Back to business: Russian Eurovision 2020 representatives Little Big seek ways to bypass Russian law amid the ongoing war with Ukraine. Is the next scandal on the horizon?
In 2020, the band Little Big was on the verge of conquering Europe. With their song “Uno” (translated as: “One”), the band became a top favorite to win according to betting odds, until Eurovision was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, despite their growing success, the band declined to participate again, and singer Manizha represented Russia instead. Nevertheless, Little Big continued building a massive international fan base. It has now been revealed that the band is attempting to sidestep Russian law and resume profiting within Russia amid the war in Ukraine.
Relocating to the U.S. and Conflict with the Russian Regime
At the start of the Ukraine war, the band did not hide their stance: on their social media pages, they posted an image with a pacifist message. On March 2, 2022, Ilya Prusikin and his partner in the band, Sonya Tayurskaya, left Russia and moved to Los Angeles.
There, they produced the video clip “Generation Cancellation”, a scathing critique of Putin’s war in Ukraine. In an accompanying post, they called for an immediate halt to the fighting.
Throughout 2022, their performances were banned in Russia, and in January 2023, Russia’s Ministry of Justice labeled Prusikin a “foreign agent,” a designation that imposed severe restrictions.
A Legal Maneuver to Revive Royalties
After months of declining income and loss of rights, an especially creative solution emerged: according to the Telegram channel “Shot,” Ilya Prusikin transferred the trademark rights of Little Big to the band’s manager, Alina Pyazok, who is also part of the team for Estonia’s Eurovision 2025 representative Tommy Cash. This move allowed him to bypass his “foreign agent” status and begin receiving royalties again from the band’s hits in Russia.
Through this legal maneuver, the rights to the songs are now under someone else’s name—effectively allowing royalty payments without the sanctions directly applying to him. This step comes amid significant debts in Russia: Prusikin faces unpaid taxes totaling 50,000 rubles (about 350 Euros), which led to his bank accounts being frozen.
Religious Controversy and Legal Trouble
In January 2023, Prusikin became embroiled in another controversy: the “Orthodox Women’s Union” in Russia filed a complaint after he posted a video of himself riding a skateboard shaped like a cross. According to the union’s chairwoman, this was seen as “an insult to believers’ feelings,” and a formal complaint was submitted to the prosecutor’s office and the Investigative Committee. The complaint speculated that Prusikin might have acted “on someone’s orders.”
A Turbulent Personal Life and a New Chapter
Ilya Prusikin’s personal life has been as tumultuous as his career. Born in 1985 in a small town in Zabaykalsky Krai, Russia, his family was forced to relocate to Sosnovy Bor in Leningrad Oblast when he was just 11 after heat and electricity disappeared in their hometown—a common occurrence in parts of Russia at the time. From a young age, Ilya showed a keen interest in the arts, dedicating himself to breakdancing, skateboarding, and music. He studied music at a dedicated school, specializing in piano.
In 2003, he joined a nu-metal band called TenKorr, adopting the nickname Ilich. Although he was accepted into psychology and education studies at St. Petersburg State University of Culture, he soon realized his true calling lay in music and video.
For many years, Ilya had to make ends meet with odd jobs until 2011, when he got a breakthrough by collaborating with the project Спасибо, Ева! (translated as: “Thanks, Eva!”), producing satirical videos on social issues. In 2013, he co-founded the creative collective ClickClack with Eldar Dzharakhov, which produced several successful YouTube shows.
That same year, he made the biggest leap of his career—founding Little Big. Their debut song “Every Day I’m Drinking” exploded, amassing over 30 million views in its first week. In 2016, the video for “Big Dick” won at the Berlin Music Video Awards, further solidifying the band’s reputation.
Their greatest success came in 2018 when the “Skibidi“ video reached 23 million views in its first week and over 700 million overall—a historic feat for Russian YouTube.
In 2019, the band played over 120 shows across Russia and Europe and reached No. 35 on the Forbes list with an annual income of around $1 million.
In 2020, the Russian national broadcaster chose Little Big to represent Russia at Eurovision with “Uno“. The song was an instant hit: the clip garnered over 4 million views within 24 hours and eventually reached 250 million views. Little Big was a favorite to win until Eurovision was canceled due to COVID-19. In 2021, despite the success, the band declined to participate again, and Manizha represented Russia.
A 10-year relationship with a kindergarten teacher ended due to financial struggles. In 2014, Ilya met blogger and singer Irina Samalaya, known as Tatarka, whom he married; they had a son named Dobrynya. In 2020, the couple divorced, and custody went to the mother. Reports claim that after moving to the U.S., Prusikin stopped paying child support. In a past interview, he defended himself saying: “People tell me, ‘You don’t send money to help.’ But I also have no money right now. I need to eat, I need to survive somehow… Or should I give up my life?!”
Today, Ilya is in a relationship with bandmate Sofya. In spring 2024, they announced they were expecting a child, and in September, their daughter Sasha was born in the U.S.
Russia at Eurovision
“Russian Woman” is the name of the song performed by Manizha in the second semi-final of Eurovision 2021. Russia reached ninth place in the Grand Final with 204 points. Russia has competed in the Eurovision Song Contest 24 times since joining the competition in 1994. To date, Russia has won only once, in 2008, with the song “Believe” performed by singer Dima Bilan.
Russia has reached second place four times and third place four times. So far, Russia has failed only once to qualify for the competition’s final. In 2022, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) decided to suspend Russia’s membership until further notice due to its invasion of Ukraine.
Source: URA
Eurovision 2021: This was Russia’s 24th participation in Eurovision. Russia joined the competition in 1994 and won it once, in Eurovision 2008 with the song “Believe” performed by singer Dima Bilan.
