As if Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera weren’t enough illustration of the selling power of sex in music, Russia has entered the race with t.A.T.u.
The duo’s most marketable point is not their ability to sing, but what they do while singing. Their current hit single video, “All the Things She Said,” features two girls in traditional school girl outfits in the rain. The middle of the video features an elaborate kissing scene between them.
“God, I love Russian lesbians. The whole idea just heats my loins up,” said Eric Marshall, a mass communication senior. “Their music’s OK too. It’s a light-hearted dance mix.”
The two Russian pop stars stirred up the United Kingdom as the public replied with a general uproar in opposition to the lesbian make-out scene that is featured not only in their videos, but also in most live performances.
According to The Moscow Times, two prominent British talk show hosts, Richard Madeley and Judy Finnegan, believe that the duo’s videos should be banned.
The duo is the brainchild of former child psychologist and advertising executive Ivan Shapovalov. The duo was formed in Moscow in 2000 when Shapovalov picked Julia Volkova and Lena Katina out of 500 girls who responded to an ad placed in Russian tabloids.
t.A.T.u.’s controversial act catapulted their record sales around the globe. The duo’s album stayed at No. 33 this week on Billboard’s Top 200 according to www.billboard.com and made it onto MTV’s TRL last week.
The lyrics to their songs reinforce the sexual and lesbian theme that sells their albums.
“When they stop and stare, it don’t worry me/ Cause I’m feeling for her what she’s feeling for me,” sings t.A.T.u. in “All the Things She Said.”
t.A.T.u. released the American version of its latest album “200 km/h in the Wrong Lane” Dec. 10, 2002 on Interscope Records.
Although both girls are from Moscow, their command of the English language is amazing. The album features both Russian and English songs, and there exists almost no trace of a Russian accent.
The music is pop at its best. The songs showcase typical themes of love and being misunderstood and are extremely catchy.
The girls’ lesbian status is in debate as there are several reports of the girls having boyfriends, according to TIME Europe. The girls continue to answer questions about their sexuality ambiguously.
According to The Moscow Times, when asked at a news conference whether they were lovers, Volkova said, “Maybe and maybe not. You know, we’re not going to give a straight answer.”
Like other pre-fabricated acts before them — Spice Girls and the Backstreet Boys — t.A.T.u. may or may not withstand the test of time as their novelty wears off. But for now, they will continue to visually stimulate young and old men alike.