Is t.A.T.u. Too Much? (Speak2Me.net)Time of publication: 10.05.2003 |
The new Russian girl-group is making waves around the world
In a world of mediocre, semi-talented pop bands, t.A.T.u. stands out. Not only are they the first Russian group to get into the UK Top Ten, but the lead singers, 18-year-old Yulia Volkova and Elena Katina have a fun, infectious sound. Oh, and one more thing--when Yulia and Elena are on stage singing love songs, they're apparently singing to each other.
Rumors of a romantic relationship between the two girls have done nothing to hurt their popularity, and the girls go out of their way to encourage gossip. They kiss and strip on stage, and act jealous of each other when one pays too much attention to girls in the audience. Their manager, Ivan Shapovalov, a Russian former child-psychologist, discovered the girls when they were just 14, and helped them develop their image, dressing them in schoolgirl uniforms on stage.
In their number one single, All The Things She Said the two girls sing, "Daddy looking at me / Will I ever be free? / Have I crossed the line?" Critics in Europe and the United States have answered that they crossed the line long ago. Child welfare advocates denounce the group as an "underage sex fantasy" and say it borders on child pornography.
But Shapovalov responds that there's nothing wrong with the message the girls offer. "Why should this be hidden," he asks. "They are just two teenagers singing about love."
Teenagers certainly seem to find nothing wrong with it, and the group is tremendously popular in Russia and eastern Europe, and some critics say the girls are actually good for Russia's image abroad.
Says music critic Artyom Troitsky, "Compared to how Russia is usually seen – mafia, corruption, money laundering – these two teenager girls are nice and clean."
Source: Speak2Me.net
Thanks to skye. |
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