OUR INTERVIEW WITH TATTOOS HAS BEEN APPOINTED FOR THE NEXT MORNING AFTER THEIR FIRST CONCERT IN DUBAI. RADISSON SAS HOTEL IN DUBAI MEDIA CITY MET US WITH THE ARCTIC COLD OF THE INCLUDED AIR CONDITIONERS AND WELCOME SMILE STAFF AND DIRECTOR OF THE TATU GROUP OLGA MATVEEVA. WE, UNDERSTANDING IMPRESSIONS FROM THE YEAR'S CONCERT, WERE "VIVID AND FUN". FIRST TO US A SMILEING AND MULTIPLE SLEEPED LENA KATINA came down to us. ON OUR "GOOD MORNING!" FOLLOWED ANSWER: "IT DOESN’T BE GOOD IN THE MORNING!". A LITTLE LATER IN THE LIVING ROOM YULIA VOLKOVA APPEARED, RESPONDING TO THE WISH OF GOOD MORNING EXACTLY THE SAME. ON THIS OPTIMISTIC NOTE, IMMEDIATELY EXPLAINING FOR YOURSELF, HOW HEAVY STARS RESPOND TO QUESTIONS OF LEISURE JOURNALISTS IN THE MORNING, WE STARTED AN INTERVIEW.
Julia, Lena, this is your first visit to Dubai. When you received an invitation to speak here, what was your first reaction?
Yu.V .: You know, we took this proposal easily and simply. To be honest, we were very happy because
many of our friends went here to rest and everyone returned very satisfied, were delighted with the country. Everyone told us that Dubai is something super-beautiful, impossible simply. That amazing people live here, some unusual atmosphere reigns. We have never been here, not even on vacation. Therefore, we also want to look at the city, about which we have heard a lot, since we have two more days to do this.
L.K .: I really want to see the historical, traditional corners of the city. Still, the oriental flavor is present here.
Then we will have to call you before leaving and ask: "Well, how did you like it in Dubai?"
LK: Call, but I think we can answer right now that everything is fine. You can be sure.
The TATU group, despite the rather young age of the participants, is well known abroad. In 2001, you quickly broke into all the European charts and earned a lot of international awards for the best songs and videos. Dubai, despite all its cosmopolitanism, is still a Muslim city. Did you agree on any rules of conduct with the organizers of the concert, taking into account your image of two girls in love with each other?
Yu.V .: Yes, they are somehow afraid of external manifestations of love. You can’t hug, kiss.
LK: We were surprised when we were forbidden to hug each other at a concert. They said, okay, you can hold on to the handle. They intimidated us, they made us sign some papers.
Yu.V .: It's not even that the organizers of the concert intimidated us. It’s just not clear why not. Who cares whether they are Muslims or Christians. There is a concept of love, there is a concept of some kind of friendly relations between people who have external manifestations - hugs, kisses. Why not?
LK: Strange, really. After all, here, as in other countries, people create families, give birth to children. Husband and wife, for sure, are kissing each other.
Yu.V .: And they don’t come to the concert in burqa. They come with open faces, many girls were in short skirts, tight-fitting shirts. How then to regard it? This, it turns out, is normal.
With the requirements of the organizers to you is more or less clear. And what kind of requirements do you usually make when you go on tour?
Yu.V .: We have a very strict technical rider. Everything else does not matter to us. We do not care absolutely. The main thing for us is that everything was done according to the technique, because we have musicians ...
LK: Live sound, light ...
Yu.V .: Yes, yes, yes, we are doing everything so that we and our group at a concert are technically comfortable.
LK: Of course, there are some elementary things, so that the hotel room is decent, that there is a shower, so you can drink tea. And the rest, everything is simple - no special complaints.
We noticed the concert at your musicians. Honestly, a terrific band. And why are they all foreigners, there is not a single Russian?
LK: We somehow have been working with them for a long time, our American record company found them for us.
Yu.V .: Yes, because there are simply no normal musicians in Russia. This is an honest answer.
Are the British working in the group, the Americans?
