“Rock Concert” painting by Viktor Tsoi, Soviet Union, 1980s. 
Viktor Tsoi, a Soviet-Korean rock musician, songwriter, and lead singer of Kino, was a defining figure in the late Soviet Union’s rock scene. Born in 1962 in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) to a Russian mother and Korean father, Tsoi became a cultural icon in the 1980s, capturing the spirit of a generation yearning for change. His music, marked by themes of personal freedom, youth, rebellion, and social struggle, delivered in a raw and poignant style, deeply connected with audiences. Tragically, Tsoi died in a car accident in 1990 at age 28, at the height of his impact.