An accomplished artist known throughout Russia, Maydanov also serves in the Russian State Duma as a representative of the Odintsovo constituency of Odintsovsky District, Moscow Oblast since 2021.

His father was born in the Mogilev Region of Belarus, but moved to Balakovo in the Saratov oblast of southwest Russia to work as an engineer in the state petrochemical industry.

[5] Maydanov's mother, Evgenia Petrovna,[6] was born in the suburbs of Luhansk, in the Donbas region of Ukraine;[5] when she moved to Balakavo at the age of 20[7] she worked as an inspector in Saratovgasstroy, later as head of the personnel department in Zhilstroy.

Alongside the guitar lessons, Maydanov taught himself the piano,[6] and began to get involved in the poetic and theatrical circles of the Balakovo House of Culture, taking part in the vocal-instrumental ensemble.

In 1995, when he succeeded, Denis entered the correspondence department of MGUKI in the specialty "Manager-director of show programs"; At admission he had significant competition – 72 people for 6 seats.

In his first two years living in Moscow, Maydanov had little stable earnings or housing, moving more than 15 times, and couch surfing with friends from college, sometimes sleeping at railway and metro stations.

[6] Gradually Maydanov received recognition, and many Russian artists began singing his songs, in particular, Nikolai Baskov, Filipp Kirkorov, Turetsky Choir Art Group, Alexander Buinov, Mikhail Shufutinsky, Aleksandr Marshal, Lolita Milyavskaya, Jasmin, Joseph Kobzon, Tatiana Bulanova.

[20] When asked whether the values he espouses in his music would carry over to his political career, Maydanov told Gazeta.Ru:"many of my songs are of a patriotic and social nature, which is an important cultural contribution to the country's ideological agenda.

[24] His December 2022 release Sarmatushka celebrates the RS-28 Sarmat missile with the lyrics, "Its will is stronger than the Ural Mountains/It’ll scatter our enemies to dust in an instant/It’s ready to carry out the sentence/The U.S.’s air defense is no hindrance to it.” [25] Maydanov was politically active prior to beginning his own political career, having been a member of the All-Russia Popular Front, a winner of the Russian FSB Prize [ru] and Prize of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation in the field of culture and art [ru], and a reported confidante of President Vladimir Putin.

In March 2021, Maydanov announced his decision to run for the State Duma in the 122nd Odintsovo single-mandate district of the Moscow Oblast, as a member of the incumbent United Russia party.

[36] Just before the 2013 federal elections, Maydanov took part in a concert rally in support of Moscow mayoral candidate Sergey Sobyanin at the Sochi Olympic Park.

[37] Prior to holding political office Maydanov supported Russian irridentist views on Ukraine, calling the 2014 annexation of Crimea the "trajectory of historical justice".

[40] He condemned the refusal of the Ukrainian authorities to allow Russian representative Yulia Samoilova to enter the Eurovision Song Contest held in Kyiv the following year.

[40] In an editorial for RIA FAN the day before Russia began the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Maydanov claimed that "everyone understands that this is primordially Russian land... ..everything up to the Dnieper".

[32] In a second editorial with the Internet Research Agency released in the hours after the invasion, Maydanov closely echoed the Russian leader's late night televised declaration of war.

In late February 2022, Maydanov was sanctioned by the European Union, part of a comprehensive travel ban and foreign asset seizure package implemented against members of the State Duma who voted to recognize the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent republics in violation of the Minsk agreements, and authorize Russian military intervention.

[4][43] On March 26, 2022, Maydanov and Roman Razum, leader of the ensemble of the 2nd Army Corps of the Luhansk People's Republic released a collaboration called "Victory is ours" in support of the Russian attack on Ukraine.

The two met when Natalya went to support her friend in an audition for Fabrika Zvyozd ("Star Factory"), an influential televised talent competition which Maydanov was attending.