Yulia Volkova and Lena Katina are still going strong promoting their second album, Dangerous & Moving (or Lyudi-Invalidi – Invalid People – in Russian), bringing more greatness and awesomeness to the world than ever before. Their current single, the Dave Stewart (Eurythmics)-penned Friend or Foe, is in circulation as well as Gomensai, which features the string arrangements of John Carpenter. So far, their tour has them geared up to perform at the Vasilievsky Spusk of Red Square in Moscow on July 22nd, as a part of the Red Summer music festival. Sharing the bill with t.A.T.u. will be Shakira, Black Eyed Peas and Eurovision 3rd-placer (which is where t.A.T.u. finished in 2003 – coincidence, or maybe a Scandinavian mafia in action?) Dima Bilan. It is expected that none of the supporting acts will be a fraction as great or as awesome as t.A.T.u.
In other news, even the Russian government has been forced to recognise the greatness and awesomeness of t.A.T.u. According to Pravda, Alexei Mitrofanov, Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Credit Organisations and Financial Markets, and a deputy of the centrist pro-democracy Liberal Party in the Duma, has proposed that t.A.T.u. be awarded the Order of Friendship. This award is given to those people who have shown “accomplishments in strengthening of inter-ethnical and international friendship and cooperation, for the economical, political, scientific, military, and cultural development” of the Russian Federation. All of which has t.A.T.u. written all over it!
The girls also walked away from last month’s Muz-TV Awards with not one, not two, but three awards: Best Group, Best Video, and Best Song. Sadly, the fourth award for which they were nominated, Best Album, went to some band called Umaturman. Whoever they are, they aren’t t.A.T.u., so clearly, they didn’t deserve it.
In matters of romance, Lena has been living with her boyfriend for nearly a year now, immersed in domestic bliss: he cooks, while she cleans and reads authors such as Tolstoy, Dostoevsky and Gogol while he’s at work. Yulia, on the other hand, has renewed her on-again-off-again relationship with Russian singer Vlad Topalov, whom it is rumoured she will be marrying. Mind you, this is only a rumour. If you are a single male in love with Yulia Volkova, please wait until the knot is officially and truly tied before embarking on a self-pity-fueled bender. On the other hand, you should have accepted the fact long ago that she is way, way out of your league.
In addition to the online diaries of Yulia and Lena, their backing band guitarist Troy McCubbin and keyboardist Sven Martin have been contributing as well. True, they’re not Yulia and Lena, but they do work with them, which gives us all a glimpse of what it would be like to share the stage with the girls. Troy recently asked fans to gently encourage an Australian radio station to play more t.A.T.u. In his own words: “We would need a lot of e-mails, but if we flood them with requests they would have to play it!” You see? He’s not just in the band – he’s also a fan. Which would only come naturally when playing with the greatest and most awesome band in the world.
t.A.T.u. Fun Fact #759:
The girls generously offered up their song Friend or Foe as part of a remix contest on the website Acid Planet. The winning remix, done by a one King Bella, can be heard at www.acidplanet.com/contests/tatu.
t.A.T.u. Quote #214:
“Are you a lesbian?” – Yulia Volkova, when asked in a BBC Channel 4 interview what her least favourite question is.
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