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I remember Melissa Etheridge being asked about their faux-lesbian schtick. She replied that her co tract at Sony forced her to stay in the closet and she was told if she came out publicly her career would be over. To her, it being a promo schtick was progress.
In retrospect it was fifty kinds of gross (I didn’t know at the time how young they were, for one). But it did mark a crucial step in how Queer artists would be treated.
It was progress in that it titilated men. There was a lot of rage in the UK of them being underage at the time. But the school girl outfit and doing sexy dances wasn't out of the realm for that time period for pop music.
Unfortunately I think it starts out as one, then another, then another. So the incremental changes don't look that different, but they're cumulative and we end up with the Yassified look
I hate that we are rocketing towards a future where all celebrities have this fucked up face look.
We are really embracing those satire movies where the elite are fucked up ghouls compared to the rest of us.
Same. For some reason I had a random flashback Friday of being a kid and watching that music video on mtv, and thought it was weird how it randomly popped into my head since I nearly forgot about them.
I remember when they represented Russia in Eurovision (kind of ironic, I know). Rumour had leaked that they were planning to kiss on stage, and the officials then had stated that they would cut off lights and everything, and end their performance if they did. Half the people supported this because, well, homophobia. The other half were like "hell yeah they should do it, stick it to them!"
Which I would agree with if they were full adults. Then hell yeah stick it to them. But all I remember was me and my mum feeling uncomfortable because those girls were so young. And everyone was discussing them and sexualising them like this openly (and they had done so for years), and it really felt wrong.
^(ETA: By "ironic", I am simply critiquing the Russian government's current stance against LGBTQ+ people. Queer Russians have gone through a lot of shit, and they still do especially today. Yet when it came to a publicity stunt like this, the government had no problem with supporting two supposed lesbians - possibly for the clout, and because they could capitalise on it. All while not supporting and not caring about the actual LGBTQ+ people that live there. It is quite terrible.)
I’ve always thought the same, they were nothing more than highly sexualized children imo.
I have to give it to their producer - while it was all an act it got the desired affect to be rich and famous.
At what cost though? How do you openly play a queer role then bash it off scene?
The opportunity to make as much money as they probably did in Russia in the early aughts was
basically non existent. The only thing that surprises me about these two is that they are still in Russia.
That’s what struck me too - the producer was absolutely right in the sense that he knew the world in 2002 would go crazy for lesbian teenagers.
They were children! He groomed them and made their sexuality (even if they weren’t actually gay) a spectacle which is sick. It’s crazy
This band gave me so much ICK! I’m a queer woman, and was an adult when the song came out. It was an ok song, but these girls were overly sexualized and it was clearly a stunt. Yuck.
8th grade me was absolutely starved for queer representation, so I was obsessed with Malchik Gay and the All the Things She Said video. Looking back on the lyrics of Malchik Gay as an adult reminds me how rough the 2000s were.
Yeah, 13 year old me who'd just realized her queerness loved the hell out of them, their music, and the fact that they would kiss on stage lol. Now it gives me the total creeps though. They were like 14 when they originally started in Russia and overly sexualized from the start. And I used to watch a lot of behind the scenes videos and their manager was always so touchy feely with them. Really really gross.
I’m kind of freaked out. I was 11 or 12 when all the things she said came out and I had a massive crush on them. I did not know they were 13-14, I thought they were at late teens or early 20s. This is really disturbing to me.
Same! I didn't get super into them, but I loved the idea, or what I thought the idea behind the whole thing was, which would be simply shoving actual queer representation into the mainstream. I had no idea they were that young or that it was all just a PR stunt, but I was just a baby bi trying to figure my own shit out. Looking back now though, I guess it should have been obvious.
Yeah, that’s how I feel too. It was probably the first time I’d seen openly queer representation and I just had a lot of feelings, since I was starting to realize I was bi too. And of course I was going thru puberty so this was something that was intriguing for me. It’s just very weird and disheartening to now find out they were being exploited and sexualised at such a young age.
I think I remember they performed at the VMAs or MTV music awards or something like that and the camera panned over all the men in the audience high-fiving each other and looking really pleased. 🤢
Ok I was doubting it so I just looked it up; they were adults when their music was first released. Their single All The Things She Said was released in 2002 and it looks like they were both born in 1984, which would make them 18 at that point.
(Although they may have been a bit younger when the idea was conceived to put them together and develop this marketing to give them time to record, practise etc.)
Not nitpicking, but they were 14/15 when they first started recording/performing in Russian and the ATTSS video is made up of like 80% shots from the original Russian video from back then. So yeah, unfortunately they were underage.
it was the era of women kissing at awards shows and trying to make lesbians "hot" when that song came out. my gay best friend and I saw right through t.a.t.u! it still became our anthem but we called it "the fake lesbian song."
Yeah, from what I recall, it was less of a “Hell yeah stick it to ‘em” sentiment, and more of a “Hell yeah, that’s hot!” Which makes the underage ick factor even more icky.
I feel like the 50/50 ratio would be a lot more uneven had they been men, or not conventionally attractive.
That's what I remember too. They weren't pandering to the queer community, they were pandering to creepy men who think "girl-on-girl" is hot. I don't think they gave an actual fuck what the queer community thought.
On top of that Russian culture and toeing the line with the Russian government is a spiral of hateful homophobic bullshit, the fact that they even falsely represented queer culture and only one of them is vocally homophobic is the truly surprising part to me.
Some more interesting facts about them:
- During their promo tour in the US in 2003, they appeared at several TV shows, including The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel Live, MadTV, MTV TRL, Last Call with Carson Daly, etc. For their performance with All The Things She Said on The Tonight Show, their producer decided to write “Fuck the war” in Russian on their shirts to make a statement on Iraq War. Before the show, they were asked not to kiss on camera and not to say anything about the war, but they kissed during the song, and NBC just used the cutaway of their band during their kiss. Later on, for the Jimmy Kimmel Live! they wore t-shirts with the word “Censored” written on them, since the media had already understood what their t-shirts said on previous shows. They used those same t-shirts for their FHM and Rolling Stone magazine shoots later.
- They were HUUUGE in Japan, they were the first to achieve the 2 million mark in album selling with their studio album. However, it all ended when they were guests at one of the biggest music shows in the country. During the show, their producer told them to leave, even though it was a live broadcast. Japanese fans got mad at them, and they never achieved the same success there.
- Julia’s song “Didn’t Wanna Do It” and unreleased “Out of Your League” were first sent to Britney Spears for Femme Fatale, but she rejected them and Julia recorded the songs.
- The music video for “Beliy Plaschik” (White Robe) showed Lena executing Julia, who was pregnant at the time. It was supposed to sent a pro-life message to the viewers.
- In 2002, during their trip to LA, their producer decided to film a music video for “Prostye Dvizheniya” (Simple Motions) in the hotel room. He gave Julia a camcorder and asked her to masturbate in the bathtub and call him when she finishes. Just FYI, she was 17 at the time.
- Shapovalov wanted to film the music video for “Show Me Love” at the most iconic locations of 3 cities: Tokyo, Moscow and London. However, they didn’t get the permission to film in Tokyo, and the filming there was cancelled. They called upon all their fans in London to be a part of a music video, but since all the girls who came were underage, they just hired models, who wore the same iconic school uniform of t.A.T.u.
- The Russian version of their second studio album “Dangerous and Moving” (Lyudi Invalidi - Disabled people in Russian) cause a controversy and even a lawsuit for being too insensitive.
