Lena Katina
Encyclopedia
Elena Sergeevna Katina born October 4, 1984, better known as Lena Katina, is a Russian singer and songwriter who is best known for her work with Russian duo t.A.T.u.
She started her career at the age of eight, joining the Russian children's act Avenue, then not long after Neposedi
. In 1999, when Katina finished her early career, Ivan Shapovalov
had chosen her for his project as well with Yulia Volkova, which later became Russia's most successful musical act. t.A.T.u.
produced several smash hits including "All the Things She Said
", "Not Gonna Get Us
and "All About Us
".
In 2009, Katina announced she would pursue a solo career, which led t.A.T.u. to go into a hiatus. However, in 2011, Katina and Volkova announced they would split up because of their solo careers. That year, Katina released her first mainstream single "Never Forget".
in 1984, Katina is the eldest of three children, and the only daughter of Inessa Katina and Sergey Katin, a prominent Russian pop music author. Her younger half sister Katya has a different father and her half brother Ivan has a different mother. She was raised religiously and is a practicing Russian Orthodox Christian.
In 1993, she joined the Russian children's ensemble "Avenue", where she sang for three years. In 1996, at the age of 12, she auditioned for Neposedi
(the most popular and prestigious children's chorus at the time) and was selected after impressing a panel of judges. She remained in Neposedi for three years. During her time there, Katina met Yulia Volkova, who was also a singer in the group. In 1999, the girls would be reacquainted once again, this time as the duo, t.A.T.u.
After auditioning 400 girls, Shapovalov selected Lena for t.A.T.u. at the age of 15. With the project still in development, Lena had the opportunity to record demos (credited as t.A.T.u.), like "Belochka" and "Yugoslaviya". The then 14-year old Yulia Volkova was added to the project some time afterward, and in 2001, the duo rose to popularity in Russia, and later in the world.
Feeling satisfied with his choices, Shapovalov signed Yulia and Lena to t.A.T.u., but the contract with Shapovalov also demanded that the girls present a lesbian image. After breaking away from Shapovalov in 2004, the girls came clean and stated that Shapovalov had created the lesbian image, and that they were even told what to say in interviews and parted ways with Shapovalov.
t.A.T.u. soon became the most successful Russian group of all time, leaving a number of hits behind them, such as "All the Things She Said
", "Not Gonna Get Us
" and "All About Us
". They also took part in Eurovision Song Contest 2003
and finished third with Ne Ver', Ne Boysia.
In 2007, Lena, along with her bandmate, Yulia Volkova, starred in a film You and I
, with Mischa Barton
playing the lead role. The film was directed by Roland Joffe
and was presented at the Cannes Film Festival
in 2008.
Katina is expected to release her solo album in 2011. Katina has released a song for her album Lost in This Dance. It has been widely considered as Katina's debut single, as it has been years since a release of a single. It was said that she will release through t.A.T.u.
's current label T.A. Music, as she has no information about any other labels.
She has recorded in several different locations such as Los Angeles
, New York
and her hometown Moscow
. She is known to be mostly recording in Los Angeles. It has been confirmed by the official t.A.T.u. website that Lena is to undertake a solo career under the guidance and management of the T.A. Music label. She started working with t.A.T.u. band-members in mid-2009 and is expected to release an album in 2011. It was announced in March 2011 that t.A.T.u. was officially disbanded. The group celebrated their 12 years together, and released two remix albums entitled Waste Management Remixes pt. 1 and Waste Management Remixes pt. 2. It was announced they were the last albums together, as the solo singers would pursue a solo career.
on May 29 and gave her first solo performance on May 30 at the Troubador in Los Angeles
. Katina was the opening act of PrideFest
in Milwaukee on June 12. On the day of her performance at Pridefest
, Katina released a free download of a song from her upcoming album called "Lost in this Dance". On September 17, 2010, Katina performed at the San Francisco club 1015 Folsom. On February 3, Katina was scheduled to give her first performance of 2011 at the XLV Party in Dallas, Texas
' Cotton Bowl
, with The Village People, Cazwell
, Lady Bunny
, DJ Hector Fonseca and DJ Enferno. The concert, however, was canceled on January 31 when only 13 tickets for the show had sold. In 2011, the film featuring her acting debut, You and I
, was released in Russia. The film also featured t.A.T.u.'s other half, Yulia Volkova, and the band, as well as actress Mischa Barton
.
