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RUSSIAN VOCAL GROUP TATU GETS INTERNATIONAL
ATTENTION ANY MEANS NECESSARY
By Jessica Tara
Smith
They are two young Russian women whose sexual stage antics and songs about love songs about love and sexual stage antics have catapulted them into the international spotlight of fame.
This vocal sensation, Tatu, has been holding down the number one spot on music charts throughout the world. Made up of two young women, their song “All the things she said” and their album 200km/h in the Wrong Lane is number one in more than a dozen countries including Japan, Australia, Taiwan new Zealand, Germany, the united kingdom to name a few.
In America, the group has been fast climbing the charts and has reached up to number five on the billboard charts (Billboard Charts).
“[Tatu’s album] doesn’t sound like anything else and I couldn’t’ stop listening,” Lisa Verrico, a music critic, said in England’s The Times.Their music is a mixture of European techno-pop with eastern influence to the softer piano moments,(. THIS LAST PART SEEMS REDUNDANT) has met much praise internationally.
The band has also met a lot of criticism abroad as well. Much of this criticism has not been for their music(,) but for their act.
The singers, Lena Katina, 18, and Julia Volkova, 17, frequently assert that they are lesbians. They often kiss and embrace each other between songs during their performances. They usually wear revealing school girl uniforms and openly flaunt their affection for each other for their photo shoots, concerts and music videos.
Tatu’s manager, Ivan Shapovalov, 36, chose the English school girl uniforms.
“All our inspiration is from childhood,” Ivan Shapovalov said in a telephone interview with Sabrina Tavernise from the New York Times.
Ivan Shapavalov, a former child psychologist who became an advertising executive, acts as their manager, writes all of their material and sits in on most of their interviews. He is the one who controls whether or not they do photoshoots, interviews, which singles to release and what tours to do.
He formed Tatu in 1999 when Katina and Volkova, then fourteen and fifteen years old, auditioned for him. Katina and Volkova where in a children’s band called “Neposed” previous to their involvement in Tatu.
He has had a major impact on the commercialization of the band and is intimately involved with the marketing strategies of the band. The music videos were directed and written by Mr. Shapavalov who seems to have studied MTV to list what would most shocking to catch the attention of western and Russian audiences.
The Russian version of the album came out in 2001 and the video for their single “All the things she said” won MTV Russia’s video of the year. The video exploits the possible relationship between the two with clips of them kissing included in the video.
Mr. Shapavalov emphasizes that the girls are not being forced to act as they do against their will.
In a recent interview with the singers in the Polish edition of Maxim magazine, Marcin Margielewski asked them if they knew that they are a marketing product.
“Yes, we are aware of this, and it’s nice to be such a well-known product,” Katina said. “Britney Spears is also a product.”
“But we are better,” Volkova said.
In nearly every interview with the young women, they are interrogated about the nature of their relationship. Regarding English speaking interviews Katina usually answers most of the questions because she knows more English than her counterpart. Volkova usually chimes in on occasion to include her opinion on a question that she either understands or interests her.
Interviews in their native tongue often result in both girls defiantly arguing their position for lesbian and gay equality and the authenticity of their relationship. They argue that their high broadcast image is meant to help send a positive message to the world regarding romantic same-sex relationships.
“We just want to say that it’s nothing special when a girl loves another girl,” Volkova said. “It’s a normal situation.”
Many people believe that their “relationship” is more a commercial strategy to sell records instead of a genuine relationship between to young women. Even fans doubt the sincerity of their claimed relationship.
“They are absolutely fake,” said Joanna Michnowicz, a college student in Poland and fan of the group for almost a year. “They’re not gay. It’s just gimmick. Good commercial for someone unknown in music business both in Europe and USA.”
“I like the band for their music rather than their video which portrays the possible relationship between the two girls,” Rahul Narayan, a college student in England, said. “Regarding their relationship, I really think it’s an act to sell records. Because I mean honestly how many men wouldn't pay to see two hot chicks making out in a video.”
Regardless, the group has successfully exploded out of Russia into the western world and is turning heads and intriguing listeners from all over the globe.