Lena Katina: biography
Elena Katina is a Russian singer who gained worldwide popularity as part of the pop group Tatu. Since 2009, the singer has performed solo under the name Lena Katina.
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Lena was born in Moscow in the family of the famous composer Sergei Katin, who wrote songs for the Dune group, as well as for singers Larisa Dolina, Marina Khlebnikova and other Russian stars. After some time, Elena’s parents divorced, and Elena’s mother Inessa Vsevolodovna was involved in raising her, assisted by Asya Nikitichna, her paternal grandmother, an artist by profession.
Singer Lena Katina
The girl grew up active since childhood, so it was decided to send her daughter to a sports section in order to direct her energy in a useful direction. A little later, an innate musical talent emerged. Little Lena began learning to play the piano, then sang in the children's vocal group "Avenue" for three years.
In the end, fate brought Katina to the legendary ensemble "Fidgets", where the girl met other future stars - Yulia Volkova, Sergei Lazarev, Yulia Malinovskaya, Vlad Topalov. With this team, Lena participated in many festivals and competitions for children.
Yulia Volkova and Lena Katina
In 1999, music producer Ivan Shapovalov decided to create a new project, which soon became known as “Tatu”. Only Elena Katina, who had just turned 15, was selected at the casting. The girl suited the external parameters - short height (162 cm), red curly hair, big eyes, and also suited the producer as a vocalist. Lena had already started rehearsals when the directors considered it appropriate to turn Tatu into a duet and also invited Yulia Volkova.
By the way, despite the incredible creative workload, Katina managed to graduate in absentia from the Moscow Humanitarian-Economic Institute and receive a higher education majoring in Psychology.
early years
Father - Sergei Vasilyevich Katin, creator, musician and songwriter of the Dune group. Currently, Sergei Katin is engaged in a business related to vinyl records[1].
Mother - Inessa Vsevolodovna Katina.
Has a younger sister Ekaterina
[1]. My paternal grandmother is the artist Asya Nikitichna Katina (1936)[2].
Katina's parents divorced, and Lena was raised by her mother and stepfather. From the age of four, Lena attended sports clubs and music clubs. From the age of eight she studied piano at a music school. At the age of 10 she began performing in the children's ensemble "Avenue", where she sang for three years. Then Lena moved to the vocal and instrumental ensemble “Fidgets,” where Yulia Volkova became her friend. Katina left the ensemble at the age of 14 due to age restrictions in Fidgets.
Music
Before Volkova arrived, Lena Katina recorded two songs: “Yugoslavia” and “Why Me” by composer Alexander Voitinsky. But the very first joint single, “I'm Crazy,” instantly raised the girls to the rank of Russian stars. The video for the song received a prestigious international award - MTV Video Music Awards in the "Viewers' Choice - Best Russian Video" category.
Lena Katina and Yulia Volkova, “Tattoo”
It was followed by the songs “They Won’t Catch Up with Us,” “Half an Hour,” “Gay Boy” and other scandalous hits. The idea of using a provocative image came to the producers of the project after watching the Swedish film “Show Me Love,” which showed the love of two high school girls. And the name itself could be deciphered as the phrase “She loves Tu.” The parents of both performers did not oppose the use of the LGBT image, although in interviews they emphasized that the girls have a normal orientation.
Surprisingly, during the first recordings, Elena had slight problems with diction. During live singing they are not noticeable, but during sound recording they began to make themselves felt. Then the experts recommended Lena... to sing with a plug in her mouth in order to develop her jaw. And this advice helped the girl get rid of the problem.
Already in 2001, the duo’s first solo disc, “200 in the opposite direction,” followed, half a million copies of which were sold on the first day of sales, and over the year the figure increased to 4.3 million copies worldwide, with 1.8 million accounting for Japan. The album broke sales records, surpassing even the CDs of Michael Jackson and Madonna. By the way, Madonna spoke warmly about the duet, and called Lena Katina the first singer from Eastern Europe whose English is so good that it allows her to compete with American performers.
Since the group’s popularity abroad turned out to be no less than at home, in 2002 hits began to appear in English “Not Gonna Get Us”, “I’ve Lost My Mind” and “All the Things She Said”. The latest single even achieved platinum status in a number of European countries.
In 2003, Tatu participated in the Eurovision Song Contest (Riga), where they came third with the song “Don’t Believe, Don’t Be Afraid, Don’t Ask.” The first two places went to Turkey and Belgium. The difference in points turned out to be small, and since the voting system was broken in some countries, Russia tried to protest the results, but was refused.