LK: No, our keyboard player is German, the bass player is from Slovenia, the drummer is American, and the lead guitarist is from Australia. Our drummer is just a crowbar, and all the other guys are like picks. They all live in America, and they were found there.
How many years have you been working with them?
LK: Five years, probably.
Yu.V .: Yes. Five years.
Do you, as I understand it, write all your albums not in Russia either?
Yu.V .: In Los Angeles. All the main work takes place in Los Angeles, from rehearsals to recording albums and shooting videos.
LK: In Moscow, we also work if, for example, something needs to be added.
It turns out that to see you in Dubai was a great success for the audience, since you spend most of the time on the other side of the Earth?
Yu.V .: It turns out that so. We returned from America just ten days ago.
LK: And today we are here, in your place in Dubai.
Do you often visit Russia?
Yu.V .: Yes, of course, we live there. We have families there. Therefore, in any case, we are still living in Moscow.
You, like many modern young artists of the Russian stage, have left the popular children's group "Fidgets". Which of the guys do you keep in touch with? Personal or creative?
Yu.V .: Probably today it is only Seryozha Lazarev. Because the rest of our guys somehow went their own way and scattered through life who where. And Sergei we are friends and communicate, and always rejoice in his success.
LK: Many simply did not go into show business, and therefore somehow we were all lost.
By the way, how do you feel about the fact that Dima Bilan is going to perform for the second time from Russia at the Eurovision?
Yu.V .: We are normal. Let him ride, defend the honor of the country.
Would you like to become winners of some international competition?
Yu.V .: You know, we have already shown ourselves once, “defended” the country. We don’t want anymore.
L.K .: No. These competitions are not for us at all. I believe that this is wrong when the successful artists go endlessly to some kind of competitions, even international ones. Who needs to be proved, I don’t understand? Would send guys from the same "Fidget". There are novice artists that no one else knows. Why Dima Bilan? Why us
How do you see your future path after a period of creative stagnation?
Yu.V .: We are not going to dwell on what we have already done. Now we continue our career and do not plan to leave the team called "TATU", because we have a lot of fans around the world.
LK: Our potential has not yet been fully realized.
Yu.V .: We have not visited all countries of the world. Of course, we have already seen many countries, but here, for example, we were in Dubai for the first time, and there are plenty of such undiscovered places.
LK: By the way, we have not been to Australia yet.
Yu.V .: Many, many more countries, therefore, it will be necessary to move on, forward. The future is very large, and in any case, everything will be connected with creativity.
Which songs do you like to sing - lyrical or such as "They won’t catch us up"?
Yu.V .: All our songs are a part of our life, a part of ourselves.
LK: It cannot be said that something is liked more, but something less. Our songs are us.
Are you directly involved in making the songs?
Yu.V .: Of course. We ourselves do not create them, but the emotions in all the songs are ours.
LK: We listen to them, select them, try on ourselves. We take what is closer to us in spirit.
Yu.V .: We read the texts necessarily. Your compositions are performed both in Russian and in English. In your opinion, do translators always manage to convey the meaning inherent in each song?
LK: We have a very good person who makes wonderful texts in English, translating from Russian. And if it is not always possible to accurately reflect all the words, then the main idea of the song is always conveyed.
Yu.V .: Most of our English texts are written by Aleksandrovsky; he makes very interesting translations for us.
Your band name looks like t.T.A.u. Is that a chip? Why is there a dot after each letter? What does it mean?
Yu.V .: Yes, it does not mean anything. It was the Americans who invented it, they like it more. And the name "TATU" is not deciphered in any way. There were a lot of rumors about this at first. They said that we stole this name from Max Fadeev. He invented, and we appropriated. In fact, Max coined the name "TATU", and when our producer Ivan Shapovalov saw it, he said: "Cool name" and found out that it has not yet been patented. And patented. And what Max wanted to call “TATU” first was called TOTAL. Here.
Would you like to come back to Dubai? Did you like the local audience and how the concert went?
LK: Of course we will come again if you invite.
