Meet Sergey Kosenko, also known as Mr. Thank You, Russia’s top internet creator and a trailblazer in both the digital and entrepreneurial realms. Sergey has just released “Love Love Love,” a heartfelt single marking his first musical collaboration with his wife, Alexandra Belyakova—famously known as Sasha Belair from season two of The Voice Russia. Beyond the music, Sergey is making substantial waves in the business world. He is the mastermind behind Russia’s largest giveaway channel and has recently ventured into innovative projects like the NFT initiative Amazy and the thriving Habibi Real Estate, valued at over $50 million.
Sergey’s influence stretches beyond social media stunts; he’s a pivotal figure in digital marketing, using giveaways to revolutionize subscriber engagement. His ventures extend into real estate and crypto, where his initiatives like “CryptoFarm” have educated thousands, securing his position as a global influencer in the tech space. Join us as we delve into the multifaceted world of Sergey Kosenko, exploring his latest musical endeavor and his impactful ventures across various industries.
Follow Sergei @mr.thank.you &@sergey_kosenko
Describe yourself in three words.
Creator, singer, and entrepreneur.
Your latest single, “Love Love Love Love,” marks your first musical collaboration with your wife, Sasha Belair. Can you tell us how the creative process of working together went?
Sure! I actually wrote this song about eight months ago. Initially, it wasn’t intended to be a duet. The idea for the chorus, with its “Love, love, love” motif, came to me during a meditation session. I pictured a crowd in a stadium chanting “Love, love, love.” That was the foundation of the chorus, and it really resonated with me during that meditative moment.
Afterward, my songwriter and I developed the rest of the track. It was almost entirely finished, and I had even submitted it for release. But as I listened to it a few more times, I felt that something was still missing.
That’s when I thought of Sasha. She went to the studio on her own, working with the same songwriter. In just five minutes, they recorded a new verse for her. (So, while Sasha doesn’t appear in the chorus, she adds this wonderful extra verse that completes the song perfectly.)
What unique elements did Sasha bring to the project?
I think Sasha brought a unique sense of love and warmth to the project.
How do you usually start working on a new song? Do you start with lyrics, melodies or a concept?
Creating a new track can vary a lot for me. Sometimes a melody just pops into my head, and I build the lyrics around that. Other times, I start with the lyrics and craft the melody to fit them. There are instances where I write the lyrics entirely on my own and record them immediately. But there are also times when I have fragments of lyrics and I collaborate with a songwriter, like Dice, to bring it all together. It’s always a unique process, and it really depends on where the inspiration strikes.
The track “Love Love Love Love” is very different from the usual content. What inspired you both to get into music and how does this track reflect your personal and creative growth?
Yeah, it’s definitely different from what I usually create. Realistically, looking back, my earlier tracks from about five or six years ago were mostly written in Russian and had a melancholic tone. But around six months to a year ago, I began writing in English, and the themes of my songs shifted.
One of my most popular tracks during this new phase is “Let It Fly.” Interestingly, it was inspired by The Beatles’ song “Let It Be.” The idea behind “Let It Be” — to accept and move forward in any situation — really resonated with me. It made me reflect on what I dream of and what others might dream of too.
I ended up creating two tracks at the same time. One was a Russian song titled “Let it be,” and the other was a mix of English and Russian. This shift marked a significant change in my musical style and mirrored my personal and creative evolution. “Love Love Love Love” represents this journey, blending my new musical direction with a more positive and universal vibe.
The second track, “Let it Fly,” is in English. Unlike the Beatles’ “Let it Be” where the Holy Virgin Mary appears, my song features Mr. Thank you, The concept behind my Instagram account Mr. Thank you is that I help people.
In any situation, a person can go to my page if they are sad or feeling bad. A person can be inspired, have fun, smile and feel that life is actually beautiful. At any moment, you have to give room for a miracle in your life, dreams should happen, what you dream of should happen.
And the track “Love, Love, Love”… I think I was inspired by my son Leo’s birth. Watching him grow every day fills me with endless love. That’s why the track is titled “Love, Love, Love.”
Each “love” symbolizes something dierent.
The first “love” is about loving your life, what you do, and yourself. The second “love” is for your partner.
The third “love” represents the love for your child.
As a leading Russian internet publisher, creator and pioneer of social media pranks, how do you imagine your time between a music project and another social media presence?
Currently, my primary focus is on Mr. Thank You, which has become the fastest-growing account globally. In the last 7 months alone, it has amassed over 45 million followers. I dedicate the majority of my time to this charitable initiative, which involves giving away money, creating entertaining, fun videos, and videos about my life. That’s my first priority.
Secondly, my family is a significant focus for me. Everything else, including any business ventures, comes third in terms of priority.
Looking back on your career, what project or accomplishment are you most proud of and why?
I believe the most significant project in my life is Leo, my baby boy. I’m incredibly proud of him. He’s growing so fast—almost walking, standing up, and always smiling. Following that, I treasure my relationship with Sasha.
In third place would be the Mr. Thank You project. Over the past year and a half, it has grown to reach 43 million followers, ranking 181st in the world on Instagram. I find this metric particularly impressive and rewarding.
Habibi Real Estate is another major endeavor of yours. What motivated you to start this venture in Dubai and what are your long-term goals for this business?
Habibi Real Estate is indeed a significant business venture. Initially targeted towards the Russian audience, its focus has shifted due to current limitations in the Russian capital. At present, I’m not actively involved in this project; it’s in a more passive mode. However, I firmly believe that with the continuous growth and development of my Mr. Thank You account, there’s a promising future for this project.
Your journey from social media gifting to real estate and NFT is quite remarkable. How do you identify potential business opportunities? What criteria do you use to decide if they are worth pursuing?
