Novyye Chuvikhi

The New Gals

The arrest of the band Post-Truth is believed to mark the beginning of the Novyye Chuvikhi movement.
Native name	Новые Чувихи
English name	The New Gals
Time	2017 - present
Location	Cosacakaya
Cause	rising authoritarianism of Cyrene III, High Archduchess of Cosacakaya aftermath of Black Thursday growing social conservatism in Cosacakaya

Новые Чувихи (Novyye Chuvikhi) or (new gals), is a term coined by Sergey Abdrazakov to describe a predominately female feminist and anti-establishment cultural phenomenon in the Cosacakayan Music Industry. The conception of the genre emerged in the early 2010 amongst several feminist music collectives to protest policies of Cyrene and slowly became more popular with the adoption of the style by mainstream artists such as Reeztochka and Alina Kosova.

Novyye Chuvikhi is made up of a diverse range of music genres and defies easy categorisation. Instead what unites most artists in the genre is their lyrics speaking of political activism, feminism, and a rebellion against the establishment. Originating as a social response to 2018 Constitutional Crisis, the genre has since evolved into a distinct genre of popular music in Cosacakaya that blurs the line between political activitism and musical performance. Many artists have embraced it in order to challenge societal norms and polices of Cyrene through their music. Despite government attempts at censorship, Novyye Chuvikhi continues to be the most popular music genre in Cosacakaya.

History

Origins

The arrest of Post-Truth sparked outrage in the music community.

The roots of Novyye Chuvikhi can be traced back to 2011 as an underground subculture in many urban areas among disillusioned youth in response to the changing national politics in Cosacakaya and sexism in the music scene in Cosacakaya. Centered in major cities like Osti, [PLACEHOLDER] and [PLACEHOLDER], several feminist music collectives were formed and took advantage of the underground music scenes vent their frustrations about the situation in Cosacakaya. At first, many of the artists named the music they created Revolutionary Rock and proudly referring to themselves as revolutionaries due to their politically charge lyrics in their music.

The term "Novyye Chuvikhi" or "new gals," was coined by writer Sergey Abdrazakov as satire, poking fun at the rise of mostly female artists music industry in Cosacakaya calling themselves "revolutionaries". However, it was quickly adopted by many of those same artists as a label representing a collective identity rooted in resistance, creativity, and a quest for equality for a new generation of mostly female artists. According feminist writer Natia Durova in her book The Future of Music the movement's growth was due to a growing sense of community and solidarity for female artists among those who felt marginalized by the music industry.

Modern Novyye Chuvikhi began to emerge with the 2012 meeting in Osti - where a groups of female artists held a meeting regarding rampant sexism in the music industry in Cosacakaya. According to several artists who attended the meeting, it was full of female artists expressing growing dissatisfaction and artistic dissent at the music industry and desire to change things. Among female musicians in attendence were influential future figures of Novyye Chuvikhi including Marija Tolokonnikova, Kaia, Pushka and the future members of the group Post-Truth.

Post-Truth emerged as a significant music collective shortly afterwards and over the next few years, the group gained notoriety for staging and filmed several unauthorized, provocative guerrilla gigs in public spaces and on public transport. These performances, filled with social commentary critical of the heir apparent and artistic defiance towards the status quo, were later shared on the internet.

May 14th is widely considered to be a turning point for the Novyye Chuvikhi movement when several members of Post-Truth were arrested on charges of hooliganism several days after a guerrilla gig. The arrest was linked to a particularly guerrilla gig staged in a public park, where they passionately chanted slogans advocating for the protection of the LGBT community to a crowd of several hundred onlookers. Their arrests marked the emergence of Novyye Chuvikhi movement not just a musical phenomenon, but also a political one as the arrest of Post-Truth galvanized support from other feminist and more political musicians in Cosacakaya.

Role of Black Thursday

Marija Tolokonnikova is considered the mother of Novyye Chuvikhi.

