[8] The blonde-haired singer previously wore his hair in dreadlocks,[9] which he described as a "Russian folk hairstyle, because they look like wheat stalks.

"[10] On 23 February 2022, Shaman released "Rise Up" (Russian: Встанем; romanized: Vstanem) for Defender of the Fatherland Day.

[12] The song became a pop-culture phenomenon in Russia, garnering more than 42 million views, though it was ridiculed on Russian social media.

"[14] Pavel Rudchenko noted that "the song encourages pride in being Russian, in being a part of Russia," which explains the composition's popularity.

[15] Shaman expressed his support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine in December 2022 and was invited to speak and perform at Kremlin-organized events.

[18] [19] In August 2024, Shaman performed at a Rosatom-sponsored event held within the facilities for employees at Enerhodar's Russian-seized Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, as part of a propaganda tour across occupied territories in South-Eastern Ukraine.

[23][24] On 24 June 2024, Dronov was sanctioned by the European Union for participating in Kremlin-organized concerts, including those in the Russian-occupied regions in Southeastern Ukraine.