Alongside the release of Lost In This Dance, she recorded the single "Guardian Angel" with the Canadian post-hardcore
band, Abandon All Ships
, featured on their 2010 debut album Geeving
, which was released in October. On Friday, June 17, 2011 Katina's single "Never Forget" premiered on the Mexican radio station FMTU 103-7 in Monterrey, Mexico. On Monday, August 1, 2011, the singer revealed the trailer the music video. On August 2 the official video was leaked on Perez Hilton
's blog
On Friday, August 5, 2011, Katina officially released her music video for "Never Forget" and released the song on iTunes as a single, which also includes her song "Stay".
Katina and her band appeared on Rawsession, where she performed original acoustic versions of Owl City's "Deer in the Headlights", Alexandra Stan's "Mr. Saxobeat", and her own "Never Forget". All videos were released officially via YouTube. She also collaborated with Mexican synthpop band Belanova
and filmed a video for the song they recorded together titled "Tic Toc".
On 19 September 2011, Katina released a new song, "Waiting", while being interviewed by Echo of Moscow Radio.
, ballroom dancing, figure skating
, swimming and horseback-riding. She is also a skilled pianist
and also enjoys reading, especially romance novels. Katina stated in a 2006 TeleHit
interview that she used to listen to artists such as Led Zeppelin
, Deep Purple
, and Pink Floyd
when she was younger.
T.A.T.u.
t.A.T.u. was a duo formed in Moscow, Russia in 1999 by Ivan Shapovalov. The group consisted of Lena Katina and Yulia Volkova.Their debut single "Ya Soshla S Uma" was released in December 2000. The single had a huge success in Russia and Eastern Europe...
She started her career at the age of eight, joining the Russian children's act Avenue, then not long after Neposedi
Neposedi
Neposedi is a children's music group formed in Moscow, Russia in 1991 by Elena Pindzhoyan and Yuri Nikolaev. The title refers to children who are unable to sit indifferently in the same place; who are fidgety....
. In 1999, when Katina finished her early career, Ivan Shapovalov
Ivan Shapovalov
Ivan Nikolayevich Shapovalov is a musical producer based in Moscow, Russia. He is best known for being the founder and former executive producer/manager for t.A.T.u.- Early life and career :...
had chosen her for his project as well with Yulia Volkova, which later became Russia's most successful musical act. t.A.T.u.
T.A.T.u.
t.A.T.u. was a duo formed in Moscow, Russia in 1999 by Ivan Shapovalov. The group consisted of Lena Katina and Yulia Volkova.Their debut single "Ya Soshla S Uma" was released in December 2000. The single had a huge success in Russia and Eastern Europe...
produced several smash hits including "All the Things She Said
All the Things She Said
"All the Things She Said" is a song by Russian recording duo t.A.T.u., which was for their first English-language studio album 200 km/h in the Wrong Lane . The song was written by Sergio Galoyan, Trevor Horn, Martin Kierszenbaum, Elena Kiper and Valeriy Polienko, while produced by Horn...
", "Not Gonna Get Us
Not Gonna Get Us
"Not Gonna Get Us" is the second single from t.A.T.u.'s debut English album 200 km/h in the Wrong Lane and was released in mid-2003. It was the last song taken from that album in the UK, where it reached #7 on the singles chart. The music was composed by Sergio Galoyan...
and "All About Us
All About Us
"All About Us" is the first single released from Russian band t.A.T.u.'s second English studio album, Dangerous and Moving, and its Russian counterpart, Lyudi Invalidy ....
".
In 2009, Katina announced she would pursue a solo career, which led t.A.T.u. to go into a hiatus. However, in 2011, Katina and Volkova announced they would split up because of their solo careers. That year, Katina released her first mainstream single "Never Forget".
