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t.A.T.u.

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File:Tatu is on a car dump 05.jpg
Lena Katina (right) and Julia Volkova (left) of t.A.T.u.

t.A.T.u. (Russian: Тату) is a Russian pop music duo consisting of Lena Katina and Yulia Volkova. The two girls were marketed as a lesbian couple, but their sexual orientation was the subject of much speculation, until in December 2003 they admitted on Russian television that they were not in a lesbian relationship together and it had been exploited as a marketing strategy devised by Ivan Shapovalov. They are notorious for shocking the public and trying to break taboos.

The members of the duo are:

Origins

The original t.A.T.u. concept was developed by a former Russian child psychologist and marketing executive, Ivan Shapovalov (Иван Шаповалов), who has become a record producer.

Katina and Volkova knew each other before starting t.A.T.u.; both sang in the popular Russian children's pop chorus, Neposedi (Непоседы), from which Volkova was allegedly banned for "inappropriate behaviour" (Volkova once implied that it was because she had molested the other girls in the chorus; later she said it was for smoking, drinking and swearing. Neposedi denied that she was expelled). Not long after Volkova left Neposedi, Katina did the same.

Shapovalov originally chose Lena Katina at a casting in 1999 to sing a song about the war in Yugoslavia. Later, he decided to form a duo and added Yulia Volkova (who had been in the same casting as Katina). Both were 14 at the time. Shapovalov has claimed that the idea for t.A.T.u.'s image was his. Elena Kiper, Shapovalov's former lover and originally deputy manager of t.A.T.u., says that the idea was hers. She fell asleep at her dentist's, had a dream in which she kissed another woman and awoke remembering the words "Ya soshla s uma" (meaning "I've lost my mind"), the title of the song she then wrote the lyrics for that became t.A.T.u.'s first single. Kiper has also stated that their ideas for the group's image were influenced by the 1998 Swedish film Fucking Åmål, directed by Lukas Moodysson. Shapovalov and Kiper later fell out over his non-payment of her royalties.

Originally, t.A.T.u. was named ТАТУ (Tatu). When they became popular outside Russia and it was discovered that there was already an Australian band with that name, the spelling was changed to t.A.T.u. outside Russia. It is still occasionally written in the Latin alphabet as Taty or Tatu. The original name comes from a collocation of "ta" and "tu" [pronounced 'too'], two forms of a Russian feminine demonstrative pronoun "ta" in its nominative and accusative cases. It can be translated as "This female [does something to] that female."

Public image and international success

t.A.T.u performing in their underwear.

The band is known for acting irreverently and having an insolent attitude towards the press. "People either love us or hate us", said Katina, "but no one ignores us". More than one of their videos have been banned; for instance, the video for the hit song "Prostye Dvizheniya (Простые движения)/Simple Motions" shows how simple moves are always in our lives, like drinking water, reading a book (which is what Katina does during most of the video) or masturbating (which is what Volkova does during most of the video).

The video clip for t.A.T.u.'s first English/Russian single (Ya Soshla S Uma (Я сошла с ума)/I've Lost My Mind) - the original version of their English song "All the Things She Said" - was banned by MTV Russia (after unbanning it won People's Choice Award at MTV's Russian Awards) and by the BBC and others. It shows them dressed up in high school outfits (similar to the Catholic school uniforms that are common fetish items), behind a fence, screaming out in anguish, begging for their parents' forgiveness, shaking the fence, and kissing passionately. At the other side of the fence, older people and peers stare at them in disapproval. At the end of the video, Katina and Volkova turn around and leave hand in hand. The closing shot shows that the disapproving crowd are the ones lined up behind the barbed-wire fence, in a way, imprisoned in their own minds.

After enormous success in Russia, t.A.T.u. released 200km/h in the Wrong Lane in 2002, an English-language version (co-produced by Trevor Horn) of their Russian debut album. The debut English-language album sold over five million copies around the world. In fact, their single "All the Things She Said" was used as the entrance theme of WWE Diva Victoria from late December 2002 to May 2004.

In order to play up the lesbian angle of their image, most of their performances usually included at least one instance in which they kissed passionately. This act was usually censored whenever the duo appeared on American television programs.

The lyrics and videos of their songs suggested that the girls were in a lesbian relationship. Sometimes in interviews they stated that they were in real life in a lesbian relationship, often giving outrageous details of their supposed sex life, but more usually, questions in that direction were evaded by statements, such as "Don't be afraid to be yourself, don't be afraid to love", or that they did not like labels.

t.A.T.u. represented Russia at the 2003 Eurovision Song Contest, considered the favourites to win. Volkova did not take part in rehearsals because of inflamed vocal cords and their performance turned out to be rough at first, but ended fairly well. t.A.T.u. would have won Eurovision if not for the Irish telephone votes not being counted, so they left Eurovision as 3rd officialy. And later stated "Eurovision is for beginners...we were already artists and only attended because our country asked us to attend."

Revelation, schism, and future

In December 2003, "The Anatomy of t.A.T.u.", made by the documentary film director Vitaly Mansky, appeared on the Russian television channel STS. In it, the girls stated that they were not lovers, never had been, and that the lesbian image had been about marketing. Katina said that she believed that what she was doing in t.A.T.u. was a big sin and she frequently saw a priest about it. Volkova said that before t.A.T.u. she had never thought about girls in that way, but during t.A.T.u. she had fallen in love with another girl, although the physical aspect had not developed beyond kissing. Volkova also stated that she had had an abortion earlier that year, as had been reported in some newspapers in February 2003, and that she had once taken heroin for a bet to "prove that she had no need for such things in her life".

