For years, Russia has tried to unite global allies to challenge the West’s geopolitical and cultural dominance. Its latest plan is to bring them together through song.
On Saturday, the country is staging the Intervision Song Contest, a revival of a Cold War-era spectacle with competitors representing countries like China, Cuba and India.
The United States is being represented by Vassy, a Greek-Australian dance musician who was recently granted American citizenship, although it’s unclear how she was selected to take part.
Intervision was originally staged in the 1960s and 1970s, and music critics have often called it a rival to the Eurovision Song Contest. The Kremlin has high hopes that the new event will attract an avid global audience, just as Eurovision does each year.
But so far, Intervision hasn’t caused much of a stir in Russia, let alone internationally. Despite a heavy promotional campaign on social media and around Moscow, as of Friday tickets were still available for the show in the Russian capital’s Live Arena.
Here’s what to know about the event and why it matters.
What is Intervision?
The first Intervision Song Contest took place in 1965 in Prague, which was then part of Czechoslovakia. Karel Gott, a Czech crooner often called the “Sinatra of the East,” took first place.
Czechoslovak television put the event together, and the Soviet authorities were not directly involved.
Dean Vuletic, an author who has written about both Eurovision and Intervision, said in an interview that there’s a misconception that Intervision was “the communist challenger to Eurovision.” In reality, he said, its organizers wanted it to be a bridge between East and West, and a way of promoting their country’s pop stars abroad.
Some editions of Intervision were broadcast in Western Europe, Vuletic said, and Intervision’s organizers invited Western artists like Gloria Gaynor and Boney M, the reggae and disco act, to perform as special guests.
There were eight editions of Intervision, split between Czechoslovakia and Poland.
Why is Russia reviving it?
After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and resulting suspension from most international cultural and sporting events, Moscow created a raft of its own competitions, awards and festivals.
Intervision is just the latest event aimed at projecting Moscow’s image as a leader of the Global South and guardian of what it describes as traditional values.
Before Russia was barred from Eurovision in 2022, it had taken its participation in that high-camp singing competition seriously. The state-run television broadcast it each year with much fanfare, and the selection of competitors was a nationwide process. In 2008, the pop star Dima Bilan won Eurovision for Russia with “Believe.”
Yet as Russian lawmakers moved to restrict gay culture in recent years, they also criticized Eurovision — which often features gay acts — as undermining Russian values. The victory of Conchita Wurst, a bearded drag queen from Austria, in 2014, was a particular point of contention.
This week, the foreign minister of Russia, Sergey Lavrov, said at a news conference that Intervision was a platform for Russia to “foster the natural God-given human capacity for good will.”
Officials in Russia have said the event will be free of “perversions and mockery of human nature.”
Do ordinary Russians care?
Despite active promotion by the government, which has allocated more than $7 million for the competition, Intervision has generated little hype in Russia. As of Friday, the event in the 5,000-capacity arena was not sold out.
In Moscow, the government has unfurled flags and installed flashy pavilions in front of railway stations and major tourist attractions, advertising Intervision as the “No. 1 show in the world.” The state-run news media has portrayed it as an event of global significance.
Sergei V. Kiriyenko, one of President Vladimir V. Putin’s most trusted lieutenants, said this week at a news conference that more than four billion people “will be able to watch the broadcast.”
But Russians haven’t demonstrated much support. Russian news outlets reported that people were being hired to pose as fans of some competing countries, greeting artists at the airport and showing support at the arena.
How is the U.S. involved?
In August, Intervision announced that an American competitor would be taking part: Brandon Howard, also known as B. Howard, a singer with ties to Michael Jackson’s family.
It’s unclear how he came to represent the United States in the contest, whose rules state that any individual, business or institution can nominate an artist to take part.
B. Howard’s participation was cut short on Wednesday, when he said in a video posted to Russian social media that he was pulling out because of “unforeseen family circumstances.”
The United States is still set to have a presence among the contestants, however: B. Howard said in his video that he would be replaced by Vassy, a musician known for singing on electronic dance music hits by David Guetta and Tiësto.
One caveat: Vassy’s website describes her as Greek Australian, and an Instagram story that she posted on her way to Moscow showed her boarding pass tucked into a Greek passport. However, she has said in interviews that she was granted U.S. citizenship during the pandemic.
It’s unclear how well she will be received. The Russian opposition news media has pointed out that she has actively supported pro-gay and queer groups and taken part in Pride parades. (The Russian state-run news media has not mentioned these topics.)
Vassy did not respond to an interview request for this article.
Who else is taking part, and what are their songs like?
Intervision will feature 23 acts, some representing countries that have challenged or questioned Western dominance of the global political order, including singers from Brazil, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.
Wang Xi of China is to sing “Skyline,” a deep-voiced ballad; Omar Acedo, representing Venezuela, is to perform an upbeat party track called “La Fiesta de la Paz”; and Mzansi Jikelele, a group representing South Africa, is to perform “Home,” a gospel number that calls for global unity. Its chorus includes the lyrics “From Cape Town to Moscow / Togеther we rise / This world is our home.”
How is it different from Eurovision?
A typical Eurovision features flashy spectacle. In this year’s contest, for instance, Finland’s entrant sang an innuendo-laced song atop a giant microphone suspended midair. Such high camp won’t feature anywhere among the Intervision acts.
Additionally, whereas both juries and television viewers vote on who should win Eurovision, only a jury will decide Intervision’s winner. The jury will include a representative for each participating country.
Vuletic, the author, said that another big difference was how poorly Intervision was organized, with some participants announced only last month and few of their tracks available online. For Eurovision, performers are known months in advance and their songs are released online to generate hype.
How can we watch Intervision?
Intervision is set to stream internationally on YouTube and VK, a Russian social media and streaming site. Organizers said that 20 television networks from participating countries would also broadcast the event.
The competition is set to kick off at 1:30 p.m. Eastern and last more than three and a half hours.
Will Putin appear?
Putin does not plan to attend the show, said Dmitri S. Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesman. But Peskov said that “one way or another, at least in fragments, of course, the president will have the opportunity to watch the television broadcast of this very important event.”
Alex Marshall is a Times reporter covering European culture. He is based in London.
Ivan Nechepurenko covers Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, the countries of the Caucasus, and Central Asia.
The post Why Russia Is Reviving a Cold War-Era Song Contest appeared first on New York Times.
