This isn’t meant to be a competition, people. Don’t make it into one. It’s a tribute. Ksenia isn’t trying to outdo Karen Carpenter. She’s honoring her. Trying to perform such an iconic song in the style of the original singer is a huge challenge for any vocalist, and Ksenia absolutely nailed that. Karen put her stamp on this song in 1971, and hers is probably my favorite female voice of all time. There’s an emotional aspect to it that connects with me on a level that transcends the notes. But I have heard Ksenia perform songs that I don’t think Karen would be able to outdo either. Clearly, Ksenia’s vocal is stunning on this track. Let’s just appreciate this for what it is. Also - how cool is it that a song from 1971 is as good as anything out there in 2023! There was so much incredible music produced from the late 60s through the early 80s. What an era.

Karen Carpenter sang this song 50 years ago and we were blessed, and Leonid and Ksenia performed it in 2023 and remarkably touchingly. We are so so appreciative. ❤❤❤

Can we really compare? Karen Carpenter was a quality voice that didn't have any technical audio advantages that we have today. Ksenia (and other singers today) OTOH is a quality voice that benefitted from Karen and those that passed before her. But Ksenia's voice is outstanding and doesn't need any help. She shows no sign of an accent though English is not her native language. I loved Karen when she was alive (and sadly passed before her time) and love Ksenia today. Also a huge shout-out to Leonid for producing so many extremely authentic covers.

This is one of the best covers I've ever seen. Leonid and Friends paid attention to every little detail (something they are known and loved for). And while no two voice are ever identical, Kseniya comes remarkably close. Outstanding rendition.

There could never be as close a match to Karen as Ksenia. She totally nailed it. Karen would be proud of her!

And hats off to the musicians and engineer. This is so well done.

I loved the Carpenters music when i was young. I almost cried when I heard Ksenia perform this live at a show back in September, it was absolutely perfect ❤

I was 16 in 1971 and Superstar has been one of my favorites ever since. When I saw Ksenia’s video, recently, I replayed it for my wife on our Bose surround sound and we both remarked that she nailed it exactly as Karen did in 1971. I hope Richard Carpenter has had an opportunity to hear Ksenia’s version with L&F. Incredible!

One of the most groundbreaking musical contributions the Carpenters gave was the multi track over dubs to give a choir like mass between just her and Richard. I see no irony that Leonid and his band have effectively doubled a 50 year old track making the arrangement that much more lush, and full. The vocals are so on point it sounds as if Karen is singing in a tunnel with perfect pitch coming from her echo'd voice. This is incredible. ❤🎉

There is room in this world for both versions. Beautifully done by both artists.

Ksenia is good and very close but there's no one like Karen Carpenter's voice...so pure.

Absolutely awesome! The talent of these two young ladies is incredible. A heart warming tribute to Miss Carpenter!

We had the wonderful opportunity to hear Kseniya with the rest of Leonid and Friends a few months back on a cruise. Having the opportunity to meet these amazing artists was just a joy. They love western music, are overjoyed to play to appreciative American audiences and are definitely creating tributes to the original artists. They remind of of the beauty of the originals by being as faithful as possible to the "originals"!

I’m so thankful people like this are keeping this music fresh and alive. I love L&F!

Ksenia's phrasing is spot on! She sounds so relaxed and effortless! You can close your eyes almost feel the same sensation of calmness imparted when hearing the original. (To all the potential commentors, my impression are purely subjective and subjective feelings CANNOT be metered or measured!)

Man!!! I have always liked female vocalists. Karen Carpenter, Corrine Drewery, Basia, Lindsey Webster. Ksenia Buzina is the best female singer that I have heard as of right now. I saw this band a month ago. Incredible back up singer and even more incredible as a front artist. I am not forgetting the band. They are world class in my opinion. I love Horns in my music! From a love of smooth jazz! They need playing time on Watercolors XM 66. Every song this girl does is killer! All the dudes in this band can sing to!!🎤🎹🎺🎷📯🎸🎼🎶 Add Angela Bofill and Phyllis Hymen to that list.