On December 12, 2003, an anime movie based on t.A.T.u was annouced. The movie, titled t.A.T.u. Paragate, was to be directed by Norio Kashima and Susume Kudoh, with Shinichiro Watanabe directing the opening. The film was created by Ivan Shapovalov, who also wrote the screenplay. The film was going to be made by studio iMovie and costed 500 million yen (4.7 million USD). The 100-minute film was set to be released in Japan, Russia, and Europe in November 2004. The date then changed to December. The project was then cancelled before its target release due to numerous circumstances, including a fallout between the duo and Shapovalov.

In spring 2004, Katina and Volkova left their manager Ivan Shapovalov while they were supposed to be recording their second album because they believed that the quality of the material was too low. They had a contract with Universal Music Russia, but their new manager Boris Rensky (who was formerly Shapovalov's business partner) negotiated a new contract with Universal Music International. The new contract is for 4 more albums (which includes Dangerous and Moving).

In May 2004, Volkova announced that she was pregnant with long-time boyfriend Pavel (Pasha) Sidorov's child. She gave birth to her first child, Viktoria, on September 23, 2004. Volkova split up with Sidorov in spring 2005. Volkova didn't stay single for long - while recording a new album for t.A.T.u. she started going out with a businessman living in Los Angeles named Tigran, who is of Russian and Caucasian descent.

On June 3, 2005, t.A.T.u. performed a brand new song, Обезъянка-Ноль (Obezyanka Nol'/Monkey Zero) at the Russian Muz-TV Awards. This song is from t.A.T.u.'s second Russian album, Люди-Инвалиды (Lyudi-Invalidi/Handicapped People).

t.A.T.u.'s second English album, Dangerous and Moving, was released on October 11, 2005 in North America, and on October 10, 2005 in the rest of the world.

The first single from the Dangerous and Moving album is All About Us, written by Billy Steinberg and The Veronicas - a Duo of twin sisters, Jess and Lisa, from Brisbane Australia. Billy Steinberg is the man responsible for many 1980s hits, including Madonna's Like A Virgin and the Bangles' Eternal Flame. The video for the single was shot by Hollywood director James Cox (Wonderland) and can be viewed at the official English website. The album also features Sting playing bass on the track Friend or Foe, which was written by the Eurythmics' Dave Stewart.

The second single was initially going to be Dangerous and Moving but there was a change of plans. Instead, Friend or Foe became t.A.T.u's second single and Dangerous and Moving was bumped to be used as a third or maybe even fourth single. The video was filmed in Beverly Hills, LA by James Cox. The video was shot in Bronson Caves, the same caves used in the original Batman series and features Yulia showing her abilities on the piano.

Recently, the legendary Guy Chambers, wrote a special song for t.A.T.u. titled 'Wrapped Around Your Finger'. It will be performed for their world tour kicking off this April.

Quotes

"I think parents will understand that we don't give a fuck." - Lena Katina in t.A.T.u.'s behind-the-scenes interview Yulia + Lena are t.A.T.u.

"We were not lesbians, but we were never hetero either" - Yulia Volkova, 2005

"I'm just bisexual, I like to change things up!" - Yulia Volkova, German interview, 2005

"We never said we were lesbians, but everyone said that we were and now everyone said that we lied. We simply love each other." - Lena Katina, 2005

"In Russia we look after the elderly but we don't send them to Eurovision, that seems to be the case in Germany!" - Yulia Volkova on 2003 Eurovision's German entry.

"She looks like she's worn out more men in her life than we have vodka bottles. We would push her straight off the edge of the bed." - Lena Katina also on 2003 Eurovision's German entry.

"We didn't tell that! That was gossip. Fucking gossip!" - Lena Katina on the Frank Skinner show (September 29, 2005) when being confronted about the "elderly" quote.

"Our bond is too strong to break. The title Dangerous & Moving is as there are a lot of fake people, and it is dangerous for real people - like me and Julia - to talk and deal with them. But Julia has me and I have Julia. Knowing that, we can survive anything." - Lena Katina on the Album Dangerous and Moving.

"She has two mothers." - Lena Katina on Yulia Volkova's daughter, Vika. VIVA LIVE 2005.

"What do you like about Julia's body?" - interviewer
"Everything" - Lena, TVBSG, Mexico 2005

International Discography

Albums

Singles

From 200 по встречной:

  • 2000 "Ya Soshla S Uma" #1 Russia, #1 Bulgaria, #1 Poland, #2 Slovakia
  • 2001 "Nas Ne Dogonyat" (promo only) #1 Russia, #1 Romania, #1 Germany, #1 Bulgaria, #1 Poland, #1 Czech Republic, #1 Slovakia, #1 Kazakhstan
  • 2001 "30 Minut" (promo only) #1 Russia, #2 Ukraine, #3 Belarus, #5 Czech Republic, #4 Poland, #4 Bulgaria


From 200km/h in the Wrong Lane:

From Remixes:

  • 2002 "Prostie Dvizheniya" (promo only) #1 Russia, #2 Romania, #3 Bulgaria, #4 Poland, #4 Germany, #4 Czech Republic, #3 Moldova, #6 Serbia & Montenegro
  • 2003 "Ne ver', Ne Boysya" (promo only) #1 Brazil, #2 Germany #3 Russia, #4 Ukraine, #3 Poland, #6 Romania

From Dangerous And Moving:

  • 2005 "All About Us" #8 UK, #4 Italy, #20 Ireland, #7 France, #6 China, #39 Australia, #5 Netherlands, #1 Brazil, #1 Russia
  • 2005/6 "Friend or Foe" (depending on which country, released either December 2005 or January 2006)

From Люди Инвалиды:

  • 2005 "Lyudi-Invalidy" #1 Russia, #1 Bulgaria, #2 Ukraine, #2 Poland, #2 Czech Republic, #3 Slovakia, #3 Latvia, #2 Estonia
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