LIST: 8 clues the Young Georgian Lolitaz could be behind Circus Mircus

Eurovision fans woke up on Sunday to the second artist confirmation for Turin. Georgia’s public broadcaster revealed that Circus Mircus will represent the country next May. The curiously quirky and cryptic announcement has left plenty of fans screaming “chaos!” and wondering aloud what exactly is going on.

But several clues spread across the internet and a few sloppy mistakes have given away that the group shares the same team as the Young Georgian Lolitaz — the last act from Georgia to qualify for the final. That team includes YGL lead singer Nika Kocharov.

Below you can check out eight reasons why we think Circus Mircus may well be the Young Georgian Lolitaz reborn and rebranded.

Are Circus Mircus really the Young Georgian Lolitaz?

1. Their Tbilisi circus academy backstory seems fake

First things first. A good mystery needs a great cover. According to their official social media pages, Circus Mircus consists of a group of three circus academy drop outs, formed in late 2020. 

That would be a great back story if Tbilisi actually had a circus academy or any school that teaches circus arts. But in 2020 it didn’t, making it impossible for them to be circus academy drop outs.

Next to that, Circus Mircus have been quite sloppy sharing this backstory. On their official Instagram page — jokingly called @circusmircusunofficial — the group posted that they were expelled from the Tbilisi circus academy and then toured with Mr. Kite’s travelling circus for several years before teaming up. That is significantly different than the story they first shared…unless Mr. Kite accepts just about anybody.

Mr. Kite, by the way, has no travelling circus. 

2. Nika Kocharov was their second follower on Instagram

One of the first clues that pointed in the direction of the Young Georgian Lolitaz is that the aformentioned Instagram account’s second follower was Nika Kocharov himself.

In any case, Nika is very close to Circus Mircus, having also liked their Facebook page and their record label’s page Stockton Records. And he is FB friends with the accounts of several of their “members”.

3. Igor Von Lichtenstein, Bavonc Gevorcyan and Damocles Stavriadis seem like fake people

On Stockton’s website, Circus Mircus is described as having three members: Armenian drummer Bavonc, Belgian singer and guitarist Igor, and Greek bassist and vocalist Damocles. However, these definitely seem like pseudonyms to help the bandmates keep their real identities under wraps.

Their three Facebook profiles were created in November 2020, around the same time the band’s Facebook page was created. They were then developed afterwards.

Igor, Bavonc and Damocles have no pictures of themselves on their profiles. Next to that, they are completely absent on other social media and don’t exist on the internet outside of Facebook. No Twitter, LinkedIn, newspaper articles, Instagram, TikTok, etc. We’re fairly certain you won’t find them on Bumble or Tinder, either!

4. Members of the Young Georgian Lolitaz wrote the Circus Mircus songs

Meanwhile, fans noticed via lyrics aggregator Lyrics.com that Nika has taken credit for several of their songs. However, Nika is not the only Young Georgian Lolitaz musician associated with songwriting for Circus Mircus. Aleksandre Sulakvelidze, who is the current YGL guitarist and keyboardist, also appeared to have written some of their material. 

Another name leading to the Young Georgian Lolitaz is a third Circus Mircus songwriter, Giorgi Sikharulidze, who was part of the YGL during their time in London. Sikharulidze also wrote songs for the Lolitaz during their 2016 national final. 

5. Young Georgian Lolitaz’ members and friends have constantly promoted their music

Another thing that is noteworthy about Circus Mircus is that the group was initially promoted by Young Georgian Lolitaz’ friends and family. Archi Sulakvelidze was the first person to rate the Circus Mircus Facebook page, barely a week after it was set up and he shared their music on his Facebook page. 

The only people who shared their music and tagged them, as visible via the Circus Mircus community tab, were people associated with the Young Georgian Lolitaz. They included, amongst others, Sulakvelidze and Lika Evgenidze, Nika Kocharov’s girlfriend, who also shared their Eurovision announcement. 

6. They have a similar sound to the Young Georgian Lolitaz

Eurovision fans have pointed out that Circus Mircus literally sound like the Georgian group. The current Circus Mircus indie rock sound reminds many of the songs from the 2016 Georgian national final before “Midnight Gold” was revamped heavily by Thomas G:son. 

Some fans say they recognise Nika’s singing voice on several Circus Mircus tracks. 

7. Spotify data reveals that they share listeners

Another source that points towards the Young Georgian Lolitaz is that Circus Mircus and the Eurovision 2016 group share listeners on Spotify. On both bands’ Spotify pages, the algorithm shows that fans of one band also follow the other.

Shortly after their announcement, Circus Mircus only had about 70 monthly listeners and were largely unknown in Georgia. The behind-the-scenes data therefore suggests yet another pre-existing relationship.  

8. It just sounds like something they’d do

The Young Georgian Lolitaz made a name for themselves within the Eurovision community with their great sense of humour. Their members have a history of performing in other bands with interesting names, including Lady Heroine, Afternoon Version and Z for Zulu. Circus Mircus is in keeping with their earlier eccentric choices. To many it’s simply genius.

9. They were the last Georgian act to make it to the final 

The Lolitaz were the last act to reach the final for Georgia. The country has been struggling to qualify for the final for several years, with Georgian Idol winners Oto Nemsadze and Tornike Kipiani among those failing to go through. Perhaps the Georgian broadcaster hopes to turn the tide and think that Nika and friends are the right ones to do it — albeit with a new name and rebrand. 

Who do you think are behind Circus Mircus? Are they actually the Young Georgian Lolitaz? Let us know in the comments below!

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