This reminds me of the old Ella Fitzgerald commercial "Is it live or is it Memorex". I have had the good fortune to hear both Karen and Ksenia in live concert. There will probably never be another Karen Carpenter, but Ksenia is about as close a second as you'll ever get.

Wow! What an amazing side-by-side! Thanks for sharing this!

Ok----------so, here's the deal : 2 women with VERY different voices, singing the same song in the same arrangement. Karen was, at 21 y/o in the Fall of '71, an Alto / Contralto, with range up to mezzo soprano. Ksenia Buzina is the opposite : she's a Mezzo, with range both higher & lower. BOTH do a wonderful rendition of the Leon Russell / Bonnie Bramlett song, so perfectly arranged & orchestrated, by Richard Carpenter. I love both, but if I were forced to choose, I'll go with Karen. Maybe, it's just my age, but I lived all of her musical years, & her voice was just so perfect, so distinctive, so sad, sexy, longing, & so easy on the ears. I really like Ksenia too, but for me, this is still, a Carpenters masterpiece. ------MJL, 77 y/o

The magic of Karen Carpenter will never be matched...but this was a 9!

Take a song, written by Leon Russell and Bonnie Bramlett, made a 70s hit by the Carpenters. Then do a cover of it almost 50 years later and make it sound as good as the original. We are living in the best of times!

No one can sing these songs better than Karen Carpenter. However, Kseniva and Leonid brings their cover music to today's youth who have never heard these songs. The youth will go and check out the Carpenters and see how great a singer Karen was.

Karen Carpenter is the greatest female vocalist of ALL-TIME. I love Leonid & Friends and I love Miss Bubina (she's smokin hot), HOWEVER, I will have to listen to the L&F version alone to really tell. Let me say once again...I LOVE LEONID & FRIENDS WORK.✌🏽

Brilliant. And in a language that isn't her native tongue. I think that English is like one of the seven langs she knows. Thank you.

Kesnia gives great justice to this classic of classic songs. We are grateful she bought it back into our lives.

I love the side by side comparison, absolutely awesome ❤ I would love to hear more of them.

Well it takes a lot to impress me and Leonid and Friends you did just that. I noticed many similarities and differences between the two, as you should. Both, have their own distinctive sound and the harmony was spot on. Well done Ksenia. I’m very happy that your voice is in the world, you bring such beauty into it. You bless us. God bless.

Uncanny! Two beautiful ladies, who can sing like angels. Thank you for this side-by-side...simply spectacular!

Ksenia sounds as perfect as Karen Carpenter. This is an incredible cover of an iconic song.

I'VE SEEN THE CARPENTERS LIVE IN CONCERT AND THIS GIVES ME GOOSEBUMPS!!

...emocionante demais, de arrepiar, de sentir as lágrimas escorrerem no rosto de tão lindo. duas deusas...duas K.

It's just amazing how the old classics get better with time, especially when they are done by an incredible tribute band like L&F. Ksenia nailed the vocals on this!!!! Incredible performance by her, she is extremely talented.

Simply amazing....I could listen to this over and over!

The Carpenters' certainly blazed the trail and set the standard. Richard Carpenter was an incredible piano player and a musical genius. The incorporation of Karen Carpenters voice into his musical arrangements and direction produced a sound that nobody else had...........Until Leonid and Friends. Why? The musical arrangements and chord changes were too technically difficult for musically untrained garage band/ club musicians to play. Instead of the usual 1-4-5 or 1-6m-4-5 chord progressions of the day, Carpenters songs would resolve m7b5 chords down a 4th which added subtle nuances to the chord progressions in their songs. The Carpenters' arrangements and execution was genius brilliant. All the general public noticed was his beautiful sister's incredible voice and had no idea what was really behind their sound. Leonid, of Leonid and Friends, has the talent and knowledge to decipher the musical technology that went into this song. Leonid is technically brilliant and he has a pool of first rate trained musicians, with the skills to produce this high level of excellence. Attempting to compare Karen Carpenter to Kseniya Buzina is of no particular relevance. Both have excellent voices and Karen Carpenter's voice had a little more vibrato. So what. They were both excellent singers. Karen Carpenter came along first and set the standard; Kseniya Buziana has an excellent voice and did a wonderful job. Music is an art, not a sporting event. Get over it with meaningless comparisons.

