Golden Gramophone Award Developments and Public Controversies
The annual Golden Gramophone awards take place in St. Petersburg. This year, the event is scheduled to proceed without the presence of singer Philip Kirkorov. A report from Arguments and Facts notes that a misprint or miscommunication affected the event poster, which appeared to omit Kirkorov’s name in the official group for the Petersburg edition. The same poster, published later, had listed him among the leading participants, highlighting a discrepancy that drew public attention. According to the reporting, the Golden Gramophone 2024 ceremony is planned for February 25 at the Ice Palace, a venue that has hosted the awards in years past. The event’s history shows that from the first ceremony in 1996 through 2018, Kirkorov, widely recognized as a People’s Artist of Russia, frequently emerged as a winner or a top contender. This pattern underscores his longstanding presence in the Golden Gramophone narrative, extending to his 2023 triumph with the song If You Leave and his role as host that year alongside Dmitry Khrustalev and Anton Yuryev, an arrangement reflected in several contemporary recaps and fan discussions. In assessing the celebrity’s broader media footprint, observers note that Kirkorov’s activity across shows and projects intensified after his reported attendance at a high-profile party involving blogger Anastasia Ivleeva, which featured a notably relaxed, nearly nude dress code. The gathering occurred on December 20, 2023, and among the attendees were Ksenia Sobchak, Lolita Milyavskaya, Olga Orlova, Dzhigan, Oksana Samoilova, and Dima Bilan. The event drew apologies from Ivleeva, Kirkorov, and several others for their presence at the party, with debates about celebrity behavior in such high-visibility settings continuing in public discourse. This ongoing conversation intersected with legal developments as a Moscow court on January 18 rejected another multi-billion ruble claim connected to Ivleeva surrounding the nude party, signaling a turning point in the broader media narrative. In parallel, industry insiders like Yarmolnik have offered remarks on the factors influencing the activity and participation of Russian artists since the start of recent geopolitical developments, pointing to a range of competing pressures that shape festival participation and public appearances. These threads together illustrate how a single awards season can unfold against a backdrop of media scrutiny, legal proceedings, and shifting cultural conversations, all of which influence audience expectations and the ways in which major events are covered by national outlets. Attribution: Arguments and Facts and other contemporary media coverage.