Russia looking to Boyz II Men to bring the love
A Feb. 6 Boyz II Men performance in Russia might provide romantic inspiration for the countrymen and fend off a falling birthrate.
Russia hopes to turn some boys into men and boost the country's flagging birthrate with some help from the members of Boyz II Men themselves.
The 1990s vocal group will head to Russia Feb. 6 to perform "a selection of their classic and new romantic ballads, hopefully giving Russian men some inspiration ahead of St. Valentine's Day," The Moscow Times reported.
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Asked by The Moscow Times how they have gone from boys to men, husbands and fathers, the trio said, "Our music is something that has not changed at all. And at the end of the day, it's still about love for us."
Russian President Vladimir Putin has fought back against his country’s declining birthrate for years.
In 2011, he pledged to boost Russia’s birth rate between 25 and 30 percent by 2015, according to The Telegraph.
"According to preliminary calculations, between 2011 and 2015 some 1.5 trillion roubles (about $50 billion) will be invested in demography projects," Putin said in the article.
In 2006, Putin offered cash to women who had more children.
The Christian Science Monitor reported in 2006 that Putin saw the declining birthrate as the country's most acute problem at the time. He ordered a doubling of monthly child support payments and offered $9,200 to women who chose to have a second baby.
Russia's latest push is more romantic, with Boyz II Men asking their Russian fans to "bring their A-game. They always look sharp."
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