Would like to know or see Richard Carpenter's reaction to this. Just amazing.

Beautiful, loved it.

It is shocking how close Ksenia’s vocals are to Karen’s. Extremely well done by Ksenia. In addition, I have a hard time not tearing up watching Karen. I, to this day, still find her loss heartbreaking.

Beautifully done by both. I heard Kseniya sing it live in Ft Worth, TX and she was just as great then as well as the band. Can't get enough of this song. Takes me back to my high school days in the 70s with my wife.

Best Female voice of all time....Karen Carpenter!

Beautiful tribute to Karen.

I LOVE Ksenia, she's amazing.

Karens voice is rich and smooth like silk. The cover is good but her voice is sharp in spots where Karen’s voice just glided through each transition. No one can come close IMO.❤❤ The band is spot on in the cover...perfection.

beautiful song. thank you Leonid and Ksenia for singing this one of my favorite Carpenters song. Ksenia nailed this song.

Leonid, when you go on tour, here in Chile we wait for you, what a great idea you guys have, spectacular, greetings

both sound magnificent but still, hands down, Karen Carpenter….much more feeling and verbrado

An amazing re-creation. Beautifully performed and sung. Many have tried, but no one can fully capture that unique tone and delivery.

Thank you for this post. I love both and it was interesting to hear them simultaneously.

There's no way for me to declare a superior voice here, or better performance. I grew up listening to this song with Karen's voice, and will always connect with it for that reason. However L&F's rendition here with the added guitar is legend.

I haven't heard Ksnenia sing before. Upfront she stands on her own as a great vocalist. I had to go back and listen to other recordings to fully hear and appreciate her voice and it's wonderful. Listing to Satisfaction by Jager and Superstar by Karen Carpenter it's clear she owns it, wonderful voice pure and true. It's always hard to compare to an original but I tell you I love listing to her covers just as much. Leonid and friends never disappoints, they do Chicago better than Chicago.

I can’t believe how perfectly in-sync these records were. Amazing!

That is soooo freaky. I heard Karen Carpenter perform this live in 2 concerts. Kseniya amazes me!! Would love hear her perform more Carpenter's music!!

Wow! Great video showing both. I'm surprised this doesn't have a million views by now.

No one can beat the original. Karen was a one take wonder and wasn’t copying anyone. SHE was truly an original. RIP.

Wow.. I had seen Kseniya's video last week, and it inspired me to re-listen to the entire Carpenter's greatest hits on the way home from work today, and was wondering what it would sound like together, then here this is!! Awesome!!

Lovely version of a beautiful song! Thanks for posting!

Wow..i close my eyes and Wow..Watching from the Philippines

Em alguns momentos as vozes se misturam quando o tom se eleva. Parabéns! Karen Carpenters está sendo bem representada. Certamente ela aplaudiria esse talento. ❤❤❤

Very fun to hear both !! Nice job!!❤

What a Great Tribute. Gave me the chills. Thanks

This Was Amazing . Two Angels singing, one in Heaven and one on earth ! I'm sure Richard is very impressed with this performance!!!

Kseniya did a superb job with the phrasing and her delivery. However, there will NEVER be another Karen Carpenter❤❤❤. I started listening to KC back in 1970 when they had their very first hit, "Close To You". I was 17 years old and fell deeply in love with her voice. She had such a Heavenly voice, usually doing songs in the studio with only "one take'. Kseniya should be very proud of her rendition. It was very heartfelt!❤❤❤

I'm 22 yrs old and fell in love with Karen since i was 10...she moved and hooked me with her voice...no one can beat an angel like my Karen...no tired of listening to her voice...it's 2024 and still she's my angel and all time fav singer...no one can replace KC in my heart...she is still the best singer in this world...TIMELESS and NOT FORGOTTEN..

