Polina Gagarina Opens Up About Golos Backlash and Pelageya Comparisons

Polina Gagarina spoke openly on the YouTube show MuzLoft, saying she was hurt by the constant comparisons to Pelageya. She explained that moving into the role of mentor on the vocal competition Golos, she felt the weight of public judgment very early in her tenure on the program. The artist recalled that she entered Golos already carrying the spotlight from Eurovision, where she had achieved a significant win and a surge of national attention. In the days after her first appearance on the show, she found herself under intense scrutiny from viewers who questioned her every move, with some messaging that she should have been more like the previous mentor. Gagarina described the emotional toll of that reception, admitting she cried and wondered how quickly she could be labeled a national hero or dismissed as incompetent by the audience. The experience, she noted, underscored the rough reality that comes with stepping into a high-profile broadcast in front of a broad audience and a nation watching closely for every misstep.