• mass arrests of future Novyye Chuvikhi
• meet in prison and form music collectives
• inspires others to sing protest songs

Into the Mainstream 2019 - 2021

Dina Gyrdymova performing Стервозность during her Стервозность 2020 Tour.

Dina Gyrdymova's album Стервозность played a pivotal role in propelling the Novyye Chuvikhi genre into mainstream of Cosacakayan music. Released in March 2020, the album was a catalyst for introducing the new genre's distinctive style and rebellious lyrical elements into the popular imagination of the music scene in Cosacakaya. Despite being significantly different from her previous album, it is considered Gyrdymova's best work by critics and won a vote for her best album by fans. That year, the album surprisingly won Album of the Year during the 2020 Cosacakaya Music Awards ahead of albums such as [PLACEHOLDER] and [PLACEHOLDER].

Dina shocked the music industry during her acceptance speech by telling the crowd "Я - новая чувиха" (I'm a new gal ) after her win during the 2020 Cosacakaya Music Awards. In her music video [PLACEHOLDER], images associated with Novyye Chuvikhi provoked backlash from the conservatives for it's anti-Cosacakayan rhetoric and explicit lyrics. Despite this, the video trended on popular Cosacakayan social media platforms for weeks and the hashtag #I_am_a_Novyya_Chuvikha was trended for nearly two months afterwards. Not only did Стервозность resonated with her fans but also inspired many others smaller artists to adopt the style into their music.

In 2021, singer Reeztochka also surprised the nation and became a trailblazer by being the first major, mainstream artist to adopt the Novyye Chuvikhi style following her public split with  Nikolay Ipjian and  Cosacakayan Modern Music Group. Her hit song, Беги, беги, беги was a turning point in her career as it marked the first time she incorporated Novyye Chuvikhi's style of anti-establishment societal critic and political commentary in her music. This move by Reeztochka is widely agreed to mark the genre's acceptance into the broader musical landscape of Cosacakaya and the start of a so-called second-wave of Novyye Chuvikhi.

In that year, saw the rise of second-wave Novyye Chuvikhi as dozens of songs adopting the lyrical style being released and many other artists and bands signaling their support for this new kind of genre. Alina Kosova emerged as the face of second-wave of Novyye Chuvikhi after the release of her hugely successful album [PLACEHOLDER]. Albums and singles written by Novyye Chuvikhi earned multiple nominations and won several awards from 2021 to 2022 - including sweeping the nominations for Best Song of the Year and Album of the Year during the 2021 Cosacakaya Music Awards.

Modern Day

Natalya Kovicha is considered the latest popular Novyya Chuvikha.

Today Novyye Chuvikhi continues to remain extremely popular in Cosacakaya - with Novyye chuvikhi songs consistently reaching top of the charts. Many of Novyye Chuvikhi are considered some of the most famous people in Cosacakaya and enjoy enormous influence over popculture. It has significantly impacted the Cosacakayan music scene, influencing not only content but also the industry's gender dynamics. Female artists aligned with this movement have gained significant influence and power, and have seriously challenged the traditionally male-dominated music industry.

However, it's rise and continuing popularity has sparked a culture war between the socially conservate government and the Novyye Chuvikhi movement. In recent years, self-identified Novyye Chuvikhi artists and bands have faced far greater scrutiny from the authorities. Several Novyye Chuvikhi artists have complained about harassment from the police and censorship on Cosacakayan radio and television. Dina Gyrdymova spoken on social media about facing a blacklisting at government owned venues and arenas. Clashes between Novyye Chuvikhi and the government recently resulted in the arrest of music star Reeztochka.