Early years
Born in MoscowMoscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
in 1984, Katina is the eldest of three children, and the only daughter of Inessa Katina and Sergey Katin, a prominent Russian pop music author. Her younger half sister Katya has a different father and her half brother Ivan has a different mother. She was raised religiously and is a practicing Russian Orthodox Christian.
In 1993, she joined the Russian children's ensemble "Avenue", where she sang for three years. In 1996, at the age of 12, she auditioned for Neposedi
Neposedi
Neposedi is a children's music group formed in Moscow, Russia in 1991 by Elena Pindzhoyan and Yuri Nikolaev. The title refers to children who are unable to sit indifferently in the same place; who are fidgety....
(the most popular and prestigious children's chorus at the time) and was selected after impressing a panel of judges. She remained in Neposedi for three years. During her time there, Katina met Yulia Volkova, who was also a singer in the group. In 1999, the girls would be reacquainted once again, this time as the duo, t.A.T.u.
1999-2011: t.A.T.u.
Creator and then-manager of t.A.T.u., Ivan Shapovalov stated that the idea of t.A.T.u. stemmed from the common fascination and fantasy of school-girl lesbian lovers among men, knowing that the duo would be highly appealing to a diverse fan-base.After auditioning 400 girls, Shapovalov selected Lena for t.A.T.u. at the age of 15. With the project still in development, Lena had the opportunity to record demos (credited as t.A.T.u.), like "Belochka" and "Yugoslaviya". The then 14-year old Yulia Volkova was added to the project some time afterward, and in 2001, the duo rose to popularity in Russia, and later in the world.
Feeling satisfied with his choices, Shapovalov signed Yulia and Lena to t.A.T.u., but the contract with Shapovalov also demanded that the girls present a lesbian image. After breaking away from Shapovalov in 2004, the girls came clean and stated that Shapovalov had created the lesbian image, and that they were even told what to say in interviews and parted ways with Shapovalov.
t.A.T.u. soon became the most successful Russian group of all time, leaving a number of hits behind them, such as "All the Things She Said
All the Things She Said
"All the Things She Said" is a song by Russian recording duo t.A.T.u., which was for their first English-language studio album 200 km/h in the Wrong Lane . The song was written by Sergio Galoyan, Trevor Horn, Martin Kierszenbaum, Elena Kiper and Valeriy Polienko, while produced by Horn...
", "Not Gonna Get Us
Not Gonna Get Us
"Not Gonna Get Us" is the second single from t.A.T.u.'s debut English album 200 km/h in the Wrong Lane and was released in mid-2003. It was the last song taken from that album in the UK, where it reached #7 on the singles chart. The music was composed by Sergio Galoyan...
" and "All About Us
All About Us
"All About Us" is the first single released from Russian band t.A.T.u.'s second English studio album, Dangerous and Moving, and its Russian counterpart, Lyudi Invalidy ....
". They also took part in Eurovision Song Contest 2003
Eurovision Song Contest 2003
The Eurovision Song Contest 2003 was the forty-eighth Eurovision Song Contest, held at the Skonto Hall in Riga, Latvia on 24 May 2003. The hosts were Marie N and Renārs Kaupers. Sertab Erener, the Turkish entrant, won the contest with "Everyway That I Can", scoring 167 points. The winning...
and finished third with Ne Ver', Ne Boysia.
In 2007, Lena, along with her bandmate, Yulia Volkova, starred in a film You and I
You and I (film)
You and I is a 2011 drama-film directed by Roland Joffé, depicting a fictionalised version of real events adapted from the novel t.A.T.u. Come Back. The film features Mischa Barton, Shantel VanSanten, Julia Volkova and Lena Katina...
