Biography

Psoy Korolenko (since 2006 – simply Psoy; his real name is Pavel Eduardovich Lion, born on April 26, 1967) is a well-known songwriter and singer, performer, philologist and critic. According to his own definition, he is “a youth philologist, akyn, bodysinger and modern skomorokh”. Psoy performs his own and others’ songs, accompanying himself to keyboard instruments, mainly a Casio sequencer in accordion timbre. Experimenting with quite various song traditions he sings in about 6 or 7 languages, most frequently in Russian, Yiddish, English and French. Psoy KorolenkoHis original art mixture traces to the creative manners of Marx Brothers and Spike Jones, Yuriy Vizbor and Tiny Tim, intellectual comedy of Tom Lehrer, French chanson, Russian bard song and city romance, as well as the style of Jewish street musicians "Klezmer" and Russian rock. His role of modern skomorokh of the epoch “after postmodernism” allows him sneering at the passing away culture and at the same time imparting new energy and meaning to it. Psoy tours extensively beyond Russian borders, particularly in the United States, Europe and Israel. His music is popular both with adults (especially linguists) and teenagers. He rewrites many songs, and also has translated some songs from Russian to Yiddish. He has collaborated with such musicians as Julian Kytasty, Michael Alpert, and Daniel Kahn & The Painted Bird.