Lena Katina facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lena Katina
Лена Катина
Katina in 2013
Born	Elena Sergeevna Katina (1984-10-04) 4 October 1984 (age 40) Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Occupation	Singer songwriter actress
Years active	1994–present
Spouse(s)	Sasho Kuzmanović ​ ​ (m. 2013; div. 2019)​ Dmitriy Spiridonov ​ (m. 2022)​
Children	2
Parent(s)	Sergey Katin (father)
Musical career
Genres	Pop rock electronica
Instruments	Vocals piano
Labels	Katina Music Inc. Maqueta Records T.A. Music Such Much Productions

Elena Sergeevna Katina (born October 4, 1984), known as Lena Katina, is a singer from Russia. She became famous as one half of the pop music group t.A.T.u..

Lena started her music journey at age eight. She joined a children's group called Avenue. Soon after, she joined another group called Neposedy. In 1999, a producer named Ivan Shapovalov chose Lena and Julia Volkova for his new music project, t.A.T.u. This duo became Russia's most successful pop music act. They had many hit songs, including "All the Things She Said", "Not Gonna Get Us", and "All About Us". Their first song, "All the Things She Said", was number one in 19 countries. These countries included the UK, Russia, and Australia.

In 2009, Lena Katina began her solo music career. This meant t.A.T.u. took a break. In 2011, the group officially broke up. Julia Volkova also started her own solo career. That same year, Lena released her first big solo song, "Never Forget". This song reached number one on MTV Russia's Top 10. It also won MTV Russia's Video of the Year award in 2011. The song also hit number one on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. It also reached first place in Greece.

In 2014, Lena released her first solo album, This Is Who I Am. Two years later, a Spanish version of the album came out, called Esta Soy Yo. In 2019, she released her second album, Mono.

Lena's Early Life and Music Beginnings

Lena Katina was born in Moscow, Russia, on October 4, 1984. Her father, Sergey Katin, was a musician. When Lena was just four years old, her father encouraged her to join different sports and music clubs.

At age seven, Lena started regular school. Within a year, she also began taking piano lessons at a music school. When she was ten, she became a soloist in a children's group called Avenue. She sang with this group for three years. At age thirteen, she joined a singing group called Neposedy. This is where she met Julia Volkova, and they became friends. When Lena was fourteen, she and Julia were chosen to be part of the pop duo t.A.T.u..

Lena's Music Career Journey

1999–2011: Becoming Famous with t.A.T.u.

Lena Katina performing with t.A.T.u. in Moscow, 2008

Lena Katina and Julia Volkova formed the duo t.A.T.u. in 1999. They became famous around the world with hit songs like "All the Things She Said", "Not Gonna Get Us", and "All About Us".

In 2003, they took part in the Eurovision Song Contest. They finished third with their song "Ne Ver', Ne Boysia". In 2007, both Lena and Julia appeared in a movie called You and I. The movie starred Mischa Barton and was based on a book inspired by the duo's story.

t.A.T.u. took a break in 2009. The group officially broke up in March 2011. A statement on their website said that t.A.T.u. would no longer be a full-time group. Both Lena and Julia were working on their own solo music.

2009–2016: Lena's Solo Career and First Albums

While t.A.T.u. was on break in 2009, Lena Katina announced her solo project. She started recording her own songs. In 2010, she met fans in Los Angeles and gave her first solo performance. She also opened for PrideFest in Milwaukee. On the same day, she released a free song called "Lost in this Dance" from her upcoming album. Lena also sang on the song "Guardian Angel" by the band Abandon All Ships. This song was on their 2010 album, Geeving.

Lena Katina performing in Mexico in 2013

On June 17, 2011, Lena's song "Never Forget" was first played on a radio station in Mexico. When it was available to buy, it also included another song called "Stay". In July, Lena and her band performed acoustic versions of popular songs. They also performed her own song "Never Forget". These three songs were later released as an EP called RAWsession 07.14.11.

In September 2011, Lena released the song "Waiting". She also sang on a song called "Tic-Toc" with the Mexican band Belanova. This song was on Belanova's album, Sueño Electro II. On December 9, 2011, Lena released the song "Keep on Breathing". This song helped raise money for children affected by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

In September 2012, Lena worked with Russian rapper T-Killah on a song called "Shot". The Russian version of the song, "Ya Budu Ryadom", came out the next year. On September 24, 2013, Lena released the song "Lift Me Up". This song reached number 31 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart.

On March 17, 2014, Lena released her first live album. It was called European Fan Weekend 2013 Live. It included her solo songs and some t.A.T.u. songs. In September, she announced that her first studio album, This Is Who I Am, would be released on November 18, 2014. The song "Who I Am" came out before the album on October 7. On March 12, 2015, the album's fourth song, "An Invitation", was released.

