Matrang (Matrang; real name — Alan Arkadyevich Khadzaragov; born April 20, 1995, Vladikavkaz, North Ossetia — Alania, Russia) is a Russian singer, rapper and songwriter. He gained widespread recognition with the song «Медуза», which became one of the biggest Russian-language internet hits of the late 2010s.
Matrang’s music exists at the intersection of hip-hop, pop-rap, house and atmospheric electronic music. His recognizable style is built around restrained vocals, minimalist arrangements, straightforward dance rhythms and surreal imagery. After the success of «Медуза», the artist joined Gazgolder, where he released his main studio albums «ЭЙА» (2018), DA (2019) and «ТРИ» (2020).
Childhood and first musical experiences
Alan Khadzaragov was born on April 20, 1995, in Vladikavkaz into an Ossetian family. His mother worked as a teacher, while his father was a doctor who had played in an amateur rock band when he was younger.
Khadzaragov was involved in creative activities from childhood: he drew, took part in theatrical productions and sang. At around the age of seven, he became a soloist in the republican choir «Арион» under the direction of Olga Dzhanaeva.
After school, Alan enrolled at a university in Vladikavkaz in a program related to design and engineering. At the same time, he independently learned music recording and experimented with rap, vocals and electronic arrangements.
Don ShaL and the early period
Khadzaragov released his first recordings under the name Don ShaL. The pseudonym was connected with Shaldon — the Vladikavkaz neighborhood where he lived.
His early material had a heavier and darker mood. The song «Гадкий мир», which appeared in the early 2010s, belongs to this stage.
During his independent period, he also released the projects «Планета Луна» (2015) and «Красная Луна» (2017). Cosmic symbolism was already present in their titles and later became one of the recurring elements of the musician’s work.
The appearance of the Matrang pseudonym
After the Don ShaL period, the musician began performing under the name Matrang. The pseudonym is a stylization of the Vietnamese expression mặt trăng, which means “Moon.”
The lunar theme naturally continued the aesthetic of his early recordings. Khadzaragov himself associated this image with loneliness, inner experiences and his habit of observing the night sky.
One of the works from the transitional period was the song «Кино». It already contained elements of the future Matrang style: an unhurried electronic rhythm, minimalist arrangement and melodic recitative. By the mid-2010s, the artist was gradually moving away from more traditional rap toward house and atmospheric electronic music.
«Медуза»
The turning point in his career was «Медуза». Matrang wrote the song in Vladikavkaz and independently uploaded it to the internet in 2017.
The track began spreading rapidly through social networks and music communities even before the artist signed with a major label. Against the background of Russian-language rap at the time, «Медуза» stood out for its hypnotic house groove, calm vocal delivery and almost unchanging emotional intensity.
The lyrics are built around images of the sea, a jellyfish, an octopus and human relationships. For Matrang, the meaning of words is closely connected with how they sound within the melody, while narrative often gives way to associations and overall atmosphere.
The popularity of «Медуза» attracted the attention of several music companies. In December 2017, Matrang joined the creative association Gazgolder.
On January 29, 2018, «Медуза» received its official digital release through Gazgolder. During the year, the composition became one of the biggest hits on Russian streaming services and reached high positions in the year-end rankings of Apple Music and BOOM.
After its success, the performer was frequently compared with Viktor Tsoi because of his low vocal timbre and restrained delivery. Matrang himself did not use this comparison as the foundation of his musical image.
«ЭЙА»
At the beginning of 2018, Matrang released the new songs OMO and «Вода», and on May 25 presented his first full-length album on Gazgolder — «ЭЙА».
The album contained nine tracks, including:
- «Медуза»;
- «Вода»;
- OMO;
- «Там, где»;
- «Акула»;
- «Я не расскажу»;
- «Помни».
«ЭЙА» developed the sound first established on «Медуза» without limiting itself to a single formula. House rhythms coexisted with hip-hop beats, minimalist electronics and melodic vocals.
That same year, «От Луны до Марса», «Провода», «Замыкать» and «Бронза» were also released. In 2018, Matrang received the independent music award «Золотая Горгулья».
DA
On January 31, 2019, Matrang released his second studio album — DA.
