Singer Igor Nadzhiev spoke about a tense moment involving Alla Pugacheva and Alexander Gradsky, recalling how Pugacheva once offended Gradsky during a conversation that dragged in the wider circle of Soviet and Russian stage legends. Nadzhiev shared what he heard, turning a backstage incident into a story that many fans still discuss today.
In January of 2000, the nation mourned the passing of Isabella Yurieva, a beloved figure known as the queen of romance and a People’s Artist of Russia. She died at the age of 100, and the Presidential Prize of the Russian Federation honored her legacy that same year, even though she did not live to receive the prize herself.
According to Nadzhiev, the fate of the prize was decided during a roundtable gathering of cultural figures. Gradsky proposed using the prize money to construct a monument, while Pugacheva raised a practical question about whether such an award would practically be shared among the artists involved. The exchange drew sharp reactions and became a notable moment in the discussion about memory and honor.
Gradsky reportedly answered in a pointed way, asking Alla if she planned to take the money from her own pocket. Nadzhiev says this response cut deeply, painting a moment where personal history and public memory collided. Gradsky had long been associated with songs that spoke to the heart of love in difficult times, and the idea of moving a monument away from its rightful resting place struck him as a very personal grievance.
In Nadzhiev’s account, Gradsky stopped speaking to Pugacheva for about two years, though their relationship eventually found a path back to dialogue and warmth. The singer’s act, seen through Nadzhiev’s memory, left a mark on how some viewed Alla Borisovna and her place in the country’s cultural landscape. Yet Nadzhiev stressed that Gradsky had once treated Pugacheva with genuine warmth, underscoring the complexity of their long-standing rapport.
After the onset of the special military operation in Ukraine, Pugacheva and her family left Russia, relocating to Israel with her husband, Maxim Galkin. The departure was framed by the broader political and social shifts of the period and prompted discussions about how cultural figures navigate national borders and public expectations during times of conflict.
On the eve of various public discussions, Oscar Kuchera offered his own remarks regarding Pugacheva’s comments about the terms slaves and serfs. The commentary reflected the charged atmosphere surrounding statements by major performers and the varying interpretations that follow such statements in the public arena.
Gradsky’s longtime friend responded to contemporary remarks by Verka Serduchka, engaging in a broader conversation about how choreographers, artists, and performers respond to each other’s work and to perceived provocations. The exchanges highlight the enduring role of public friendships and rivalries in shaping the cultural conversation in Russia and beyond.