Max Korzh
 | This article needs to be updated. (April 2024) |
Max Korzh | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Korzh in 2018 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Maksim Anatolyevich Korzh November 23, 1988 Luninyets, Byelorussian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Origin | Belarus |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2006–present |
Spouse | Tatsyana Korzh[a] (née Matskevich) |
| Website | maxkorzh |
Maksim Anatolyevich Korzh (Belarusian: Максім Анатольевіч Корж; Russian: Максим Анатольевич Корж; born November 23, 1988), known professionally as Max Korzh (Russian: Макс Корж), is a Belarusian rapper, singer, songwriter and director.
Early life
[edit]Korzh was born in 1988 in the city of Luninyets, which was then part of the Byelorussian SSR in the Soviet Union.[1] His parents were both entrepreneurs, and through them he is distantly related to Vasily Korzh, a Hero of the Soviet Union.[1] At a young age, Max Korzh was enrolled into music school by his parents. At the age of 16, Korzh started his first band called "Lun Clan", which stood for Luninyets clan, alongside his friends but the band didn't last long and dissolved. Lun Clan performed in the Belarusian language, and in 2007 they released their debut album "Razmaulyay sa mnoy pa-belarusku", consisting of eight songs.[1] The band broke up in 2010 after performing for the last time at a festival dedicated to Belarusian-language rap music.[1] Korzh was a part of a couple other projects, although none of them proved to be successful.[citation needed]
Korzh recorded his first solo song while studying at Belarusian State University; the biggest university in Belarus. During the 3rd year of studying at the university, he decided to drop out and concentrate on his music career. He borrowed $300 from his mom, went to a studio and recorded "Nebo pomozhet nam" (English: "Sky Will Help Us") and posted it on VKontakte, the biggest Russian social network. Shortly after he was enlisted in the military. The co-producers of the "Nebo pomozhet nam" were electronic duo "Magic Sound[2]". When he returned from military service, he learned that the song went viral and gotten big in Belarus. The track "Nebo pomozhet nam" (English: "Sky Will Help Us") garnered a big following and got airtime on the radio. To make it gain more popularity, Korzh then proceeded to send the track to various Minsk DJ's for them to play at parties.[3]
Solo career
[edit]On April 7, 2012, Korzh released his first ever music video, "Nebo pomozhet nam" (English: Sky Will Help Us"). On May 1, 2012, he released his debut album "Zhivotniy mir" (English: "Animal World"), which consisted of 16 tracks, each written by Korzh himself. Later that same year he signed with a Russian record label: Respect Production.
When asked about the theme for his debut album by a Russian publication "Argumenty i Fakty", Korzh said in a statement:[4]
"I've been writing these songs for three years. And I noticed they all fall fit thematically, which I titled "Animal World". This album is for different ages: from teens to more adult people. The main theme is human sin, from cheating to committing a crime".
In the early stages of 2013 Korzh went on his "The Take-Off March" tour around Belarus, Ukraine and Russia. One show took place at the Minsk Sports Palace in his home country of Belarus and he hesitated to take on the venue because he felt that "we could have lost a tonne of money" but eventually decided to go with it and the venue sold 6,500 tickets.[5]
In the summer of 2013 Korzh was nominated as a Breakthrough Artist at Muz-TV Awards.[6][7]
On November 2, 2013, Korzh had the honour of becoming the first Belarusian musical artist to have ever performed a sold-out show in Belarus, Minsk-Arena for 13,000 people.[8][9][10]
Reputable Russian magazine ‘Afisha-Volna’ described Korzh's music as "pop-rap with club energy and street honesty" and said its "hybrid of genres presents 100% bestsellers that tend to stick in your head".[11] and sold out Moscow's Luzhniki Palace of Sports.
In June 2014, Korzh won the nomination for Best Album at Muz-TV Awards for his second album "Zhit’ V Kaif".[12]
On November 8, 2014, Korzh released his third album "Domashniy" ("Domestic/ Homely").
