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kirieeep · 2 months ago

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I have a mental gymnastic reading this... she still very nice to Julia and can't seems to stop talking about her. i mean fair, she's very worrisome.

Lena Katina interview for MK

Lena Katina: I didn’t play “Love with Volkova”. Everything was for real.

Members of, well, most scandalous Russian project of show business t.A.T.u. have been apart for the last two years. Now, when ocean is between them, they’re striving to prove their value in solo status. Their past with girl-kissing is now gone, and both are dreaming of creating a happy family involving the wedding rings on ring finger, loving husband and many kids. In this exclusive interview redhead beauty Lena Katina opened about her new romance, her backstage life with Yulia Volkova and about a funeral of t.A.T.u. at the real cemetery.

Your new video, where you’re kind of burying Volkova, literally blew the Internet. What has your ex-partner done to deserve such an end?

When something’s over, it means death. t.A.T.u. is over, and now there are two solo singers. My music video is a mere picture of what has happened. We had been trying to revive the band back then, but there was this feeling of dead end. So I put a logical period to the past. We now are too different to be together – both as singers and as close people. We were rather friends through our job that made us close to each other forever.

How did Yulia react to such a finale? You literally coffined her!

Frankly, I don’t know. We haven’t talked for quite a while. I think she’s smart enough to see it as art, as visualization. It would be stupid to think that I tried to insult her or bring her down. We just filmed a beautiful video in memory of t.A.T.u. And by the way, we both are coffined, not just Yulia.

Isn’t it a little bit too dark for a tribute?

Cemeteries in California differ from ours. There’s sense of joy and peace there. We’ve chosen a very beautiful cemetery – one with high columns, chapels for ceremonies and family crypts. At first I felt uncomfortable, after each take I used to say sorry to the dead, which my crew found funny. By the way, they’ve got very comfy coffins – Yulia’d surely like it, - smiles Lena – but for some reason I think she would have refused to play in my video… We found a girl who resembles Yulia, and said goodbye to her.

By the way, what are you relations with Volkova now? They say she still has an edge on you for not congratulating her on her birthday…

Not true. I texted her happy birthday. If she changed her number and decided not to let me know, well, I guess it is sad. My birthday is coming soon too, so I hope she’ll call me.

Is it hard to start a solo career to an artist like you, who already proved everything to everybody?

It’s even harder than if I was a first-timer. At my first solo club shows in the US my knees were week just like at the first t.A.T.u. gigs. But on the other hand it is interesting and exciting.

Not only did you put a period to t.A.T.u. story – you also changed your image from a teenage girl to a grown up sexy woman…

This is one of my artistic images. Even Vanya Shapovalov said that public needs charismatic persons. Before Volkova I was a shy girl, and used a polite plural form of addressing to adults (“vy” for Russian language – www.lena-katina.com). I had to change myself. First from golden dark-blond I went to extreme redhead. I don’t know how my hair survived. And for the first video “All The Things She Said” I almost stopped eating. Water was my only fuel, and I was on the edge of fainting all the time. In two months my extra 10 kilos were gone. Later it resulted in some health issues. It was hard to convince me that it’s wrong to lose weight like that. But I was 14 and I wanted to shoot a music video.

Was it hard to have the first kiss with Volkova either?

Of course, it was embarrassing. But Vanya said, “Close your eyes and imagine it’s your boy-friend”. And it worked. I even liked it. But the biggest challenge was t.A.T.u. music video “White Robe”. I had to be completely naked, and it was not an easy step to undress.

Was it because of your concerns about your body?

Everything’s great with my body. I just don’t quite support the idea of public nakedness. I wasn’t jealous of Yulia’s figure – she’s so different from me. But I’ve always wondered how come she can eat all she wants – and stay the same. She could eat pasta or scones – and nothing changed. She only gained weight once, after her first baby. She was one size bigger than me. I joked back then – “Volkova, when you get to your normal weight I’m taking some of your clothes”. She was back in shape very soon. By the way, Yulia shared a lot of clothes with me. She’s such a shopaholic, she could wear something once and forget about it because she didn’t like it anymore.

Are you still on a diet?

Diets are not for me. I try to eat healthy and not to eat after 6 PM, because if I let myself go, it will show right away. It’s strange: my mom is skinny, my dad is slim and tall, and I turned out so different from them. I sometimes joke with my parent, “Did you make me in some wrong position?”

