Billie Eilish attempts Russian rendition of ‘bad guy’ on popular Moscow comedy show

The wildly popular American singer Billie Eilish followed up two sold-out concerts in Moscow and St. Petersburg by appearing on the Russian comedy talk show Vecherny Urgant (Evening Urgant). The segment featuring Eilish aired on September 9.

Ivan Urgant regularly hosts non-Russian speaking guests on his widely watched program and most recently gained attention in the West for collaborating with his American counterpart Stephen Colbert. During his interview with Billie Eilish, Urgant shared stories about the singer’s Russian fandom and invited her to take part in a “How Billie Eilish are you?” contest. Eilish received a perfect score.

At the end of the segment, Urgant offered the singer a chance to perform a Russian version of her hit song “bad guy.” The folk music project Repa&Poverye (The Turnip & The Legend) used a bass balalaika, a musical saw, a traditional zhaleika hornpipe, and more to create a Russified rendering of Eilish’s music, but the singer herself could only add a single word to the performance: “da.” The song begins about 11 and a half minutes into Urgant’s segment.