While we and Anton the photographer walked slowly along the podium for sightseeing, a petit girl with short, blond hair ran by us a few times. We continued to wait patiently until we realized that this girl is – Yulia!.. And in a car near by – Lena.
Bravo: Hi. You really got us this time, we looked and didn't recognize you for 20 minutes.
Yulia: Yes, we were waiting for you. I like to change, but not gradually, but rather radically! Besides, it's almost my natural color, just a bit lighter. Isn't it awesome?
Yulia really does look good. A year after giving birth, she changed a lot and lost weight. Passers-by hardly recognize her as one of the Tatu girls. We get into the car with a driver, and go on a ride around Moscow. I'm on the front seat, Yulia and Lena are on the back seat.
Bravo: Why did you call the new English album "Dangerous & Moving"?
Yulia: The main theme of the album – a big mechanical machine, which does identical pointless actions. It symbolizes everything that is bad in a person. The sum it up, the whole album is about people that are not people anymore. It's about people-machines. About people that can't love. All their feelings are mechanical.
The Russian version of the album is titled, "Lyudi Invalidi" ["Disabled people"]. Disabled not in a way that they don't have arms and legs, but rather disabled emotionally.
Bravo: Don't you think that the title isn't very appealing?
Yulia: But we are not talking about a physical disability, but only about the moral disabilities - they all have crippled souls.
Bravo: Do you have the qualities that you are talking about?
Lena: Every person has some bad qualities. We are not angels. It's just that some people fight them and don't let them loose, and some people ignore them and continue to live this life. These people are not human anymore.
Bravo: Tell me about the English album. Does it have harsh songs?
Yulia: You know, all the song on both the Russian and English albums are more psychological this time 'round. The new album is more depressing, and differs significantly from the first one. It's heavier and more serious – this is apparent through the music and the lyrics. It's not at all Pop.
Lena: It doesn't include simple song like "you love me, but I don't love you" or "we are in love and to hell with everything", no. This is the sort of album that makes you think. I don't think that everyone will understand it.
Bravo: Did you record both albums simultaneously?
Yulia: Yes, Russian and English.
Bravo: Yulia, you have problems with the language. How did you sing, with a piece of paper?
Lena: She can speak and sing properly now!
Yulia: If I want, I speak (laughs). Of course, I speak properly now – we lived in the States for half a year, anybody would start speaking, besides I knew some basics already.
Bravo: What about the Russian lyrics, are they the same as the English ones?
Yulia: The overall meaning of the lyrics is the same, but some specific descriptions may vary. The English album is the "light" version, so to speak, the lyrics on it are simpler and more easily understood. The Russian album is heavier and harsher.
Bravo: What's the design of the album?
Lena: With yellow-black lines – it's a sign of danger in the States and Europe. In Russian I think it's white-black lines. It should also have our faces on it. It's still in the works.
Bravo: The single "All About Us", despite the name, has very little information about you two.
Yulia: No, this song is about all of us. About what's happening in the whole world, about people, about Lena and I.
Bravo: You handle weapons in the music video for this song. Do you have a license to do so?
Yulia: Yes. It was a real weapon. A person was especially brought into the filming studio to show me how to handle the gun, as to prevent anything bad from happening. This person lectured the filming staff for a long time.
Lena: In real life we don't carry weapons. We don't own any.
Bravo: Me neither. What's the Russian version of the song?
Lena: It's not in the album at all. The album track lists differ, by the way.
Yulia: Some songs on the Russian album are not on the English album, and vice versa. There are about 3 to 4 different songs.
Bravo: Whose idea was it to make Yulia a prostitute in the video?
Lena: She's not a prostitute, but a slutty girl.
Yulia: No, Lena, in fact the idea is that I'm a prostitute. In the end everything turned out to be like in real life, because Lena is more serious than I am in real life. She wears suits with a pony tail. And I always look slutty. No, not a prostitute of course. Don't get any ideas! (Laughs). The video was shot in LA. James Cox directed, he suggested everything. When in comes down to it, "All about us" is an American song, it won't do it for Russia.
Bravo: By the way, they censored the video in Germany!
Yulia: I don't think that'll happen only in Germany. We especially made two versions of the video. One with violence, one without. I doubt the first version will get air play around the world.
Bravo: Yulia, once you said in an interview that you confess your sins. Is it true? Why do you need that?
Lena: I said that. I categorize myself as a religious person. That's why I go to church and, naturally, confess my sins.
We stop for a bite at a cafe on Tverskaya. Yulia and Lena go there almost every day. All the staff members know the girls. That's why they let us park in an exclusive spot – right in front of the cafe. Not a car near by. Yulia waves to the security guards, and they, smiling, lift the barrier. Once inside the cafe, we sit on the sofas on the second floor. Being very hungry, the girls order mushroom soups and sushi. Extra large portions.
Bravo: What is your relationship like now?
Yulia: Lena and I are very close friends, partners and sisters. My love each other et cetera. We are like relatives. We know each other for 10 years now! We trust each other completely. Without that there would be no relationship! We don't envy each other, we are family!
Bravo: Tell me about your personal life?
Yulia: Sometimes I live with my parents, sometimes on my own in my apartment. My daughter has two wonderful nannies, that's why I don't worry or torment myself when I leave. But I always terribly miss her. Because everything happens without me! I come home, she can already crawl, then walk when holding hands, then talk. It's unfortunate, of course. But I can't do anything about it – my career is very important, and I do it for her, too. But I always leave with a calm soul – the nannies are just very good, they are very close to our family. So I don't feel aggravated or worried when I'm not home. But I really don't have enough time. Here I am in Moscow – I constantly have meetings and interviews, I come home late, my daughter is tired, she's bathed and put to bed.
Bravo: Vika is almost one year old, and you still haven't shown her to anyone.
Lena: Why do that? No need! There are too many jealous people around.
Yulia: She's still so small. When she's older – I'll show her!
Bravo: Do you feel like a mother?
Yulia: Of course! Because everything changes psychologically. You get a sense of responsibility and stop doing risky things. You start thinking about your baby, who needs you alive and well.
Bravo: Lena, who do you live with now?
Lena: It depends. Sometimes with my parents, sometimes with my boyfriend. Yulia and I really love our parents.
Yulia: Like when I come home to mom, I feel so infatuated, I love sleeping at home, everything is so dear to me
Lena: it's good to be under mother's wing!
Bravo: Yulia, why did you break up with Pasha, Vika's father?
Yulia: At some point we realized that we are different people. That's why we broke up. We were together for 3 years, we had a baby, became a family, that's why we are now friends and stay in touch by talking to each other over the phone.
Bravo: Do you stay in touch with Shapovalov?
Yulia: Yes, we see each other occasionally, phone each other. He is doing well. There are rumors that Vanya hit us, made us do things, you know, none of that is true. We always had a friendly relationship. Naturally we had some misunderstandings, but they were resolved quickly. We even broke up on good terms.
Bravo: What made you leave him?
Lena: At some point we realized that we had to leave him. Our interests were on different planes. Our roads parted. The past two years of our silence were a long, but necessary pause. We used to have such nervous break-downs, that we didn't want to do anything. We were really tired. Now we have done what we needed to do and came back with new strengths! It's a new step for us. We control everything now. We have grown up and are now on a new level of development. And I think it's for the best!
Natasha Mostakova
"Bravo" magazine №37
14th Sept, 2005
Translated by katbeidar for TatySite.net
Transcription: Zhorik and TatySite.net Team
Special thanks to Jam_One for photos of the article! |
