T.A.T.U

Biography: t.A.T.u. was formed on May 31, 1999 by TV advert producer Shapovalov. After holding auditions and first finding Lena Katina, and later Yulia Volkova, he formed the pop duo. Originally the group's major themes were love (specifically lesbian-themed), no war, and rebellion. The name t.A.T.u. is short short for "ta lyubit tu, meaning "This girl loves that girl".
The first single, "Ya Soshla S Uma" (I Have Lost My Mind), was released in Russia in 2000, selling over fifty thousand copies. It would later be followed by the English version "All The Things She Said" in 2002.
In 2001 they released their debut Russian album "200 Po Vstrechnoy" (200 Against the Traffic). In two months, the album sold over 500,000 copies, and 850,000 overall in just one year. In the autumn of 2001, the album was released in Slovakia, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, and Poland. On May 15, 2002, t.A.T.u. received the IFPI Platinum Europe Award for one million copies of an album sold in Europe. In June 2002,t.A.T.u. was formed on May 31, 1999 by TV advert producer Shapovalov. After holding auditions and first finding Lena Katina, and later Yulia Volkova, he formed the pop duo. Originally the group's major themes were love (specifically lesbian-themed), no war, and rebellion. The name t.A.T.u. is short short for "ta lyubit tu, meaning "This girl loves that girl".
The first single, "Ya Soshla S Uma" (I Have Lost My Mind), was released in Russia in 2000, selling over fifty thousand copies. It would later be followed by the English version "All The Things She Said" in 2002.
In 2001 they released their debut Russian album "200 Po Vstrechnoy" (200 Against the Traffic). In two months, the album sold over 500,000 copies, and 850,000 overall in just one year. In the autumn of 2001, the album was released in Slovakia, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, and Poland. On May 15, 2002, t.A.T.u. received the IFPI Platinum Europe Award for one million copies of an album sold in Europe.
In June 2002, they finished recording their first English album "200 Km/H in the Wrong Lane" in Los Angeles. They started on a promo tour around the States and the rest of Europe.
On September 3 of the same year, their first English single "All the Things She Said" premiered on the radio worldwide. It received gold status in Italy (twenty-five thousand copies sold) on the first day. That December, the English album was released and at once became a best seller. The duo soared to popularity in the U.S.
In 2003 the debut English album received gold status in England, South Africa, Korea, Singapore, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Spain, and Mexico, and platinum in Taiwan, Finland, Poland, and Italy. t.A.T.u. established a record in sales in Japan, selling 1.8 million copies of their first single, breaking records set by The Beatles, Michael Jackson, and Madonna.
In January of 2004, the group started recording their second album, as well as filming a reality show titled "Podnesbesnaya" (Underhaven), in the penthouse of the Peking Hotel in Moscow. It was intended that with the end of the reality show, the album would be released. The series was broadcasted on the TV channel STS and caused a wide public resonance.
t.A.T.u.'s contract with their producer Ivan Shapovalov was set to expire that year. The girls decided not to renew the deal, and they parted ways from Shapovalov. In May, they received the right to the title of t.A.T.u. That same month, it was revealed that Volkova was five months pregnant with her first child. As a result, the album release would be delayed for some time. On September 23, Yulia gave birth to her daughter Vika. In January 2005 the girls went in Interscope Records studio in Los Angeles to resume recording the next album. By then, their first album had sold over four million copies worldwide.
In October 2005, the second albums were released, entitled "Dangerous and Moving" and "Lyudi Invalidy" (Disabled People). The album went platinum, selling 62,000 copies in the first week. In the spring of 2006, they appeared on their own Russian reality show called "t.A.T.u. Expedition", which followed them around while they were on tour. At that time, they held a large concert over several nights that made up their film "Truth: Life in St. Petersburg". In August 2006, t.A.T.u. ended their contract with Interscope/Universal
Later, they held a press conference in which they said they were planning to release their third album in 2007. That year, Yulia announced she was pregnant with her second child. In August 2007, the girls participated in a fictional film based on the book "t.A.T.u. Comeback" (the movie was re-titled "You and I") starring Mischa Barton. The movie was about two t.A.T.u. fans who met on the internet and fell in love. t.A.T.u. released the first single to their third album in November. The single was titled "Beliy Plaschik" (White Robe). Yulia appeared six months pregnant in the video. She gave birth to her son Samir on December 27 in Moscow.
The third album was delayed for a year, but finally came in October 2008, titled "Veselye Ulybki" (Happy Smiles). The album was barely promoted and there were few performances given. In March 2009, it was announced that the group would go on hiatus because Yulia wanted to pursue a solo career. That August, Lena began working on her own album, and the next month she opened her own website. Yulia would followed suit in early 2011.
In December 2009, t.A.T.u.'s third and final English album was released, titled "Waste Management". In 2011, t.A.T.u. would release their last official album, which was a compilation album titled "Waste Management Remixes". The remixes had been chosen by submissions from fans who had entered into a contest.
At the "You and I" (Ty y Ya) film premiere in Moscow in January 2011, Yulia Volkova confirmed what many fans had already guessed--that t.A.T.u. was over and she and Lena were moving on to do their own projects. This was confirmed by Lena when her first single and video, "Never Forget", was released that August. The song was dedicated to her former partner. Yulia released her own first single that November, titled "All Because of You".
It was later said in interviews by both girls that they spent too many years together, sharing hotel rooms while on tour and always being in each others presence, that they needed time apart. They said they may be friends again someday, but that the band t.A.T.u. is over and they have moved on from the joint career. To this day, the group still has many fans worldwide.… Expand