Mordovia is a region in central Russian whose capital, Saransk (700 km east of Moscow), was one of the host cities for the World Cup 2018. The region is inhabited by Mordvins, who have their own (disappearing) language. The band Merema (“Legend” in English) travels across the region in search of interesting folk artifacts and ancient national costumes. They also collect old ritual music, such as the wedding song ”Come out, friends.” One of
Irina Smelaya who goes by the nickname
Kristian Illarionov, a young singer from Cheboksary (the capital of Chuvashia, 670 km east of Moscow), sings this lovely song in Chuvash. Maybe you’ve never heard of this language, but you’ll definitely enjoy this clip. In it, Kristian dances with a heating station and a vintage Soviet car in the background. The song is called “Only with Me” and is devoted to eternal romantic themes that are understandable even without a translation.
The band
Andrei Gorshkov is an artist at the Karelian National Theater and an ethnical Karelian. Since childhood, he has spoken both Russian and the Karelian language, and now he is a famous rap musician in this northern Russian region. This song is really touching.
Adler Kotsba started writing songs in high school and says he became interested in music after listening to the American rapper 50 Cent. He is famous in Russia thanks to his romantic song “The Scent of My Woman.” Along with Batyr Dolev, a singer from the south Caucasian republic of Adyghe, he performs this song about their homeland.
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