In 2004, the group released the show “Tatu” in China, a year later - the album “Dangerous and Moving” for the international segment and the disc “Disabled People” for sale in Russia. Working in a musical duet became an important stage in Lena Katina’s creative biography. After the group's breakup in 2011, the singer began a solo career in the West.
Under the name Lena Katina, the girl re-recorded hit old songs, and then began offering listeners new creations. Lena’s first solo composition was “Waiting”, then together with the Mexican rock group “Belanova” Lena recorded the hit “Tic Toc”. Katina dedicated the ballad “Keep on Breathing” to people affected by the disaster in Japan in the spring of 2011.
The song “Never Forget” became a big hit, which topped the world’s main Billboard chart. Thus, the singer repeated her own success with the duet “Tatu”, because the song “Not Gonna Get Us” had already risen to number one in America. By the way, none of the musicians from the CIS countries have ever managed to do this.
In 2012, a video was released for the duet of Lena Katina and Clark Owen (Germany) “Melody”, in the same year the singer visited St. Petersburg, where she performed in the program of the queer culture festival “Queerfest 2012”. Soon followed by the premiere of the song “I’ll Be Around” (“Shot”), which Katina performed together with R’n’B artist T-killah, as well as the musical composition “Paradise”, recorded to the music of Sergei Galoyan.
An undoubted triumph for Lena Katina’s solo career was her performance at a concert in Los Angeles at the Halloween carnival. Soon a joint performance with Yulia Volkova took place in the capital of Romania, as well as a re-release of the first album of the Tatu group. In 2014, the artists performed at the opening of the XXII Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, where they performed the song “They Will Not Catch Up with Us,” and later recorded the track “Love in Every Moment.” But the continuation of their joint career did not work out; the girls again turned to solo projects.
In 2014, the Lena Katina project released its debut full-length album, This Is Who I Am.
1999-2009: as part of the Tatu group
In 1999, based on the results of a casting organized by advertising agent Ivan Shapovalov, Lena got into a musical project, which soon became known as “Tattoo”. With the participation of composer Alexander Voitinsky, the songs “Yugoslavia” and “Why Me” were recorded. Later, based on the results of additional casting, 14-year-old Yulia Volkova was also enrolled in the project.
The first single of the Tatu group, entitled “I'm Crazy,” released in December 2000, became a hit first in the CIS, and after the song was translated into English, throughout the world. Recalling the recording of this song, Katina said: “I had problems with diction then, so at first Shapovalov forced me to sing with a cork in my mouth - so that my jaw would somehow develop.”[3].
After graduating from school in 2001, Lena entered the Moscow Humanitarian-Economic Institute at the Faculty of Psychology, which she graduated in absentia in 2007.
In 2006, the duo Lena and Yulia began posting videos from their lives on the Internet[4].
In March 2009, the management of the Tatu group announced that the soloists would stop working in the group full time and start their solo careers, and in January 2011, at the premiere of the film “You and Me” in Moscow, the members of the group announced their final breakup groups.
In 2009, Lena underwent surgery at the Stanford University Clinic (Palo Alto), where she underwent laser vision correction[5].
Personal life
In the summer of 2013, Lena Katina officially married Slovenian rock musician Sasho Kuzmanovic. It is interesting that the young people had two magnificent weddings - both in Slovenia and in Russia. Two years after this, the couple became parents for the first time: they had a son, who was named Alexander. Lena Katina arrived in Moscow for the birth.
Lena Katina with her husband
The family lives permanently in Los Angeles, but due to the creative process, Lena sometimes comes to Russia.
Not all Katina’s fans know that the singer has had poor eyesight since childhood. Having already become famous, Lena had surgery in an American clinic and eliminated this deficiency with the help of laser correction.
Lena Katina: “I feel that I have fulfilled my intended purpose”
The bright and spontaneous red-haired girl Lena Katina as part of the Tatu group was like a blazing spark. And the project itself was an incredible success: “They won’t catch us!” shouted in all the streets and discos in different countries and in different languages. A stunning success for the Russian girl group, significantly fueled by scandalous statements about the non-standard sexual orientation of its participants. Time passed, the girls grew up and went into solo projects. Lena moved to Los Angeles and is successfully promoting her solo project Lena Katina. She also recently became a mother.
– Lena, please tell me why it happened that at the peak of world popularity the Tatu group broke up?
“We just decided to go our separate ways.” We've worked together for 10 years, it's time to move on. There were good reasons, including different views on the future and the work process in general.
– When did you decide to pursue solo creativity?
– I’ve been thinking about a solo career for a long time. Even during Yulina’s first pregnancy, I started working on a solo project with my dad, recorded several songs, but then decided to hold off. When Yulia and I separated, I thought that now was the time to resume solo activities.
