Tatu

t.A.T.u. {or ТАТУ}is a multi-award winning Russian music duo consisting of Елена Сергеевна Катина [Yelena Sergeyevna Katina](Лена/Lena for short.) and Юля Олеговна Волкова [Yulya Olegovna Volkova] (It's sometimes spelled as "Yulia," and in America, it's "Julia").

The group was formed in 1999 by Иван Шаповалов [Ivan Shapovalov] in Moscow. t.A.T.u. are the most successful international recording act exported from Russia, with a fan base stretching all over the world. Their debut album, "200 По Встречной"[200 Po Vstrechnoĭ] was the first from a Russian act to reach gold status internationally. With the release of their debut English album, 200 km/h in the Wrong Lane, t.A.T.u. became the first act to receive an IFPI Platinum Europe Award for the same album in two languages.

Much of their early success was based on what was thought of as a lesbian image portrayed by Katina and Volkova, and the controversy that surrounded it. However, in December 2003, it became apparent in their documentary, Anatomy of t.A.T.u., that their sexuality was just part of the group's image at the time, and that they were not actually lesbians. Then in 2004, the group took a hiatus after they split from their producer and Volkova had become pregnant. They were soon back in the studio, and, in 2005, released Dangerous and Moving and ЛЮДИ ИНВАЛИДЫ[Lyudi Invalidy]. In the last year, the group has released a compilation album, negotiated out of their contract with Universal records, and announced the production of a third studio albums "Waste Management" and "Управление Отбросами," which will coincide to the release of an upcoming film titled Finding t.A.T.u.

t.A.T.u.'s image and vocals fit well into pop music, however, the group's sound varies from rock, to dance, to pop and electronica. Their first Russian album was mostly rock and dance influenced, while their first English album was heavily influenced by rock and electronica. Their English follow-up, Dangerous and Moving, was a more traditionally Euro-pop album than the first.