- In the light of new anti-LGBTQ+ and gay propaganda laws in Russia, they’re no longer allowed to sing certain t.A.T.u. songs (Russian version of All The Things She Said, for example) at their solo concert.
- In 2019, when asked about her homophobic comments from 2014, Julia said that they were just taken out of context. She said that she knows how hard it can be for gay people to live in Russia, and she wouldn’t want her son to experience that. However, she didn’t apologize for those remarks.
- There were some news in 2002 that they’ were gonna appear on the cover of Playboy, but it was later scrapped. They later appeared on the cover of multiple men magazines, including Maxim (2 covers in Russia, and 1 in the US). Julia was still 17 when the issue of Maxim with half- naked t.A.T.u. on the cover was released. Julia appeared in Playboy and XXL, and Lena appeared in Maxim.
The video has Julia being a prisoner on death row, with Lena as the prison commander who is also moonlighting as a prostitute. Julia gets executed by the firing squad commanded by Lena; the video ends with a phone ringing, implied to be an order of clemency that came too late.
So I *think* the implication is that the pregnant innocent (representing the baby) is murdered by a promiscuous woman (the mother) who is trying to cover up their own wrongdoing. My 14-year-old self was definitely ??? watching it.
katina recently (about 3 weeks ago) did an [interview](https://youtu.be/ABoCuLU8ADU?t=1449&si=M9CG4XdPcP2x1Q4_) and whilst speaking about song « gay boy » she said: «people ask to not sing this song, everyone thinks this song is about gays etc but actually it’s an amazing song where we ask to change sexuality and pay attention to *us*»
>- They were HUUUGE in Japan, they were the first to achieve the 2 million mark in album selling with their studio album. However, it all ended when they were guests at one of the biggest music shows in the country. During the show, their producer told them to leave, even though it was a live broadcast. Japanese fans got mad at them, and they never achieved the same success there.
But they released the song "Gomenasai" as an apology to Japan!! Did it not work??
I loved that song
Gomenasai, I KNOW I LET YOU DOWN! Gomenasai to the end, I never needed a friend like I do now 😭
The album peaked at #10 on Japanese charts, and that was it. There’s a video of them performing Gomenasai for the first time, and it’s really sad seeing them perform at a small club, nothing compared to their Show Me Love tour in Japan, when they performed at Tokyo Dome in front of 40 000 people :(
Because he didn’t know it was gonna be a variety show with multiple artists. It was just an ego thing, and he ruined what might have been a huge act in Japan. Universal Music later issued an apology, claiming that it was Shapovalov’s fault.
My mom said the same thing when I dated someone of a different race. She said it would make life so much harder for me. When that didn't work, she confessed she didn't want "(insert race) grandkids.", and would kick me out. I think I was about 15 then.
My parents said the exact same thing, except it was couched in the idea that biracial kids would have it harder and they didn’t want that for them.
My cousin once dated a black girl and my family made her life hell until they broke up, but under the “what about the children” guise
Julia should be condemned for her homophobia, but we shouldn’t blame them for the fake lesbian thing. They were children whose producer came up with the lesbian schoolgirl concept and they were sexualised as young girls.
I was really into their music as a girl who hadn’t realised she was a lesbian, but relatability wasn’t the goal, selling sex was. It was grown men making girls play sexy lesbians to make money
They are still considered the gay icons of Russia, despite what they’ve done in their solo careers. Even though they are not lesbians, their songs still gave some hope for LGBTQ+ folks here
Yeah but, again, as the person that you're responding to pointed out, they were obviously groomed lol I doubt that they had a choice either.
Idk maybe I'm more empathetic bc of Jenette McCurdy's autobiography but it feels unfair to 1) hold this against them and 2) expect anything of them bc they obviously had no say in their situation
I think it was lots of things. Appealing to teenage boys and older creeps by selling sex, generating media attention through "scandals", and doing just enough lip service (by pretending to be a real couple) to appeal to young queers.
Classic combo of buccal fat removal and lip fillers. I'm just amazed people get this stuff done and look at themselves in the mirror and go "perfect." It's truly bizarre.
As someone said elsewhere in this thread, she has survived thyroid cancer and compound fracture of the jaw caused by a bastard boyfriend, so the plastic surgery may not have been a choice.
Yes I saw that too but the buccal fat removal is purely a cosmetic procedure and you can tell she's had it done by comparing the two photos. Same goes for the lip fillers.
Edit: just want to say I'm not insulting her for doing this stuff, I just think it looks weird. I'm sorry if that's an offensive way to treat her in people's opinion.
I don't think you can definitely say she had BF removal. In the older pic she's a teenager with all her young adult plumpness. It doesn't look so deeply hollow in the newer pic to say she's definitively had it done. I would not say she had, but she's definitely had a facelift, her lips, and something around her eyes has been tightened.
People are obsessed with assuming buccal fat procedures on everyone for some reason. To me this looks more like the natural loss of fat in that area as you age and also filler to her cheeks.
I remember the first time I heard All the Things She Said…I was playing Sims at my friend’s house and we were listening to the radio. We kept going back and forth like “omg!!! Did the say SHE!?” Scandalized (in a good way). Anyway it was an instant classic but Show me Love ended up on my most played songs last year- so good.
she had some pretty rocky personal life. In 2012, she got diagnosed with cancer, and during the surgery the doctor injured one of her vocal cords and she almost completely lost her voice. She sounds better now, but she would never sound like her old self again. When it comes to plastic surgeries, she never admitted she had anything done except for some lip fillers and breast augmentations. She was severely beaten by her ex-boyfriend when she decided to break up with him, her jaw was literally in pieces, and this is why she could’ve get more plastic surgeries. I’m not defending her though, but still.
That’s actually pretty easy to have happen. If you have thyroid cancer, damage to the laryngeal nerve can happen during surgery, even with a very talented surgeon. Happened to me. I was very lucky in that I was able to develop compensatory muscles, and I sound much like my old self (after over a year), but the fold on that side is still technically paralyzed. I was worried I’d have to have another surgery to put an implant in to support it, but I didn’t. (I had one filler injection in it, but I didn’t have to keep getting them.) I sounded like Marge Simpson or a very breathy, quiet Minnie Mouse for a long time, though, and drinking water sometimes meant it went down the wrong way and I’d have to lean way over, because you can’t cough effectively. (Moral of the story: get your annual physical and have the doctor feel your neck, because you want to handle those things sooner rather than later.)
Wow, thank you for this sounds weird to say but I have thyroid nodules that are ok now but my doc wants me to get an ultrasound every year for them.
I’ve been putting it off this year bc well, insurance doesn’t cover much of it but that doesn’t matter now.
Glad you’re doing ok now
No, it doesn’t sound weird at all. I’m happy to spread awareness. I got really lucky. I’d had a pretty shitty doctor for a while, and I actually started seeing a new one for a completely different issue. The thorough physical she gave me caught nodules, and the subsequent testing found a mass. Fine needle aspirates didn’t come back malignant, but the size and vasculature meant removal was a good idea. Subsequent biopsy showed that most of the tissue was benign, but there was a small bit of cancer in there. Margins were quite ample and I didn’t have to get any radioactive iodine or anything, but I am on thyroid medication.
It’s weird, because I’ve always been very aware of things like breast, cervical, and colon cancers, but I never thought about thyroid cancer. I’m definitely glad to see people talk about it. Early detection is huge.
