Peter Nalitch’s “Gitar” video – at last, Russia has its own Borat

At last, Russia has a homegrown star to match Borat.

Peter Nalitch’s cheesy pop video “Gitar” has taken the newly launched youtube.ru by storm, notching up more than 350,000 views already.

Seriously – who could resist the charming Nalitch as he croons “Gitarrr, Gitarrr, Gitarrr, jump to my yaguarrr, Gitarrr, Gitarrr Gitarrr, come to my boudoirrr” from the front seat of his cramped Soviet Kopeika car?

Filmed by a friend on a handheld camera at his family’s Dacha just outside of Moscow, Gitar (definitely not Guitar) sat relatively un-noticed on Youtube for several months until it spotted by Russia’s bloggers who couldn’t resist the catchy tune, cheesy lyrics and naked cartoon women scrawled across the screen.

Once they picked up the story Nalitch’s fame, and Gitar’s place in internet history, was assured.

Now Nalitch is becoming a star in the real world, too. The 26 year-old Muscovite played his first professional gig earlier this month in front of a packed house at the Apshu club in Moscow. He earned the princely sum of 30,000 roubles (about $1,200), his first ever professional fee.

But, true to his noble character, Nalitch was more concerned about the fans that couldn’t get into the club:

“I give it four stars, I was upset that it was so packed and not everyone was able to get in, but I think the people who were there had fun.”

So, what next for Nalich? Well, the former architecture student is following in the footsteps of his Bosnian grandfather – an opera singer – and is training as a singer at a Moscow music college. And with a number of other songs ready to go, international fame surely beckons.