t.A.T.u - Get to Know the Girls (VTeens. org)Time of publication: 25.04.2003 |
By: Sadia Latifi
t.A.T.u. No, it doesn't stand for anything, but the pseudo-acronym has been on the tip of everyone's tongues these days. They're Russia's hottest exports, and they are taking the US market by storm. Their racy, controversial single "All The Things She Said" has been making news on the airwaves and on MTV for weeks now. Their debut album, 200 km/h in the Wrong Lane has sold over 100,000 albums in the States. It is also the first Eastern European record to go platinum in Europe. (1 million copes sold) They've appeared on The Tonight Show and most recently, they've hit the cover of Maxim. Who are these girls? What's this whole lesbian thing? Is there album any good?
t.A.T.u is made up of two beautiful Russian girls - Lena Katina, 18, and Yulia Volkova, 17. The girls first met when they were members of Neposedi, an adolescent Russian pop group. According to the official website, Volkova was dismissed from the group for "inappropriate behavior." Formed by psychologist-turned-advertising-Svengali Ivan Shapovalov, Katina and Volkova were selected from a large group of girls in a casting call (think Spice Girls) for the duo known as t.A.T.u. The result was a poppy-fresh, controversial duo that has taken the world by storm.
One thing's for sure. t.A.T.u has some incredible appeal. Their music is a Russian techno-pop hybrid that is damn catchy. And good. On the exterior at least, these girls are tough. Serious about being carefree (you figure that sentence out), the girls grant few interviews and stand by their stance in not writing their own music. In an interview with She magazine, Katina states plainly, "We have really good writers and composers who can write better than we can."
This is what is commendable about the girls. They are pragmatic. They like to play tennis. They are in love with each other and with the world. They are free, open-minded, and honest. They've inadvertently become the spokeswomen for gay teens everywhere - without ever explicitly stating their own sexual orientation. On the song, "How Soon is Now?" the girls sing: "I am the son/and the heir/Of a shyness that is criminally vulgar/I am the son/and the heir/of nothing in particular." They sing about love, repression, and good old teenage angst.
What's more important than the girls' sex lives is, perhaps, their music. As previously stated, t.A.T.u has great producers and writers backing them up. Topics are relevant to teens worldwide and the beats behind the music are great for social gatherings. The girls' voices are unique. Their ballads are powerful, and their upbeat songs can make anyone dance. The US version of 200 KM/H in the Wrong Lane is made up of 11 irresistible tracks, 2 of which are completely in Russian. There's also an enhanced feature on the CD: Pop it into the computer and watch the controversial video for the hit single "All The Things She Said." The seemingly racy video, which features the two girls being shunned from their community with lots of, carefully planned out make-out shots isn't as taboo-filled as has been advertised. What could be so wrong about being in love?
Maybe this whole thing's a gimmick. Maybe it's all to sell records. Maybe Ivan Shapovalov is going to be the European Lou Pearlman. At least the girls can easily say they "don't give a f***." Which is fine because, no matter how much society condemns these girls for their honesty, explicitness, and touching of taboo topics, one thing is for sure: We're still buying the records.
Thanks to ElectraCute.
Source: VTeens.org |
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