Aigel

About

AIGEL is a Tatar-Russian electronic hip-hop duo formed in 2016 by poet and vocalist Aigel Gaisina from Naberezhnye Chelny and Saint Petersburg producer Ilya Baramiya. Their sound layers dark, minimalist electronics with Gaisina's rapping and singing in Tatar, Russian, and English - often drawing on personal stories of imprisonment, ethnic identity, and social injustice. After publicly opposing Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the duo was banned in Russia in 2022 and relocated abroad: Gaisina to Berlin, Baramiya to Montenegro. They broke through internationally with the viral 2017 single 'Tatarin' and again in 2023 when 'Pıyala' topped the global Shazam chart.

130M+

YouTube views for 'Tatarin' music video

316M+

Total YouTube channel views

Global Shazam chart peak for 'Pıyala' (autumn 2023)

#11

Billboard TikTok Top 100 peak for 'Pıyala'

What's new

2025-03
AIGEL released their sixth album 'Killer Qız' on March 28, 2025 - their second album recorded entirely in Tatar, exploring themes of loss, rebirth, and faith.
2025-03
To support 'Killer Qız', AIGEL embarked on a tour of over 30 cities across Europe and America starting March 20, 2025.
2023-11
'Pıyala' topped the global Shazam chart in autumn 2023 and reached #1 on Apple Music and Spotify charts across roughly 20 countries, after featuring in the Russian TV series 'Slovo Patsana'.
2022-09
In September 2022, the Russian government placed AIGEL on a list of artists whose work was 'not recommended', following their public opposition to the invasion of Ukraine.
2023
Aigel Gaisina relocated permanently to Berlin in 2023 after protesting against the Russian invasion of Ukraine; Ilya Baramiya settled in Montenegro.