Biography of Yulia Volkova
Yulia Volkova is a Russian pop singer, whose fame came with her participation in the Tatu group. The most popular songs were “I’ve lost my mind” and “They won’t catch us.” The very first album made Yulia and her friend Lena Katina famous abroad. As part of the group, she took third place at the Eurovision Song Contest 2003 with the song “Don’t Believe, Don’t Be Afraid, Don’t Ask.”
In the photo: Yulia Volkova
In 2010, after a long creative break, she began her solo career. In 2013, together with Dima Bilan, she received the Grand Prix in the “Duo of the Year” nomination at the anniversary awards ceremony for achievements in popular music “Soundtrack”.
Childhood in "Fidgets"
Julia was born in the winter of 1985 into the Moscow Volkov family: businessman Oleg and stylist Larisa. On her father's side, she has an older sister who now lives in Germany.
Yulia Volkova in childhood
In early childhood, the girl showed musical abilities, and her parents sent their daughter to a music school to study piano. When Yulia turned nine, she was accepted into the famous creative laboratory “Fidgets,” where Seryozha Lazarev and Vladik Topalov, Nastya Zadorozhnaya and Lena Katina appeared on stage with her.
Yulia Volkova in her school years
So that the girl could develop her abilities, she was transferred to a school with a theatrical focus. In parallel with her main subjects, Yulia studied the basics of acting and learned how to behave properly on stage.
Yulia Volkova in "Fidgets"
Boris Grachevsky invited a pretty and talented girl to film two episodes of “Jumble” (“Help me out” and “Dummy”). Yulia Volkova in "Jumble"
Relationships in the group
15-year-old Lena Katina was immediately approved as one of the soloists of the group. The search for the second one continued longer, until the girl herself offered to audition her friend Yulia Volkova, who, like her, was a former member of the group “Fidgets.” According to the producer's idea, the girls had to portray lesbian love, which is what they did during the first years of the group's existence.
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Later, when the duo stopped their collaboration with Ivan Shapovalov, there was no longer a need to portray gayness. By the way, Yulia, five years after the founding of the group, gave birth to a daughter, and three years later, a son. During her first pregnancy, she even had to star in a video. In the story, the heroine Katina orders the execution of the pregnant Volkova. Lena was against such a plot, but Yulia happily depicted the scene.
What the relationship between the teenagers really was remains a mystery. After the collapse of the team, in one interview, Lena Katina herself admitted that the image of lesbians was initially purely a marketing ploy, and she and Yulia were always just friends. Later, confrontation began between the former soloists of the same group. So, in her interviews, Volkova spoke unflatteringly about Katina’s work, to which another could not resist barbs at Volkova, who was constantly experimenting with her appearance.
"Tattoo"
At the age of 14, Yulia went to the casting of a new musical project organized by screenwriter Ivan Shapovalov and composer Igor Voitinsky. As a result, she, along with Lena Katina from Fidget, was approved as the lead singer of the teenage girl group Tatu.
Lena Katina and Yulia Volkova in their youth
The girls explained the title as an acronym for “That One Loves That One,” hinting at the unconventional relationship between them. The very first performances of Tatu, two very young girls in sexy school uniforms, were a stunning success. The image of teenage lesbians was scandalous, but invariably attracted the attention of fans. In parallel with this, Yulia entered the school named after the Gnesin sisters in the vocal pop-jazz department.
Group "Tatu"
In the very first years of their appearance on the stage, the songs of the “tatushkas” rose to the top of the music charts not only in Russia, but also in the USA, Great Britain, and Australia. For several months in 2000, the radio charts were topped by the single “I’ve lost my mind,” and the video clip for the song took the highest position on the MTV Russia channel. The world's main charts were topped by their debut composition “All the Things She Said”. Tattoo - I've Lost My Mind The year 2001 was marked by the release of the disc “200 in the opposite direction,” which, according to official data, sold more than two million copies. In the same year, a video for the song “They Will Not Catch Up with Us” appeared.
"Tatu" and Ivan Shapovalov
The group toured constantly, in 2002 they officially changed their name to tATu, since the English-language version of the music group Tatu already existed in Australia, where, as in Europe and the USA, the Tatu disc 200 km/h in the Wrong Lane was actively sold. All three Tatu studio albums were adapted into English. tATu – All About Us In May 2003, Yulia and Lena performed at Eurovision on behalf of Russia and brought the country third place. Türkiye and Belgium took the lead with a small gap. Throughout his career under Shapovalov’s production, the love of the two girls was the leitmotif through all performances and music videos. Now it’s hard to believe it, but the girls freely performed in T-shirts with the inscription “Fuck the war”, taking a strict anti-militaristic position, openly kissed at concerts, and in the video for the song “Half an Hour” Volkova’s character makes a bomb in the school toilet to blow up her friend -a cheater.
“Tattoos” in provocative T-shirts
Subsequently, “tATu” won the World Music Awards in three categories: “Best World Pop Group”, “Best World Duet”, “Best Dance Group”. Interview with Tatu (2002) In 2004, producers planned to launch the reality show Tatu in the Celestial Empire to show how the singers were working on a new disc. But Yulia and Lena broke the contract with Shapovalov (this decision was largely influenced by Volkova’s pregnancy), and the project was closed. After this, the soloists announced to the audience that their lesbian image was invented solely for the sake of PR. The ranks of fans have thinned significantly.
Presentation of the show “Tattoo in the Celestial Empire”
Independent work did not bring the girls high achievements, although the album “Disabled People”, on which they worked in the USA, was recognized as “gold” not only in Russia, but also in Taiwan and Mexico. Tattoo - Disabled People Several years of touring and the album “Cheerful Smiles” did not live up to the hopes of both soloists. Without Shapovalov, his career did not develop. Tension increased between them and conflicts arose more and more often. International recognition also gradually faded, and in 2009 the first reports appeared that both singers were planning to pursue solo careers. Subsequently, they reunited several times to perform at concerts and at the Olympics in Sochi. Tatu reunion at the Sochi Olympics After this, the girls were bombarded with offers for the year ahead. They agreed to many of them. But the very first tour, a tour of Slovakia, opened up old boils. According to Yulia, Lena was already capricious at the airport, refused to go on tour and simply left the airport. Lena Katina herself claimed that Volkova tried to dominate and threatened to kick Lena out of the group, replacing her with any other red-haired singer, and ruin her former friend’s career, using her connections on Channel One.
Title "Tattoo"
The name "Tattoo" meant "that one is in love with that one." Since downloading music online was not widespread at that time, fans of the band’s work literally swept albums off store shelves. In terms of CD sales, Tatu even surpassed Madonna and Michael Jackson. Therefore, the decision was made to convert the group to an international audience. And since the Tatu group already existed in Australia, the duo was named tATu
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Solo career and oncology
Since 2010, Yulia Volkova began performing independently. She presented new compositions “Woman All The Way Down” and “Rage” to the audience. Then I decided to try my luck at Eurovision again. In a duet with Dima Bilan, the singer performed the song “Back to Her Future” at the qualifying round, but “Buranovskie Babushki” went to the competition. And the composition together with Yulia was included in Bilan’s album “Reach.” Dima Bilan and Yulia Volkova. Eurovision qualifying round In 2012, Volkova released a new single, “Didn’t Wanna Do It,” written for her on The Euroz in partnership with Taj Jackson, and released another collaboration with Bilan, “Bitch-Love.” After this, the singer’s musical activity was interrupted because doctors discovered a malignant tumor in her neck. Yulia later recalled: By the word “unsuccessfully,” the singer meant the fact that a surgeon at a Russian clinic, when removing a tumor, touched her vocal cords, as a result of which the girl completely lost her voice. Later, according to Volkova, she had to go under the surgeon’s knife several more times: in Germany, Japan and Korea. Only after this did she begin to talk a little and even sing.
Due to an unsuccessful operation to remove a cancerous tumor, Yulia almost lost her voice
Long-term rehabilitation helped the artist return to creativity. Together with Katina, they re-released the album “200 km/h in the Wrong Lane” in honor of its tenth anniversary. Then, in a duet with Dima Bilan, she released a video for the song “Back to Her Future”. Their tandem won the “Best sex video” category at the OE Video Music Avards.
Yulia Volkova before and after plastic surgery
Next, with the same composition of tATu, she went on tour to the capital of Ukraine, after “tatushka” they performed several concerts in St. Petersburg. Once again, Yulia and Lena teamed up in 2014 to participate in the opening of the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi. They recorded a video for the song “Love in Every Moment” together with Mike Tompkins and Legalize. Tattoo, Legalize and Mike Tompkins - Love in every moment Volkova’s first solo work after a three-year break was the composition “Keep Close,” for which a video was released by Alan Badoev in 2015. A year later, Julia presented the single “Save the World, People,” and later her composition “Just Forget” appeared on iTunes. And in 2021, Julia went to Turkey to visit her new lover, survived abuse and a recurrence of oncology, but more on that below.
Yulia Volkova on stage
Personal life of Lena Katina
The artist was born on October 4, 1984 in Moscow. The girl's father was a musician who wrote lyrics for the Dune group. Lena was a member of three groups: “Avenue”, “Fidgets”, “Tatu”.
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Because of her stage image, Katina did not share details of her personal life for a long time. In the early 2000s, in one of the bars in Los Angeles, the girl met a musician from Slovenia, Sasho Kuzmanovic, but due to a busy touring schedule, the young people remained only friends.
A few years later, after their next meeting, they began dating. In 2012, Lena admitted that for several years she had been in a romantic relationship with a Slovenian musician. In August 2013, the couple officially got married, and in 2015 they had a son, who was named Alexander.
Personal life of Yulia Volkova
Relationships with men for Yulia Volkova were difficult. While still a soloist of Tatu, she fell in love with her own bodyguard Pavel Sidorov and in the fall of 2004 gave birth to a daughter, Victoria, from him. The relationship ended there, since the man had a common-law wife, Anastasia, who had recently given birth to a child.
Yulia Volkova and Pavel Sidorov
In 2006, the media started talking about the imminent wedding of two “fidgets”: Volkova and Topalov. Topalov himself said that Yulia was his first and purest love, captivating him with her sincerity. Vlad himself did not deny that he proposed to Yulia. For a long time he did not dare to take a decisive step; he constantly carried the ring with him. But one summer in the center of Moscow, they were both sitting in his car when Topalov proposed starting a family. Volkova agreed, but the wedding never took place.
Yulia Volkova and Vlad Topalov
The couple broke up before reaching the altar, as Yulia met the son of an influential businessman, Parviz Yasinov. There were rumors that the singer allegedly converted to Islam and then secretly married a 19-year-old boy in the United Arab Emirates.
Yulia Volkova and Parviz Yasinov
Official representatives of the group denied information about both the singer’s marriage and her change of faith. But Julia herself answered these questions in the affirmative and in 2007 gave birth to a son from Parviz, who was given the Muslim name Samir.
Children of Yulia Volkova: Victoria and Samir
At that time, the singer said that she had always been in awe of Eastern traditions, the singing of mullahs, and women in burqas. However, the family did not work out with the father of the second child. In 2010, the couple broke up without explanation to the press, and the singer, according to rumors, returned back to Orthodoxy.
The singer returned to Orthodoxy
For some time, the media made assumptions that Volkova was having an affair with her stage partner Dima Bilan. Both demonstrated a tender relationship with each other in public, but it soon became clear that this was rather a cunning PR to promote their joint project.
With Dima Bilan
And yet, Julia had a wedding, as well as a white dress with a veil. On August 8, 2018, she posted on Instagram a photo of herself in a wedding dress with an enthusiastic caption about dreams come true and gratitude to God. She did not show her chosen one, although his name was known in certain circles. The artist’s husband was thief in law Georgy Zarandia, better known as Gia Galsky from the Ded Hasan clan, who controls the Moscow Abkhaz group.