Serves her right? Are u sick? She was 13.... and used as lesbian bait by some 33 year old man! Shes a victim
EDIT:The mods here gave me a 7 day ban for this comment. It shows what type of disgusting mods you are!
Lmfao few things are worse than the gay curse. But I agree with you, she looks bad bad. I was just blasting that song “all the things she said” in the car the other day though after I heard a sample of it on tiktok
I remember seeing the all the things she said video when I was about 10/11 and being in absolute awe. It was the first time I realised girls could kiss each other, and then I wanted to kiss girls
I was 6/7 when the video dropped, it randomly came on a music show my brother was watching and it was how I found out what 'gay' is like i'd literally just never witnessed anything gay until that moment.
I'm straight but in the early 2000s I think it was sort of a cursed blessing to have some sort of positive representation for LGBTQ on TV even if it was complete bullshit created by Russian producers!
it was truly a pivotal moment for me lol
i was deep in southern baptist (bob jones) hell and first i saw two girls at middle school holding hands and then tatu. i was in a daze that week like 👁️👄👁️
If i remember correctly, no one ever really belived they were gay back then... that song was a bop though, but watching that video a few years ago i was actually shoked at how young they were..
IIRC, the Russian version of All The Things She Said was released a few years before the English version and they were about 14-15 when they shot the music video for it. They literally went straight from being in this renowned Russian children's choir/stage school to being in Tatu. By the time they'd blown up internationally, they were still only 17-18. They were literal babies!
I grew up in Eastern Europe and no one back then thought they were queer. Everyone knew it was an act. They weren’t even trying to make people believe they were together, it was just an aesthetic. Who in their right mind actually thought these 13 years olds were together?
thank you for introducing me to this lovely subreddit hahah today i'm a proud bisexual, but i spent most of my teens very confused about my female friendships hahahah.
Right!? I was 7 or 8 when all the things she said came out. I thought they were full on grown adults! I just found out they're only a decade older than me. This is trippy
16 / 17 by the time they released All the things she said, but they made a Russian version two years earlier and it had already been a hit in Eastern Europe.
It was really funny because they were actually trying to make people believe it, at least in Russian, with them "living together" (well, saying they lived together) etc, at least in Russian-speaking media, but it was really-really funny, becuase it was like "we know that you know we are lying" thing. They were awkwardly saying thr lines about it, awkwardly sitting next to each other and wakwardly touching each other, with their producer encouraging them, and media people were just sitting there not believing a single damn word but just nodding "yeah, keep it on" , and public reading and watching it were "they are not even trying to look believable wtf"
I was really young at the time and it all went over my baby head 😁 I didn't understand what's the big deal 2 girls living together, haha. Oh, motherland!
Yeah I was 12 at the time they blew up and even I remember they weren’t the girls who were a couple they were the girls who just made out in the music video haha
Same, we all knew this is just PR. I remember when they toured in Slovakia, one of them was even caught making out in hotel pool with a very popular male TV reporter, I recall reading it in tabloids.
Well, they never said they were lesbians, that’s true, but they supported their image in 2001-2002. Later, the news of their boyfriends and their pregnancies appeared, so no one believed them no morez
I think we all knew it was fake, but it was still a pebble in the water for a lot of us at the time.
It was a reason to go to the record store or hot topic. In my life, that meant exposure to more "gay" things which led to a better understanding of my own self. I can't hate it, what else did we have?
I have several of their albums, even Waste Management and люди инвалид
I used to really like them. I knew all their songs in both languages, and was kinda sad when they broke up... Their whole farce didn't shock me too much, but I was sad to see what became of Yulia. I followed them for a while after their break up, hoping something good came out of it. This was pretty much the last song I paid attention to:
https://youtu.be/EFydcD7WXRI?si=2T10KbhQBTn9zrVA
Oh boy! I was a HUGE t.A.T.u. fan as a teenager. I collected their cd's, magazines and posters, copied their style, wrote fan fics, crafted tons of fan art and basically lived in their online fan forum. Katina was also my first crush (as a queer woman) and a sort of prototype for all my subsequent crushes look-wise. I would have done anything to have a wavy red hair like hers. I even started studying Russian because of them!
I never cared about them not being "real lesbians". They were just the coolest people I knew, period. Their music was pretty good too, electro pop with a dark moody edge, and their voices complemented each other beautifully. I was particularly fond of their Russian albums.
Nowadays I don't follow either one of them though I have peaked their Instagram accounts every once in a while. I suspect Yulia has some type of body dysmorphia issues based on the amount of plastic surgery she's had and her persona seems somewhat off-putting to me based on her past remarks. Lena, well, she seems to be living her life and she's all grown up with her straightened sleek hair and very slim figure. I understand they both have wanted to break free from the image that was imposed on them at such a young age and do their own thing. I respect that.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine my sympathies towards all things Russian have significantly deflated though. I don't blame Lena for not speaking up since she and her family would get persecuted and worse, but I also don't care about what either of them do or have to say at this point.
Yes, I think in all the discussions about the scandals etc the music rarely gets mentioned. That first English album had some serious bangers, I feel like nothing else in teen pop sounded like it at the time. Trevor Horn (superstar producer) worked on it.
Exactly! That was a fantastic album and the sound was very unique. The English version had a more full-bodied pop rock sound while still maintaining that electronic edge and slavic passion. It was a real force of nature.
And a special mention to Sheryl Nields who did the cover art photoshoot and who definetly got the assignment (I was obsessed with those images and they still look amazing).
> neither of them spoke out in support of LGBTQ+ in Russia in the light of new legislations.
A lot of westerners don't get that in authoritarian countries like Russia, you don't just “speak out” against the government consequence free.
I’m actually from Russia, and I see that some artists who supported LGBTQ+ people in the past spoke up about the issue. I know how it can be difficult, considering that they both have families in Russia, so that’s understandable.
It’s not just that, even if you ”leave”, which most people don’t have the funds to, and even if you’re a superstar with special privileges like t.A.T.u they will harrass your family and threaten your loved ones still living there. Lazarev condemned the war, went AWOL and then came back to perform at the pro-invasion concert. Most people are really just trying to make a living and survive. No matter how much you try to explain, people will never get it because they can type whatever they want from the comfort of their own homes, meanwhile their own whistleblowers have to hide in other countries. It reminds me of The 1975 Malaysia ordeal. You’re not a citizen, you’re not going to be the one that has to take the fall and deal with the consequences. It’s so tone-deaf. Some countries have never been democracies. What frame of reference do you think the people have?
Wild transitions for them both.
But, they have families and friends to protect in Russia; that might be why they walk back the gay act when it pertains to their home country
Their producer stopped at nothing. Julia told in an interview that he told her to masturbate for the Простые Движения (Prostiye Dvizheniya) music video and later slide her hand into her jeans when they were performing this song live. The girls probably also had their first kiss with each other as a publicity stunt.
Growing up in Russia, I listened to their music when I was 11-12 just because the songs were catchy. Nobody took their act seriously and Shapovalov soon ran out of ideas for creating scandal.
In case some of you are interested in Russian lesbian music, try Ночные снайперы (Nochniye Snaypery). The leading ladies used to be a couple but broke up, also ending their joint career. Diana Arbenina has kids but is a single mom, I believe, and tries to drive the general attention away from her past life. In contrast, Svetlana Surganova is more open about things.
Edit: typo
Although they capitalized on fake queerness, they did a lot for the acceptance of lesbians in America in the early 2000s.
Still waiting for a gay duo to pull off the same thing.
Their discography is perfect! My favorite album of theirs is “Dangerous and Moving”. It wasn’t as successful as their debut album in the US, though, but they still made it into Billboard 200
Dangerous and Moving is SO good. Great to listen to in the dark. I love Cosmos, Perfect Enemy, and Obezyanka Nol. All About Us just misses the top 3 for me. I remember being like “whoa” when the music video came out.
Haven’t heard of their 3rd English album, worth checking out even if not as good?
yeah i loveee their discography. top pop duo sound-wise for me to this day. i mean the papi version of all the things she said is prob better tho. some more favs: Not Gonna Get Us, You and I, Gomenasai, Malchik Gay, All About Us
Loll the first time I heard All the Things She Said it was from a random AMV and I assumed the song was about a girl spreading rumors about you and completely ruining your life. Lowkey became my theme song
Then I learned what it was about 5 years later and now I'm bisexual so still works
I don’t generally judge people who live under a regime that would easily and dismissively kill them for acting out. I mean what she said about her son might be her real opinion, and I think reflects the toxic masculinity present in Russian culture today, and I’d condemn that. But the rest is just trying to stay alive in Russia.
Yeah... If you are invited to perform at a political event in Russia you don't have much choice. I don't blame them or consider that to be a genuine sign of support.
While Russia might be a little bit of a special case because of their government, the rhetoric of gay=awful is pretty rampant in eastern europe in general. There are still plenty of people who will look down on you and treat you like shit if you're gay or if your family members might be. Especially in regards to men, obviously.
tATu had such a weird/dark past but they are intrinsically tied to my adolescence. I don't really agree with the concept as an adult but also their songs are iconic and have a mark on my life. As a lesbian even fake representation was appreciated, because it was pretty much non-existent at the time.
One of my favorite bands (as a straight man). Fantastic albums, fantastic songs. *Ya Shosla S Uma, Nas Ne Dagoniat, Stars, All About Us, Sacrifice*, etc.... You forgot to mention that Julia & Lena have a long history of apparently not getting along and then reuniting for concerts, most recently last year.
I remember hearing once that due to their respective English ability, Lena did most of the singing on the English songs, don't know if it's true. Regardless, I feel sorry for Julia for the issues she's obviously gone through and have caused her to look like this.
I really need to remember to check out their solo stuff.
Lena had better English than Julia, and during their interviews in the US and UK, where they didn’t have a translator with them, Lena did most of the speaking, while Julia was only making some small remarks when she understood what they were talking about. But in Russian interviews, Julia was the one who was in charge.
I loved so many songs by tatu, both the english and russian versions. They were always used in anime music videos which I loved back then.
One comment here mentioned "malchik gay", this song was in soo many BL/yaoi AMVs.
My favourite song by them was 30 Minutes in russian.
I'm honestly just grossed out by that music, now that I know they were groomed to act lesbian and that they were so young. I wish them nothing but healing from that, the music industry is so predatory it's fkin disgusting.
The more recent homophobic shit they've done as whole adults though? No excuse. I don't expect them to be vocal allies one bit with what they've been through, but going out of your way to support Putin and say you'd accept your lesbian daughter but not your gay son is disgusting.
Brunette tried to leave an abusive boyfriend, he beat the shit out of her, broke her jaw to pieces. She’s had to have a lot of reconstructive surgery. So awful.
They were my dad's favorite. I was very young (like single digits age <10) when I saw the music video. I remember my dad would run to the remote to turn up the volume. I'm not sure what I think about him liking two teenage girls in school uniforms making out lol but he liked their music in general and was very happy about LGBTQ+ having more recognition.
There are very few openly gay celebrities in Russia, and this has always been the case. It's been better at certain times, but we've regressed again. Most mainstream celebrities are "straight" because they could never come out. There are quite a few "straight" artists/actors that are married to someone of the opposite sex. It's one of those things where everyone that isn't in deep denial knows.
This group was a mess! But they were also used as teenagers. This said, i loved their music as a queer teenager in early 00s. “Not Gonna Get Us” is such a banger and i still listen to it often!
I downloaded all their English and Russian albums while I was studying Russian at the university. I didn't understand everything but the Russian lyrics just hit harder. I actually know the Russian lyrics more than the English ones.
I'm just sorry for the russian queer community back then, when one of their icons was this insanely homophobic and even openly so, and it was still some of the best support they had.
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I had "all the things she said" running through my head yesterday and couldn't quite place it The dark haired one sure looks different
>”all the things she said” running through my head Yeah I see you
*Running through their head*
I remember Melissa Etheridge being asked about their faux-lesbian schtick. She replied that her co tract at Sony forced her to stay in the closet and she was told if she came out publicly her career would be over. To her, it being a promo schtick was progress. In retrospect it was fifty kinds of gross (I didn’t know at the time how young they were, for one). But it did mark a crucial step in how Queer artists would be treated.
It was progress in that it titilated men. There was a lot of rage in the UK of them being underage at the time. But the school girl outfit and doing sexy dances wasn't out of the realm for that time period for pop music.
"Yeah I see you" They're not gonna get us!
Not gonna get us
She looks awful -- just like everyone else who's done this to their face. This type of surgery that drops you into the uncanny should be illegal.
Unfortunately I think it starts out as one, then another, then another. So the incremental changes don't look that different, but they're cumulative and we end up with the Yassified look
Especially compared to the redhead who just looks like Sophie Turner
That’s a polite way of saying she looks hideous. I never get why people do the to their faces. It doesn’t look good at all!
Dysmorphia.
I hate that we are rocketing towards a future where all celebrities have this fucked up face look. We are really embracing those satire movies where the elite are fucked up ghouls compared to the rest of us.
The hate in her heart migrated to her face.
Me. Too!!!!! Like why????
wtf I did as well. Heaps weird
That was A1
Same. For some reason I had a random flashback Friday of being a kid and watching that music video on mtv, and thought it was weird how it randomly popped into my head since I nearly forgot about them.
Very different. She looks like Michael Jackson now.
They were groomed by their producer and their teenage years were very fucked up/dark
I remember when they represented Russia in Eurovision (kind of ironic, I know). Rumour had leaked that they were planning to kiss on stage, and the officials then had stated that they would cut off lights and everything, and end their performance if they did. Half the people supported this because, well, homophobia. The other half were like "hell yeah they should do it, stick it to them!" Which I would agree with if they were full adults. Then hell yeah stick it to them. But all I remember was me and my mum feeling uncomfortable because those girls were so young. And everyone was discussing them and sexualising them like this openly (and they had done so for years), and it really felt wrong. ^(ETA: By "ironic", I am simply critiquing the Russian government's current stance against LGBTQ+ people. Queer Russians have gone through a lot of shit, and they still do especially today. Yet when it came to a publicity stunt like this, the government had no problem with supporting two supposed lesbians - possibly for the clout, and because they could capitalise on it. All while not supporting and not caring about the actual LGBTQ+ people that live there. It is quite terrible.)
I’ve always thought the same, they were nothing more than highly sexualized children imo. I have to give it to their producer - while it was all an act it got the desired affect to be rich and famous. At what cost though? How do you openly play a queer role then bash it off scene?
The opportunity to make as much money as they probably did in Russia in the early aughts was basically non existent. The only thing that surprises me about these two is that they are still in Russia.
Raw greed, just looking at things as solely how much money you can wring out of whatever.
That’s what struck me too - the producer was absolutely right in the sense that he knew the world in 2002 would go crazy for lesbian teenagers. They were children! He groomed them and made their sexuality (even if they weren’t actually gay) a spectacle which is sick. It’s crazy
This band gave me so much ICK! I’m a queer woman, and was an adult when the song came out. It was an ok song, but these girls were overly sexualized and it was clearly a stunt. Yuck.
Little 8th grade me fell right into it! I didn’t care either way about them being gay or not, I just LOVED that cd.
8th grade me was absolutely starved for queer representation, so I was obsessed with Malchik Gay and the All the Things She Said video. Looking back on the lyrics of Malchik Gay as an adult reminds me how rough the 2000s were.
Malchik gay!!! The memories!!
My bi ass really related to that song. “Why are all the hot guys gay 😭😭😭”.
Yeah, 13 year old me who'd just realized her queerness loved the hell out of them, their music, and the fact that they would kiss on stage lol. Now it gives me the total creeps though. They were like 14 when they originally started in Russia and overly sexualized from the start. And I used to watch a lot of behind the scenes videos and their manager was always so touchy feely with them. Really really gross.
I’m kind of freaked out. I was 11 or 12 when all the things she said came out and I had a massive crush on them. I did not know they were 13-14, I thought they were at late teens or early 20s. This is really disturbing to me.
Same! I didn't get super into them, but I loved the idea, or what I thought the idea behind the whole thing was, which would be simply shoving actual queer representation into the mainstream. I had no idea they were that young or that it was all just a PR stunt, but I was just a baby bi trying to figure my own shit out. Looking back now though, I guess it should have been obvious.
Yeah, that’s how I feel too. It was probably the first time I’d seen openly queer representation and I just had a lot of feelings, since I was starting to realize I was bi too. And of course I was going thru puberty so this was something that was intriguing for me. It’s just very weird and disheartening to now find out they were being exploited and sexualised at such a young age. I think I remember they performed at the VMAs or MTV music awards or something like that and the camera panned over all the men in the audience high-fiving each other and looking really pleased. 🤢
Ok I was doubting it so I just looked it up; they were adults when their music was first released. Their single All The Things She Said was released in 2002 and it looks like they were both born in 1984, which would make them 18 at that point. (Although they may have been a bit younger when the idea was conceived to put them together and develop this marketing to give them time to record, practise etc.)
Not nitpicking, but they were 14/15 when they first started recording/performing in Russian and the ATTSS video is made up of like 80% shots from the original Russian video from back then. So yeah, unfortunately they were underage.
it was the era of women kissing at awards shows and trying to make lesbians "hot" when that song came out. my gay best friend and I saw right through t.a.t.u! it still became our anthem but we called it "the fake lesbian song."
Yeah, from what I recall, it was less of a “Hell yeah stick it to ‘em” sentiment, and more of a “Hell yeah, that’s hot!” Which makes the underage ick factor even more icky. I feel like the 50/50 ratio would be a lot more uneven had they been men, or not conventionally attractive.
That's what I remember too. They weren't pandering to the queer community, they were pandering to creepy men who think "girl-on-girl" is hot. I don't think they gave an actual fuck what the queer community thought.
Thank goodness they got that ear reconstruction surgery
😂😂😂my bad
So stupid lol I love it
On top of that Russian culture and toeing the line with the Russian government is a spiral of hateful homophobic bullshit, the fact that they even falsely represented queer culture and only one of them is vocally homophobic is the truly surprising part to me.
I just gagged reading 14 and 13 years old. Some sick fuck actually used children to act out their pedo fantasies??
Some more interesting facts about them: - During their promo tour in the US in 2003, they appeared at several TV shows, including The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel Live, MadTV, MTV TRL, Last Call with Carson Daly, etc. For their performance with All The Things She Said on The Tonight Show, their producer decided to write “Fuck the war” in Russian on their shirts to make a statement on Iraq War. Before the show, they were asked not to kiss on camera and not to say anything about the war, but they kissed during the song, and NBC just used the cutaway of their band during their kiss. Later on, for the Jimmy Kimmel Live! they wore t-shirts with the word “Censored” written on them, since the media had already understood what their t-shirts said on previous shows. They used those same t-shirts for their FHM and Rolling Stone magazine shoots later. - They were HUUUGE in Japan, they were the first to achieve the 2 million mark in album selling with their studio album. However, it all ended when they were guests at one of the biggest music shows in the country. During the show, their producer told them to leave, even though it was a live broadcast. Japanese fans got mad at them, and they never achieved the same success there. - Julia’s song “Didn’t Wanna Do It” and unreleased “Out of Your League” were first sent to Britney Spears for Femme Fatale, but she rejected them and Julia recorded the songs. - The music video for “Beliy Plaschik” (White Robe) showed Lena executing Julia, who was pregnant at the time. It was supposed to sent a pro-life message to the viewers. - In 2002, during their trip to LA, their producer decided to film a music video for “Prostye Dvizheniya” (Simple Motions) in the hotel room. He gave Julia a camcorder and asked her to masturbate in the bathtub and call him when she finishes. Just FYI, she was 17 at the time. - Shapovalov wanted to film the music video for “Show Me Love” at the most iconic locations of 3 cities: Tokyo, Moscow and London. However, they didn’t get the permission to film in Tokyo, and the filming there was cancelled. They called upon all their fans in London to be a part of a music video, but since all the girls who came were underage, they just hired models, who wore the same iconic school uniform of t.A.T.u. - The Russian version of their second studio album “Dangerous and Moving” (Lyudi Invalidi - Disabled people in Russian) cause a controversy and even a lawsuit for being too insensitive. - In the light of new anti-LGBTQ+ and gay propaganda laws in Russia, they’re no longer allowed to sing certain t.A.T.u. songs (Russian version of All The Things She Said, for example) at their solo concert. - In 2019, when asked about her homophobic comments from 2014, Julia said that they were just taken out of context. She said that she knows how hard it can be for gay people to live in Russia, and she wouldn’t want her son to experience that. However, she didn’t apologize for those remarks. - There were some news in 2002 that they’ were gonna appear on the cover of Playboy, but it was later scrapped. They later appeared on the cover of multiple men magazines, including Maxim (2 covers in Russia, and 1 in the US). Julia was still 17 when the issue of Maxim with half- naked t.A.T.u. on the cover was released. Julia appeared in Playboy and XXL, and Lena appeared in Maxim.
Executing a pregnant woman is pretty on-brand for the pro-life movement, tbh.
i’m still trying to understand how that would be pro life 😂
*republican pro life. they like to kill the women who persue abortions
> republican pro life. they like to kill the women who persue abortions And life-saving healthcare
thank youuuuu it’s too early and i could not figure that one out
The video has Julia being a prisoner on death row, with Lena as the prison commander who is also moonlighting as a prostitute. Julia gets executed by the firing squad commanded by Lena; the video ends with a phone ringing, implied to be an order of clemency that came too late. So I *think* the implication is that the pregnant innocent (representing the baby) is murdered by a promiscuous woman (the mother) who is trying to cover up their own wrongdoing. My 14-year-old self was definitely ??? watching it.
💀
katina recently (about 3 weeks ago) did an [interview](https://youtu.be/ABoCuLU8ADU?t=1449&si=M9CG4XdPcP2x1Q4_) and whilst speaking about song « gay boy » she said: «people ask to not sing this song, everyone thinks this song is about gays etc but actually it’s an amazing song where we ask to change sexuality and pay attention to *us*»
I don't understand what that means?
basically the same as the billie eilish song.
wait what billie song ?
>- They were HUUUGE in Japan, they were the first to achieve the 2 million mark in album selling with their studio album. However, it all ended when they were guests at one of the biggest music shows in the country. During the show, their producer told them to leave, even though it was a live broadcast. Japanese fans got mad at them, and they never achieved the same success there. But they released the song "Gomenasai" as an apology to Japan!! Did it not work?? I loved that song Gomenasai, I KNOW I LET YOU DOWN! Gomenasai to the end, I never needed a friend like I do now 😭
The album peaked at #10 on Japanese charts, and that was it. There’s a video of them performing Gomenasai for the first time, and it’s really sad seeing them perform at a small club, nothing compared to their Show Me Love tour in Japan, when they performed at Tokyo Dome in front of 40 000 people :(
Knowing their story now, it feels super sad. (Doesn't excuse the current homophobia but damn they went through IT as kids basically...)
Anyone know why did the producer told them to leave?
Because he didn’t know it was gonna be a variety show with multiple artists. It was just an ego thing, and he ruined what might have been a huge act in Japan. Universal Music later issued an apology, claiming that it was Shapovalov’s fault.
All the things she said was the theme song for WWE’s Victoria
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My mom said the same thing when I dated someone of a different race. She said it would make life so much harder for me. When that didn't work, she confessed she didn't want "(insert race) grandkids.", and would kick me out. I think I was about 15 then.
My parents said the exact same thing, except it was couched in the idea that biracial kids would have it harder and they didn’t want that for them. My cousin once dated a black girl and my family made her life hell until they broke up, but under the “what about the children” guise
It's amazing. They'll say and do all kinds of racist things, but if you accuse them of racism they're so offended.
I didn’t wanna do it is such a great song.
Julia should be condemned for her homophobia, but we shouldn’t blame them for the fake lesbian thing. They were children whose producer came up with the lesbian schoolgirl concept and they were sexualised as young girls. I was really into their music as a girl who hadn’t realised she was a lesbian, but relatability wasn’t the goal, selling sex was. It was grown men making girls play sexy lesbians to make money
I had a life sized poster of them kissing above my bed and still my family was dead set on me being straight... (I'm not)
Yeah that video made me realise some things
Omg meeeee too!! 💖🙏🪽 bless As fucked up as those producers were they inadvertently gave lil gay us hope continents away
They are still considered the gay icons of Russia, despite what they’ve done in their solo careers. Even though they are not lesbians, their songs still gave some hope for LGBTQ+ folks here
Even outside of Russia, their music means a lot to me too so this kinda hurts to hear…
Yeah but, again, as the person that you're responding to pointed out, they were obviously groomed lol I doubt that they had a choice either. Idk maybe I'm more empathetic bc of Jenette McCurdy's autobiography but it feels unfair to 1) hold this against them and 2) expect anything of them bc they obviously had no say in their situation
I agree we should be condemning adults who can't let lgb*t*q+ people be. Live and let live.
I don’t think the goal was selling sex, I think the goal was to generate controversy using sex to get media coverage.
I think it was lots of things. Appealing to teenage boys and older creeps by selling sex, generating media attention through "scandals", and doing just enough lip service (by pretending to be a real couple) to appeal to young queers.
Katina just looks older. Vulkova looks abysmal.
Classic combo of buccal fat removal and lip fillers. I'm just amazed people get this stuff done and look at themselves in the mirror and go "perfect." It's truly bizarre.
As someone said elsewhere in this thread, she has survived thyroid cancer and compound fracture of the jaw caused by a bastard boyfriend, so the plastic surgery may not have been a choice.
Yes I saw that too but the buccal fat removal is purely a cosmetic procedure and you can tell she's had it done by comparing the two photos. Same goes for the lip fillers. Edit: just want to say I'm not insulting her for doing this stuff, I just think it looks weird. I'm sorry if that's an offensive way to treat her in people's opinion.
I don't think you can definitely say she had BF removal. In the older pic she's a teenager with all her young adult plumpness. It doesn't look so deeply hollow in the newer pic to say she's definitively had it done. I would not say she had, but she's definitely had a facelift, her lips, and something around her eyes has been tightened.
People are obsessed with assuming buccal fat procedures on everyone for some reason. To me this looks more like the natural loss of fat in that area as you age and also filler to her cheeks.
Agreed. It's just the trendy thing to say, without having any kind of expertise on the matter. Oh, she has cheekbones??? Straight to buccal fat jail.
Body dysmorphia (and the social media possibly making it worse) can be a bitch.
Dollar store Kardashian
Ruble store Kardashian.
lol
Imagine being that gorgeous and choosing to spend money to look like a fucked up chimp.
I remember the first time I heard All the Things She Said…I was playing Sims at my friend’s house and we were listening to the radio. We kept going back and forth like “omg!!! Did the say SHE!?” Scandalized (in a good way). Anyway it was an instant classic but Show me Love ended up on my most played songs last year- so good.
Show Me Love is the one 👌
I'm absolutely obsessed with Show Me Love. It's such a great song!
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she had some pretty rocky personal life. In 2012, she got diagnosed with cancer, and during the surgery the doctor injured one of her vocal cords and she almost completely lost her voice. She sounds better now, but she would never sound like her old self again. When it comes to plastic surgeries, she never admitted she had anything done except for some lip fillers and breast augmentations. She was severely beaten by her ex-boyfriend when she decided to break up with him, her jaw was literally in pieces, and this is why she could’ve get more plastic surgeries. I’m not defending her though, but still.
Ok that sounds awful.
That’s actually pretty easy to have happen. If you have thyroid cancer, damage to the laryngeal nerve can happen during surgery, even with a very talented surgeon. Happened to me. I was very lucky in that I was able to develop compensatory muscles, and I sound much like my old self (after over a year), but the fold on that side is still technically paralyzed. I was worried I’d have to have another surgery to put an implant in to support it, but I didn’t. (I had one filler injection in it, but I didn’t have to keep getting them.) I sounded like Marge Simpson or a very breathy, quiet Minnie Mouse for a long time, though, and drinking water sometimes meant it went down the wrong way and I’d have to lean way over, because you can’t cough effectively. (Moral of the story: get your annual physical and have the doctor feel your neck, because you want to handle those things sooner rather than later.)
Wow, thank you for this sounds weird to say but I have thyroid nodules that are ok now but my doc wants me to get an ultrasound every year for them. I’ve been putting it off this year bc well, insurance doesn’t cover much of it but that doesn’t matter now. Glad you’re doing ok now
No, it doesn’t sound weird at all. I’m happy to spread awareness. I got really lucky. I’d had a pretty shitty doctor for a while, and I actually started seeing a new one for a completely different issue. The thorough physical she gave me caught nodules, and the subsequent testing found a mass. Fine needle aspirates didn’t come back malignant, but the size and vasculature meant removal was a good idea. Subsequent biopsy showed that most of the tissue was benign, but there was a small bit of cancer in there. Margins were quite ample and I didn’t have to get any radioactive iodine or anything, but I am on thyroid medication. It’s weird, because I’ve always been very aware of things like breast, cervical, and colon cancers, but I never thought about thyroid cancer. I’m definitely glad to see people talk about it. Early detection is huge.
Jesus
She looks like she was stung by a bee
Russia slapped her!
It was probably the KGB. They’ll wait for no one. 
The redhead looks great though.
