From the northern city of Norilsk, Augustine is the new voice of Russian queer pop music

Augustine Papa Sever

Augustine is a non-binary singer-songwriter from Norilsk in the north of Russia. Her debut single, Papa Sever (“Father North”), is a poetic dedication to her hometown. The video has a special significance for Russia’s emerging LGBTQI+ creative community: it was directed by Artem Emelyanov and shot on iPhone with all the production expenses crowdfunded through O-zine, online magazine about Russian queer culture. It’s an hommage to the dazzling world of 1980s cult pop music, with role models like Kate Bush and Prince, and a hymn to all queer outsiders.

Text: Anastasiia Fedorova