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| T A T U |
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"t.A.T.u is about saying what you feel, not what others expect... Be in love. Be yourself. We are."
-T A T U
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| T.A.T.U. achieved instant fame and notoriety -- first in Eastern Europe, then the UK, and now America -- for their infectious pop stylings and fully exploited quasi-lesbianism. Their debut album, 200 Po Vstriechnoy, was the top album in Russia in 2001, while its English version, 200 Km/H In the Wrong Lane, was released in 2002 to growing acclaim. |
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| T.A.T.U. is Russia's answer to such prefabricated American pop sensations like Britney Spears. Slapped together by an opportunistic producer and capitalizing on their youth, T.A.T.U. represents the can-do approach to sleazy entertainment in the new Russia. |
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The Russian teen duet T.A.T.U. -- a.k.a. t.A.T.u., Tatoo, Tatu, Taty -- consists of Yulia (Julia) Olegovna Volkova and Elena (Lena) Sergeevna Katina. The Moscow natives were born only a few months apart; Lena on October 4, 1984, and Julia on February 20, 1985. The two have been friends since childhood, and have been quite active, both pursuing such diverse hobbies as figure skating, ballroom dancing, swimming; Julia also spent five years taking tennis lessons.
Interest in music came early to the T.A.T.U. girls, and they both wanted to be singers. From 1994 to 1997, Lena was a member of the children's pop group "Avenue," and afterwards she joined Julia in another group, "Neposedi." In 1998, Julia was kicked out of the group for misbehaving and disrupting other band members. Lena stayed on for another year. Meanwhile, both girls attended local Moscow high schools and even found time to take piano lessons.
In 2000, a former ad man named Ivan Shapovalov decided to take a crack at producing a pop band. After holding auditions, he picked Julia and Lena as the best, then set them up as a duet. The two were signed to a demanding contract; they were strictly controlled, and told how to behave at press conferences. By October, T.A.T.U. had released their first single and video, "Ya Soshla S Uma" (it was originally translated to "I've Lost My Mind"), which later appeared on their debut album, 200 Po Vstriechnoy. Both quickly became hits.
Soon T.A.T.U. went on tour in Russia. Their routine at concerts -- with precise stage directions, such as when to move about, how to act, even how to partially strip -- has stayed the same over two years. But the girls didn't object and the discipline paid off; before long they were a pop sensation in Russia. International tours followed in other countries including Germany, Bulgaria, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Israel. |
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© Steve Granitz
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