– Why did you decide to go to Los Angeles for your new musical project?
– Los Angeles chose me! The musicians with whom we worked at Tatu happily agreed to continue working, but with me as a solo artist. It was easier for me to fly to Los Angeles than to bring them to Moscow. Well, besides, LA is conducive to creativity.
– How was your new life in the USA? Who helped you at first? What did you like here and what surprised you?
– Boris Rensky, who was involved in Tatu from the very beginning, suggested that I go solo. I was incredibly grateful to him! If it weren’t for him, I don’t know if I would ever have decided to go solo... First I came for a couple of months, then for another couple... I started working, creating and recording songs. I had never composed myself before, it was difficult to start, but thanks to the people around me, I began to compose myself, and now I am a co-author of every song I write! It was definitely a challenge. I'm glad I can express myself through music and words. I also collaborate with various foreign authors, for example, with the famous DJ Dave Aude. By the way, it was his remix of my first single Never Forget that topped the Billboard chart in the USA.
– Lena Katina is an international project that employs people from different countries. Why did you like this particular team, and not, say, artists born in the USSR?
– It’s not a matter of who was born where. There are many talented musicians in Russia. I really don't like changing people around. In general, change is difficult for me; I love stability and a plan. I have known the guys since 2003. We get along great and have practically become family over the years!
– You sing in English, Russian, and also Spanish. Please tell me what language is best for you to sing in order to convey your message to the audience? What are your songs about?
– Lately I’ve been singing mostly in English. And I also write in English. Imagine my surprise when, while recording a demo for a Russian single, I realized that it was extremely difficult to sing in my native language. I'm out of the habit. I recorded Spanish songs together with a teacher who taught me pronunciation. It turned out very well, in my opinion.
– How did fate connect you with the Slovenian musician Sasho Kuzmanovic? When did you realize that this was the person for you? Who proposed to whom and how did it happen? Tell us about your two weddings in Russia and Slovenia.
- Oh, it's a long story. Sasho is a friend of my musicians. We met in 2003, when we took part in the American MTV Movie Awards as part of Tatu. Then we didn’t see each other for many years. When I started a solo project, we sometimes met at the “Hi-Hi” level. One Friday night, my musicians invited me to a bar. There our mutual sympathy began. Then we met at a couple more parties and away we went. A month later we moved in together, a little over 3 years later we got married. I am very grateful to God and fate for him. He is a wonderful husband and a wonderful father!
– Lena, congratulations on the birth of your first child, son Sasha! I would like to talk a little about your motherhood, namely: what is happening inside you, how do you feel? With the advent of their first child, many mothers discover hidden reserves in themselves: inspiration comes, fullness of life, all this helps to create. Is something similar happening to you now? What is family to you? What does being a wife mean to you?
– Family is the most important thing in life, in my opinion. The birth of a child is an indescribable happiness! I feel like I have finally fulfilled my intended purpose. Not really, though, I still need a daughter!
– You do very good songs in duets, in particular, I would like to mention the duet with the Russian performer T-Killah. What other duets are planned this year? Which artist would you like to sing with?
– Yes, the duet with Sasha turned out to be a great success! I am very pleased with our work together. Now I’m all about motherhood, I somehow don’t think about duets... In general, I dream of singing with Depeche Mode and Eros Ramazzotti.
– What do you think about modern music show business in Russia and the CIS countries? How often do you come home to Moscow? Are there any plans to return to Russia for good?
– Russia is my home. Always will be. I plan to record songs in Russian. Now I’m preparing a Russian-language single, plus some of my songs from the album have been translated and sung in Russian. Let's wait and see how it all pans out.
- Well, a couple of quick questions. Do you have a hobby? Do you like to read? What is your attitude towards cooking? Your favorite dish? Are you on diets?
– In short, it’s like this: I really like to read and cook, although now I mostly read fairy tales. I cook deliciously, I adore Japanese and Italian cuisine, and my mixed meat hodgepodge always turns out to be a great success. I don’t go on diets, I try to eat right, exercise and not overeat before bed.
– What are your wishes to the readers of the City of Women magazine?
– I wish everyone the best health, a happy family life, smile more often and be able to find something good and positive in any situation, even where it is almost impossible!
Interviewed by Vladimir Sergeev
Photo from personal archive
Lena Katina now
Now Lena Katina’s musical career continues to develop. The singer is recording new singles in English and Spanish. In 2016 the track Levántame appeared, in 2020 - Silent Hills.
