Pop Culture Shock

When Andrei Kirilenko and his family return to Russia after the season, the Utah Jazz forward may not be the one who gets hounded for autographs.

Kirilenko’s wife, Masha Lopatova, has become a celebrity in the couple’s native country after recording an album on a whim. The single “Sakharny,” or “Sugary” in English, is a hit with Russian music fans.

“I didn’t expect it to be successful. I didn’t expect people to be interested,” she said. “I was very surprised.”

Not bad for a 29-year-old public relations executive who established herself in the Russian entertainment industry as she ran her own PR agency. It was through the agency that she met Kirilenko -- then a budding star in Russian basketball -- but only after splitting with the singer of Ivanshuk, another popular Russian act.

Spending so much time in the music industry, she decided to give singing a shot in her spare time. Despite the split, she got some help from her ex-boyfriend, who performed some background vocals on her album “VeroYatno,” which was released in November. He also appears in the video for “Sakharny,” a recent staple on MTV Russia.

The song is pure pop, and Lopatova readily admits the song may be a little sappy for some.

“Pop music doesn’t make a lot of sense from the point of lyrics. Sometimes the lyrics are kind of stupid. My song is not an exception,” she said. “He is in love. And because he is in love with, say, me, or a girl, he is melting as if he is sugary. It’s kind of stupid, but that’s the main idea.”

Lopatova and Kirilenko monitored the song’s success through friends in Moscow, where they own a home. The newfound popularity is nice, but she isn’t going to be touring any time soon. Fyodor Kirilenko, who turns 1 this month, is keeping mom plenty busy.

“I would never do singing as my 24-hour thing,” she said. “My baby and Andrei are my priority.”

Kirilenko doesn’t expect his wife to get caught up in her fame, even though pop stars in Russia carry a little more popularity than athletes.

“In our country, sports aren’t so popular like here,” he said. “Here, you see NFL, NBA, NHL, baseball players, they are big stars. Everybody wants to go somewhere with you. In Russia, it’s not like that. Everybody likes you, but OK. It’s not a big deal.”

While Lopatova enjoys her success from afar, her husband is gaining popularity here. Kirilenko, in his second season in the NBA, is a fan favorite at the Delta Center, where he gets rousing cheers as one of the first players off the bench.

On a team with the subdued personalities of John Stockton and Matt Harpring, Kirilenko stands out. His wildly spiked blond hair is symbolic of his play. He scraps for the ball, diving onto the court when needed, and may be the only player on the team who relishes dunking, always a crowd favorite.

“I’m just trying to have fun,” he said.

At 6 feet 9 and 210 pounds, Kirilenko looks too skinny to bang inside in the NBA. But he has tremendous leaping ability and through Wednesday was leading the Jazz in blocks with 80 and was third with 61 steals.

“He’s been very enthusiastic and played very well,” Coach Jerry Sloan said. “That’s pretty much who he is. He’s an active player and usually active players are having fun. They don’t have time to worry about a mistake they made because they’re trying to do something else.”

Kirilenko, who will play on the second-year team in the Rookie Challenge the day before the All-Star game in Atlanta, was a pleasant surprise as a rookie for the Jazz last season, when he averaged 10.7 points and 4.9 rebounds, with 40 starts. He was the starting small forward out of training camp before he hurt his back and missed two games -- opening the door for Harpring.

Harpring is now second to Karl Malone in scoring for the Jazz, relegating Kirilenko to sixth-man duties. Kirilenko nevertheless remains third on the team in scoring (12.9) and rebounds (5.9).

With Malone and Stockton nearing the end of their careers, Kirilenko and Harpring are the club’s future. Kirilenko knows he’ll get his chance in a year or two and hasn’t complained about going to the bench.

And no matter how much success his wife has in her singing hobby/career, Kirilenko is confident Fyodor and any future siblings will remain the focus of their family.

“She doesn’t want a crazy life,” he said.