The organizers call it “the world’s number 1 music event” and promise “Top artists from all over the world.” In a month it must all happen in the live arena of Moscow: Intervisionthe competitor of the Eurovision Song Contest, announced by Russia in February. After about twenty allies and trading partners of the Russians, announced their participation, Intervision Thursday a remarkable name.
This is Brandon Howard from Los Angeles, artist name B. Howard. That means that the United States is represented at the Russian event. “Brandon is a world star whose music transcends boundaries and unites cultures,” says the organist.
The fact that the ‘world star’ B. Howard has only one song with more than a million streams on Spotify after fifteen years in the music industry, and a modest 150,000 followers on Instagram, the organization is taken into account. Howard did participate in the official soundtrack of the football world championship in 2010, the album with the world hit Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) from Shakira. But howards version of Ke Nakoif an ode to Nelson Mandela, remained far from the charts.
So now Howard lends itself to the Russian Songfestival, which is being organized on the instigation of President Vladimir Putin. The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls it “an instrument for hostile propaganda and a way to launder the aggressive Russian policy.”
On behalf of Russia, Shaman is taking part, the artist name of Jaroslav Joerjevich Dronov. Dronov is on the European sanction list Because of his performances on illegally occupied Ukrainian territory. According to the EU, he supports “the undermining of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine.”
Belarus, Serbia, China, Iran and Venezuela also participate. Intervision is not a completely new phenomenon. In the Soviet era it already existed as a counterpart to the Eurovision Song Contest. Incidentally, in those years, Western European artists sometimes participated in Intervision, and Disogroep Boney M. once performed as a pausum number.
The festival returned in 2008, in Sochi, Russia. At the time, Tajikistan won with one point difference compared to the host country. A striking participant at the time was Ukraine.
Russia no longer participates in the ‘real’ Songfestival. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Russian broadcaster was excluded from participation. The Eurovision Songfestival announced this week that it will take place in Vienna in 2026, after the win of Austria at the previous edition. There is no clarity about the possible exclusion of Israel, the organization said.
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