I always focus on creativity and creating content. When I look at potential business opportunities, I think about two main things.
First, I consider if my social media can help the business grow and if the product or service would be useful for my followers.
Second, I look at how much potential there is in the market. I start by trying out the product myself, just like any customer would. If I see room for improvement compared to what’s already out there, I think about putting together a team to make it better and more useful for people.
You’ve had an incredible breakout year in social media. Can you share the strategies that helped you grow to almost 50 million followers? That’s fascinating.
I’d like to share an inspiring story about Renata Valliulina.
I met her when she was 19 years old during my visit to L.A. We spent a lot of time together, chatting and exploring the city. One memorable moment was when I saw an American fan run up to Renata, screaming with joy. It made me realize that starting a blog in a different language on a different continent and creating popular videos is achievable. I truly believed in that.
After that, our journey began. Two months after assembling a team in Dubai and starting to produce videos, we saw minimal results—only 15 thousand TikTok subscribers. Another two months passed with worsening outcomes on Instagram.
I remember lying in my house, realizing it was all coming to an end. I had already told the team we might have to split up. However, it was on that very day that the “Thank You” video started gaining popularity.
The video’s plot goes like this: I’m walking with my girlfriend when I help another girl open a door. She says “Thank you” to me, and then my girlfriend mimics the girl I helped.
This humorous skit about jealousy became extremely popular and was re-created by numerous bloggers worldwide. I filmed this idea multiple times, and because of it, people started calling me Mr. Thank You, so I changed my account name. That’s how I became Mr. Thank you.
After that, there were many changes in the content. I aimed for the account to become extremely popular, but even gaining 400,000 subscribers in six months wasn’t satisfying enough for me. So, I began experimenting with different types of content.
The second phase involved printing $500 million dollars of Prop-Money and filming content with it in Bodrum, Turkey. It was really fun and cool. This content also went viral. In one of the videos, I handed a wad of money to one of the crew members, and that video became extremely popular. That’s when I realized that videos evoking emotions from viewers by showing someone receiving money are incredibly popular. This marked the beginning of the third stage.
I saw a Mr. Beast video where he asked if a person followed him, and if they did, he would cover their student tuition for a year. This video was super popular on YouTube.
Realizing this concept worked, I started handing out Prop-Money to my guys, who we made acting videos with. Those videos became incredibly popular. After that, I decided I could start sharing real money since I was making enough in my other businesses: real estate, media, and education.
I began giving away real money to people, and it became incredibly successful. I experimented with different concepts, like printing lists of my subscribers and sending them money, as well as giving away real money to random passersby on the street.
Now it’s grown into a huge account and activity. I continue to do it; I really enjoy doing it.
My goal is to monetize my content since Instagram doesn’t pay creators. I’m expanding to new platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube that support creators financially. I aim to generate income through my creations and assist people in realizing their dreams, building homes, addressing health issues, and more. This idea really inspires me.
Currently, I’m starting to collaborate with brands and host sponsored giveaways on the Mr. Thank You account. The amount of money I’m giving away now exceeds what I earn from Mr. Thank You. Essentially, it’s an investment from my other businesses into Mr. Thank You.
My long-term plan is to generate enough revenue from monetization and brand partnerships to create compelling content and support people, similar to what Mr. Beast does.
What has been the most surprising or unexpected moment in your journey as a content creator?
Well, certainly the most surprising moment was when… It’s a really cool story, though.
On November 13, 2023, my baby was born. On November 15 is my wife Sasha’s birthday. On November 13, I posted a video where I gave $10,000 (prop money) to a girl. The video gained incredible popularity, and from it, I gained over a million new subscribers from just one reel. That was truly unbelievable to me. I expected it to do well, but I never expected it to be that popular.
Are there any particular trends or types of content that you feel resonate most with your subscribers?
It’s fascinating to see how trends and content types resonate with my subscribers. I’m constantly analyzing this. I post 15 to 25 reels every day right away, and consistency is key to my rapid growth. I have a big team of video editors—six people who are constantly editing content for me.
Based on my analysis, I’ve discovered that content showcasing acts of kindness and authentic emotions generates the most engagement from my audience. In second place, of course, are humorous videos about relationships between men and women. They are always very popular.
What awaits Sergei Kosenko in the second half of 2024?
Well…firstly, I’m aiming to hit 100 million subscribers on Mr. Thank You by the end of the year, which would place the account among the top 40 on Instagram worldwide.
Secondly, I’m planning to release a new track every month. I’ve already got about 20 tracks in different stages of readiness—some are fully prepared, while others are still in the works.
But my ultimate goal is to release music every day. I’m aiming for my tracks to top the Billboard charts, and I truly believe it will happen by the end of 2024.
Another goal of mine is to produce large-scale videos where I not only give away money but also help people achieve their dreams. This could include building a house, renovating an apartment, or experiencing an emotion they dream of. I’m really excited about making these kinds of videos too.
Is there anything people don’t know about you?
I don’t think many in my global audience are aware that a significant part of my life involves leading training. Primarily, I focus on mental health, life coaching, and personal growth.
In reality, I’ve been through various trainings, ceremonies with shamans, and practiced numerous techniques like meditation, all to enhance my personal growth.
I share this knowledge in Russian through my YouTube channel, content, and social media. While I haven’t started sharing this internationally yet, I really want to, because I think mental health is a very big problem, and I definitely have something to share.
The second part involves an educational business focused on viral content. That’s something I’m probably very good at. There’s plenty of knowledge to share in this area. I currently share it with the Russian-speaking audience and aim to do the same for international audiences.
I want to create courses on content creation, monetizing content, and turning your passions into profitable ventures, enabling people to live the life they dream of. It’s not just about inspiring through content but also providing practical tools to achieve your dreams.
