Fierce brunette Julia Volkova and sprightly redhead Lena Katina are Eastern Europe's most popular musical exports. In the age of 24/7 televised entertainment, you've likely caught a glimpse (or quite more) of these Russian pop-sensations and full-time mess-with-your-expectations media mavens. During t.A.T.u.'s short five years together, the two diminutive, talented beauties have caused one hell of a worldwide ruckus, routinely playing to audiences of 50,000 fans and selling more than 5 million copies of their debut album, 200 km/h in the Wrong Lane. Infamously, they refused to perform at the World Music Awards unless provided with real guns. Explains Lena, "We wanted real machine-guns, but they didn't give us, so we wouldn't perform, that simple."

Brazenly, after promising not to kiss on the Tonight Show, they engaged in a long, passionate wet one-- much to the alarm of anxious network censors, (and well before Britney and Madonna's little stunt, ahem). And yet, when expected to do the same on Jimmy Kimmel, they deliberately offered not so much as a sweet peck on the cheek. Why? Explains Julia, "Basically, because we like to do what we want. A lot of people are, like, 'you shouldn't do this, you shouldn't do that, you shouldn't behave in this way.' But you know what? Actually for us, we are the way that we are, and we don't really live in fear of anybody. So, if we behave in a certain way, then that's just actually the way we are."

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JULIA'S BIO
Julia Volkova was born in the family of a successful businessman in Moscow on February 20th, 1985. At the age of 7, parallel to the ordinary school, Julia entered a music school, piano class. When she was 9, Julia became a member of the famous children vocal and instrumental group "Neposedy" (Naughty Children). At the casting Julia sang Russian folk song "Oy, to ne vecher". In a year, Lena Katina became a member of "Neposedy" as well, and soon Julia and Lena became best friends. When she was 11, Julia switched the ordinary school where she studied for the school fostering artistic talents. Three years later she leaves "Neposedy" to pass the casting and join musical project Tatu in which Lena Katina had already been in. At the age of 15, Julia enters vocal department of Gnessin's State Musical College and simultaneously becomes famous as a soloist of Tatu duo. In 2004 she had a baby. Now she is 20.