Pop Duo t.A.T.u. Reportedly Playing at Olympics Opening Ceremony

The Opening Ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Sochi are set to kick off Friday, and though details about the program are shrouded in secrecy, reports indicate that Russian pop duo t.A.T.u. will be performing.

Citing unnamed sources, the Wall Street Journal reports the group will play during an off-the-air warm-up show and the Russian team will enter the stadium as their 2003 hit “Not Gonna Get Us” plays. The choice is something of a surprise considering the ongoing controversy over Russian laws banning so-called “gay propaganda.” After all, t.A.T.u. shot to fame in the early 2000’s with the release of “All The Things She Said,” a song that sensationalized a lesbian relationship, while the accompanying video featured the singers in schoolgirl outfits, kissing in the rain.

Despite the titillating clip, neither of t.A.T.u.’s two members, Lena Katina and Yulia Volkova, are gay. “I never was a lesbian. I never was attracted to a girl. I never had that,” Katina told the Daily Beast last year. “[But] if I am helping people with this role, then why not.”

According to the Wall Street Journal, the two singers tweeted about the Opening Ceremony performance but later deleted the posts. The state TV channel staging the Opening Ceremony didn’t comment to the Journal.

[WSJ]