Novi God (New Year) — Four young men posing in front of a dark background with colorful New Year snowflake decorations

Novi God (New Year)

2002viral videoclassic

Published October 26, 2026

Novi God is a 2002 Russian holiday pop song by boy band Steklovata that became a YouTube parody target after a 2007 reupload exposed its low-budget greenscreen effects and apathetic dancing. Fresh lip-dub parodies and reuploads arrive every December. In December 2019, Russian telecom MTS released a reunion remake with three original members that reached 2 million VKontakte views in three days.

lip sync memes so bad its good memes green screen memes annual tradition memes music video memes

Overview

Novi God parodies typically show four people lined up in front of greenscreen backdrops, lipsyncing the chorus while copying the stiff shoulder shrugs and overacted grins of the Steklovata singers3. Earth-toned sweaters, clumsy camera cuts, and childlike choreography all signal the format, and creators across Eastern Europe filmed their own versions in school rooms and home offices3.

The clip's appeal sits in the gap between a cheerful children's holiday song and video production so stilted that it reads as surreal. English-language curiosity blogs filed it under worst-music-video roundups, which sent more viewers back to the Russian source2. A seasonal spike in uploads and compilation reels arrives on YouTube every December as new audiences find the song3.

Origin & Background

Platform
Russian pop music (2002) / YouTube (viral spread, 2007)
Key People
Steklovata
Date
2002

"Novi God," meaning "New Year" in English, arrived in 2002 as the follow-up single from Russian boy band Steklovata, a studio project started in 1999 by producer and composer Sergey Kuznetsov1. The group's lead vocalists Denis Belikin and Arthur Yeremeyev were Russian orphans whom Kuznetsov recruited for his studio, and their soprano ranges became a signature of the Steklovata sound1. The song also earned seasonal airplay on Estonian radio around its release3.

The music video reached YouTube in early 2007 and spread through dozens of duplicate uploads over the following years3. One widely watched copy still sits on YouTube under the Steklovata name, where it collected millions of aggregate plays across its many mirrors6.

How It Spread

Soon after the YouTube reupload, English-language curiosity blogs including Oddee ran the clip in "worst music video ever" roundups, which sent new viewers back to the original and drove reupload counts up2. The video reached Eastern European Internet culture, where creators of other European nationalities filmed lip dubs that imitated Steklovata's greenscreen, Earth-toned clothing, and stilted camera work3.

Reposts drive a predictable seasonal bump on YouTube every December as holiday compilations resurface the clip3. On December 28, 2019, Russian telecom MTS released an official remake featuring three of the four original Steklovata members4. The remake reached more than 2 million views on VKontakte within three days of posting, and a YouTube mirror added another 280,000 views5.

Timeline

1999

Producer Sergey Kuznetsov assembles Steklovata around Russian orphans Denis Belikin and Arthur Yeremeyev[1].

2002

Steklovata releases "Novi God" as a follow-up single to their self-titled debut[1].

2007

The music video arrives on YouTube and spreads through duplicate uploads[3].

2019-12-28

Russian telecom MTS posts a reunion remake with three original Steklovata members[5].

How to Use This Meme

Parody creators typically set up a greenscreen with a kitschy winter backdrop, line up four performers in Earth-toned sweaters, and lipsync to the chorus while mimicking the deadpan swaying and exaggerated facial expressions of the original members3. Many versions substitute family members, classmates, or coworkers in the four roles, and some import the original audio while cutting between greenscreen scenes to copy the clip's awkward camera transitions3.

Frequently Asked Questions