Zhanna Bichevskaya

Zhanna Bichevskaya

Zhanna Vladimirovna Bicthevskaya (or Jeanne Bicthevskaya; Russian: Жанна Владимировна Бичевская, born June 17, 1944), is a prominent Soviet and Russian bard and folk musician.

She was born in Moscow and in 1971 she graduated from the Moscow Circus and Performing Arts School. She was teacher of music in Zagorsk (Sergiev Posad). In the 1970s, Zhanna started to perform Russian folk songs and romances. At that time she was deeply influenced by Bulat Okudzhava, and she quickly gained popularity in Russia and abroad with some critics dubbing her the Russian Joan Baez. According to Mick Jagger, 'Bichevskaya is an island of true, eternal art in the ocean of modern music'. Her unique style of music is often described as Russian country-folk. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Zhanna Bichevskaya's songs started to have more political, nationalist and spiritual themes. She performed a series of White Guard officer's songs, as well as a series of religious songs. The lyrics to the latter were composed by Father Roman, a priest of the Pskovo-Pechorsky Monastery. In 1999, Zhanna also became the host of her own show on Voice of Russia radio station. Her album "Hieromonk Romans's songs" was benedicted by Hieromonk Roman in 1997.

Zhanna Bichevskaya's political and religious stances attracted some criticism and controversy. She has been an active proponent of granting sainthood to tsar Ivan the Terrible. In 2006 a song of Zhanna Bichevskaya "We, Russians!" ("Мы, Русские!") caused considerable controversy. A video-clip accompanying the song includes a segment with a Russian military aircraft firing rockets followed by the scenes of destruction of American cities from the movie Independence Day.