Kathrine Frich
Music has always been a highly effective tool to settle political scores.
Pop stars normally write angry lyrics or give biting interviews to get back at their critics.
Now, modern computer technology offers a completely new way to force your biggest rivals to sing your exact tune.
A digital trap
Yaroslav Dronov is a major pop star in his home country. Most fans know the thirty-four-year-old performer simply by his stage name, Shaman.
He built his massive following on deep national pride. Over the last few years, his biggest tracks have always featured loud declarations of local exceptionalism.
When his latest project hit the internet on Thursday, the brand new track was titled Russia is Mother.
On the surface, it looks like a standard music video. But the final production includes a strange visual trick aimed directly at the political opposition.
Forced to perform
He decided to target the Kremlin’s most famous exiled critics. These are public figures who have loudly and consistently spoken out against the current government.
The list includes high-profile businessmen like Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Oleg Tinkoff. It also features popular musicians such as Zemfira and Noize MC, alongside journalist Yuri Dud.
Shaman never asked them to appear in his new video. Instead, he used advanced artificial intelligence software to digitally clone their voices and faces.
The digital copies of these dissidents are shown joining in on a patriotic chorus. According to a report from Reuters, they appear to be singing a song of absolute loyalty to the state.
Inside the office
The visual setup of the short film carries a heavy threat. The pop star is shown sitting in a dark room resembling a state security services office. He sits near a traditional religious icon, casually flipping through thick paper files that contain physical surveillance photos of the targeted critics.
The singer then leads his digital captives in a loud tribute to their home country. He shared his personal thoughts on the strange stunt in a social media post covered by Digi24.
Shaman firmly stated that critics who speak against the nation will never find forgiveness. He wrote, “In my video, they sing for Russia for free. Russia must never be betrayed.”
The entire performance ends on a surprisingly dark note. The final camera shot places a glowing sniper target directly over the singer’s own head.
Sources: Reuters, Digi24
