Why Russia Revived a Cold War-Era Song Contest

Music|Why Russia Revived a Cold War-Era Song Contest

For years, Russia has aimed to unite global allies to challenge the West’s geopolitical and cultural dominance. This weekend, it tried a new method: song.

On Saturday night in Moscow, the country staged the Intervision Song Contest, a revival of a Cold War-era spectacle, with competitors representing countries including China, Cuba and India.

The United States was meant to be represented onstage, too: by Vassy, a Greek-Australian dance musician who recently gained American citizenship.

But about an hour into the show, Alexey Vorobyov, one of the competition’s presenters, announced that Vassy would not appear. An Intervision statement said she had withdrawn because of “unprecedented political pressure from the government of Australia,” without explaining further.

“It’s sad when politics attempts to interfere in the world that belongs to art, music and human feelings,” Vorobyov said.

The Australian government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The eventual winner of the four-hour event was Duc Phuc, a Vietnamese pop star with two million followers on Instagram, who sang a track featuring operatic vocals and rapid dance beats.