Artist Banned Over Viral Stray Animal Anthem In Russia

A song is always open to interpretation. Music has the power to shape our thoughts and bring out change. Sometimes, it can also create an outrage. Recently, an artist from Belarus, Europe faced widespread backlash from the Russian authorities for releasing a cryptic song, that turned out to be an anthem for stray dogs in several places of Eastern Europe. Russia not only banned the singer and his music but asked audio streaming services in the country to restrict the track’s accessibility. 

According to a report by BBC, the artist — Ap$ent, whose real name is Arseniy Kisliak wrote the song Can I Come With You concerning him and his wife Maryia’s departure from Belarus. However, he admitted that the 2022 number was inspired by the couple’s pet cat Tishka. “The line ‘Can I come with you?’ was probably inspired by my cat, Tishka. He somehow knew we were leaving soon. And one day he came to me and gave me a cuddle, which wasn’t his usual behaviour,” said Ap$ent in an interview with BBC Russia. 

Ap$ent continued that he and his wife decided to flee from Belarus after she was sentenced to an open penal facility for one year, reports BBC. She used a foul term on social media, which the Belarusian authorities thought was targeted towards the President of Belarus — Aleksandr Lukashenko. The singer believed that his family was attacked because of a previous anti-war theme song he wrote. Can I Come With You has been banned by Russia’s internet censor Roskomnadzor, to prevent the “destabilisation of Russian society”.

Can I Come With You became an instant earworm on Spotify and YouTube through a TikTok trend. TikTok users from places such as Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine, who are not a part of the backlash crowd have used the track for stray animal rescue clips. 

Ap$ent asserted that the ban helped him to gain more recognition among “People who don’t trust (the Russian internet censor)” claims BBC. Addressing the complaints, the singer clarified that, unlike allegations that he called Russians fascists through his song, his intention was never to “generalise” them. Ap$ent also wishes to open an animal rescue charity in Poland, where he lives with his wife.