City officials in Yekaterinburg faced a tense moment around the celebration of the city’s milestone anniversary. Reports from e1.ru highlighted a clash in expectations as discussions unfolded about who should symbolize the 300th birthday festivities.
The central issue involved the mayor’s office inviting Klava Koka to become a prominent face of the anniversary campaign. The singer’s management interpreted the outreach as a commercial proposal and requested an honorarium of 3 million rubles, triggering a heated exchange with city authorities. In the ensuing days, the public relations team for the Black Star label reached out to the municipal administration to help calm the situation and chart a constructive path forward.
In a gesture meant to resolve the dispute without escalating it, Black Star offered to provide free promotional imagery featuring Klava Koka for the city’s celebratory billboards. The city administration acknowledged that a misunderstanding had occurred and clarified the role of the singer in the anniversary program. Ultimately, Klava Koka was confirmed as one of the ambassadors for the 300th anniversary campaign, joining a diverse roster of notable figures and institutions involved in the celebrations.
The list of participants also included other prominent cultural and athletic figures, such as singer Niletto, playwright Nikolai Kolyada, former hockey star Pavel Datsyuk, the rock band Chaif, cosmonauts Sergei Prokopiev, comedians Andrei Rozhkov and Vyacheslav Myasnikov, filmmaker Alexei Fedorchenko, and volleyball coach Nikolai Karpol. The involvement of these personalities underscored the scale and multidisciplinary nature of Yekaterinburg’s commemorations, aiming to reflect the city’s history, creativity, and sport through a broad spectrum of public figures.
Earlier statements from Pavel Kuryanov, the CEO of the Black Star music company, touched on the pressures that performers can face during periods of intense creative momentum. He noted that star performers sometimes experience what industry insiders describe as a form of “stage fatigue” or heightened sensitivity to opportunities that come with a surge in visibility. This context helped frame the subsequent negotiations and the eventual decision to proceed with Klava Koka’s involvement as part of a larger, inclusive anniversary program.
Throughout the discussions, city officials emphasized a commitment to a balanced program that would honor residents, celebrate cultural achievements, and showcase Yekaterinburg’s evolving role on the national stage. The resolution highlighted the importance of clear expectations, fair collaboration terms, and public participation in shaping the anniversary narrative. The final arrangement positioned Klava Koka as a key representative in a collective effort designed to appeal to diverse audiences across the region and beyond, while preserving the integrity of the city’s celebratory branding. The process also demonstrated how modern municipal events can harmonize artistic collaboration with civic messaging, ensuring that the anniversary serves as a unifying moment for residents and visitors alike, with transparent planning and accountability as central principles.