MOSCOW – The fake lesbian Russian pop act t.A.T.u., who enjoyed global popularity in the mid-2000s, will perform at the Sochi Olympics’ opening ceremony on Feb. 7, the Russian media reported.
According to reports, which quoted eyewitnesses of the ceremony’s rehearsals, Lena Katina and Yulia Volkova will sing their biggest international hit, “Not Gonna Get Us.” During the performance of the track, the Russian Olympic squad is to enter the ceremony, at Fisht Olympic Stadium.
Formed in 1999 by producer Ivan Shapovalov, who selected then-14-year-old Volkova and 15-year-old Katina from scores of candidates, the duo soon achieved scandalous fame, cashing in heavily on themes of teenage sex and lesbian love (even the Russian version of the duo’s name implies sex between two women). Both members of the duo are, however, known to be heterosexual.
A few years later, t.A.T.u.’s English-language album “200 km/h in the Wrong Lane” became an international hit, and the duo represented Russia at the 2003 Eurovision Song Contest, ending in third place. The duo received a slew of attention for performing “Not Gonna Get Us” and “All the Things She Said” at the MTV Movie Awards in 2003, accompanied by hundreds of women dressed in uniforms. The women then stripped down to tanks, ties and white underwear, and paired off for closing-performance kisses.
From the mid-2000s, however, the duo’s career began to fade. In 2011, t.A.T.u. officially disbanded after releasing a remix album, but have occasional reunited for gigs.
Today, various Russian media reprinted Katina’s Twitter post, in which she complained about treatment on the part of the Olympics’ organizers.
“They have invited us to perform at the opening ceremony of the Sochi Olympics, but they’re treating the artists like shit!!!” said the post, which was later deleted. “The organization is horrible.”
The Associated Press is reporting that the opening ceremony will also feature Russian violinist Yuri Bashment and conductor Valery Gergiev.
- This article first appeared on THR.com