t.A.T.u. is a
Russian music duo consisting of Lena Katina and Yulia Volkova.
The group was formed in 1999 by
Ivan Shapovalov, in Moscow. t.A.T.u. are the most successful international recording act from
Russia, with a
fan base stretching all over the world. Their debut album, 200 Po Vstrechnoy was the first from a
Russian act to reach gold status internationally. With the release of their debut English album, 200 km/h in the Wrong Lane t.A.T.u. became the first act to receive an IFPI Platinum Europe Award for the same album in two languages.
Much of their early success was based on what was thought of as a
lesbian image portrayed by Katina and Volkova, and the controversy that surrounded it. However, in December 2003, it became apparent in their documentary, Anatomy of t.A.T.u., that their sexuality was just part of the group's image at the
time, and that they were not actually lesbians. Then in
2004, the group took a hiatus after they split from their producer and Volkova had become pregnant. They were soon back in the studio, and, in 2005, released Dangerous and Moving and Lyudi Invalidy. In the last year, the group has released a compilation album, negotiated out of their contract with Universal records, and announced the production of a third studio album and a film titled Finding t.A.T.u.
Some t.A.T.u. quotes....
Lena: t.A.T.u. is not a product, t.A.T.u. is
art.
Yulia: Every song is about our life. Everybody thinks we are
lesbians. But we just love each other.
