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It’s been a minute since the BBC was accused of banning their raunchy music video from Top Of The Pops.
But while the long-running show is no more, the band in question are still performing and remain as provocative as ever – as footage of recent reunion shows in Minsk and St. Petersburg confirm.
The Russian girl-group gained notoriety in the late nineties and early 2000s with their first English language single and, more pertinently, an accompanying video in which they alluded to lesbianism and underage sex.
At the time, the pair played into a lesbian gimmick where they pretended to be in love with each other and in a relationship.
However, they later admitted that their lesbian persona was a fake marketing gimmick cooked up for shock value.
Dressed as schoolgirls, the controversial duo were filmed kissing passionately in the pouring rain while an assembly of adults watch impassively from the sidelines.
The video sparked inevitable outrage, and the BBC were soon forced to deny banning it from their pre-watershed schedule, instead insisting they had better content available at the time.
ITV later refused to play the clip on Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly’s Saturday morning show CD:UK, insisting: ‘It is not really suitable for children.’
But who are the red-hot Russians?
It’s been a minute since the BBC was accused of banning this Russian pop duo’s raunchy music video from Top Of The Pops (pictured during a 2022 show in Minsk)
Band members Lena Katina (L) and Julia Volkova (R) gained notoriety in the late nineties and early 2000s
That’s right, it’s t.A.T.u! The Russian duo were rarely off the red carpet following the release of hit single All The Things She Said (pictured together in 2003)
That’s right, it’s t.A.T.u!
The duo, comprised of singers Lena Katina and Julia Volkova, were rarely off the red carpet following the release of hit single All The Things She Said in 2002.
They also represented Russia in the 2003 Eurovision Song Contest – where they finished third.
Some of their other attention-grabbing publicity stunts included performing on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in 2003 wearing T-shirts that had ‘f**k the war’ written in Russian, and attempting to run for Russian president in 2004.
All The Things She Said soared to number one in the UK singles chart and achieved similar status across mainland Europe and the far east, where it topped Japan’s Official J1 Music Chart.
But it would prove to be their high point, with subsequent singles failing to make a similar impact before the band finally parted ways in 2011.
They have since reunited for a series of concerts, notably at Gazprom Arena, home of Russian president Vladimir Putin’s favourite football club Zenit St. Petersburg, in May 2023 – despite efforts from his supporters to have the pair cancelled for spreading ‘LGBT propaganda’.
The pair sang Not Gonna Get us before Zenit St Petersburg’s clash with Spartak Moscow, which the home side won 3-2, sealing a fifth Russian Premier League title in a row.
An accompanying video alluded to lesbianism and under-age sex, with the pair famously sharing a same-sex kiss in front of adult onlookers
These days Yulia looks vastly different to how she did during her chart-topping past as one half of the Russian group
Lena also looks markedly different from her glory days with T.a.t.U in the early 2000s
t.A.T.u disbanded in 2011, but have since reunited for a series of shows. Pictured: Yulia Volkova (left) and Lena Katina (right)
t.A.T.U came out of retirement as Putin’s censors sought to expunge any trace of their band amid a hardline crackdown on LGBT propaganda, part of a wave of repressions in Russia during the war in Ukraine.
Speaking ahead of the match in front of thousands of Russian fans, they sang: ‘Nothing can stop this, ‘Not now, I love you’, ‘They’re not gonna get us’.’
Lena is now married to millionaire businessman Dmitry Spiridonov, her second husband, after exchanging vows in 2022.
The star was previously married to Sasha Kuzmanović from 2013 to 2019 and shares son Aleksandr, nine, with him.
Away from t.A.T.u she’s released three studio albums so far and topped the U.S. Billboard club chart with her 2011 single Never Forget.
Lena admitted she opted against having media at her second wedding, saying: ‘We’ll just sign the papers and think about having a big bash later.
‘Both Dima and I know what we want to do, we will do everything for ourselves.’
Dmitry previously battled thyroid cancer and went into remission after treatment. The cancer later returned but he is said to be in remission once again.
The couple welcomed their first child as a couple and Lena’s second, a son, in 2023.
Lena is now married to millionaire businessman Dmitry Spiridonov, with whom she raises two children
Dmitry previously battled thyroid cancer and went into remission after treatment. The cancer later returned but he is said to be in remission once again
t.A.T.u has not existed since 2011, but they were back onstage for a special gig in 2023
Lena was visibly pregnant with her second child when they took to the stage at Gazprom Arena, home of Russian Premier Vladimir Putin’s favourite football club Zenit St. Petersburg
t.A.T.u bandmembers Lena Katina (left) and Yulia Volkova (right) are pictured in 2003
Meanwhile Yulia has attracted her fair share of controversy away from the band, starting in 2004 when she announced her first pregnancy with then-boyfriend Pavel Sidorov – who was already married with a daughter.
She gave birth to daughter Viktoria that September before parting ways with Sidorov, with whom she no longer maintains contact.
Three years later she welcomed her second child, son Samir, with Uzbek businessman Parviz Yasinov.
In 2013 she surprised fans by revealing she was Muslim, telling HELLO!: ‘I don’t wear typical clothes, but I converted to Islam because it’s the closest to my heart.’
However, she later reverted back to Eastern Orthodox Christianity.
The singer also faced backlash after appearing on Russian TV show Lie Detector in 2014 after stating she would condemn her son if he came out as gay.
The duo represented Russia in the 2003 Eurovision Song Contest – where they finished third (pictured in 2003)
They later admitted their lesbian persona was a fake marketing gimmick cooked up for shock value
‘Yes, I would condemn him, because I believe that a real man must be a real man,’ she was translated as saying.
‘God created man for procreation, it is the nature. The man for me is the support, the strength of… I won’t accept a gay son.’
Despite her strong views, she stated that she didn’t have a problem with lesbians.
‘Two girls together—not the same thing as two men together. It seems to me that lesbians look aesthetically much nicer.’
In April 2021, she launched a political career as a candidate for Russia’s conservative party, United Russia, but was crushed in the legislative election.
Fake ‘lesbian’ pop duo t.A.T.u staged a reunion at Vladimir Putin’s favourite football club Zenit Saint Petersburg in 2023 (pictured)
Lena Katina appears to have aged naturally with little to no cosmetic surgery, has largely focused on her solo music career since leaving t.A.T.u.
The singer has released three studio albums so far and topped the U.S. Billboard club chart with her 2011 single Never Forget (Pictured 2020)
Yulia has changed drastically since her time as a teen pop star (pictured left in 2002, and right in 2021)
Yulia seems to have changed the most, with the brunette now sporting extremely plump lips and a taut visage to the point of appearing unrecognisable. (Pictured 2021)
