Prokhor Shalyapin: The Rise of a Troubled Star

Hello everyone!

Prokhor Shalyapin's journey to fame is a story of ups and downs, and it's fascinating to see how he's managed to stay in the spotlight despite his lack of musical recognition.

I first heard about Prokhor, whose real name is Andrei Zakharenkov, as a contestant on the 'Factory of Stars' show. To be honest, I only caught wind of it because I wasn't watching the show, but I heard he did pretty well, sang a couple of songs, and then disappeared from the radar.

Then I remember the next wave of his popularity after he got married to businesswoman Larisa Kopienkina. At first, they were posting loads of videos online about their happy and wealthy life, always traveling somewhere, talking about something, and then Larisa got a facelift and they started appearing on all these yellow press shows and their divorce became super public. But according to Prokhor, she's not as wealthy as everyone thought.

After that, Prokhor just started going on those yellow press shows on his own, and they'd either reminisce about his time with Kopienkina or try to figure out who the kid's real mom is, or he'd be an expert, or he'd be a conflict expert, or he'd be getting bullied for not singing, basically a whole mess that led to him being everywhere now. Mostly, he talks, not sings, which is kinda weird. Maybe it's logical, though. I'll share my take on it in my review.

Prokhor Shalyapin reviewsI'll start by saying that Prokhor had a tough childhood - his dad was in jail for a long time, and to be honest, their family wasn't exactly thriving. But one thing that's definitely a gift from nature is Prokhor's looks - in my opinion, he's a pretty, tall guy with a pleasant face, which is pretty important for an artist. I'm not sure why he felt the need to get those super-white, 'unibrow' teeth, because he already had great teeth, and his smile was really charming.

Despite that, he got a solid education in the music industry, starting with music school in his hometown and finishing at the Russian Academy of Music named after Gnesin (also known as 'Gnesin').

Honestly, I've met some people who went to the same school and were friends with Shalyapin and Bilan, and they all had great things to say about him as an artist and as a person.

However, having a noticeable face and a professional education doesn't necessarily mean you'll be famous - Prokhor just doesn't have that level of musical recognition, and he doesn't have any hit songs.

Early in his career, Prokhor focused on traditional Russian folk singing, but that's a tricky business - it's not just about looks and voice, you need a hit song too.

A Clip from TikTok Featuring Prokhor Shalyapin I'd heard some of Prokhor's songs before, and honestly, none of them really stuck with me.

First off, in the 'factory of stars,' these were custom-written hits for him - 'Mischievous Girl' and 'Lost Youth.'

Young and Energetic Prokhor Shalyapin In my opinion, the song 'Mischievous Girl' is a real earworm, kind of like the song 'Let's Go, Beautiful' by Na-na, but it doesn't really do it for me: (Na-na's even weaker songs worked because of the group's charisma, edginess, and sheer audacity - one guy, Prokhor, singing 'Hey, lovely mischievous girl, let's go, let's go' just doesn't leave a lasting impression).

Prokhor Shalyapin with a Helmet in Hand On the other hand, the romance 'Lost Youth,' written in part by Drobyshev, really suited him - it's a beautiful song where Prokhor looked harmonious, and that white suit fit him way better than those awkward sports jerseys he wore when singing about some mischievous girl.

Prokhor Shalyapin Lost Youth The little jacket fits well Romance to the verse of EseninProkhor's still rocking that jacket - as I was taking screenshots for this review (from the official Factory page on Rutube, his VK page, and other sources where you can see his clips and performances), Prokhor's still wearing it like he's about to go on stage. I have to say, the performance of Prokhor Shalyapin and Masha Rasputina's duet on "Rose Tea" on the Factory show was a real highlight. Masha probably hasn't looked worse in a pair with anyone else - the contrast was pretty striking.

Screenshot from the TV show Factory of Stars 6 Prokhor Shalyapin and Masha Rasputina The Rose Tea Masha Rasputina and Prokhor Shalyapin The Rose Tea Prokhor didn't win the Factory of Stars, but he did manage to snag fourth place, which is actually a pretty respectable result. And to make matters even more interesting, Drobyshev became his producer after that. Unfortunately, they didn't exactly see eye-to-eye, and their relationship ended in a pretty messy breakup (I'm not sure why, but it seems like a lot of artists and their producers have a tendency to fall out). And then Prokhor moved on to work with some unknown female producer.

I think he was trying his best, but unfortunately, all the songs were just kinda... meh. Nothing really stood out - not his voice (which, I mean, is pretty decent), not his looks. You'd start listening to something about the Russian soul and heart, but it just wouldn't grab you.

After that, Prokhor started recording duets with various women, if I'm not mistaken (this is just my personal opinion, and I don't have any facts to back it up). It seemed like he was getting paid by some wealthy benefactors to feature some unknown, tone-deaf woman like Victoria Churkina in a duet with someone slightly more well-known.