In spite of government attempts at censorship, the Novyye Chuvikhi style has continued to have a significant impact on several up and coming female music stars in Cosacakaya. A so-called Novyye Chuvikhi third-wave has emerged even amid growing government repression since 2022 - often by-passing blacklisting through social media and video streaming platforms. Some of the most up and coming third-wave artists include [PLACEHOLDER], Galata and Maybe Girl. Natalya Kovicha is viewed as the queen of Novyye Chuvikhi through her enormous following on her social media plaforms. Her songs regularly trend and she is placed Xth for musicians whose songs were most often used by users in their videos.

Impact

Novyye Chuvikhi is made up of a diverse range of music genres and it defies easy categorisation, as artists experiment with various musical elements and genres. Many notable Novyye Chuvikhi artists belong to a wide range of musical genres - being pop artists from all-female heavy metal bands to artists like Alina Kosova, who fuse traditional Cosacakayan sounds with contemporary genres. As a result, critics have struggled to firmly identify what the genre Novyye Chuvikhi is and it often changes wildly - even among self-identified Novyye Chuvikhi.

What unites Novyye Chuvikhi artists is characterised by their venturing into politics and societal critic, feminist ethos, anti-establishment stance, and a commitment to social change in their lyrics and public image. Artists associated with this movement often address political and social issues, gender equality, and advocate for justice. For many noteworthy Novyye Chuvikhi, they thrive on the principles of empowerment, autonomy, and the dismantling of systemic barriers.

According to feminist writer Natia Durova, at its core, Novyye Chuvikhi embodies a fervent feminist ethos and an unyielding anti-establishment stance. Artists associated with this movement utilize their craft as a powerful tool for socio-political commentary, challenging traditional norms, and advocating for gender equality, gender justice, and societal change. By including lyrics which comment on these issues, Novyye Chuvikhi deliberately blends the line between poltical action and song writing.

The most agreed upon definition of what makes the Novyye Chuvikhi genre is by the mother of the movement Marija Tolokonnikova. The music produced can be any genre and by music artist, but is the message of political activism, third-wave feminism, and a rebellion against the growing social conservatism in Cosacakaya is what makes a song writer apart of the Novyye Chuvikhi movement. For the Novyye Chuvikhi banner is characterized by its boldness, addressing social issues, and challenging the status quo.

Splinter Novyye Chuvikhi Groups

An early member of the movement, Kaia has been a critic of mainstream Novyye Chuvikhi Groups.

With Novyye Chuvikhi entering mainstream Cosacakayan pop culture in 2019, the movement started to become severely splintered between those supporting this shift and those against. Many older members within the movement have the strong belief that mainstream media has distorted Novyye Chuvikhi's message and misrepresented their image. They feel that the radical political aspects of Novyye Chuvikhi have been subverted by the likes of the Natalya Kovicha and their cleaned-up, consumerist image designed for mass market consumption rather than challenging the status-quo.

Performers like Kaia have complained on social media how so-called third-wave Novyye Chuvikhi artists and groups are more interested in "selling records and being famous than fighting the fascism." She has also criticized the rise of girl power message by artists such as [PLACEHOLDER] as puppets of consumerism and big business. Expressing the fact that it is impossible for the Novyye Chuvikhi movement to become a truly revolutionary social movement if it's been co-opted by consumerists.

Many of the activists involved in early growth of Novyye Chuvikhi are still active and continue to release politically charged music and carrying out guerrilla gigs in symbolically important public places. Post-Truth is particular have been arrested several times for their performances and provocative music videos explicatively calling out the Monarchy. Moreover, since their arrest in 2014, the collective has grown to around a dozen performers and close to 20 people who handled the technical work of content creation and shooting and editing their music videos

In 2022, Marija Tolokonnikova founded the electro-feminist post-punk protest music collective group [NAME] and released album [PLACEHOLDER]. The controversy surrounding the album and it's depiction of the High Archduchess provoked backlash and her subsequent arrest later that year. Perhaps most prolific of all is powerviolence band [PLACEHOLDER], releasing seven albums from 2016 to 2023.

