A Russian lawmaker offered to make Stoptime’s teenage frontwoman a patriotic star — if she’d repent on camera. Diana Loginova chose exile instead, and the band just released its first album.

According to Meduza, a Russian lawmaker had a deal for the teenage singer of the St. Petersburg street band Stoptime: repent on camera, and he'd remake her into a patriotic star. Diana Loginova said no. She and bandmate Alexander Orlov had formed the group only last summer, busking covers of songs by musicians branded "foreign agents" — clips that went viral and drew the attention of police. After a run of repeated arrests last November, the pair left Russia. Now, six months into exile, Stoptime has released its debut album. Meduza reports on what the musicians endured and what they're hoping for from here.

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