, with Mischa Barton
Mischa Barton
Mischa Anne Marsden Barton is a British-American fashion model, film, television, and stage actress, best known for her role as Marissa Cooper in the American television series The O.C..-Early life:...
playing the lead role. The film was directed by Roland Joffe
Roland Joffé
Roland Joffé is an English-French film director who is known for his Oscar nominated movies, The Killing Fields and The Mission. He began his career in television. His early television credits included episodes of Coronation Street and an adaptation of The Stars Look Down for Granada...
and was presented at the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
in 2008.
Katina is expected to release her solo album in 2011. Katina has released a song for her album Lost in This Dance. It has been widely considered as Katina's debut single, as it has been years since a release of a single. It was said that she will release through t.A.T.u.
T.A.T.u.
t.A.T.u. was a duo formed in Moscow, Russia in 1999 by Ivan Shapovalov. The group consisted of Lena Katina and Yulia Volkova.Their debut single "Ya Soshla S Uma" was released in December 2000. The single had a huge success in Russia and Eastern Europe...
's current label T.A. Music, as she has no information about any other labels.
She has recorded in several different locations such as Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and her hometown Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. She is known to be mostly recording in Los Angeles. It has been confirmed by the official t.A.T.u. website that Lena is to undertake a solo career under the guidance and management of the T.A. Music label. She started working with t.A.T.u. band-members in mid-2009 and is expected to release an album in 2011. It was announced in March 2011 that t.A.T.u. was officially disbanded. The group celebrated their 12 years together, and released two remix albums entitled Waste Management Remixes pt. 1 and Waste Management Remixes pt. 2. It was announced they were the last albums together, as the solo singers would pursue a solo career.
2010–present: forthcoming solo album
Katina hosted a fan event at The Trail in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
on May 29 and gave her first solo performance on May 30 at the Troubador in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. Katina was the opening act of PrideFest
PrideFest (Milwaukee)
PrideFest is an annual gay pride event held on the Henry Maier Festival Park grounds in Milwaukee on the second weekend of June. PrideFest celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2007, which was also a record-breaking attendance year with 27,467 tickets sold over three days.In 2010 Pridefest featured...
in Milwaukee on June 12. On the day of her performance at Pridefest
PrideFest (Milwaukee)
PrideFest is an annual gay pride event held on the Henry Maier Festival Park grounds in Milwaukee on the second weekend of June. PrideFest celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2007, which was also a record-breaking attendance year with 27,467 tickets sold over three days.In 2010 Pridefest featured...
, Katina released a free download of a song from her upcoming album called "Lost in this Dance". On September 17, 2010, Katina performed at the San Francisco club 1015 Folsom. On February 3, Katina was scheduled to give her first performance of 2011 at the XLV Party in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
' Cotton Bowl
Cotton Bowl (stadium)
The Cotton Bowl is a stadium which opened in 1929 and became known as "The House That Doak Built" due to the immense crowds that former SMU running back Doak Walker drew to the stadium during his college career in the late 1940s. Originally known as Fair Park Stadium, it is located in Fair Park,...
, with The Village People, Cazwell
Cazwell
Luke Caswell , known as Cazwell, is an American rapper and songwriter. He is best known for his explicit lyrics and collaborations with Amanda Lepore...
, Lady Bunny
Lady Bunny
The Lady Bunny is an American drag queen originally from Chattanooga, Tennessee, who has lived in New York since the 1980s. She is the founder of the annual Wigstock event and is well-known as a nightclub DJ, promoter and celebrity...
, DJ Hector Fonseca and DJ Enferno. The concert, however, was canceled on January 31 when only 13 tickets for the show had sold. In 2011, the film featuring her acting debut, You and I
You and I (film)
You and I is a 2011 drama-film directed by Roland Joffé, depicting a fictionalised version of real events adapted from the novel t.A.T.u. Come Back. The film features Mischa Barton, Shantel VanSanten, Julia Volkova and Lena Katina...
, was released in Russia. The film also featured t.A.T.u.'s other half, Yulia Volkova, and the band, as well as actress Mischa Barton
Mischa Barton
Mischa Anne Marsden Barton is a British-American fashion model, film, television, and stage actress, best known for her role as Marissa Cooper in the American television series The O.C..-Early life:...
