Early life and education Philipp Kirkorov was born on 30 April 1967 in
Varna, Bulgaria. His father,
Bedros Kirkorov, was a Bulgarian-born singer of
Armenian origin. He began traveling on tours with his parents at the age of five. During his childhood, he lived in
Moscow. It is believed that his first stage appearance occurred at the age of five during his father's concert in
Petrozavodsk Theater. His father performed the autobiographical song "Synok" ("Son"), dedicated to Soviet tank crews he met in 1944 in
Varna. At the end of the song, Filipp walked onto the stage to give his father a
carnation as the audience applauded. He graduated from Moscow School No. 413 with a gold medal. After school, he attempted to enroll in a theater institute but failed the entrance exams. In 1984, he entered the
Gnessin State Musical College in the musical comedy department, graduating in 1988 with honors.
Early career In November 1985, Kirkorov made his television debut on the program
Wider Circle with the song "
Alyosha" in Bulgarian. He was noticed by Svetlana Annapolskaya, the director of
Goluboy Ogonyok, who invited him to participate in the program. After a dispute with the show's management, she successfully secured Kirkorov's involvement. In 1987, he received an invitation to work with the
Leningrad Music Hall under
Ilya Rakhlin. This led to a foreign tour in Berlin's renowned Friedrichstadt-Palast Theater. In 1990, Kirkorov won the Grand Prix in the competition "Shlyager-90" (Hit-90) in
Leningrad with the song "Nebo i Zemlya" (
Sky and Earth). In 1992, his music video to the song "Atlantida" (
Atlantis) was selected as "Music Video of the Year". His popularity began to spread outside of Russia and he toured in the United States, Canada, Germany, and Israel. By 1994, his program
"Ya ne Raphael" (''I'm not Raphael'') included hits by
Engelbert Humperdinck,
Tom Jones, and
Frank Sinatra. Kirkorov represented Russia in the Eurovision Song Contest 1995 held in
Dublin with the song "
Kolybelnaya dlya vulkana" ('Lullaby for the
volcano') and finished in 17th place. At the end of 1995, the double CD
Skazhi Solntsu:"Da" (
Say "Yes!" to the Sun) was released under the Polygram label. The album's release coincided with the premiere of the program
The Best, the Beloved, and Just for You at the State Variety Theatre, which then successfully toured across the country. In 1996, he won the
World Music Awards for best-selling Russian artist with over 2 million copies sold. By 1997, his world tour covered 100 cities, culminating in a month-long residency at the
Oktyabrsky Concert Hall in St. Petersburg. His 1998 album ''Oh, Mama, I'll give Chic
(Oy, Mama, Shika Dam!'') contains four cover versions of well-known Turkish songs originally sung by
Tarkan,
Mustafa Sandal and
Sezen Aksu. In 1999, Kirkorov joined
Michael Jackson's
MJ & Friends charity concert. Starting in the 2000s, Kirkorov became increasingly involved in music production, managing and mentoring several Russian artists he personally discovered. He co-wrote the
Belarusian entry at the
Eurovision Song Contest 2007, "
Work Your Magic" for
Dmitry Koldun, wrote the
2008 Ukrainian entry "
Shady Lady", performed by
Ani Lorak, and also co-composed
Moldova's Eurovision entry for the contest, "
Sugar", which was performed by
Natalia Gordienko. He was also a judge in the second season of
Music Idol in Bulgaria. Kirkorov makes a
cameo in
Verka Serduchka's video "Do Re Mi". In 2017, after collaborating with rapper
Timati, Kirkorov signed with the Black Star record label. In 2018, his song "
The Color of Mood is Blue" became a viral hit, garnering over 40 million views on
YouTube. That year, his duet with
Nikolay Baskov on "
Ibiza" also gained attention for its satirical music video. In September 2018, he collaborated with
Egor Kreed to release "
The Color of Mood is Black" ("Zvet Nastroenija Tschorny"), which became another viral hit, amassing over 100 million views on
YouTube. In November 2024, Kirkorov presented his music video/short film
Black Panther.
Television projects From 2003 to 2016, Kirkorov hosted various ceremonies and television shows, including "Morning with Kirkorov" on STS, "Minuta Slavy" ("Minute of Fame"), "Factor A," and the "RU.TV 2016 Awards," among others. Since 2006, he has frequently served as a judge on numerous programs, such as "KVN," "Dancing with the Stars," "Minute of Fame," "Star Factory," "New Wave," "Odin v Odin!" ("One to One!"), "Toch-v-Toch" ("Just Like"). Since 2020, Philipp Kirkorov has served as a judge on the Russian adaptation of the international hit reality show
The Masked Singer, titled
The Mask (
Maska). The show, aired on
NTV, features celebrities competing in elaborate costumes while concealing their identities. In 2023, Kirkorov joined ''
Emperor's Treasures (Sokrovishcha Imperatora'') together with actor
Wolfgang Cerny, a competitive reality show that combines adventure, history, and treasure hunting. Airing on
TNT, the program involves celebrities exploring China's rich cultural and historical heritage while solving clues to uncover hidden treasures.
Film Philipp Kirkorov occasionally participates in musicals and film dubbing. For example, he provided the voice for the main character in the film
The New Adventures of Aladdin (2015) and the parrot Kiki in
Richard the Stork (2017). Kirkorov has also made numerous cameo appearances in various TV series and films, including
My Fair Nanny (2006),
Flight Crew (2016),
The Double (2013), ''
Voronin's Family (2017), Naughty Grandma (2017) and Grand Hotel (2018)''. In 2009, Kirkorov had his first significant film role in the Russian-Ukrainian romantic comedy
Love in the Big City. In the film he played Saint Valentine. He reprised his role in the following two sequels
Love in the Big City 2 and
Love in the Big City 3. The films also starred
Volodymyr Zelensky,
Aleksey Chadov and
Vera Brezhneva. == Personal life ==