11/30/2007: "t.A.T.u. Elle Girl interview"
Source: Tatu.ru
Elle Girl: What is your new album about? Waste Management – sounds anti-glamorous.
Lena: It’s kind of a part two of “Ludi-Invalidi”, our second album. We explained it many times that we call ludi invalidi all these cruel and mean human beings. And “waste” in new album’s name is the result of ludi invalidi’s activity…
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t.A.T.u.: “Mischa Barton – So What?”
New t.A.T.u. album, which should be out not long before the New Year, is called “Waste Management”… The movie “Finding t.A.T.u.” based on the events from Yulia Volkova and Lena Katina’ lives, has Anton Yelchin and Mischa Barton in the cast… Fresh music video “Beliy Plashik” (“White Robe”) was filmed in Los Angeles… Yulia Volkova and her boyfriend Parvis are waiting for a baby… All this information fell on Elle Girl Katya Marulina in the first five minutes of their talk with Yulia and Lena. Elle Girl wants to share news with you.
Elle Girl: Girls, we haven’t heard about you for a long time, and now so many things all at once! The movie, the album, the video… Tell us about it!
Yulia: Since we parted with Ivan Shapovalov, we have to do everything ourselves. Well, that’s what we wanted, but it turned out to be not that easy to choose songs, arrangements for an album, the image in general…
Elle Girl: The filming of Finding t.A.T.u. was a reason for an actress Mischa Barton to come to Moscow. Did you have a chance to hang out? How did you like the foreign star?
Yulia: Mischa Barton – and so what? She’s just a girl, there are no “wow!”, maybe because we got used to it already, seen many stars. But we’re not main characters in the movie – it’s about two girls, who are looking for each other and meet at our show… By the way, Mischa Barton has two dogs at home and keeps telling everybody about it. And I have three and I keep silence. A complete glamorous set: York, Chihuahua and red setter. Two live with my mom, and one – with us, with me and Parvis. And we plan to have one more.
Elle Girl: When I ask a question, it’s Yulia who immediately answers. Why not Lena?
Yulia: It’s just because… Oops, again me… Lena, you answer! Lena: I just talk much slower and don’t try to talk before her anymore. And Yulia, she’s always “blah-blah-blah…” and that’s it, she’s answered, “next question, please!”
Elle Girl: What else is so different in you two?
Lena: Everything! We live with our own families, each one has her own company, we do different free time. I like to read, right now it’s Dostoevsky’s “Stepanchikovo Village”, for example. I like his language so much! So clear to me! And you hardly meet Yulia with a book. Just maybe with some Oksana Robski!
Yulia: What do I need these books for? I like to talk with people, I love life, I don’t like made-up stories. I can even watch “Dom-2”, ha-ha! (“Dom-2” – a popular reality show in Russia considered… um… silly– tatu.ru ) Just because they show real people there! And also Lenka has no tattoos, and I have five: two in Arabic (“passionate love” on the back), Japanese one on the arm (“dragon”), hieroglyph “my family” on the neck, and “Victoria” on the leg, in honor of my daughter). Lena, she’s for natural things, she believes that “we must keep what nature created”. She always has a hands cream in her bag. I bet she has it now.
Lena: I do. Want some?
Yulia: See! No, thanks!
Elle Girl: Yulia, you’re experiencing your second pregnancy. Is it different compared to the first one?
Yulia: Sure! The major thing – it’s planned. But I deny myself nothing – no special diets, nothing like that. I think my baby is alright with me.
Elle Girl: There’s a rumor in the Internet that you want to give birth and broadcast this process on the internet. Is that true?
Yulia: You’re kidding me. Do I look like the person who can let it happen? I said it as a joke long ago, and journalists exaggerated as usually… What a terrible thing. Like I don’t have anything else to do.
Elle Girl: And how do you plan to celebrate a New Year party?
Yulia and Lena (in one voice): At home!
Lena: No wish to go somewhere, enough of that. We lived in America for half a year, recently had vacations – Yulia and Parvis went to Cyprus, I went to Italy. So, enough of planes.
Yulia: New Year party is a family day. We’ve never had to play shows on this time, from 31st to 1st. It’s ok to play gigs the day before, but on the New Year night we leave it to Dima Bilan perform.
Elle Girl: By the way, are you friends with any of our pop-stars?
Yulia: Well, it’s Serezhka Lazarev, I think, who we can call our friend. And with others it’s just “hi-bye” relationships. Generally in show business everybody is on its own.
Elle Girl: And would you like to take part in some TV show like “Ice Age” or “Circus With Stars”?
Yulia: Well, they’ve invited us, but I personally don’t understand it. If I want to skate I take skates and go to Serebryaniy Bor Ice Rink. And I don’t need to be compared with others. What for?
Elle Girl: Your “Beliy Plaschik” video was filmed in Los Angeles. Why there?
Yulia: Because the people we need to work on our video live there. In our time in the US we managed to meet many talented people. By the way, I was “repairing” my voice there, which I hurt while recording our first album. I was taught not how to sing, but how to sing safely– so that I could sing a whole concert without damage to my vocal ligaments.
Lena: It’s different here in Russia: Let’s say, there’s a teacher Masha Tryapkina in Moscow, and the students she teaches sing exactly like Masha Tryapkina. And for us it’s important to keep individuality.
Elle Girl: What is your new album about? Waste Management – sounds anti-glamorous.
Lena: It’s kind of a part two of “Ludi-Invalidi”, our second album. We explained it many times that we call ludi invalidi all these cruel and mean human beings. And “waste” in new album’s name is the result of ludi invalidi’s activity.
Elle Girl: Our last question: I’m very curious if you have accounts on the super popular web-site of meeting your classmates?
Lena: I have several clones there! And no account. I go there sometimes, look what photos these clones post, who are their friends… I discovered some of my real friends… They ask, “We wrote you and you answered. Was it you?” I say, “Nope”.