T.A.T.u.
t.A.T.u. (Russian: Тату) is a Russian pop music duo consisting of Lena Katina and Julia 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 lesbian and it had been a marketing strategy devised by their management. They are notorious for shocking the public and trying to break taboos by performing on stage in only their underwear.
The members of the duo are:
- Elena Sergeyevna Katina (Елена Сергеевна Катина), or Lena Katina, born October 4, 1984, in Moscow, Russia. She is the youngest of three children born to Sergey Vasilyevich Katin, a renowned Russian pop music author, and Inessa Katina.
- Yuliya Olegovna Volkova (Юлия Олеговна Волкова), or Julia Volkova, born February 20, 1985, also in Moscow, Russia, is the only daughter of Oleg Volkov and Larisa Volkova.
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 Yulya 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 another 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." The West was told that it meant "This girl loves that girl", but actually in Russian the name was taken to imply "This girl fucks that girl".
Public image and international success
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 has 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 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 prison bars, screaming out in anguish, begging for their parents' forgiveness, and trying to shake the bars. At the other side of the bars, 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 in 2000 and 2001, in 2002 t.A.T.u. released 200km/h in the Wrong Lane, 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 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 and British 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 was marred by singing the opening bars of the song out of tune. They were disappointed to finish third.
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 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.
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.
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 forthcoming second Russian album, Люди-Инвалиды (Lyudi-Invalidi/Invalid People), which is set to be released in Japan on October 5, October 11 in North America and October 10 in the rest of the world.
t.A.T.u.'s second English album, Dangerous and Moving, will be 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, the man responsible for many 80s hits, including Madonna's Like A Virgin and the Bangles' Eternal Flame. The video for the single was shot by Hollywood director James Cox and can be viewed at the official English website.
Discography
Albums
- 2002 200km/h in the Wrong Lane #13 US, #12 UK
- 2005 Dangerous and Moving (upcoming)
Singles
From 200km/h in the Wrong Lane:
- 2003 "All The Things She Said" #20 US, #1 UK, #1 Australia
- 2003 "Not Gonna Get Us" #7 UK, #11 Australia
- 2003 "How Soon Is Now?" (cover of The Smiths' song) #37 Australia
From Dangerous And Moving (to be released)(2005):
- 2005 "All About Us" (to be released)
See also
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart