Lesbian School Girls t.A.T.u. "Queens of Controversy"

If Enimen is the "King of Controversy" then Lesbian teenage schoolgirls pop duo t.A.T.u. are destined to become the the "Queens of Controversy" t.A.T.u became the most explosive and controversial act in Eastern Europe in 2002 with their scandalous single "Ya Soshla S Uma" ("All The Things She Said"), the story of a love affair, whose evocative video was named MTV Russia's Video of the Year. And now they are coming to America. "200 km/h in the Wrong Lane" t.A.T.u's 2001 debut album on Universal Music Russia, sold more than 1,000,000 copies. t.A.T.u's concert appearances at huge clubs and stadiums draw upwards of 50,000 fans.

t.A.T.u's pop electronica has an edge. With a shrill high pitch vocal. The US electronica underground scene became hip to t.A.T.u. through the electronic underground DJ wizards - whose custom remixes of foreign versions quickly became a hit at trendy tech-no clubs all across the US. That's what enticed esteemed producer Trevor Horn to work with t.A.T.u on English-language versions of "200 km/h in the Wrong Lane" released via Interscope Records. Is it mere coincidence this is also Enimen’s label? Or is controversy the new marketing gimmick to sell records?

Trevor Horns’, credits include The Buggles "Video Killed The Radio Star" and the acclaimed "The Art Of Noise" as well as producer for The Pet Shop Boys, Grace Jones, and Frankie Goes To Hollywood.

t.A.T.u. are Julia Olegovna Volkova (aka Julia Volkova; born 1985) and Elena Sergeevna Katina (aka Lena Katina; born 1984). Named after an internationally fashionable word, the teen-pop duo delivered captivating electronic beats, melodies and controversial lyrics. The lyrics, although not written by Julia and Lena themselves, are about their lives and are based somewhat in part on their suggestions.

Tatu signed up to Universal Music Russia on May 16, 2001. Their debut single, "Ya Soshla s Uma," (I've Lost My Mind), based on a story about a lesbian affair between two young girls, became their first smash, gaining international exposure through MTV (Top Five on the most requested videos chart). After issuing a second single called "Nas Ne Dogoniat," (They Won't Catch Us), their album "200 Po Ustrechnoi" (Driving 200 Miles in the Opposite Lane) hit high speed.

It takes plenty of work to maintain their cultivated image. The girls have to sing endlessly about girl love. They also have to constantly kiss in public and answer questions about whether or not they really are gay.

The new "Queens of Controversy" marketing exploitation genius is the brain child of Producer Ivan Shapovalov. You just have to commend a guy with the gonads to pull this one off. Before t.A.T.u., he worked in advertising producing television commercials. Shapovalov also practiced psychiatry, which he was trained for. Ivan hand picked the girls, who knew each other before. They were 14 years old at the time.  "My attention was caught by something they had between them, and I developed the rest", says Shapovalov in a recent interview.   

Shapovalov denies claims that t.A.T.u.'s lesbian behavior is just an act. "It is only possible to surprise society with something that is genuine. I discovered something real in them that I could show."

Though the girls have swept up a huge fan base in Russia, France, Germany & the UK. Only recently are they being "formally introduced" by mainstream US media., including a recent appearance on Jay Leno - where the camera man censored out the kissing portion of "their act". They were asked nicely not to and they did anyway - claims a reliable source. Indeed many eyebrows were raised across America. Who knew the line between marketing & pedophilia was so blurred?

In doing my research for this article I uncovered this tidbit of news, not yet mentioned by US press & media. Remember we get you the news here first at Internet Video Mag.

Russian songwriter Sergey Galoyan now says he wrote and produced the song "Everything She Said", and that he brought Tatu stars Lena and Julia together in 1999. three years ago in his Moscow bedroom. The credits on Tatu's album says Sergey was responsible only for the music, meaning he is in line for a much smaller share of the royalties.

Sergey has now served their record company Universal ( In Russia )with legal papers. He told The Sun: "I originally called it "I Lost My Mind" and it sounds exactly like the version on the radio now. I'm very angry about the way I have been treated because I feel cheated. It's not about the money. I'm proud of the song and I want the recognition I deserve."

A spokesman for Universal said no one was available for comment.

As for the US version of the recently released music video clip for "Everything She Said" it reminds me of a bad 25 cent porn arcade movie. Set in presumably a school yard with curious onlookers in a rainy atmosphere to make the video "wet". with an over used flash effect. Some fast paced clips are blurred with a cool effect, but much of the edit is choppy. Though there are subtle hints of symbolism in the video - it seems to lack any definite story line. Instead, it relies on steamy scenes of the girls in their little school girl outfits kissing each other.

While the music is deserving of praise -the music video is a cheap slap-shot. Or maybe that is all part of the marketing. If for no other reason than it’s boldness this clip earns a IVM Internet Video of the week nomination.

Hosted on numerous sites worldwide this is the most reliable and clean US version.