Sing the praises of Tatu, the teenage lesbians (#1 on the British pop charts)

The Independent (U.K.) ^ | 02/10/03 | Jemima Lewis

[L.N. Smithee]

I heard about these Russians a couple of months ago when I saw the cover of "Mixer" magazine at my local newsstand. I thought they would just be a novelty.

This is reminiscent of the brief and controversial life of early 90's all-girl synth-pop quintet Fem 2 Fem, who made the talk-show circuit performing and defending their single "Switch," which seemed to encourage experimentation with lesbianism ("I'm gonna try it/It feels good!"). After hitting the charts briefly in the wake of the publicity, Fem 2 Fem disappeared without a trace.

As much as I can't stand to see yet more teen sexuality in pop music, if teen lesbianism had to turn up on the charts, I am glad that it has appeared in the form of a lame fly-by-night outfit such as T.A.T.U. I am pretty sure that this is the girls' first and last hurrah.

But then again, I figured kids would have caught on to the fraud that is Britney Spears by now.

[LPStar]

But then again, I figured kids would have caught on to the fraud that is Britney Spears by now.

The pre-teens I know gave up on Britney 2-3 years ago. They are not at all pleased with her trashy image.

[L.N. Smithee]

It's time to play

Make Up Your Flipping Mind!

Let's hear from Jemima Lewis, "out and proud" bisexual. Her first statement:

---

The problem with Tatu isn't that they're highly sexualised teenagers – the pop world has been churning those out ever since Britney Spears conquered the world in a pigtails and a miniaturised school uniform. The real, unspoken fear is that Tatu might lead impressionable schoolgirls astray.

If only it were that easy to open up young minds. For the truth is, children are the most conservative and judgemental social group of all. The need to conform is never more urgent than at school, where any whiff of difference can get you either ostracised or tyrannised.

---

Then, amazingly, later in the same piece, Lewis writes the following:

---

At my sophisticated London day school, there was a sudden epidemic of girl-on-girl action during the sixth form years, pioneered by one supernaturally confident lesbian. For a time, half the school was hopping in and out of her bed: yet still an atmosphere of playground homophobia prevailed. There were nasty notes stuck to the locker one of her lovers; the Trendies made their disgust felt as only Trendies can; several parents complained to the school that she was corrupting their children; when she tried to write a piece about coming out for the school magazine, she was firmly rebuffed. Ultimately she was expelled, although that may have been for sound academic reasons: she did, in truth, spend far more time between the sheets than in front of her books.

I was one of her girlfriends, and I'm sorry to say that for a long time I was ashamed of it. It must have been obvious to everyone that I was madly in love with her, but I denied it to even my closest friends. It was only when I went to university, and realised that it was a great way to pull men, that I became belatedly out and proud.

---

So, we see that Ms. Lewis contradicts herself profoundly after she pooh-poohed the concerns that T.A.T.U. might "lead impressionable schoolgirls astray" when she details her personal experience with a lesbian schoolmate -- who "[spent] far more time between the sheets than in front of her books" -- that was laying half the school. Lewis made an unspecified admission that following in the footsteps of this unnamed "supernaturally confident lesbian" would have been unwise -- she did, after all, end up getting expelled for academic reasons.

This personal anecdote is actually an endorsement of T.A.T.U's critics idea that promises and promotion of supposed lesbian ecstasy can indeed influence school-age girls to experiment, thus "lead[ing] them astray." It appears Ms. Lewis is confused -- her mind seems to transform fears that T.A.T.U. would encourage what she referred to as "an epidemic of girl-on-girl action" into fears that the duo would "open up young minds."

No, Jemima, this isn't about opening young minds. It's about opening young legs.

So, now we say, Jemima Lewis...

Make Up Your Flippin' Mind!

[L.N. Smithee]

The pre-teens I know gave up on Britney 2-3 years ago. They are not at all pleased with her trashy image.

I don't mean Britney's image. I mean her "singing."

BTW, Christina Aguilera has outdone Britney for trashiness by leaps and bounds with her video for the single "Dirrty" [sic]. It seems that Christina -- who actually is an above-average singer -- is tired of living in Brit's shadow, and decided to go her more than one better in the slut department. The orgiastic "Dirrty" video is the lowest I have ever seen someone with genuine talent sink. IMHO, it's worse than anything Madonna ever perpetrated, including that banned "Justify My Love" video.

Apparently, the acid test as far as what is banned and what is not is concerned is a kiss between two women/girls, but how many pelvic thrusts in bikini briefs and kneel-downs before another person's crotch equal one kiss? I am not even sure which video I would rather my child see if a gun were placed to my head and told to pick one: the T.A.T.U. video or Aguilera's.

Thank God it will never come to that -- I don't have kids.

[LPStar]

Thank goodness my daughter hasn't seen Aguilera's video. Aguilera is just as uncool as Britney with my daughter and her friends. Avril Lavigne is it!

[archy]

Could it be that they are only pretending to be lesbian to get attention?

More precisely, that they've become lesbians at the direction of their producer and promoter, who sees this as a niche image which the two can fill. I seem to recall that the folks from Mushroom Records on the U.S. West Coast tried to market sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson of the US rock group Heart in a similar fashion.

