The Russian group Tatu - the most phenomenal project at the larges of the former USSR - released new albums: "Liudi-Invalidy", and its international version "Dangerous and Moving".
For this occasion, by active support of Ukrainian Records, we had the chance to speak to Yulia Volkova (by people- the black-haired), and Lena Katina (the red-haired, of course) about the interesting for us issues. What part of the answers is true, what an impulse, impudence, or memorized phrases- that's for you to decide.
It is easy to start a new stage?
Lena Katina: Since we left Vania Shapovalov, everything's done I different manner: other people working with us, we feel otherwise, we have much more responsibilities, because all the creativity of the project is done by us now. It's mostly Yulia's ideas, and mine, of course, sometimes. We were the sound-producers of the album "Liudi-Invalidy". But we and Vania are still friends.
Yulia Volkova: We had whole two years of rest, Lenka studied, I was pregnant. We don't care about what's written about us. I don't even react at that. The closest people know me, and the press can write anything. But there's more creativity in our creations now, more emotions.
After the break up with the producer, there was change in the list of priorities?
Lena Katina: I have certain life code that never changes for leaving the producer, for example. Of course, they could have change, but only because of life, private circumstances.
What wouldn't you do now for PR?
Yulia Volkova: We never did something special for PR. Everything we do, is our own desires. Vania could never make us do what we don't want to. It's not so important for me and Lena to sale more albums. We never count the money, we can perform in free concert, just to please the people. What's important for us is our success, the love of the fans, everything else- it's not our subjects. That's why we're so successful.
Lena Katina: I also think that we're successful, because we don't try to show off, we stay as we are and we sing about problems that concern us at the moment. What we sang about in the age 15, that's what considered our listeners. Now, in age of 21, I have sometimes other thoughts, that can be close to people over 30 or 40.
Yulia Volkova: We always do what we want to: send out, if we want, dance if we want, didn't show up if we want. Those, who don't know us in person, doesn't understand us, they think we're ambitious and mannered But if we didn't arrived to the concert, there were probably reasons for that. We had to be perceived just as we are. And those who just want to earn money, the fans feel it.
How is it, not to arrive to the concert? What about the arrangements?
Yulia Volkova: There are circumstances, and we have self-respect. But we try not to depart from our promises. People said that Tatu can betray. That's not true.
You became more demure now?
Yulia Volkova: I think we are demure anyway. We just don't like boorishness and roughness, and there's no use to intrude us your own visions too. We have our own opinion, we know how and when and with who is better to do something. We don't try to get into someone with our own vision of the world. Take it or leave it.
And how do see yourself few years later?
Yulia Volkova: Not see! I mean, we don't think about it. Me, personally, I live the present, and not planning anything for the future. I don't like to guess and dream. It's not for me. I prefer to live the reality. Here I had the goal to become an artist, play the piano, to go on. I achieved that.
Lena Katina: I also live the present. I don't know, maybe I'll wake up tomorrow and realize, that I don't want all this anymore. Or maybe, a week from now I'll decide to have family and children. My favorite phrase from "Gone with the wind" - "I won't think about this today, I'll think about this tomorrow. It's better to think about something when it happens. Yes, maybe I'm light-headed...
All the girls just sing about love. Why don't you?
Yulia Volkova: Me and Lena also writing poems about love, but personally for ourselves. In our album there are a lot of other thoughts, outspoken by our great author Valera. His lyrics fit our lives so much, that sometimes we seem to be a clairvoyant!
Lena Katina: Those, who sings only about pink cloudlets, they want to live in illusion. It's dangerous to build illusions. Sooner or later it will crash down, and then, as longer you lived in illusions, as horrible will be the returning to the real world. In my opinion, is much better to tell and show people, what's happening now in the real life, and try to explain to them, that the time for doing something had come. Our songs are always very autobiographical and match our moral spiritual state.
Any person has to believe in something
Lena Katina: Faith and illusion- a little different things. I, for example, believe in friendship between women, and I have best female friend.
This is, of course, Yulia...
Lena Katina: No, it's not Yulia.
Yulia Volkova: Me and Lena, we're like sisters, like a family- we live in the same rooms, eat from the same plate, bath in the same bathroom. But that's not means that we're lesbians, and we never said it openly. They just wrote it. The fact we kissed, doesn't means anything, we can kiss now also. Why not? For us, there's no erotic rationale in it.
Lena Katina: Sister and friend- different things. I have younger sister, and I forgive her a lot, something I can not to pay attention to, or in something else, to put more pressure. I care about her, patronize, do my best to help. This is person that closes to you naturally, that you'll never leave. I always worry about Yulia, help her, and she help me. She'll always understand me. Yulia knows a lot about me. More than the best friend, for example. But still, I have another girl, other friend.
There were times when you got tired of each other?
Lena Katina: Yes, but our fights long not more than two minuets, we make up right away, so colossal fracas and epopees never happens. Just little things on domestic level, Yulia always pitch her stuff, and I clean up after her.
You are the most successful project from former USSR on the west. It affects you some way?