In July 2016, a Spanish version of This Is Who I Am was released. It was called Esta Soy Yo.

2017–Present: New Albums and TV Shows

In October 2017, Lena Katina released a new English song called "Silent Hills". In December, she released "Here I Go Again" with Daddy Mercury. On March 3, 2018, she released a Russian song called "после нас" ("After Us"). This song looked back at her time with t.A.T.u. Later that year, she released three more Russian songs: "Косы" ("Braids"), "Куришь" ("You Smoke"), and "Макдоналдс" ("McDonald's").

In 2019, Lena released the songs "Стартрек" ("Star Trek") in April and "Моно" ("Mono") in June. Later that month, she announced her first Russian album, also called Моно. This eight-song album was released on July 26. In November, another song, "Никогда" ("Never"), came out.

In 2020, Lena Katina joined a TV show called All Together Now! in Russia. She was a judge, along with 100 other musicians. They judged how well contestants sang. She also appeared on the Russian version of The Masked Singer as Spider. She was eliminated on April 13, finishing in sixth place.

Lena released several songs in 2020, including "Virus", "Убей меня нежно" ("Killing Me Softly"), "Crybaby", and an English version of "Никогда" called "Nevermind". Her acoustic EP Акустика (Acoustics) was released in April. In June 2021, she released "Из темноты" and then "Stay the Same" in December.

On January 27, 2023, she released the song "Tакси" ("taxi"). This song was from her Russian EP, Манекен ("mannequin"), which came out on April 28. Another song, "Белла чао" ("bella ciao"), was released on the same day as the album.

After taking a break for over a year to have a baby, Lena released the song "Маяк" on December 6, 2024. She also sang on the song "Новый год" with Russian singer Oksana Pochepa. A third song from her 2023 EP, Манекен, called "Шагать в никуда", was released on December 29, 2024.

Lena's Personal Life

Lena Katina married Sasha Kuzmanović, a musician from Slovenia, in 2013. They had been together for three years. In November 2014, she announced she was expecting her first child. She gave birth to a son on May 22, 2015. Lena and Sasha divorced in 2019.

In June 2021, Lena shared that she was in a relationship with Dmitry Spiridonov. He is a Russian businessman. They got engaged on May 1, 2022, and married on June 16 in Moscow. In November of the same year, Lena announced she was expecting her second child. She gave birth to a son on July 11, 2023.

Lena's Support for the LGBT Community

In September 2012, Lena Katina and her band performed at Queerfest in Saint Petersburg. This is an international festival that supports the LGBT community. Lena said that people should celebrate their differences and speak up against unfair treatment. The organizers noted that Lena's participation was a big moment. It was the first time such a famous Russian artist supported the festival.

In September 2014, Lena's former t.A.T.u. bandmate, Julia Volkova, made some comments that were seen as unfair towards gay men. Lena responded to this. She said that God teaches people to live with love and to be accepting of others. She believes that everyone should be free to love who they choose.

Lena's Relationship with Julia Volkova

In 2010, Julia Volkova shared her thoughts on Lena's solo career. She said that Lena singing t.A.T.u. songs was "stupid" and that Lena's solo career would not last. Lena responded to this in a video. She said she was upset but had a different view. She believed Julia was very talented and hoped she would be successful. The group officially broke up in 2011.

The duo did reunite for short times between 2012 and 2014. They performed on The Voice of Romania and at a concert in Kyiv. They also performed before the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. However, on February 17, 2014, Lena posted a video saying she would no longer work with Julia.

On May 22, 2014, both singers appeared together for a project called A Sight of Cupid at the Cannes Film Festival. They each recorded a song and video called "Love in Every Moment".

In 2016, Lena and Julia appeared together at the 25th anniversary of the children's music group Neposedy. Both were members of this group before t.A.T.u. was formed. Lena performed her song "All Around the World". Then, she and Julia sang "Нас не догонят" ("Not Gonna Get Us") together.

In September 2022, Lena and Julia performed together as t.A.T.u. at the Dinamo Stadium in Minsk, Belarus. They also performed at a sports event in Saint Petersburg in May 2023.

Lena's Acting Career

Lena Katina at the You and I movie premiere in 2011

Lena Katina first acted in the 2008 movie You and I. She starred alongside Julia Volkova and Mischa Barton. The movie is about two teenage girls who meet and fall in love at a t.A.T.u. concert in Moscow. The story is based on a book that was inspired by the duo's career.

In 2014, Lena provided the voice for the fairy Zarina in the Russian version of the Disney movie The Pirate Fairy. Also in 2014, she appeared in a short film called Together Apart. She played one of the cupids, and Julia Volkova had a similar role.

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

Live albums

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Promotional singles

Other appearances

As songwriter

Music videos

Video releases

See also

In Spanish: Lena Katina para niños