At the end of 2020, the artist arrived in Moscow, where she gave two concerts - in Izmailovo Park and Sokolniki Park, which she informed fans about from her personal page on Instagram. There, the girl posted her own photos, in which she appeared in a new image - in a glamorous black dress with sequins and straightened hair.
Lena Katina does not forget about rest, periodically going to visit her husband’s homeland. Together with Sasho, Lena thinks about the future and the birth of another child.
Solo project Lena Katina[ | ]
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2009—2011[ | ]
Since April 2009, Katina began her solo career in the international music project “Lena Katina”, moving to live from Moscow to Los Angeles. Lena covered old Tatu hits and recorded new songs.
On September 11, 2009, Lena's official website was opened.
On May 30, 2010, Lena Katina's first solo performance took place at the Troubadour club in Los Angeles[7][8][9].
On June 12, 2010, Lena performed at the American festival “PrideFest”, which supports LGBT culture, in Milwaukee[10].
On September 19, 2011, the premiere of Lena Katina’s song “Waiting” took place in the program “Fellow Travelers” on the radio station “Echo of Moscow”[11]. On September 28, 2011, the Mexican group “Belanova[en]” with the participation of Lena Katina released a video for the joint song “Tic Toc”[12].
On October 26, 2011, Lena performed at the Lunas del Auditorio Awards in Mexico[13].
On December 13, 2011, Lena gave her first charity web concert on FanKix, all funds collected from which were transferred to the Japanese Ashinaga Foundation, which provides support to children affected by the natural disaster in Japan on March 11, 2011[14]. A new song “Keep on Breathing” (translated from English as “Keep Breathing”) was also presented here; Katina composed this ballad together with her musicians, dedicating it to the victims of the disaster in Japan on March 11, 2011[15].
2012—2014[ | ]
On April 28, 2012, Dave Audé's remix of "Never Forget" topped the Billboard Dance/Club Play Songs chart. Of the performers originally from the CIS, only the Tatu group has achieved such success[16].
On May 5, 2012, the premiere of the video of the duet of German musician Clark Owen and Lena Katina for the song “Melody”[17] took place.
On September 29, 2012, Lena Katina gave a concert in St. Petersburg at the International Festival of Queer Culture “Queerfest 2012”. Here Lena publicly performed the song “Yugoslavia” for the first time, dedicating it to the first producer and creator of the Tatu group, Ivan Shapovalov[18].
On September 30, 2012, the song “Shot” premiered in a duet with Russian rapper T-killah on the radio station “Love radio”[19]. On October 24, 2012, the premiere of the song “Paradise” took place, recorded together with Russian composer Sergei Galoyan[20]. On October 31, 2012, Lena Katina performed a 15-minute concert in West Hollywood (Los Angeles, USA) as part of the world's largest carnival dedicated to Halloween[21].
On December 11, 2012, Lena Katina, for the first time in more than 3 years, reunited with her former colleague Volkova for a joint performance in Bucharest (Romania) on the TV show “The Voice” in support of the anniversary re-release of the album “200 km/h In the Wrong Lane (10th Anniversary Edition)"[22].
Lena Katina at a solo concert in Moscow. (2013)
On April 14, 2013, on the official YouTube channel of the singer T-Killah, the premiere of the video for the song “I’ll be near” (“Shot”), in a duet with Lena Katina[23], premiered.
On September 24, 2013, the singles “Lift me up” and “Levantame” premiered in English and Spanish. The premiere of the single was accompanied by the opening of a new website lenakatina.com. On October 1, the premiere of the “Lift me up” video took place.
On February 7, Lena Katina and Yulia Volkova reunited to perform at the opening of the XXII Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, but already on February 17, Lena made an official statement about the final breakup of the group due to irresolvable differences with Yulia.
The singer continued her solo career and in the summer she released a track together with the group Re: boot (ex-Cinema Bizarre) - Century. Almost simultaneously with the new track, the singer’s first physical live-CD was released - European Fan Weekend 2013.
In September, Lena announced the release date of her solo album “This Is Who I Am” and the filming of a new video “Who I Am”.
2015 - present[ | ]
The New Year began with bright events for the singer - the release of a new video clip in a duet with Italian singer Noemi Smorra and the premiere of the latest single “An Invitation” in support of her debut album.
On May 22, Lena gave birth to a son, who was named Alexander.
Work on the solo project was suspended, but the videos “An Invitation” and “Golden Leaves” were appreciated by critics and received several awards at film festivals in America (see the “awards” section).
In 2020, the performer released the Russian-language album “Mono”[24][25].
In the spring of 2020, she performed in the show “Mask,” a Russian adaptation of “The Masked Singer,” dressed as a Spider[26].
