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Artist Banned in Russia Over Viral Anthem for Stray Dogs

Russia has banned a Belarusian artist over a song that became the unlikely anthem for stray dogs across Eastern Europe. Roskomnadzor, the country’s federal media watchdog, asked streaming services to restrict access to Ap$ent’s 2022 hit ‘Can I Come with You?’ following its adoption as a TikTok audio for videos about stray animals.

TN Viral Desk

Updated May 6, 2024, 07:34 IST

Apent wrote 'Can I Come With You' while fleeing Belarus with his wife. | Courtesy: Arseniy Kisliak

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

Russian media watchdog Roskomnadzor has banned the song ‘Can I Come with You?’ after it went viral on TikTok.
Ap$ent said the song, which he wrote while fleeing Belarus, had nothing to do with stray dogs.
The artist believes he is being targeted for a satirical song about Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko.

The song struck a chord with creators in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Belarus, with the TikTok trend generating millions of streams on YouTube and Spotify – to the point where it seemingly threatened the "destabilisation of Russian society", the reason Roskomnadzor gave for the ban.

The artist, whose real name is Arseniy Kisliak, told the BBC that ‘Can I Come with You?’ had nothing to do with dogs, or any other animal for that matter, when he first wrote it while fleeing Belarus with his wife, Maryia.

The couple decided to leave after she was sentenced to a year in a correctional facility for allegedly insulting longtime Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko on social media by using a derogatory word that authorities thought was aimed at him.

Although Ap$ent’s song was about the experience of leaving one’s homeland, the artist admitted that an animal may have been its inspiration.

"The line 'Can I come with you?' was probably inspired by my cat, Tishka. He somehow knew we were leaving soon," he explained. "And one day he came to me and gave me a cuddle, which wasn't his usual behaviour."

Ap$ent, however, believes that Roskomnadzor banned him over an older song with a pacifist message.

The musician reckoned that the anti-war song was likely reported to the authorities for “calling all Russians fascists” but he said he’d never “generalise” the people of his country.

According to Ap$ent, the ban has only increased his popularity.

"People who don't trust [the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology, and Mass Media]... became interested,” he said. “They thought that I must be a decent person, if Roskomnadzor blocked me".

But Ap$ent's moment in the sun came during the pandemic when he released a satirical song mocking Lukashenko for suggesting that Belarusians could avoid getting Covid-19 by drinking vodka and visiting saunas.

He still doesn't think of himself as a political songwriter. As for the musician's cat, Tishka, he's still in Belarus but Ap$ent hopes to bring him to Poland and start an animal rescue charity.

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