This is a ode and observation between Karen and Ksenia Lovely 🌹😍

Beautiful. Way to honor a legend.

Saudades eterna dos Carpenter's ,parabéns pela homenagem.

First, I want to thank you for your efforts in preparing this great comparison. Karen was an amazing talent, and Ksenia did an incredible job on this cover. The extent to which Ksenia studied Karen's performances is very clear as a result of this comparison. Leonid deserves a lot of credit for all of his efforts. Every L&F cover is incredibly perfect in every way. L&F has become my favorite group.

Kseniya is good, but there really is no comparison. Karen is one in a million. : )

Thank you for this video.... absolutely as perfect as humanly possible ... can't help the tears.

Nice - thanks for doing this.

Lindo demais. Tocante. Admiro vocês desde o Brasil. (Leonidio).

Kseniya, you made me 😢 I loved Karen Carpenter so much and you have brought her beautiful song to life. Thank you

a beautiful tribute....amazing

Awesome…..Beautiful

Ksenia is incredible! What a talent. And lovely as well.

Как красиво. Завораживает и вокал и красота обеих. И разница в 50 лет совсем не испортила восприятие музыки.. Спасибо Карен, спасибо Ксения.

Two incredibly talented ladies. Never was much for covers, but L&F and LLB have opened my ears. Hope L&F make OKC again next year, I found out too late for this year's show. Really enjoyed the two tracks side by side, proves just how good they BOTH are and were

Thank you for the work of putting together this comparison. It shows that after 52 years Ksenia pays a worthy tribute to the immortal Karen Carpenter, and brings new life to one of the most beautiful songs ever written

Amazing, the same but different and both beautiful. I wish everyone could just appreciate the art. The new arrangement is great also, Leonid and friends always have brilliant musicians.

I remember the first time I heard 'Superstar' by Karen Carpenter some late night at a diner in Newark, N.J. in late October 1971. I had just migrated to the US and had no never heard of the Carpenters... I worked at a factory and knocked off work at a quarter to mid-night...and had a bite at a dinner which had a record machine...and someone had just spent a quarter to listen to this piece-of-heaven!

😅 just love both. Thank you

Thank you .

C,est incroyable. Les deux ont une voix divine!

Been a Carpenter Fan for a long time! Karen is one of a kind but……… WOW just WOW

Oh my, Karen was such a superb singer! We miss her more than a lot!

This is just awesome. Love it!

On my top-ten list of best covers I've heard. Amazing and impressive.

Absolutely amazing cover, if I wasn't listening to it side by side I'm not sure I would be able to tell the difference. If I were simply listening to the radio and the cover came on, I have no doubt that I would simply assume it was Karen Carpenter and never know the difference. Truly Impressive.

Magical, you guys keep on producing wonderful music

AMAZING. That's all I have to say. Other than we're going to see them live in April. CAN'T WAIT!

Ksenia, vc me fez chorar😢 meu coração se encheu de paz. Obrigada querida 😘

Parabéns pelo montagem, ouvindo desde Porto alegre city /Brazil

Amazing!! Love it.

In 1971, I was dating my future wife. The Carpenters music meant & still mean SO much to us in the memory dept. AND...As a couple who saw Karen & the Carpenters sing this in person at a concert, Karen is perfection but DARN Ksenia, you really nailed it. Such a beautiful way to compare. Thank You. The band/orchestra, SUPERB!!

This is fantastic! She nail it! I wonder if Richard Carpenter had a chance to see this?

OMG! 2 angels....I hope they do more Carpenter covers.

3:49 Ksenia has a real gift, beautiful voice. Karen is simply incomparable to any voice today, so unfair to compare the two.

My God, two amazing voices that can't be separated . . .

I was hoping someone would do this back to back comparison on video. Outstanding . Thank you.

What an amazing young lady.

Ksenyia did a fantastic job!!!! Thank you so much for the work and time you put into this. It was beautifully done.