Biography
Yulia Olegovna Volkova born 20 February 1985 and better known by the alternative spelling of Julia, is a Russian singer, recording artist and actress, best known for being a member in the Russian girl group t.A.T.u., along with Lena Katina. A girl group who was managed in Moscow, Russia by Ivan Shapovalov in March 1999, the group signed a record deal with Universal Music Russia, where they eventually signed to Universal's sub-label Interscope Records in 2001.
The group's first single "All the Things She Said" topped the charts in countries including Australia, Austria, Denmark, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland, the United States, and the United Kingdom, but also received controversy due to Julia and Lena kissing onscreen. The group recorded three studio albums in English, including their best-selling (to date) studio album, 200 km/h in the Wrong Lane, three Russian albums, and four compilation albums. The group also worked on alternative projects, including a 2011 film You and I, and opened T.A. Music, a Russian-based record label. In March 2011, t.A.T.u.'s management released a press release officially stating that t.A.T.u. had split, due to conflict and problems surrounding the members.
Julia signed a solo career with Gala Records in June 2011, and released her debut single "All Because of You" in November 2011. The song was also released in a Russian-language version under the title I'll Change the World. Her debut worldwide single titled "Didn't Wanna Do It" was released on 21 August 2012.
Volkova was born on 20 February 1985 in Moscow, Russian SFSR to a middle-class family. Her father, Oleg Volkov, was a businessman and her mother, Larissa Volkova, was a hairdresser. At the age of 6, Volkova enrolled in music school and began learning how to play the piano. When she was 9, Volkova became a member of Russia's children's chorus Neposedi, where she would meet future fellow t.A.T.u. singer, Lena Katina. At age 11, Volkova transferred to a school fostering artistic talent, and three years later left Neposedi to join t.A.T.u. She has insisted that she was banned from Neposedi for misbehaving, but Neposedi representatives deny this, saying that she simply graduated as all of their members did at a certain age.
In 1996 and 1998 Julia participated in sketches from the children's comedy TV show Yeralash.
Volkova made her film début alongside Lena Katina and Mischa Barton in the film You and I, the story of two teenage girls who meet and fall in love at a Moscow t.A.T.u. concert. The film is based on the novel t.A.T.u. Come Back, which was in turn based on true events.
During August 2011, Julia participated in the shooting of the movie Zombie Fever. According to the post on her official site Zombie Fever is a Russian language zombie horror/comedy movie shot on location in Minsk, Belarus. Produced by New Wave Production in the style of such films as Zombieland or Shaun of the Dead, Zombie Fever premiered at 15 August 2013 in Russia with the local name of "Zombi kanikuly 3D". Julia plays the heroine, Natasha.
The video of Love in every moment was launched as a short film named "Together Apart" in 2014 as part of project CORNETTO's CUPIDITY. In the film, Julia is one of the cupids who try to make a young couple, in a long distance romance, get together. Also on 18 February 2014 Julia made a cameo in an episode of the Slovak daily television series Panelák.
In May 2004, Volkova announced that she was pregnant by her then long-time boyfriend Pavel Sidorov, which caused some controversy due to Sidorov already having a wife and daughter. Daughter Viktoria Pavlovna "Vika" Volkova was born on 23 September 2004, in Moscow. Volkova does not keep in contact with Sidorov.
In 2007, Volkova then had a long-term relationship with businessman Parviz Yasinov. The press reported that she and Yasinov got married. Volkova gave birth to a baby boy named Samir on 27 December 2007, in Moscow. In 2008, it was speculated by the media that she was diagnosed with postpartum depression, but it was never confirmed. In 2010, Volkova confirmed that she and Yasinov had broken up, but denied claims that she had been separated from her son.
In a January 2012 interview, Volkova stated that she no longer communicates with Lena Katina.
