Azis: The Bulgarian Beauty

Azis is a noted Bulgarian popstar and former deputy leader of Euroroma, Bulgaria's super-liberal gypsy party, and 21st greatest Bulgarian of all time. But it's not his amazing repertoire of perfect pop songs, or his politics that has me hooked, I'm more enchanted by his appearance.

This 33-year-old guy is trying to wipe out every form of gender with his atypical appearance. I have never laid my eyes on a man with such perfectly manicured nails. Combine this with his well-groomed platinum blond goatee and you have Azis Vasili Troyanov Boyanov Katsuras, in the flesh.
In the video for his slightly erotic song "Mrazish", Azis is frolicking around with some half-naked Bulgarian hardbodies, dressed in a simple but clean white wifebeater and matching boxers. While he's probably singing—in Bulgarian—about how horny hairy arms can get him, the focus is on Azis' fully primed and powdered face. I've seen corpses whose make-up was more subtle. Oh, and it doesn't stop here. Azis is wearing two huge diamond earrings and is licking his heavily lip-glossed lips while he's watching a piece of Bulgarian meat devouring a Magnum next to him. After this, we can see him squinting into the camera from underneath his long, faux-lashes. Now, don't get the wrong idea here: It's not like I’m obsessed with some high-class tranny that has the money to get a manicure. I mean, come on, I've watched RuPaul's Drag Race. Azis is more than that. He's not afraid to hold on to his—very masculine, dare I say—blonde goatee while rocking some Louboutins.
To put it simpler, Azis will not stop looking like a rather overweight, masculine Bulgarian that is capable of cracking an ATM-machine in a heartbeat. And he'd do it with a lovely French manicure. I could pretend that we're on the brink of some new, huge trend—slightly overweight eastern European guys with facial hair make up and high heels that are ruining sex and fashion for me. But that's all bull because this isn't just a trend, Azis has been around for years.

What I can do is explain why people are calling Azis "The Gaga of Gulag"—okay, I just made that up but I like the way it sounds. Azis is this beautiful gender hybrid in a country where gays can still be beaten half to death even if they so much think of a rainbow-colored flag. And despite that, this popstar with his pink furs, fake lashes, and particularly open sexuality, is huge over there. Too bad I couldn't really find anything about his presumably huge role in the Bulgarian fashion scene, so I decided to Google 'Azis' and 'fashion'. Here's what I found.

Victoria's Secret.


Here he’s is sporting the natural look because he’s playing an inmate—that still has highlights in his hair:
This last one is the absolute best.
TEXT: CARMEN FELIX

shawn
January 13, 2012 09:17pm
that was the most mesmerizing thing I've seen in a long time. Can't take my eyes off it. It's strange and beautiful.
NotAzis
January 14, 2012 08:18am
The "gays can still be beaten half to death even if they so much think of a rainbow-colored flag" is a bit exaggarated; quite the opposite, sometimes it feels like they're having "pride" parades every two weeks, and you can't turn on a TV without stumbling in on a gay rights activist in a talk show.
Lilia
January 14, 2012 09:46pm
I am from Bulgaria and, of course, I have heard about Azis. He is a very controversial character (and I'm not talking about his looks here). The most famous music genre in Bulgaria is pop-folk, which is a hybrid between world pop music and oriental music. It is strongly loved and even more strongly hated by some people, but I guess this is what sells best. Azis is a typical representative of this genre - too much makeup, scandalous videos and shocking lyrics. Like most performers, he provokes the public, keeps people interested more in the way he looks than the music he makes. By the way, he has talent in singing, unlike most pop-folk singers in Bulgaria. Azis has been around for a long time, yes, and I don't know why now people start to pay him special attention. It's not like he is a phenomenon or anything. Every country has a performer that pushes the limits and that is way out of the ordinary. No, Azis is not a fashion icon in Bulgaria. No, he is not one of the 21 most famous Bulgarians of all time, because unlike many countries, Bulgaria has historic icons with whom we are proud. And no, he is not an exception of some kind. There are plenty like him out there, everywhere.
YY
January 16, 2012 10:07am
As a proud bulgarian and huge fan I think this is by far his best video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hYFAZ0CcLA&feature=related
opsa
January 16, 2012 12:29pm
WTF!!!
soregashi
January 16, 2012 12:32pm
I'm just thrilled to find this piece of Bulgarian art on the pages of Vice :D. But it's good - I'm pretty sure there are little other things than pop-folk which suit Vice so good, at least from the music of Bulgaria.
Tubesteak
January 16, 2012 05:22pm
...he is just too fat...he needs to purge or go ana...he would be so much better with clavicles and hip bones....
Hanna
January 17, 2012 11:48am
his legs are amazing though!
Sara
January 21, 2012 10:31pm
Biutiful legs
BF
January 26, 2012 12:04am
FYI He's lost all that baby fat. Azis is a svelt chocolate tanned video vixen now. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqucJYRLbBY
BG Beauty
January 28, 2012 08:33am
As a proud and very liberal Bulgarian, I suggest killing this idiot in public!
Srebrina
January 31, 2012 02:58am
Wow you guys! I was so surprised to see that you've posted a article about Azis! I am also from Bulgaria and as a huge fan of Vice I never thought anything Bulgarian will get to your pages...He has been indeed around for years and he is indeed controversial, I remember the times 4,5 years ago when a huge billboard was installed on a major intersection in the capital of Bulgaria picturing Azis pretty much naked. It stood there for quite a while until they took it down because it was causing accidents. Bottom line - him and people like him and pushing the limits of acceptance in Easter Europe, something that I think the states can definitely learn something from...:)
Azis Reigns In Bulgaria!
May 04, 2012 07:18am
It is a COMPLETE LIE when people keep making posts like "Azis is not the most famous Bulgarian" or "There are plenty of others like him in Bulgaria" or "He really isn't very famous in Bulgaria"...LIES LIES LIES! If there are so many other famous Bulgarians around like Azis..how come it is ONLY Azis who is getting this international press? How come the people outside of Bulgaria who have heard of Azis because of his fame cannot name even ONE other famous Bulgarian? That should be easy to do right, since there are so many others like him, right? LOL! The people who use these put-downs against Azis, saying he is not so special, there are many others like him, etc..are usually Homophobic but don't want to admit. Azis was not given ANYTHING. He is a Gypsy who worked hard to achieve his WORLDWIDE FAME, and it takes a LOT OF WORK to always be coming up with ideas & visuals to keep the public interested. Don't believe the LIES when people say there are many others like him around in Bulgaria and he isn't that famous there. He is the BIGGEST STAR in Bulgaria and is the ONLY ONE who can fill soccer stadiums with adoring fans. Even Bulgarians who do not like his style will admit that NOBODY has such a beautiful voice as he does and that NOBODY makes such wonderful music. But Homophobia keeps many from admitting this in public, and so they put him down and insult him by trying to make him less than what he truly is: BULGARIAS BIGGEST STAR AND MOST FAMOUS CITIZEN WHO HAS INTERNATIONAL FANS AROUND THE WORLD AND HAS PROMOTED BULGARIA & IT'S PEOPLE WORLDWIDE. Don't believe me? Then whenever you see Azis being spoken about in some NON-BULGARIAN website..ask such website what other Bulgarian star they have featured? I guarantee you 99.9% of the time there will be no other but AZIS!
Toni Doscheva
May 19, 2012 05:02am
I am from bulgaria and I do not understand this foreign interest in Azis. I see that there is now even a magazine about him! Azis and this http://www.balkania-fanzine.com is not how our Balkan identity should be broadcast abroad.