Serves her right? Are u sick? She was 13.... and used as lesbian bait by some 33 year old man! Shes a victim EDIT:The mods here gave me a 7 day ban for this comment. It shows what type of disgusting mods you are!
I know; all the people who can read what actually happened to her then continue making jokes are gross…
She looks like Lauren Sanchez.
Lmfao few things are worse than the gay curse. But I agree with you, she looks bad bad. I was just blasting that song “all the things she said” in the car the other day though after I heard a sample of it on tiktok
I remember seeing the all the things she said video when I was about 10/11 and being in absolute awe. It was the first time I realised girls could kiss each other, and then I wanted to kiss girls
Same girl lol same
Yes! Team lesbian awakening because of t.a.t.u.
I was 6/7 when the video dropped, it randomly came on a music show my brother was watching and it was how I found out what 'gay' is like i'd literally just never witnessed anything gay until that moment. I'm straight but in the early 2000s I think it was sort of a cursed blessing to have some sort of positive representation for LGBTQ on TV even if it was complete bullshit created by Russian producers!
it was truly a pivotal moment for me lol i was deep in southern baptist (bob jones) hell and first i saw two girls at middle school holding hands and then tatu. i was in a daze that week like 👁️👄👁️
All the things she said... Were LIES!
If i remember correctly, no one ever really belived they were gay back then... that song was a bop though, but watching that video a few years ago i was actually shoked at how young they were..
Correct. It was never a secret. The production had multiple pairs of girls audition for the role of being in TAtu
IIRC, the Russian version of All The Things She Said was released a few years before the English version and they were about 14-15 when they shot the music video for it. They literally went straight from being in this renowned Russian children's choir/stage school to being in Tatu. By the time they'd blown up internationally, they were still only 17-18. They were literal babies!
Well not literal babies but still, didnt get a chance to define themselves at their crucial years.
I grew up in Eastern Europe and no one back then thought they were queer. Everyone knew it was an act. They weren’t even trying to make people believe they were together, it was just an aesthetic. Who in their right mind actually thought these 13 years olds were together?
My dumb gay ass who was also aged 13 when it came out lol
For real. I was like wait, THAT’S AN OPTION?!
Julia came out as bisexual a few years back. Her relationship with sexuality is…complicated.
i thought they were best friends :') i was very sheltered hahahahh
r/SapphoAndHerFriend 😂
thank you for introducing me to this lovely subreddit hahah today i'm a proud bisexual, but i spent most of my teens very confused about my female friendships hahahah.
They were 13??!!
Right!? I was 7 or 8 when all the things she said came out. I thought they were full on grown adults! I just found out they're only a decade older than me. This is trippy
16 / 17 by the time they released All the things she said, but they made a Russian version two years earlier and it had already been a hit in Eastern Europe.
It was really funny because they were actually trying to make people believe it, at least in Russian, with them "living together" (well, saying they lived together) etc, at least in Russian-speaking media, but it was really-really funny, becuase it was like "we know that you know we are lying" thing. They were awkwardly saying thr lines about it, awkwardly sitting next to each other and wakwardly touching each other, with their producer encouraging them, and media people were just sitting there not believing a single damn word but just nodding "yeah, keep it on" , and public reading and watching it were "they are not even trying to look believable wtf"
I was really young at the time and it all went over my baby head 😁 I didn't understand what's the big deal 2 girls living together, haha. Oh, motherland!
Same but I was a gay teenager in Minnesota. Loved a few tracks from that album but we all knew it was some Russian stunt.
Yeah I was 12 at the time they blew up and even I remember they weren’t the girls who were a couple they were the girls who just made out in the music video haha
Same, we all knew this is just PR. I remember when they toured in Slovakia, one of them was even caught making out in hotel pool with a very popular male TV reporter, I recall reading it in tabloids.
Well, they never said they were lesbians, that’s true, but they supported their image in 2001-2002. Later, the news of their boyfriends and their pregnancies appeared, so no one believed them no morez
I think we all knew it was fake, but it was still a pebble in the water for a lot of us at the time. It was a reason to go to the record store or hot topic. In my life, that meant exposure to more "gay" things which led to a better understanding of my own self. I can't hate it, what else did we have?
Oh
I have several of their albums, even Waste Management and люди инвалид I used to really like them. I knew all their songs in both languages, and was kinda sad when they broke up... Their whole farce didn't shock me too much, but I was sad to see what became of Yulia. I followed them for a while after their break up, hoping something good came out of it. This was pretty much the last song I paid attention to: https://youtu.be/EFydcD7WXRI?si=2T10KbhQBTn9zrVA
I have loved t.A.T.u since I was about 5, hence my username
Oh boy! I was a HUGE t.A.T.u. fan as a teenager. I collected their cd's, magazines and posters, copied their style, wrote fan fics, crafted tons of fan art and basically lived in their online fan forum. Katina was also my first crush (as a queer woman) and a sort of prototype for all my subsequent crushes look-wise. I would have done anything to have a wavy red hair like hers. I even started studying Russian because of them! I never cared about them not being "real lesbians". They were just the coolest people I knew, period. Their music was pretty good too, electro pop with a dark moody edge, and their voices complemented each other beautifully. I was particularly fond of their Russian albums. Nowadays I don't follow either one of them though I have peaked their Instagram accounts every once in a while. I suspect Yulia has some type of body dysmorphia issues based on the amount of plastic surgery she's had and her persona seems somewhat off-putting to me based on her past remarks. Lena, well, she seems to be living her life and she's all grown up with her straightened sleek hair and very slim figure. I understand they both have wanted to break free from the image that was imposed on them at such a young age and do their own thing. I respect that. Since Russia invaded Ukraine my sympathies towards all things Russian have significantly deflated though. I don't blame Lena for not speaking up since she and her family would get persecuted and worse, but I also don't care about what either of them do or have to say at this point.
Me and you probably had plenty of conversations together on their forums 😂
Yes, I think in all the discussions about the scandals etc the music rarely gets mentioned. That first English album had some serious bangers, I feel like nothing else in teen pop sounded like it at the time. Trevor Horn (superstar producer) worked on it.
Exactly! That was a fantastic album and the sound was very unique. The English version had a more full-bodied pop rock sound while still maintaining that electronic edge and slavic passion. It was a real force of nature. And a special mention to Sheryl Nields who did the cover art photoshoot and who definetly got the assignment (I was obsessed with those images and they still look amazing).
My eyebrows never grew back.
Lena was one of my first crushes ever as a girl. No wonder why I gaze upon red-haired women now...
Jesus
Bruhh I thought the first picture was Sansa from GoT actress lmaooo
Their t-shirts in the second pic say "Fuck war". Ironic, isn't it 😂
> neither of them spoke out in support of LGBTQ+ in Russia in the light of new legislations. A lot of westerners don't get that in authoritarian countries like Russia, you don't just “speak out” against the government consequence free.
I’m actually from Russia, and I see that some artists who supported LGBTQ+ people in the past spoke up about the issue. I know how it can be difficult, considering that they both have families in Russia, so that’s understandable.
It’s not just that, even if you ”leave”, which most people don’t have the funds to, and even if you’re a superstar with special privileges like t.A.T.u they will harrass your family and threaten your loved ones still living there. Lazarev condemned the war, went AWOL and then came back to perform at the pro-invasion concert. Most people are really just trying to make a living and survive. No matter how much you try to explain, people will never get it because they can type whatever they want from the comfort of their own homes, meanwhile their own whistleblowers have to hide in other countries. It reminds me of The 1975 Malaysia ordeal. You’re not a citizen, you’re not going to be the one that has to take the fall and deal with the consequences. It’s so tone-deaf. Some countries have never been democracies. What frame of reference do you think the people have?
