It was similar in format to Narodniy Artist, and was the Russian version of the British show The X Factor, created by Simon Cowell.

The show is primarily concerned with identifying singing talent, though personality, stage presence and dance routines are also an important element of many performances.

Each act enters the audition room (often after waiting for hours), and delivers a stand-up unaccompanied performance of their chosen song to the three judges.

The contestants who survived stage one are then further refined through a series of performances at "boot camp" and at the judges' homes, until a small number eventually progress to the live finals.

The judges were Valeriy Meladze, Katerina Von Gechmen-Valdek and Aleksandr Revzin, and the show was hosted by Aleksey Chumakov and Yelena Vorobey.