Yu.V .: In fact, every concert is a new sensation. Here you have some kind of festival held, we understand. Therefore, other artists and musicians performed in front of us in concert.
LK: It doesn’t matter to us whether someone acts in front of us in a concert or not, we honestly work a one and a half hour solo program. We go on stage, sing our songs, people listen to them and love them. It is most important.
Yu.V .: Regarding the Dubai public. She is great. It’s just a pity that there were few people right in front of the stage. All the people were concentrated somewhere far away in the stands. When the audience at the concert is right at the stage, then there is more excitement, drive, if you want. But overall, the local audience seemed very positive to me.
LK: They all hopped like that, and shouted, and sang along with us. Both in Russian and in English. It’s a pity, however, that it is far from the stage, and therefore from us. When the audience is close, the artists feel their energy. And it turns out energy exchange, or something. But still, it was good.
Yu.V .: Yes, the main crowd was not where it should have been. This is very disappointing. I wanted to let everyone forward, but this is a question for the organizers for the future. In general, we liked the fact that there were a lot of Russians at the concert. Their support was felt.
Then you have the opportunity to wish your fans and those who wanted to get to your concert in Dubai, but could not, whatever you want.
Yu.V .: Oh, so many thoughts at once. I don’t even know where to start. First of all, I want to wish everyone just to live and prosper. And more ... I don’t even know. I usually really like all sorts of speeches and toasts to speak, but here I was confused. Yes, it’s simple - to be, to live, to love. And that’s it.
LK: I want to wish your readers to be what they are and to create their own destiny.
Yu.V .: Sleep more (laughs) so that you have the strength to fulfill your desires.
Speaking of sleep. How do you manage, Julia, to raise two children and work hard? Do you have time to sleep?
Yu.V .: As you see. Here and sleep. In Dubai, after the concert. So I combine everything together. Yes. In general, everything is fine. My parents and nanny help me with the children. My husband really supports me. In everything. As I said, we live in Moscow. Sometimes there are pauses in work for a week or two. All sorts of rehearsals. Occasionally, private or corporate invitational parties.
LK: Now, by the way, we’ll be in Moscow for a month. We are not only writing albums. Recently, for example, a soundtrack for a television series was recorded. And there, in the club, they made a free concert for fans, which will be included in the series itself.
Do journalists often offend you?
LK: Often they write all kinds of untruths.
Yu.V .: We usually don’t take offense at journalists. Understanding perfectly that the "yellow" press is always not true. Sometimes it’s just too much. Some figures climb where it is not necessary. This is annoying. You think: “Why don’t you sit at home. I’d sit quietly, no, I’m being scolded by a man”
Maybe he also wants fame? Do you often get bouts of "star fever"?
LK: They don’t prevail at all. We are ordinary people. We are sitting here, drinking tea.
Yu.V .: Yes. And we want to sleep.
Then, thanks. Everything. And I wish you a good rest in Dubai, even if only a couple of days. Good luck and see you soon.
On that and parted. "Tatu" went to discover Dubai, and the photographer and I went to our native office. On the way, I scrolled through a conversation that had just taken place in my head. How strong they are, these seemingly fragile and young girls are a bit harsh in the judgments of Julia and philosophically inclined Lena.
They are a little over twenty, and Julia is already a mother of two children, who was not afraid, being pregnant with her second child, to make a chilling video for the song "White Cloak", where she is "shot" by Lena, who starred as an executor. This is the loud "No to abortion! No to the killing of born children!" it was said by the tattoos publicly. Their anti-war concert in America against the invasion of American troops in Iraq, which they came out in T-shirts with the inscription "X ... war!", Also did not go unnoticed. When American censorship understood the essence of the inscription, tattoos were forbidden to appear in these T-shirts, and they made new ones with the inscription Censored.
With their striking speeches, they provoke a sharp and sometimes contradictory reaction of the public to many dogmas of public morality. But they are accepted by the viewer. They understand their language. They are different. They create their own life. They go ahead. And they will not be caught up.
