Article from Summer 2003 issue of PopJustice fanzine.
We'll be honest with you: this isn't the most fascinating Mighty Kissing Ladies interview you're ever likely to read. In fact, it's not even with both of them - just Julia. But it's still an interview with one of the most amazing popstars on the planet, right?
Hello Julia. What will you do when you go down The Dumper!
We'll do something new to make ourselves fashionable again.
Like what?
It's a hard question. There isn't anything in particular. In the style which will be popular, probably some dance music. At the moment everybody has something for himself. If people like rock, rock will always be most popular for them. Some people like Metallica, they want only it. Some like trance - they go to see groups like, I don't know, PPK. And somebody likes pop and goes to see Britney Spears.
Like being in a film?
Yes. And besides, the Tatu movie is soon to come out - the film made by Ivan. It will be a documentary.
What would you be doing now if Ivan hadn't turned you into Tatu?
It is very difficult to answer questions like that but I think we would be singing anyway. I don't know how we'd be singing but we'd be singing. But we are very happy to be Tatu now.
But he would have just gone ahead and done a Tatu with other girls, right?
I think that there would be no Tatu then - made of two other girls. It wasn't as if he simply found us and made Tatu. If we had been other girls, we wouldn't have sung like that and wouldn't have danced like that. They wouldn't have been like us, would they? That's why I think that it is our own achievement too, as we really have music education, we really can sing and I just can't imagine what kind of a group it would have been if there had been some other girls instead of us.
(OK, I'm going to have to stop there for the moment - apologies for the crap formatting but I haven't got time to carry on tonight - I'll try to finish it tomorrow - there's a lot more to come.)
The Rest
Are you a boys' group, or a girls' group?
We are here both for men and women, and grannies and grandpas! Of course we are closer to the younger fans, that is natural. Though at our gigs we see both adult ladies with their daughters, and old grannies - probably accompanying their grandchildren, and men, and even kids who are three or four, they even have to be held up in the air as they are very little.
Do you take part in much album recording stuff?
But of course we do take part! All our songs are based on our life, the texts have something to do with our personal experience.
When Alsou stopped singing in Russian, she lost all her fans. Will that happen to The Mighty Tatu?
Naaah. We will always be popular in Rrussia, and everything is done in the first place for Russia.. Abroad is only the next thing. You know, it's not that we don't think about our Western success at all but Russia is the most important thing for us because we ourselves are from Russia, Moscow is our native city. That is why we do our best first of all for our relatives, friends, people, like, of the same blood with us. (Laughs, for some reason.) Of course, England and America are very important to us, as not every Russian artist had a chance to become that popular abroad, but the first and foremost for us is Russia.
Do you feel independent?
Yeah!
Has Ivan ever got you doing something you didn't want to do?
No, never.
Neither personally or professionally?
No. We somehow always come to a consensus, everything is very friendly and I can't remember him ever making us do anything we didn't like. (Thinks.) No, there has never been anything like that. These two years we have always liked everything Ivan is doing.
What wears you down?
Well...Mostly, idleness.
Do you sometimes want to give it all up?
Yes, it happens. We sometimes want everything to go to Hell. Naturally, there are such moments - everybody has such moments - but still we clearly understand that we won't be able to live without the stage, without our career, without all this. Because this is our real life, this is our childhood dream.
Do you have many friends?
Lots of? Oh, no! Like, real friends? Only two. There cannot be many friends.
Have you got time to meet with them?
Of course we do! If there's a wish, there'll always be time. You can always find one hour to meet somewhere and talk.
In your new video you very excitingly drive a truck. Do you have your HGV licence?
No, I don't need it.
But how did you drive the truck without a license?
Well! (A bit surprised) I just drove. The same as right now I can take a car and go riding around the city.
Can you both drive?
No, Lena cannot, and I... Well, I know how to do it. Kind of driving without licence.
Do you ever think of moving to London, like next door to Popjustice or something?
No, never. For me Moscow is everything. However beautiful it is abroad, nowhere is like here. This is my personal opinion as I love Moscow very much.
Generally speaking, blokes get into bands because they want more sex. What was your motivation?
Only music. I think, we do it first and foremost for ourselves, because we want it, and the rest... Well, who cares? You must first of all be happy with yourself. We have made what we wanted, everything is ok with us, our career is okay - we are so popular - and the rest is not important.
Whose idea was it to cover "How Soon Is Now"?
Well, they just put it on for us and we decided that it is worth a try, because we also liked it very much. We tried to sing it and we liked the way it sounded.
So you hadn't been The Smiths fans before that?
Frankly speaking, we hadn't known this group.
Do you plan to release this song as a single in Britain?
No, there haven't been plans like that.
Damn you! How much of what you say is actually true?
Emmm...Sorry, I didn't get it. (Buying herself time) Could you repeat?
Yes. How much of what you say is true?
Oh, I think that everything we say is true.
Finally, Julia, can you do anything except be a popstar?
Everything. It's hard to say, because now I can't imagine what can be of use, but I'm sure that if it's needed, I'll be able to do anything - whatever I want.
The End.
Transcription by rachelc. |