Still, Yulia is a perfectionist in questions of beauty – doing new eye-brows or pumping up lips. Do you consider any improvements?

I don’t shut out that in many years I’ll go and do something with myself. Right now I think that processes of growing and getting older are natural. You just have to take good care of yourself. I prefer to see my naturally-getting-old grandma that silicone dolls.

They say Yulia had explosive character, but still you both managed to put up with each other…

She is “such a present” – extremely active and with sudden mood swings. She could be happy like crazy and cry the next minute. It’s probably my natural calmness that helped me not to lose my mind because of this emotional rollercoaster. We know each other for so long, for 15 years. Pretty much my whole life was with her. I know the moment I should give a thumb on her head, or listen or just ignore. It’s like in family life – you should adapt to each other. On the other hand, nobody hogged the blanket in our creative life, we were not competing – and that’s why we’ve lasted so long.

What were the reasons for commotion?

Job, personal life. Yulia, for example, went through her break-ups quite difficult, and I was there for her. And me – I could have an attack of perfectionism. You know, it happens when you said something stupid or sang worse than you could. Then it was Volkova’s turn to hold my hand and listen to my monologues.

By the way, have you two ever had to fight for boy-friends? You’ve spent so much time together that it could make your tastes closer.

We were both lucky. We chose guys with no particular pattern – it was impossible to name the type of guys me or Yulia liked. But I’ve always dated simple down-to-earth guys who didn’t take advantage of my popularity – and were not ready for serious relationships. I was the opposite: I used to plan every detail of my romances – how we get married, how we have kids. All these romances were over in just few months: my prince was fake. But after breaking up I managed to keep friendship with ex-es and still keep in touch with many.

And you never ever had rich boy-friend?

In all these years nobody offered me a Mercedes, or apartment, or a house at some Caribbean’s. I don’t like parties and I can’t stand cockish men. When somebody pushed some rich boy in my direction, he saw this alarm light in my head “Don’t you mess with me” – and disappeared, - laughs Lena.

Was it hard to leave this image of a girl with non-traditional orientation?

No, not hard. But I didn’t play love with Volkova. We were truly close.

So, there was something between you two?

Didn’t you sometimes go to have a sleepover to your friend? And sleep in one bed? Our kisses were to strengthen our scenic image. We shocked people around. We would get acquainted with some guys and then go to the restroom together. We were waiting for them to start looking for us and when they found us, we would show our love publicly. Of course, their eyes were that big, “Whoa, this is not just on stage!” . Everything was interesting and fun for us back then, that’s it.

Meanwhile Yulia managed to change two husbands, and you’re alone…

Volkova wasn’t married. And I’m not sure she will be.

Why is that?

She needs a very special person who would take care of her and adore her.

Was that the reason you were against the father of her first child?

I’ve never hidden my distance to Pasha. And I told her many times about it. He was just a wrong guy for Yulia. She needed tenderness, support. And their backgrounds were different. It all ended with break-up.

But Parvis didn’t keep his place as well, right?

It is still not clear for me. Her desire to break up was very spontaneous. She keeps silence about it until now – and this is the decision we should respect.

Still, you’ve avoided a clear answer to the question about your love…

We’ve been together for about two years. This is not my first long relationship, but hopefully, the last. You know, I could have never imagined that the biggest love of my life will be the person who’s always been beside me. I know Sasha from t.A.T.u. times through our bandmates. He used to go to the shows with us since then, helped with music – he’s amazing singer and songwriter. But I’ve never considered him a possible romance. We met each other again in LA bar about two years ago, and it was like a sparkle between us. Now I can’t imagine my life without him. When we’re apart (I have to split time between America where I live and Russia where my family is), I listen to his songs and feel closer to him.

Any wedding plans?

For now we’ve just decided to be together. But frankly, I’m waiting for the attractive offer. He lingers it.

Could he be testing your household skills?

You won’t believe it, but I’ve even learnt to bake pirozhki . I love spoiling him with delights I cooked. But looking after the house is not just my duty. If he’s home earlier than me, he always calls and asks, “Are you hungry? What would you like to eat tonight?” He’s very caring guy. Sasha made me realize that I don’t simply want a family and kids - I want the family and kids with him.

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