Other cultural impacts

Social Media

Since the late 2010s and early 2020s, the rise of Novyye Chuvikhi has been driven by the growing internet and social media use in Cosacakaya - allowing the movement to avoid government censorship typically employed in satellite broadcasts and radio. This has allowed Novyye Chuvikhi artists to reach both a local and global audience and to communicate readily with their fans. This has allowed many artists associated with the movement to galvanize support for their causes not just to Cosacakayan youth, but also an international audiences.

Social media platforms provided a space for Novyye Chuvikhi artists to engage in political activism and organise against the conservative government's backlash and attempts at oppression. Dina Gyrdymova frequently using her social media presence to speak out against censorship and blacklisting by the Cosacakayan government. Whereas Reeztochka has used her celebrity to engage her audience in important political issues and urged them to share their experiences about issues such as rascism, homophobia, and discrimination. Most notably, she urged her fans to vote against pro-government candidates during local elections and raising money for bailout arrested activists.

The movement's visual aesthetics include bold rebellious graphics, feminist symbols, and anti-establishment imagery. The widespread sharing of Novyye Chuvikhi's visual content on platforms like [PLACEHOLDER] has contributed to the movement's popularity - with memes associated with Novyye Chuvikhi artists being the most widely shared content in Cosacakaya. Many of the visual aesthetics adopted by Novyye Chuvikhi artists and band have played a significant role in allowing it trend on popular social media platforms and has allowed many third-wave Novyye Chuvikhi to gain popularity on social media - the most notable example being Natalya Kovicha viewed as the queen of Novyye Chuvikhi only because of her enormous online following.

Influencer Rita Kurachyova dressed in the Novyye Chuvikhi style

Fashion

Novyye Chuvikhi has made a significant impact on the world of fashion in Cosacakaya and has been credited with being the strongest influencer of youth fashion trends in the country. One of the primary ways Novyye Chuvikhi artists and bands have significantly impacted fashion is by challenging traditionally conservative gender norms in Cosacakayan and encouraging fans to embrace self-expression through fashion. Galata is the most public Novyya Chuvikha to openly reject traditional views of femininity in Cosacakayan culture and frequently embrace a more gender fluid fashion.

The Novyye Chuvikhi band members often wear unconventional and avant-garde outfits which deliberately blur the lines between traditional male and female fashion. While not adopted by more mainstream popular culture like Reeztochka and Alina Kosova, many more radical and less mainstream artists encourage their fans to embrace gender swapping and wear male fashion.

Tanny Popova embrace of the movement has influenced her public image in breaking from stereotypical feminine attire and established a mixed-gender style in much of her of music - encouraging her fans to adopt an androgynic style and unconventional outfits with a rebellious image. Artists like Post-Truth and Kaia have even more radical counter-culutre identity to their public images - rejecting mainstream fashion conventions and instead are frequently seen having short hair and messy makeup.

The movement's rise in the fashion world has also challenged unspoken social issues affecting Cosacakayan youth including sexual harassment, body positivity, and mental health. Rita Kurachyova praised the Novyye Chuvikhi fashion rebellion and how it has opened up a conversation about body image issues in Cosacakaya. Adding that their fashion has exposed long standing issues about the representation and treatment of models and how the fashion in Cosacakaya fails the promote a healthy body image to young girls.

Ideology

Tanny Popova described Novyye Chuvikhi as the greatest thing to happen to the Cosacakayan Music Industry.

From 2018 onwards, Novyye Chuvikhi has since emerged as a symbol of resistance against authoritarianism as a response to the 2018 Constitutional Crisis and the ensuing hardline response by Cyrene in Cosacakaya against the Cosacakayan Movement For Democracy. Its growth as a medium for social change lead some analysts to describe Novyye Chuvikhi as the primary political oppositional movement in Cosacakaya. While clashes between the artists associated with Novyye Chuvikhi and the central government has resulted in others calling the movement the last organised opposition against High Archduchess Cyrene left in Cosacakaya.