Wedding of Yulia Volkova
Their acquaintance, according to rumors, took place at one of the closed parties where Julia performed. In one of the programs, Volkova, without naming her lover’s name, called him “good for her, even if he is bad for someone else,” and wealthy. According to her, she fell in love with communicating with him, because initially they were friends.
Yulia Volkova and her husband Georgy Zarandia
For several years, the singer lived in two countries, since her husband lived in Turkey, from where he conducted all his business. It should be noted that in 2014, Giya Galsky was expelled from Russia by decision of the Zamoskvoretsky court after he was detained for lack of registration in Moscow. The wedding of Volkova and Zarandiya took place on the Turkish coast.
In March 2021, the media started talking about the third pregnancy of the ex-soloist of tATu. Some publications called George Zarandia the future father, but, according to Yulia herself, at the beginning of the same year she had a new American boyfriend. And she allegedly even looked at a clinic in America where she would give birth to their child. But the coronavirus pandemic interfered with the relationship. When the need for self-isolation was announced, Volkova was in Moscow, her man was in the States. Virtual communication, at first very intensive and daily, gradually tired both of them.
When Julia realized that this relationship was failing, she decided to have an abortion, because she considered that “having a third child just for herself is wrong.” In an interview, the singer said that if a man really wanted a full-fledged family, he would not allow a woman to have an abortion.
Volkova’s operation was carried out in early April; according to her, she had already calmed down and cooled down, despite the fact that at first it was very painful. After some time, Julia spoke about this in the “Confession” project. Volkova also said that in 2021 she experienced a relapse of cancer and had to undergo treatment again. Confession. Yulia Volkova. Fragment In addition, the singer admitted that she was beaten by her lover. She refused to give his name, but noted that she had been dating him for the last 4 years (apparently it was Georgiy Zarandia). Everything happened on the street in Turkey, in the presence of her children. The jealous admirer was barely torn away from the singer lying on the ground. With her jaw broken in three places, she was sent by ambulance to the hospital, where a complex operation was performed. Volkova admitted that since then she has lived in fear not only for herself, but also for her own children, since “that man” (by the way, she did not even report him to the police) is now pursuing her in order to destroy her physically.
However, the singer had business negotiations in the United States, where she had the following operation to restore her voice and took several vocal lessons from a famous American teacher.
In July 2021, Yulia posted a joint photo on Instagram with photographer Yaroslav Vorotilov and accompanied the photo with an intriguing comment with a heart: “My dear man, happy birthday. I’ve already told you everything else.”
Yulia Volkova now
Amid the ups and downs in the singer’s personal life, fans miss her solo work. But this is understandable: having survived many operations and almost losing her voice, Yulia is now focused on recovery and caring for the children, although Victoria is already an adult lady, and Samir is no longer a little boy. Julia cannot imagine life without children and calls them her “peace and air.” In November 2021, Julia stunned fans with sad news: thyroid cancer had returned. She admitted that she was tired of living in a constant state of uncertainty and fear for her life and the future of her children: However, in May 2021, the singer announced that she would run for deputy from the United Russia party from the Ivanovo region, and then recorded an appeal to potential voters. Unexpectedly, the video collected a huge number of dislikes on YouTube, and the artist’s actions were criticized by the public. The election program of Yulia Volkova Volkova did not win the United Russia primaries, and then was embarrassed in an interview as part of the YouTube show “Beware, Sobchak!” Ksenia Sobchak asked Yulia if she supported the Dima Yakovlev Law [passed in 2013, according to which Americans are prohibited from adopting children from Russia]. Volkova said she was not ready to discuss any laws. After this, Ksenia explained that Dima Yakovlev’s law prohibits children from playing football near the roadway. The singer took the joke at face value and admitted that such a law is useful. Sobchak caught Volkova