On this record, the musician noticeably expanded his sound: house-pop and electronic music were combined with atmospheric hip-hop and elements of 1990s dance aesthetics.
Instead of trying to reproduce the success of «Медуза», Matrang continued developing his own musical language based on rhythm, vocal timbre and concise, image-driven lyrics.
One of the notable events of the year was the collaborative song «Привет» with Basta. Matrang’s calm vocal delivery was combined with a more traditional rap verse from Basta.
In 2019, he also released «Со мной», «Проснись», «Дурень», «Оставайся», «Матранг», «С самим собой» and «Круг». The song «Матранг» became one of the artist’s most direct autobiographical works.
«ТРИ»
On March 27, 2020, Matrang released his third studio album «ТРИ».
The record proved more diverse than his previous works. It combines atmospheric hip-hop, electronic dance music, melancholic ballads, rap and minimalist vocal compositions.
Among the album’s notable songs are «Мама», «Отчаянно зовёт», «Молодость» and «Дым».
«ТРИ» presented Matrang as an artist no longer tied to a single type of rhythm. The electronic foundation remained, but became only one of the tools within a broader individual style.
After the album, the standalone singles «Вельветовые часы», «Фас», «Мент» and «Взаперти» were released in 2020.
Releases from 2021–2023
In 2021, Matrang continued releasing standalone songs. Among them were «Руки на руке», «ПАТРИАРХАТ» and «Заманчивая».
«Заманчивая» brought back a more pronounced dance element and over time became one of the artist’s most popular later works.
That same year, Matrang recorded «Мимо ветра» together with Musya Totibadze. The vocal-dialogue format makes the composition stand out from much of his solo catalog.
In 2022, the song «Лето зимой» was released. His next new single was Legato, presented in 2023.
Events of 2024 and the career hiatus
At the beginning of 2024, Matrang’s public musical activity effectively stopped. During that period, the musician was in Thailand and published messages about personal difficulties, conflicts and his intention to abandon his future career.
On February 21, 2024, Khadzaragov returned to Russia. His relatives met him at the airport, after which he was sent to a rehabilitation center. The artist’s sister said that the family would need a long period of time to resolve the problems that had arisen.
Scheduled concerts were canceled or postponed, while Matrang himself almost completely disappeared from public view.
After 2024, there was no official announcement of a full return to concert activity or preparations for a new album. In the main digital catalogs, Legato from 2023 remains his most recent new studio single.
This stage is more accurately described as a prolonged hiatus in his public career: there has been no later separate announcement about the permanent closure of the MATRANG project.
Musical style
Matrang’s sound developed outside the strict boundaries of a single genre. His discography combines:
- hip-hop;
- pop-rap;
- hip house;
- house;
- electronic pop;
- atmospheric electronic music;
- occasional post-punk influences.
Matrang is characterized by a restrained delivery. Instead of an aggressive rap flow, he often uses calm recitative or half-singing over a straightforward electronic beat. The vocals become part of the overall texture of the composition, while the lyrics are shaped not only by narrative but also by rhythm, phonetics and mood.
Another recognizable element is a system of recurring imagery. The moon, water, sea, night, sky and space appear in songs from different periods and connect his early independent work with the Gazgolder albums.
Matrang discography
Early independent releases
- «Планета Луна» — 2015;
- «Красная Луна» — 2017.
Studio albums
- «ЭЙА» — 2018;
- DA — 2019;
- «ТРИ» — 2020.
Matrang in Russian-language music
Matrang’s breakthrough came during a period when Russian-language hip-hop was increasingly converging with electronic and pop music. «Медуза» became one of the clearest hits of that wave: the song achieved mass popularity without a traditional pop chorus, aggressive recitative or overloaded arrangement.
On the album «ЭЙА», the artist consolidated the style he had found, DA expanded it toward house-pop and dance-oriented electronic music, while «ТРИ» demonstrated a freer approach to genres and vocals.
Matrang’s defining characteristic remains the combination of minimalist electronic rhythm, low detached vocals and image-driven lyrics. «Медуза» brought him mass recognition, but his subsequent discography established an independent musical language that cannot be reduced to a single hit.
