t.A.T.u. takes Russian pop music to the West (Helsingin Sanomat)Time of publication: 08.01.2003 |
By Jussi Konttinen in Moscow
"Erection, erection!" The photographer of the Russia men's magazine Maksim would like the nipples of Lena Katina, 18, to protrude a bit more from under her top.
Producer Ivan Shapovalov has other concerns. "Lena, you don't need to stick your whole hand in your pants. One finger is enough", he says.
Lena Katina and Julja Volkova, 17, comprise the pop duo t.A.T.u., whose hits I've Lost My Mind, and They're Not Gonna Get Us even made the Finnish charts this past autumn.
Now the girls are having a photo shoot at a tattoo parlour in Moscow. Lena opts for a fake tattoo, but Julja wants the real thing. The word "love" is written in Arabic on the upper edge of her left buttock.
"Islam, the Arabs, and the Chechens are very topical right now", explains the girls' manager Beata Ardeyeva.
A year ago t.A.T.u.'s high-pitched Russian pop became a big hit in Eastern Europe. In the autumn their English language single rose to the top of the charts in Western Europe, and was number one for several weeks in Spain and Italy. This month the girls are touring the United States. A new US-produced CD, 200 km/h in the Wrong Lane, is coming out in January.
Although most international successes of Russian pop are attributable to good composers and producers, the key secret behind the girls' success is in the steamy lesbian image they project.
The name t.A.T.u. is a play on words from the feminine gender words meaning "that" and "of that".
It takes plenty of work to maintain their cultivated image. The girls have to sing endlessly about girl love. They also have to constantly kiss in public and answer questions about whether or not they really are lesbians.
Producer Shapovalov chose the girls, who knew each other before, from among 500 applicants. They were 14 years old at the time.
"My attention was caught by something they had between them, and I developed the rest", says Shapovalov.
Before t.A.T.u. he worked in advertising. Shapovalov also practiced psychiatry, which he was trained for.
"It is necessary to follow a line where there is a conflict", he says philosophically. "There is conflict between parents and their children, between school and the children, and one between girls and other girls."
Shapovalov denies claims that t.A.T.u.'s lesbian behaviour is just an act. "It is only possible to surprise society with something that is genuine. I discovered something real in them that I could show."
The basic idea behind t.A.T.u. is universal. However, Shapovalov says that it is no coincidence that it arose in Russia.
"Russia is a free country - more so than America. People here can do what they want."
Julja, who looks something like a small space alien, is hyperactive. She hovers around half-naked, showing people her buttock-tattoo, hugging Lena and producer Shapovalov.
Lena is more calm and self-assured. Unlike Julja, she does not take her top off, or swap her shorts for a thong.
So where will the t.A.T.u. girls be five years from now?
"I have no idea. I don't even know where I'll be tomorrow", Lena answers.
The girls finished school a year ago. Julja made a short-lived attempt to study medicine, while Lena is taking a correspondence course in psychology; she is also taking driving lessons.
"We have very little free time. There are concerts, photo shoots, and promotional tours, and 19 interviews a day", is how Lena describes the life of t.A.T.u.
"At other times we are with our parents, we meet friends, record our own voices, and go out to a beauty salon at times", she explains.
And how has t.A.T.u. fever affected their lives?
"Not in any way at all. I am Lena Katina", she says, looking me straight in the eye.
At the same time the photographer focuses on Julja's embroidered tush.
"Hey, is this going to take long?" Julja asks impatiently. |
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