Manizha’s “Russian Woman” lyrics recount the history of Russian women overcoming hardship, gender stereotypes and war

This Russkaya zhenshchina is on fire! Manizha won Russia’s Eurovision 2021 selection on International Women’s Day with her song “Russian Woman”, an empowering anthem recounting the journey of women in Russia.

Scroll down for “Russian Woman” lyrics

Russia in Eurovision 2021: Manizha “Russian Woman”

Manizha was born in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. After the Tajik Civil War, the family relocated to Moscow. She first dipped her toe in the music business back in 2009. Performing under the name Ru.Kola. She showed great promise with tracks like “Neglect”.

In 2018, she became the first Russian artist to be given the “Deezer Next” treatment. Deezer is a French-based music streaming service and their “Next” initiative highlights the music of select artists from around the globe through increased exposure in playlists. Her current and unique sound combines soul with traditional and electric flair. Despite all the mixing and matching, in a 2018 interview with wiwibloggs, she told us her music is “super simple, music from my heart, that’s all”. She also said it honours “realness” — making her a woman of our own heart.

What do the “Russian Woman” lyrics mean?

Manizha says that “Russian Woman” covers the journey of the Russian woman over the past few hundred years. Women in Russia have gone through a lot and that’s all visible through the song’s lyrics. Manizha tells TASS that:

“The song is about the transformation of the identity of women in the last few centuries in Russia. She walked the unbelievable road from the izba [a traditional Slavic countryside dwelling] to the right to vote and be voted on (as one of the first in the world), from the factory halls to the voyages into space. She was never afraid to stand against stereotypes and take the responsibility herself.”

The song starts with a woman standing in a field. Until 1861, all Russian women worked as “serfs”, a form of slavery, on fields owned by the Russian Emperor. In fact, most women still worked in the fields until the industrial revolution properly came to Russia in the 1920s. They often suffered from hunger and illnesses due to poor working conditions.

In Russian, the word for “field” and “battlefield” are synonymous. War has also played a huge role in the life of the Russian women of the 20th century. During both WWI and WWII, many families broke apart due to the husband or father dying on the front. Often, Russian women only knew their husband or father had died when the ship or train carrying their regiment came back without them.

Some Russian Eurovision fans have also interpreted the line “We are waiting for a ship” to be a cross-reference to the classic Russian fairytale Scarlet Sails. In that story, a young woman waits for a ship with a prince to pick her up. In the song, Manizha sings about waiting for a ship and then standing up and leaving. In Russian, this can also mean “to get out of your bed” after a night’s sleep, realising dreams are fiction.

A newer generation of Russian women also has to deal with new problems, which Manizha discusses quite extensively in the song. In a male-centric society, Russian women still face daily discrimination about the way they dress and for their personal life choices. One of the biggest societal expectations in modern-day Russia is the ideal of a woman being extremely thin, married young, not too sexy, but not too boring either.

“Russian Woman” sees Manizha questioning society’s expectations towards women: “You’re already past 30/ Hello? Where are the children?”, “You are nice-looking overall/ But you should lose some weight”.

Logically, a lot of women do not want others to decide their life. Manizha sings for them too. In the short time between the second verse and the bridge, she speaks against those who want to dictate her life: “Now, you should bear in mind/ I don’t blame you/ But I love myself damn hard”.

In the bridge, using singing from Russian folk styles, Manizha comes back to the story of the destruction of war as well as other conflicts with men in Russia. But she tells Russian women that they are powerful, whether they work on the field, in the factories or in the offices.  She sings that a broken family won’t break them and that they are strong enough to break any wall. There’s also references to the family: “Son without father, daughter without father, but a broken family, does not break me”

Russian Woman lyrics – Manizha (Russia ESC 2021)

Lyrics and music: Manizha, Ori Kaplan, and Ori Avni

What do you think of “Russian Woman”? Will Manizha make it to the final? Tell us in the comment section below.

Additional reporting by Luis and Dayana.