Prokhor Shalyapin's Duet Some unknown singer Another cringeworthy moment is the song with Kalashnikova, where they're rehashing the whole 'Russian soul' thing. And the warm-up to it is just Prokhor and Kalashnikova walking across a bridge, singing about the Russian soul while she's bouncing around in a mini-skirt. It's just ridiculous, to be honest.

I saw the music video first and it was just a bunch of weird stuff with them wearing traditional Russian clothing

Russian Soul But then they somehow managed to create a CGI version of the video that's just like a fairy tale, where everyone looks completely different

Prokhor Shalyapin's True Russian Soul For those who don't know, this is Anna Kalashnikova - not a singer, not an actress, but some semi-famous person Prokhor's music videos are always a bit quirky - like the time he was dressed in traditional Russian clothing with two girls, getting wild (that was back in his younger days),

Prokhor Shalyapin taking a TikTok clip in the rain TikTok clip It's hilarious to see Prokhor Shalyapin, an adult uncle, creating a family video with adorable kids and a wife who looks like a real homemaker. His wife looks incredibly realistic A near-perfect family He's really gotten into character Given his outrageous persona in the entertainment world, this is just a waste of time. I just can't believe it (and I'm not even looking forward to listening to it).

His love for being a trendsetter still hasn't faded: after his third wife passed away from COVID, he released a song dedicated to her memory, featuring clips from their life and wedding, and then proceeded to go on all the shows they invited him to.

A clip from the memory of Zhena Prokhor Shalyapin In memory of his wife clip I've gotta say, Prokhor's creative work just isn't that interesting to me.

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His personal life, on the other hand, is always more captivating.

As far as I recall, in one of their interviews, Prokhor mentioned that his first wife was a much older woman, at least 30-40 years his senior. I mean, he was 18 at the time, and she was way past 50. I guess he chose that path to get out of a tough situation in his life. It's not uncommon for beautiful women to do that when they have the means and the desire, and society has gotten used to it. But a guy in a similar situation always takes the heat. Prokhor's gotten his fair share of it, too.

Not much was known about his first marriage, but his second marriage to businesswoman Kopenkina, who was 28 years his senior, has been a different story. Every journalist seems to ask him about his 'love for grandmas,' and Prokhor's become so skilled at responding that he usually comes out looking better than the journalist who asked the question in the first place.

After that second marriage, Prokhor was everywhere with Kalashnikova (I have no idea who she is, and I've only seen her on talk shows). They were attending various TV shows because neither Kalashnikova nor Shalyapin had any notable activity that brought in income and fame. These appearances seemed to be the only moments that got them some airtime.

The jacket is still the same one from Factory of Stars I'd also heard that they were somehow in touch with Vitalina, the ex-wife of Armen Dzhigarkhanyan, but it didn't seem to lead to anything serious. They even sang a song together, but then they parted ways.

And just recently, Prokhor got married again to some wealthy woman from Canada named Davis, who was nine years his senior. However, the marriage was short-lived as the woman passed away due to COVID-19. After that, Prokhor recorded a song, went on a talk show, and, according to him, signed documents stating he wouldn't claim any inheritance, and he remained free and still not particularly wealthy.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around the unconventional way this guy handles romance. I mean, was he ever truly happy in life? I know love of money isn't a bad thing, but where's the emotional connection? The rush of the heart, the thrill of being in love? Or is he just too jaded from constantly calculating and lacking love in his life?

I've gotta say, his path isn't the worst – he's not trying to be something he's not. He's honest about loving the money, and he's honest about not enjoying the work. But somehow, I get the feeling he doesn't really love working because he's not exactly overflowing with passion. If he had a hit song and was touring non-stop with big paychecks, I think he'd be all over it. I think his problem is that he's stuck in an image that even looked dated at the start of his career – it's got no style, no freshness. All his songs sound like they've been stuck in time. I mean, you don't have to sing folk songs like you're already tired of listening to them. There are other ways to do it. Take Natalia's 'River Flows in You' or 'Wide River' – those are catchy. And let's not forget Tatyana's 'Matushka' – that was a great song. But Prokhor seems stuck in his old image and doesn't want to try anything new that might actually work. I even think if he started singing romantic songs, that would be better than his forgettable ones.

Honestly, I'm not a huge fan of Prokhor Shalyapin's music, and I don't see myself listening to it anytime soon. I wouldn't exactly recommend his songs for a relaxing evening, but as a person and an interviewee, he comes across as pretty intelligent, calm, and down-to-earth in his interviews. Like he said in one of them: 'I don't have a single hit song! I'm the hit myself!' Of course, that's a bit of a joke and a fact-check – it's hard to argue with that. But at the same time, he's pretty lenient when it comes to other artists, saying that nobody's achieved international success. I mean, you've got to get recognized in your own country first, right? Prokhor's interviews feel more like casual conversations than in-depth discussions about his music. Unfortunately, nobody's really asking him about his songs.

Maybe his big hit is still on the horizon, and he'll somehow become super popular because of his music, not just the drama surrounding him. But I'm not counting on it.

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Wishing everyone peace, happiness, and good music too – but that's secondary.