All the Things They Said Were a Lie: On t.A.T.u.’s Eurovision 2003 Entry
Halszka Fryźlewicz
halszka.fryzlewicz@interia.plIndependent Scholar (Poland)
https://orcid.org/0009-0008-4785-1941
Abstract
The Russian duo t.A.T.u. is undoubtedly a huge pop culture phenomenon. They are the only Russian band to have achieved international success after 1991, and their hits are remembered to this day. The peak of the singers’ career was their performance as the Russian representatives at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2003 with the song Ne Ver’, Ne Boysia, Ne Prosi. The girls were expected by many to win, but they placed third. The aim of the article is, firstly, to briefly summarize the history of the duo, highlighting the role of Ivan Shapovalov, the producer and author of the scandalous concept: the stage image of faux lesbians was created purely for publicity purposes. This is followed by a dissucssion of the circumstances of the duo’s performance at the Eurovision Song Contest, the significance of the song, and possible reasons for its failure. In addition, the topic of AI as a tool that allowed the “creation” of a never-released English version of the song is mentioned.
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Keywords:
t.A.T.u., Lena Katina, Julia Volkova, Ivan Shapovalov, Eurovision Song Contest, sexual abuse, showbusiness, prison slangReferences
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Authors
Halszka Fryźlewiczhalszka.fryzlewicz@interia.pl
Independent Scholar Poland
https://orcid.org/0009-0008-4785-1941
Halszka Fryźlewicz - A double graduate in Russian language (specializing in translation) and art history (Jagiellonian University). Her main interests are focused on ekphrasis as intersemiotic translation, the translation of art history discourse in the Polish-Russian language pair, and the relationship between art and propaganda, including its manifestations in pop culture.
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