Atlantic Records Russia

Lore & Background

Zhara Music was launched on 15 June 2018 with the release of Emin's song «Невероятная». The partner for the project was Russian singer Bakhtar Aliyev, known as Bahh Tee, also owner of music label Siyah Music. On 24 March 2021, Warner Music Group purchased the label, creating the Russian division of Atlantic Records. Bahh Tee headed the new label, and the approximate cost of acquisition was $25,000,000. The collection Atlantic Records Russia: F1rst Blood was released to mark the creation of the new label.

Reader's Guide

Atlantic Records Russia represented a significant expansion of a major American label into the Russian music market. Its significance lies in its roster of popular Russian artists and its role as a bridge between Western and Russian music industries. The label's operations were suspended on 10 March 2022 due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, when parent company Warner Music Group announced the suspension of all investment, project development, advertising, marketing, and physical production in Russia. On 1 March 2023, Bahh Tee stepped down as CEO and created a new label, Lotus Music. The label's brief history illustrates the impact of geopolitical events on the global music business.

Did You Know?

• Atlantic Records Russia was known as Zhara Music until 24 March 2021.
• The label was purchased by Warner Music Group for approximately $25,000,000.
• Bakhtiyar Aliyev (Bahh Tee) headed the newly created Atlantic Records Russia.
• On 24 February 2022, the label announced cancellation of all upcoming releases indefinitely.

From a Single Track to a Label: The Birth of Zhara Music

On 15 June 2018, a single track titled «Невероятная» dropped under the name Emin — the stage persona of Emin Agalarov, who at the time held the vice-presidency of the Crocus Group holding. That release did not merely introduce a new artist; it launched an entirely new record label called Zhara Music. The project was built on a partnership with Bakhtar Aliyev, a Russian singer performing under the name Bahh Tee, who simultaneously owned Siyah Music. Together, the two figures set the foundation for what would become one of the most talked-about independent labels in the Russian hip-hop and pop scene. Zhara Music handled distribution, artist bookings, promotional campaigns, and broader organizational work in the music industry. The label quickly assembled a roster that blended mainstream pop appeal with underground rap energy, positioning itself as a bridge between commercial visibility and street-level credibility. This dual identity would prove central to the label's story before it was absorbed into a far larger corporate structure just three years later.

The $25 Million Rebrand: Becoming Atlantic Records Russia

On 24 March 2021, the music industry learned that Warner Music Group had acquired the Zhara Music label, transforming it into the Russian branch of the American powerhouse Atlantic Records. The approximate cost of the deal was reported at twenty-five million dollars, a figure that underscored how seriously the multinational was taking the Russian market. Bakhtiyar Aliyev — the same Bahh Tee who had co-founded the original venture — was placed at the helm of the newly rebranded entity. To mark the transition, the label issued a compilation titled Atlantic Records Russia: F1rst Blood, a deliberate gesture signaling a fresh start under the storied Atlantic banner. The rebranding did not merely change a name; it folded a homegrown, personality-driven operation into one of the world's most recognized music corporations, granting its artists access to a global infrastructure while preserving the local creative identity that had made Zhara Music distinctive in the first place.

A Roster Built for Genre Breadth

The roster that Atlantic Records Russia — and before it, Zhara Music — cultivated was a snapshot of the late-2010s and early-2020s Russian popular music landscape. At its core stood Emin, whose crossover between pop sensibility and rap delivery gave the label its initial commercial hook. Alongside him were HammAli & Navai, a duo whose melodic rap style resonated with younger audiences, and Bahh Tee, whose gritty, street-oriented sound balanced the roster's more polished entries. The lineup also featured Rauf & Faik, a folk-pop act that broadened the label's genre reach, alongside Jony, ЛСП, Dava, Johnyboy, and RaiM. This diversity meant the label was not confined to a single subgenre; it functioned as a multi-format operation spanning hip-hop, pop, and folk-inflected music. The label's operational scope extended beyond simply pressing records: it managed distribution, coordinated live bookings, ran promotional campaigns, and handled the organizational machinery that keeps artists visible in a crowded market. In essence, the roster reflected a deliberate strategy of genre breadth anchored by a few high-profile names.

Freeze, Suspension, and the Final Chapter

The brief life of Atlantic Records Russia came to an abrupt halt in the spring of 2022. On 24 February, a notice appeared in the label's official VKontakte community announcing that all scheduled releases were being cancelled and their premieres postponed indefinitely. The situation hardened on 10 March, when Warner Music Group — the parent corporation and global distributor — formally suspended all operations within Russia. That suspension encompassed investment and project development, advertising and marketing efforts, and the manufacturing of every physical product. The label, which had existed under the Atlantic name for barely a year, was effectively frozen. The final chapter came on 1 March 2023, when Bahh Tee stepped down from his role as CEO. Rather than disappearing from the industry, he founded a new venture called Lotus Music, carrying his creative ambitions into a new chapter. For the artists who had built their careers under the Zhara and Atlantic banners, the label's dissolution left a void in the Russian music infrastructure that had no immediate replacement.

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