In June 2015 Korzh was nominated for three awards at Muz-TV Awards: Best Hip-Hop Artist, Best Album and Best Live Show.[13]
On December 16, 2017, Korzh now marked his second sold-out show in Minsk-Arena.[14]
In 2016 and 2017 Korzh decided to release his fourth album in 2 parts; The first part in 2016 and the second part in 2017. He titled the fourth album "Maliy povzroslel" (English: "The Boy Has Grown"). The first part was released in 2016, "Maliy povzroslel, Pt.1" (English: "The Boy Has Grown Pt.1") and the second part in 2017, "Maliy povzroslel, Pt.2" (English: "The Boy Has Grown, Pt.2"). On December 22, 2017, his "Maliy povzroslel" album won the VK Music Award.[15]
In 2018 Korzh had his first ever tour of the United States.[16]
Personal life
[edit]Since 2012, he has been married to a woman named Tatsyana (nee Matskevich), who is also a native of Luninyets.[1] Together, they have two children: a daughter named Emilia who was born in 2013 and a son named Nazar who was born in 2019.[1]
In October 2024, a Telegram channel close to GUBOPiK wrote that Max Korzh left Belarus after being summoned “for a talk” for political reasons.[17] It was later stated that GUBOPiK had summoned him regarding complaints of displaying the white-red-white flag at concerts abroad and for his earlier condemnation of the war.[18] GUBOPiK responded by saying no criminal case was opened, but that if he were in the future to associate with people that the organisation deemed extremist, there would.[18]
Political positions
[edit]Korzh largely avoided public political statements until 2020, when he posted on Instagram to urge protestors who were marching against the Belarusian government to stop for safety reasons.[1] However, it was alleged that he did attend the protests later on, and was seen near Okrestina and the site of the death of Alexander Taraikovsky.[1] Following the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he publicly condemned the war and released a track entitled "Svoj dom" (My Home), which was widely interpreted as an anti-war song and thus was not made available in Belarus or Russia.[19][1] Shortly after its release, his tour of Russia was canceled by the organisers, and in response he canceled his tours of Belarus and Ukraine, saying he could not sing when people were being killed.[20][19][21] Later on in September 2023, during a concert in Riga he called on the audience to chant "No to war".[19] He later in August 2025 in Warsaw again confirmed his support for peace in Ukraine.[22]
Discography
[edit]Studio albums
[edit]2012 — "Zhivotniy mir" (Animal World)
2013 — "Zhit’ v kaif" (Live Dope/ Life Is Good)
2014 — "Domashniy" (Domestic)
2016 — "Maliy povzroslel, pt. 1" (Boy Has Grown, Pt.1)
2017 — "Domashniy (Extended Version)" (Domestic, Extended Version)
2017 — "Maliy povzroslel, pt. 2" (Boy Has Grown, Pt.2)
2021 — "Психи попадают в топ" (Psychos Hit The Top)
Remix albums
[edit]2016 — "Best Remixes"
Singles
[edit]2016 — "Slovo patsana (The Word of a Man) (Bassquaid & ST Remix)»
2016 — "Slovo patsana (The Word of a Man) (Subranger Remix)»
2017 — "Optimist»
2018 — "Proletarka" (Proletariat Station)
2019 — "Control»
2019 — "Shantazh" (Blackmail)
2019 — "2 tipa lyudey" (2 Types of People)
2020 — "Raznesem" (Crash the Stadium)
2020 — "Maloletka" (Young Lass)
2020 — "Maliy povzroslel (Boy Has Grown) (Apashe Remix)»
2020 — "Maloletka (Young Lass) (Rozochka Remix)»
2020 — "Vremena" (Times)
2020 — "Teplo" (Warm)
2020 — "Yeyo vinoy" (Her Fault)
2021 — "Attestat" (GCSE)
2021 — "Ne tvoy" (Not Yours)
2022 — "Svoj dom" (My Home)
2022 — "Eto nash put’" (This is our way)
2022 — "Beregi yeyo" (Take Care of Her)
2023 — "Luchshiy vajb (The Best Vibe) (Rozochka Remix)»
2023 — "Peredel" (Redevelopment)
2024 — "Stress"
2024 — "Kholodnoe utro" (Cold Morning)
2024 — "Moya devochka ne verit mne" (My Girl Doesn't Believe Me)
2025 — "Wake Up"
2026 — "What do you carry"
2026 — "With us or not"
Official clips
[edit]| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Nebo pomozhet nam (The Sky Will Help Us) | Max Korzh |
| 2012 | Gde ya (Where Am I) (First Version) | Max Korzh |
| 2012 | Gde ya (Where Am I) (Second Version) | Egor Abramenko |
| 2013 | V temnote (In The Dark) | Ivan Lebedev |
| 2013 | Zhit’ v kaif (Life Is Good) | Alexey Bochenin |
| 2014 | Motyle’k (Papillon) | Max Korzh |
| 2014 | Stan’ (Become) | Rustam Romanov |
| 2014 | Amsterdam | Max Korzh |
| 2014 | Domashniy (Homely) | Max Korzh |
| 2014 | Ne vydumyvay (Do Not Make Stuff Up) | Max Korzh |
| 2015 | Plamenniy svet (Fire Light) | Max Korzh |