Yulia Volkova: I don't know, I can't find some global changes in myself. And in Lenka too. Of course, we started to earn different kind of money, but in general, I don't care about those material issues. I don't have special need to wear only Versace, walk around only with guardians (I go out without guardians) or drive only a Mercedes. If I'll need it, I'll buy, but if I don't need, so what for? I have simple friends, who don't have much money, and I friends with them. I have friends who drives simple "Deviatka" (simple Russian-made car) and I don't feel ashamed to travel with them. I don't run after money, because it always gets away from you.
Lena Katina: Star Illness. For me, first of all, are the moral human qualities, and not material factors and the social status. I don't chose friends by social level.
And how do they choosing you?
Lena Katina: I don't know, maybe they do. But those who are not honest fading away by themselves. I have my friends, those I know from childhood, my best company. I know that these people loved me before I became popular, and they will stay with until the end of my life. I stayed the same Lena Katina for them. And the group is only disturbing, because we want to see each other more often, but we rarely staying in Moscow. I think they even jealous of Tatu, although, still, they happy for me and proud of me.
You have a trash-version for your video, with blood and brains on the wall…
Yulia Volkova: Oh, it's one the first places on charts! In the night-time they can air the version with the brains on the wall. But in day-time it's forbidden in whole Europe. Although it's strange. Why life and violence can be shown on the program "road patrol", about how people got killed in the reality? What are the afraid of, we play reality. We don't do anything unreal. The opposite, we try to warn the young people. I gave good example in this video: When everything ended up with violence, and the man started to bit me, I killed him, protecting myself. This example for the girls not to do stupid things because of ambitions. People don't want to show it. It's stupid, of course, but we don't pay attention. We don't care, we have two versions. We are showing the other.
Lena Katina: Really, this is reality, and there's worse things shown on TV. You can even go out to the streets at 3 AM, be sure, no one will caress your head.
You don't regret for the unusual childhood? There was no envy to the fellows?
Lena Katina: There was no envy. But sometimes I think about it, and feel sorry that when everybody went to walk and rode the sleds, I ran like a fool to the music-school. Then, when everybody had their bright students' years, I was working. But many of those who did nothing then, now sits on the bench, still doing nothing. They're not rising, not morally, not spiritually. This is degradation!
Well, that's what they like.
Lena Katina: Like, or not like, but will they do when they'll have families? This is total lack of development. Me, in my 21 years, I traveled in the whole world. I have big life experience, a lot of communication with people. Sometimes I feel that we outdistance our coevals.
The early growing-up gave you feeling of freedom?
Yulia Volkova: I always was free.
Lena Katina: For me, freedom is when you have choice, and there's no hopelessness. In the aspect I feel free, it helps get free. And first of all, I don't afraid of mistakes, because they're teaches us.
Yulia, tell us, is it is to be a young mother, and with such reputation?
Yulia Volkova; for me- easy. And for Vika it also should be easy. At least I do anything for it.
Madonna regrets for me things she did in her youth. What will you tell your daughter when she'll start asking questions?
Yulia Volkova: I don't want a change a thing. Let it be as it is. This is life, and this is reality. When Vika will grow up, I'll tell everything by myself, I'll show her everything, and explain, tell her, how all this was. She'll understand everything. I own my career to my mother: She studied with me all my childhood, took me to music classes, helped to study compositions on the piano. And still, every child has his own mind, and there's no use to distress them. Parents shouldn't spoil their relationship with their children, by lecturing, otherwise the kid will think of the parents as enemies. I think I won't do it with Vika. And my parents didn't do that. Of course, they said that this and this- is bad, and if I understood why- I obeyed. I had hard adolescence, when the motto was "stay away from my life!", I got hurt many times, and only at then, realized that the parents were right. But until the child won't understand something by himself, you won't convince him on nothing. And it's unlikable to lose the friendly contact. I'll try to explain Vika, what I got through and how, but if she will want to experience everything by herself, I won't shout or permit. Its better that she will share with me the worst things, than if she'll share it with strangers and won't be afraid to tell me anything. I have to be her friend. I'll understand her, because I was the same- horribly ambitious, always get massed up in bad stories, just because I wanted to get through all this personally.
You had suggestions to pose for the press together with the girl?
Yulia Volkova: Of course I had, but I don't do it yet- I don't find it necessary, to photograph a small child. Maybe in the future… why not.
Have you thought that the fans can feel deceived when Yulia all of a sudden got pregnant from a man, after you claimed to be in love with each other?
Lena Katina: Yulia's pregnancy didn't decreaseour love. We talked about love between two girls, and that's a little different subjects. Yes, we kissed. I even now sometimes kiss with friends and girlfriends.
But not like this!
Lena Katina: Why not? And like this also sometimes. Why not. We never claimed to be lesbians we told that we just have loved. And believe us or not- it's on their conscience. Our parents always believed and supported us.
But you were perceived exactly as lesbians, you can't deny it. Right?
Lena Katina: It's them who perceive us this way, not as we showed ourselves. So this question is not for us.
You realized that sooner or later you'll have to depart from the image of in love girls in short squirts?
Lena Katina: Of course, we finished school and took off the squirts. No we have other image. I always knew that we won't perform young school-girls forever. I repeat again, we don't show anything that not exists, but only what's real. The most important objects for us were the songs and the music. There's a lot "I love you, and you don't love me" songs in the world. Our songs different. It makes you think.
Maya Dvalishvili
10Days Magazine
30.12.2005 — 22.01.2006
Translation by Ev for tatu.ru |