.
Alongside the release of Lost In This Dance, she recorded the single "Guardian Angel" with the Canadian post-hardcore
Post-hardcore
Post-hardcore is a genre of music that developed from hardcore punk, itself an offshoot of the broader punk rock movement. Like post-punk, post-hardcore is a term for a broad constellation of groups...
band, Abandon All Ships
Abandon All Ships
Abandon All Ships is a Canadian rock band from Toronto, Ontario. Formed in 2006, the group is currently signed to Universal Music Group, Underground Operations along with Rise Records and its subsidiary, Velocity...
, featured on their 2010 debut album Geeving
Geeving
-Release history:- Musicians :Abandon All Ships* Angelo Aita – unclean vocals, composer* Martin Broda – clean vocals, bass guitar, composer* Kyler Stephen Browne – lead guitars* Andrew Paiano – guitars, bass guitar, drums, composer...
, which was released in October. On Friday, June 17, 2011 Katina's single "Never Forget" premiered on the Mexican radio station FMTU 103-7 in Monterrey, Mexico. On Monday, August 1, 2011, the singer revealed the trailer the music video. On August 2 the official video was leaked on Perez Hilton
Perez Hilton
Mario Armando Lavandeira, Jr. , better known as Perez Hilton , is an American blogger and television personality. His blog, Perezhilton.com , is known for posts covering gossip items about celebrities...
's blog
On Friday, August 5, 2011, Katina officially released her music video for "Never Forget" and released the song on iTunes as a single, which also includes her song "Stay".
Katina and her band appeared on Rawsession, where she performed original acoustic versions of Owl City's "Deer in the Headlights", Alexandra Stan's "Mr. Saxobeat", and her own "Never Forget". All videos were released officially via YouTube. She also collaborated with Mexican synthpop band Belanova
Belanova
Belanova are a Mexican synthpop band that formed in the city of Guadalajara, Jalisco, in 2000. The group consists of Denisse Guerrero , Edgar Huerta , and Ricardo "Richie" Arreola...
and filmed a video for the song they recorded together titled "Tic Toc".
On 19 September 2011, Katina released a new song, "Waiting", while being interviewed by Echo of Moscow Radio.
Personal life
Since her early childhood, Katina's hobbies have included artistic gymnasticsArtistic gymnastics
Artistic gymnastics is a discipline of gymnastics where gymnasts perform short routines on different apparatus, with less time for vaulting . The sport is governed by the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique , which designs the Code of Points and regulates all aspects of international elite...
, ballroom dancing, figure skating
Figure skating
Figure skating is an Olympic sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform spins, jumps, footwork and other intricate and challenging moves on ice skates. Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to the Olympic level , and at local, national, and international competitions...
, swimming and horseback-riding. She is also a skilled pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
and also enjoys reading, especially romance novels. Katina stated in a 2006 TeleHit
TeleHit
TeleHit is a Mexican cable/satellite television network. Its main programing is music and music videos. It is a network of Televisa and is also available in various countries in Latin America, United States and Spain. Is part of Televisa Networks, an affiliate of Televisa.Telehit became the second...
interview that she used to listen to artists such as Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, Deep Purple
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
, and Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
when she was younger.
Discography
Untitled (2011)Singles
| Single | Year |
|---|---|
| "Never Forget Never Forget "Never Forget" is a 1995 song recorded by Take That, from the album Nobody Else. It was released on 24 July 1995, and achieved success in many countries, including the UK, Spain and Ireland where it topped the singles chart.-Song information:... " |
2011 |
External links
- Lena Katina official website
- Lena Katina's Official American Fan Site
- t.A.T.u. official website
- Lena Katina Bob Wells Radio
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZT1SpcSuTgg&lc=8mgtupb3VEbYZdje4KFwAxfOsoqnaErUI1ulDrkuWbU&feature=inbox/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZT1SpcSuTgg&lc=8mgtupb3VEbYZdje4KFwAxfOsoqnaErUI1ulDrkuWbU&feature=inbox