Lena, the blonde, is kinda cute [and an accomplished pianist] but is actually a redhead. Lena, the dark brunette, is a blonde, with her hair died black, and was a student at the State Musical Variety and Jazz Arts School in Moscow. Both are Moscovites.

-archy-/-

[archy]

Maybe they're more of a novelty than I thought. I guess it's the whole subculture of men who likes to see two young women together who are driving up their sales.

And an awful lot of yanbanba girls in Japan tired of trying to look ganguro... and a lot of kids, male and female alike, looking for...something, maybe not sure what.

The image offered by t.a.T.y. [a Russian acronym for *she loves her*, pronounced TAT-you in English, and now spelled that way, though the girls' e-mail addresses remain lena@taty.ru and yulia@taty.ru] is one of two young girls who cannot influence all the overwhelming influences in their lives, and so instead have chosen to cold-bloodedly control one aspect over which their influence can be superior- and, that they are doing so not just as partners and friends, but as lovers. That's a potentially attractive image for those not yet fully in charge of their own lives, and not just in the former Soviet Union.

Give some thought to their songs Ya t'voy vrag [I'm your enemy] and Malchik Gey [Gayboy], and maybe Nas Ne Dogoniat

I'm not yet necessarily a real big fan of their music; with but two albums, too soon to tell, but we'll see. But worth watching, and if their listing of their supposed preferred Russian music-groups is an indication, we have a couple of shared favourites.

[archy]

The real, unspoken fear is that Tatu might lead impressionable schoolgirls astray.

As did the directors of the Russian children's chorale group Neposody when they tossed Yulia [the black haired one] Volkova out of the group for *corrupting other girls* in the group, some several years older and better-connected. Very real fears, it seems.

But what is really feared by many of the girls' detractors is that the girls may encourage others of their age, male and female both, to take charge of their own lives in ways that governments and school authorities find particularly scary. Just wait and see what their next album, really geared toward a world audience, has to offer....

[archy]

...what I have heard is poetic. It's really beautiful music.

My daughter ... said "listen to this" and turned it on. I did, and she was right-- it's good.

Darned good, considering we're hearing the *sophmore effort* album, only the second one to have come out from the taTy colloboration/union. Despite heavy-handed inclusion of hardtrance electronic backing by their producers on some songs, the background of both girls as pianists and Yulia Volkova as a trained vocalist comes through.

More to follow, but the question will be, whether it's more of their real music, or if their backers go for another video production trying for another ban for publicity's sake. Either way, it looks like it'll work: for the second week in a row, t.a.T.y. is Number one on the Brit charts, the ban on their video notwithstanding.

-archy-/-

[archy]

I just saw the video on launch.com. I laughed! It's very clever editing as you don't really see the girls 'kissing'. They are 'kissing' with their mouths closed. But hey, if that trips your trigger...

Indeed. VERY clever editing...

[PLMerite]

...or each other, for that matter.

[archy]

I went to images.google.com and did a search for "TATU"
This is the very first picture IN THE RESULTS:

And had you used the original Russian spelling of *TATY*, you'd have found a pic of their performance at the Russian equivalent of the Grammy awards...where they're nevertheless described with their newer phonetic-spelled name *Tatu*, but indexed under the older name-spelling. But first, there'd have been a photo of a bowler and a foosbol-player to have amused you.

Moral of story is: when dealing with foreign-language subjects, check original language spelling indices, too. [and don't forget *tatu, Lena* and *tatu, yulia* searches as well!] [Or, just *click here*]

[L.N. Smithee]

But what is really feared by many of the girls' detractors is that the girls may encourage others of their age, male and female both, to take charge of their own lives in ways that governments and school authorities find particularly scary.

That's a pretty cryptic comment. Care to be more specific?

[archy]

That's a pretty cryptic comment. Care to be more specific.

Their previous album was entitled *200 KM/H [kilometers per hour; ] in the Wrong Lane*. You are invited to consider the lyrics of some of the songs for yourself, 30 minutes and not gonna to get us among them, particularly in the shadowlight of Ya T'voi Vrag.

Then also consider dozens, hundreds of youngsters, girls alone or paired, or m/f couples, whose best hope is for a *Thelma and Louise* exclamation point to their lives.

-archy-/-

[archy]

Thelma and Louise, doing *200 km/h in the wrong lane*:

[archy]

I just saw the Video. I was a little shocked.

If they market the same one as in Russia for their song *30 Minutes*, you ain't seen [and heard!] nothin' yet....

-archy-/-

[archy]

Avril Lavigne is it!

Yeah, though why the *professionals* marketing her stuff chose to push *Complicated* rather than her really solid cuts like Nobody's Fool and Mobile with their promotion efforts is beyond me- the movie tie-in, I suppose.

But see my FReeper profile page for additional info on Avril. And the new album is coming along nicely, though it'll have some serious competition.

-archy-/-

[Slyfox]

Tatu just did their US debut on Leno. The camera cut away just as they were going to lock lips. I did see the short-haired one feel up the breast of the long-haired one.

I read a bio on them which explained that the guy who put the band together got the idea for the group while watching some lesbian porn.

[Aaron0617]

Its on now. Delayed by Daley's acceptance speech. Guess its time for them to kiss.

[Saturnalia]

That man is making lots of money off this act.
There was even an interview that featured him dropping clues he was nailing them both.
Pure controversy of course.