McCook"s interest in drag began in 2006, shortly after he graduated from Marlborough High School and began attending the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, where he did video and performance art in the Studio for Interrelated Media (SIM) program
According to Brian, his stage name is a combination of "some typical Russian names and one of my favorite Russian gymnasts – Elena Zamolodchikova". Although a native of Boston, his alter-ego, Katya, hails from Russia. Katya performs songs of many popular Russian singers and bands, such as Alla Pugacheva, TATU, Glukoza and many more.
Because of his performances, these songs have drawn a lot of attention in gay clubs.
Katya participated in on Logo television Not long after the show began, she was one of the most popular contestants for season 7. In November 2015, Katya appeared on Christmas Queens album, singing a modified version of the song "12 Days of Christmas".