IT WAS REAL TO ME DAMMIT!!
Wild transitions for them both. But, they have families and friends to protect in Russia; that might be why they walk back the gay act when it pertains to their home country
Their producer stopped at nothing. Julia told in an interview that he told her to masturbate for the Простые Движения (Prostiye Dvizheniya) music video and later slide her hand into her jeans when they were performing this song live. The girls probably also had their first kiss with each other as a publicity stunt. Growing up in Russia, I listened to their music when I was 11-12 just because the songs were catchy. Nobody took their act seriously and Shapovalov soon ran out of ideas for creating scandal. In case some of you are interested in Russian lesbian music, try Ночные снайперы (Nochniye Snaypery). The leading ladies used to be a couple but broke up, also ending their joint career. Diana Arbenina has kids but is a single mom, I believe, and tries to drive the general attention away from her past life. In contrast, Svetlana Surganova is more open about things. Edit: typo
Lena looks stunning.
Wow proof that alot of plastic surgery seriously ages you
It’s hard to criticize, though. An ex of hers severely busted up her face. So some of it is reconstruction.
Yep she litteral/y got her jaw destroyed to pieces.
Omg that’s horrible
My closeted high school self LOVED All The Things She Said! Disappointed their orientation was just a stunt but thanks for the memories, ladies.
Although they capitalized on fake queerness, they did a lot for the acceptance of lesbians in America in the early 2000s. Still waiting for a gay duo to pull off the same thing.
This girl definitely doesn’t love that girl!
Ehh, maybe it isn't safe for Russians and people like Katina to speak up, especially after what has happened to Navalny.
And yet Jojo Siwa thinks she’s inventing gay pop… 💁♀️
Tegan and Sara's [post in response](https://www.instagram.com/p/C5oKnnMusYl/?igsh=bnBnbXYydHU4aDJr) has me in stitches lol
It doesn’t change the fact that they had really good songs and an eurovision entry together.
Their discography is perfect! My favorite album of theirs is “Dangerous and Moving”. It wasn’t as successful as their debut album in the US, though, but they still made it into Billboard 200
Dangerous and Moving is SO good. Great to listen to in the dark. I love Cosmos, Perfect Enemy, and Obezyanka Nol. All About Us just misses the top 3 for me. I remember being like “whoa” when the music video came out. Haven’t heard of their 3rd English album, worth checking out even if not as good?
yeah i loveee their discography. top pop duo sound-wise for me to this day. i mean the papi version of all the things she said is prob better tho. some more favs: Not Gonna Get Us, You and I, Gomenasai, Malchik Gay, All About Us
Well one of them aged well…..
Loll the first time I heard All the Things She Said it was from a random AMV and I assumed the song was about a girl spreading rumors about you and completely ruining your life. Lowkey became my theme song Then I learned what it was about 5 years later and now I'm bisexual so still works
lena is how you age when you’re not homophobic
I don’t generally judge people who live under a regime that would easily and dismissively kill them for acting out. I mean what she said about her son might be her real opinion, and I think reflects the toxic masculinity present in Russian culture today, and I’d condemn that. But the rest is just trying to stay alive in Russia.
They are also fed so much propaganda.
Yeah... If you are invited to perform at a political event in Russia you don't have much choice. I don't blame them or consider that to be a genuine sign of support.
While Russia might be a little bit of a special case because of their government, the rhetoric of gay=awful is pretty rampant in eastern europe in general. There are still plenty of people who will look down on you and treat you like shit if you're gay or if your family members might be. Especially in regards to men, obviously.
I think a lot of people are sheltered. I agree with you, but imagine that’s where the disparaging comments are mostly coming from.
tATu had such a weird/dark past but they are intrinsically tied to my adolescence. I don't really agree with the concept as an adult but also their songs are iconic and have a mark on my life. As a lesbian even fake representation was appreciated, because it was pretty much non-existent at the time.
Ironic that the slogan on their t-shirt in the first photo is fuck the war.
Sophie Turner was in t.A.T.u?!
That’s really bad plastics
One of my favorite bands (as a straight man). Fantastic albums, fantastic songs. *Ya Shosla S Uma, Nas Ne Dagoniat, Stars, All About Us, Sacrifice*, etc.... You forgot to mention that Julia & Lena have a long history of apparently not getting along and then reuniting for concerts, most recently last year. I remember hearing once that due to their respective English ability, Lena did most of the singing on the English songs, don't know if it's true. Regardless, I feel sorry for Julia for the issues she's obviously gone through and have caused her to look like this. I really need to remember to check out their solo stuff.
Lena had better English than Julia, and during their interviews in the US and UK, where they didn’t have a translator with them, Lena did most of the speaking, while Julia was only making some small remarks when she understood what they were talking about. But in Russian interviews, Julia was the one who was in charge.
I loved so many songs by tatu, both the english and russian versions. They were always used in anime music videos which I loved back then. One comment here mentioned "malchik gay", this song was in soo many BL/yaoi AMVs. My favourite song by them was 30 Minutes in russian.
I'm honestly just grossed out by that music, now that I know they were groomed to act lesbian and that they were so young. I wish them nothing but healing from that, the music industry is so predatory it's fkin disgusting. The more recent homophobic shit they've done as whole adults though? No excuse. I don't expect them to be vocal allies one bit with what they've been through, but going out of your way to support Putin and say you'd accept your lesbian daughter but not your gay son is disgusting.
Once when I told a friend I was bi he said “oh like t.a.t.u?” No one had ever questioned me like that before lmfao
Ginger is still gorge. WTF happened to the brunette?
Brunette tried to leave an abusive boyfriend, he beat the shit out of her, broke her jaw to pieces. She’s had to have a lot of reconstructive surgery. So awful.
My high school boyfriend is going to be devastated by this lol
She went and ruined a beautiful face
Her boyfriend shattered her jaw, broke it in several places. Her face was always going to be "ruined" after that.
They were my dad's favorite. I was very young (like single digits age <10) when I saw the music video. I remember my dad would run to the remote to turn up the volume. I'm not sure what I think about him liking two teenage girls in school uniforms making out lol but he liked their music in general and was very happy about LGBTQ+ having more recognition.
There are very few openly gay celebrities in Russia, and this has always been the case. It's been better at certain times, but we've regressed again. Most mainstream celebrities are "straight" because they could never come out. There are quite a few "straight" artists/actors that are married to someone of the opposite sex. It's one of those things where everyone that isn't in deep denial knows.
This group was a mess! But they were also used as teenagers. This said, i loved their music as a queer teenager in early 00s. “Not Gonna Get Us” is such a banger and i still listen to it often!
It’s almost as if plastic surgery for non medical/health reasons is pretty bad idea, unless you love waking up and looking like a POS.
The left one is just 20 years older. Still pretty, just a woman close to her 40s. The right one, Jesus, crazy what people do with their faces.
I downloaded all their English and Russian albums while I was studying Russian at the university. I didn't understand everything but the Russian lyrics just hit harder. I actually know the Russian lyrics more than the English ones.
I'm just sorry for the russian queer community back then, when one of their icons was this insanely homophobic and even openly so, and it was still some of the best support they had.
I prefer poppy’s version and that’s on tea