requests to the Investigative Committee-it is with Ekaterina Mizulina that we will associate the history of pop music in the second year of the war. It will then be logical to see her on the stage of some “VK Fest”, in the show “What happened next?” and other pop products safe for the authorities.