Some people are so gifted with talent and skill, it seems almost unfair, until you see what they’ve done with it. Award winning media & marketing guru, international pop start, Christian Ray, is a perfect example. He has one parent that’s from Russia and the other is from Chile. He also lived in Mozambique and now he’s in the US but technically, he’s kind of from everywhere. And, wherever he goes, he seems to make an impact. He sings, he writes, he directs, he is a business owner, he is a visionary, he does benevolent work, and more. But, let’s take a few steps back and talk about Russia. How do we connect the dots between a pop star and a president who wants victory over his communist opponent? I guess this was Russia’s version of “rock the vote” against communism.
“It wasn’t like I was very political back then. I was young and it seemed like communism wasn’t a good thing so we went for it. Not to mention, it’s not every day a Russian president is calling on you to do their campaign song.”
Christian Ray brought much of what we were used to in the United States, as it relates to music in the 90’s, to Russia. He was a great success with many hits and of course, that number one hit that became the song used as the people’s theme song against communism. This was quite amazing in a country that is known for ballet, opera, theater, and, well, vodka! But not pop music or, at least, not yet.
Russia’s Version of Rock the Vote against Communism
A young musician with the world at his fingertips might be a dream come true but that is not how the story began for Christian Ray. Christian Ray was born in Moscow, Russia, on March 15, 1969, to a Chilean father and Russian mother. The family moved to Chile when Christian was nine months old. During the 1973 military coup of Augusto Pinochet, Christian’s father, Americo Flores, was arrested along with thousands of others and spent time in one of the infamous concentration camps. His mother Larisa, along with two children, went into hiding under an assumed name and with a fake Argentinian passport.
After Americo’s release, the family spent several months in a refugee camp and was granted asylum in Germany, moving to Munich. After some time in Germany and Russia, Americo and Larisa moved to Mozambique, at the invitation of the government, which was recruiting international professionals after a mass exodus of Portuguese upon the nation’s independence. Christian learned four languages by the age of nine: Russian, Spanish, English, and Portuguese. After his parents’ divorce, Christian returned to Russia with his mother and sister in 1983. Christian got a master’s degree in economics in 1991 from the RUDN University in Moscow.
In 1993, Christian Ray released his first single in Russia, and he became an instant success, playing to large crowds by 1994. Back to back top-ten hits culminated into his number-one single, “Our Generation”– an anthem of freedom and change. It became the official song of Boris Yeltsin’s election campaign. Christian tirelessly campaigned for Yeltsin as part of the Russian version of “Rock the Vote” which is credited to giving Yeltsin the youth vote and victory in the campaign. “It wasn’t like I was very political back then. I was young and it seemed like communism wasn’t a good thing so we went for it. Not to mention, it’s not every day a Russian president is calling on you to do their campaign song.”
Motivational speaker and visionary entrepreneur, Christian Ray, has one very interesting life. Even today, he is a successful businessman in addition to his many other talents and skills. He is a speaker who is familiar with doing what it takes to make a difference, even if it means, well, not just doing it differently but, being the first one to do it.
