Philipp Kirkorov is a Bulgarian-born Russian singer who began his career in 1985 after appearing on the Soviet television show Wider Circle. He represented Russia at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1995, placing 17th, and is a five-time winner of the World Music Awards for best-selling Russian artist. Since the 2000s he has also worked as a music producer, songwriter, mentor and television judge, and has remained a prominent figure in Russian popular culture.
Early life and education
Kirkorov was born in Varna, Bulgaria, in 1967 to Bedros Kirkorov, a Bulgarian-born singer of Armenian origin. He began touring with his parents at the age of five and lived in Moscow during his childhood. He graduated from a Moscow school with a gold medal and, in 1988, graduated with honors from the Gnessin State Musical College in the musical comedy department after failing to enter a theater institute.
Career and recognition
Kirkorov rose to prominence in the late 1980s, performing with Alla Pugacheva and winning contests in Leningrad. In the 1990s he toured internationally and released albums covering songs by Western and Turkish performers. In the 2000s he became increasingly involved in music production, co-writing entries for the Eurovision Song Contest for Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova, and in the 2020s he judged the Russian version of The Masked Singer.