| 2015 | Flat (feat. F.O.T.H) | Max Korzh |
| 2016 | Bessonitsa (Insomnia) | Anton Mamonenko |
| 2016 | Slovo patsana (The Word Of A Man) | Max Korzh |
| 2016 | Moy droog (My Friend) | Anton Mamonenko |
| 2016 | Style’vo (Stylish) | Andrey Svetlov |
| 2017 | Maliy povzroslel (The Boy Has Grown) | Max Korzh, Mitriy Semenov-Aleinikov |
| 2017 | Maliy povzroslel 2.0 (The Boy Has Grown) (Rozochka Remix) | Max Korzh |
| 2017 | Optimist | Max Korzh |
| 2017 | Napalm | Max Korzh |
| 2018 | Malinoviy zakat (Raspberry Sunset) | Max Korzh |
| 2018 | Gory po koleno (Knee High Mountains) | Max Korzh |
| 2019 | Control | Max Korzh |
| 2019 | Shantazh (Blackmail) | Max Korzh, Andrey Svetlov |
Notes
[edit]- ↑
- Belarusian: Таццяна Корж
- Russian: Татьяна Корж, romanized: Tatyana Korzh
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Песни на белорусском, молодость с алкоголем, армия и покорение «Минск-арены». Рассказываем биографию Макса Коржа". Zerkalo (in Russian). June 7, 2022. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
- ↑ Макс Корж & Magic Sound. Писали треки "Небо поможет" и "Наташа" (LIVE), June 22, 2011, retrieved November 17, 2022
- ↑ "Певец Макс Корж: "Я без блата и каких-то связей"" (in Russian). Комсомольская правда. April 4, 2013. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
- ↑ "Макс Корж: "Музыку нельзя назвать работой"" (in Russian). АиФ. June 26, 2013. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
- ↑ "Макс Корж: "Я в шоке от того, что смог собрать Дворец спорта"" (in Russian). news.tut.by. March 7, 2013. Archived from the original on February 5, 2020. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
- ↑ "Стали известны номинанты "Премии Муз-ТВ 2013"" (in Russian). apelzin.ru. March 27, 2013. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
- ↑ "Премия МУЗ-ТВ 2013. Перезагрузка" (in Russian). Муз-ТВ. June 13, 2013. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
- ↑ "Макс Корж все-таки собрал полный зал в "Минск-Арене"" (in Russian). Наша Ніва. November 4, 2013. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
- ↑ "Макс Корж бьёт новые рекорды: концерт хип-хопера на ОНТ потеснил мировые тренды в Twitter – ОНТ" (in Russian). ont.by. November 19, 2013. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
- ↑ "Феномен белорусского шоу-бизнеса: Макс Корж собрал полную "Минск-Арену"" (in Russian). afisha.tut.by. Archived from the original on January 3, 2017. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
- ↑ "Как рэпер Макс Корж завоевал Белоруссию — и почему с Россией будет так же" (in Russian). Волна-Афиша. Archived from the original on January 11, 2014. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
- ↑ "Белорус Макс Корж получил премию "МУЗ-ТВ" за лучший альбом. Список победителей" (in Russian). ctv.by. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
- ↑ "Номинанты на премию "Муз-ТВ 2015"" (in Russian). Муз-ТВ. Archived from the original on February 3, 2021. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
- ↑ "Концерт Макса Коржа во второй раз отгремел в "Минск-Арене"". Белорусское телеграфное агентство (in Russian). December 17, 2017. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
- ↑ ""Вконтакте" назвала победителей первой музыкальной премии VK Music Awards" (in Russian). moi-portal.ru. December 26, 2017. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
- ↑ "МАКС КОРЖ В ТУРЕ ПО АМЕРИКЕ ОСЕНЬЮ 2018" (in Russian). Russian perspective. August 13, 2018. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
- ↑ "Провластные СМИ сообщили об отъезде Макса Коржа из Беларуси из-за угрозы преследования". Kholod (in Russian). October 15, 2024.
- 1 2 "ГУБОПиК утверждает, что на Макса Коржа еще не завели уголовное дело | Новости Беларуси | euroradio.fm". EuroRadio (in Russian). October 16, 2024. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Макс Корж не сможет вернуться в Беларусь после концерта в Риге? Он призвал зрителей скандировать «нет войне»". Zerkalo (in Russian). September 2, 2023. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
- ↑ "Белорусский рэпер Макс Корж отменил концерты в России". Радио Свобода (in Russian). June 6, 2022. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
- ↑ ""Это наш путь": Макс Корж выпустил еще одну песню". Tochka. June 17, 2022. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
- ↑ "Belarusian rapper calls for peace in Ukraine at Warsaw concert". TVP World. August 10, 2025. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
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