Unlike the CMD, there isn't a central ideology of most Novyye Chuvikhi artists, with various musicians associated with the movement saying that beliefs ranged from anarchists and neoliberals to liberal left, but that all were united by political activism, feminism, anti-authoritarianism and opposition to Cyrene. According to Marija Tolokonnikova, artists associated with the movement are united by feminism, anti-authoritarianism and opposition to the establishment, whom members regard as continuing the "aggressive politics" of the patriarchy.

Many other Novyye Chuvikhi members, most notably Reeztochka, are outspoken in their support of LGBT rights in Cosacakaya and openly oppose the anti-LGBT policies of High Archduches Cyrene III.

Lyrical Themes

The lyrical themes of Novyye Chuvikhi tackle topics such as:

• Women's rights and feminism
• Political corruption and authoritarianism
• Social inequality and injustice
• Sexism and gender-based violence
• LGBTQ+ rights and acceptance

Criticism

[PLACEHOLDER] called out Novyye Chuvikhi for excluding male artists.

One of the oldest criticism of Novyye Chuvikhi has been continuous accusations of discrimination and shunning by its fanbase against male artists attempting to adopt the style. During the 2022 Cosacakaya Music Awards [PLACEHOLDER] gave a speech criticising Novyye Chuvikhi for excluding male artists. [PLACEHOLDER] criticized Novyye Chuvikhi artists like Dina Gyrdymova and Kaia for being too focused on shock value rather than pushing for social change by excluding of male voices from the movement. Other critics argue that they rely on controversial imagery and lyrics to gain attention, rather than tackling issues in a meaningful way. Many other male artists have complained that their attempts to write Novyye Chuvikhi song were met with resistance from the community - leading to some criticised it of of being exclusionary towards male artists and fans.

Another major criticism of Novyye Chuvikhi has been for its lack of diversity and underrepresentation of ethnic minority within the movement. Despite its feminist and anti-establishment believes, a study conducted by the Southwest University of Osti found that genre largely features white and white passing artists. These issues has been called out by artists like Kaia and Marija Tolokonnikova who complain that "Novyye Chuvikhi was created as a way to protest policies of Cyrene and challenge societal norms," but now has become "increasingly commercialized with mainstream artists such as Natalya Kovicha and their cleaned-up, consumerist white savior image designed for mass market consumption" rather than challenging the status-quo. Several North Lipkan groups have complained that Lipkan artists face systematic discrimination among the Novyye Chuvikhi movement - with fewer than 10% of Novyye Chuvikhi artists or bands being of Lipkan ancestry.

Others close to the government of Cyrene III, High Archduchess of Cosacakaya and her supporters have been the strongest critics of the movement and argue that its imagery and lyrics in the music are crossing important moral boundaries. Andrei Batunin has complained that many of Novyye Chuvikhi lyrics risks eroding the Christian cultural heritage and identity of the Cosacakayan people. While First Minister Yuri Grand Prince of Mazyr has frequently told reporters of the need to actively support measures to suppress it in the country and "restore public trust in traditional family structures and values of Cosacakaya. According to writer Natia Durova, this reaction by the government was due to fears that the popularity of anti-Cyrene figures like Reeztochka would build a a political base which could threaten her reign.

Notable Novyye Chuvikhi

Marija Tolokonnikova is considered the mother of Novyye Chuvikhi and is the best known Novyya Chuvikha artist. However, numerous artists have emerged as key figures and influencers, contributing to its growth in Cosacakaya. Notable musicians within the movement include Reeztochka, Alina Kosova, and Natalya Kovicha

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  Pushka's protest music and arrest made her one first Novyye Chuvikhi. Her actions inspired Dina Gyrdymova album Стервозность.
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  Reeztochka is considered to be one of the first mainstream Novyya Chuvikha.
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  Alina Kosova emerged as a second-wave Novyya Chuvikha after the release of her album [PLACEHOLDER].