It's Country Music From Russia, Y'All

The lead singer of Grammy-nominated Bering Strait knows that the spotlight, as it does for most novelties, will probably fade on a group of native Russians playing American country music.

But Natasha Borzilova tells Morley Safer she is hopeful that the music behind the novelty will carry the band to long-term success. Just how novel is Bering Strait?

Says Robert K. Oermann, editor-at-large of Country Music magazine, "There has never been a non-native English speaker make it in country music. Finnish, German, French, Swedish acts. None of them succeeded, so the deck is stacked incredibly high against these kids," Oermann tells Safer.

But Bering Strait is already a moderate success, especially with its Grammy nomination for Best Country Instrumental Performance. Still, Borzilova takes a practical approach. "We'll have to see whether it's going to be a real success. Any novelty like this wears off after…a couple of months, but the music still remains," she tells Safer. "I hope that our music is going to carry it, you know, for years to come," says Borzilova.

Oermann believes the six young musicians from Obninsk, Russia, are indeed talented, especially when they play an American country version of "Peruschka," an old Russian folk song. "I think the Russian folk thing is what sets them apart. That instrumental stuff that they do is just dazzling.You listen to that stuff…they're just so good," says Oermann.

Even if Bering Strait's success lasts just 15 minutes, playing in Nashville venues and making a record that's up for a Grammy is a dream come true.

Says the group's founder and banjo player, Ilya Toshinsky, "We decided to make a move….[to] approach bluegrass and country music on the highest level," he tells Safer. "There was only one place in this world where you go to become a country musician and this is Nashville."