Controversial tATu pop star Julia Volkova looks totally different, 20 years after smash hit

More than 20 years after her hit single – and “relationship” – took the world by storm, tATu’s Julia Volkova looks almost unrecognisable.

Julia Volkova – better known as one half of Russian duo tATu – has popped up on social media, looking worlds away from her days as a teen pop star.

Volkova, now aged 39, posed inside what appeared to be a beauty salon in a new picture on Instagram, showcasing her dramatic transformation.

Julia Volkova looks dramatically different from her tAtU days. Picture: Instagram

With former bandmate Lena Katina.

The former singer and her ex-bandmate Lena Katina became household names following the release of their surprise global smash hit All The Things She Said in 2002

The hit was boosted by the then-teenage duo’s controversial image.

They went their separate ways in 2011 following a string of albums.

Katina is married to multi-millionaire businessman named Dmitry Spiridonov.

Twenty years later, Katina is now married to a multi-millionaire businessman named Dmitry Spiridonov. It’s her second marriage after splitting from rock star Sasho Kuzmanovich, with whom she shares seven-year-old son, Alexander.

However, life after t.A.T.u. has been much more controversial for Volkova.

She made headlines in 2013 when she declared she had converted to Islam three years earlier.

The duo later admitted they weren’t actually in a relationship while performing together.

Despite opening up about her bisexuality in numerous interviews, Volkova caused a huge fan backlash in 2014 when she went on a homophobic tirade during a Russian talk show appearance.

Saying she would “condemn” her son if he turned out to be gay, she said: “I believe that a real man must be a real man … a man has no right to be a f*g.”

She also claimed, “two girls together – not the same thing as two men together”.

“It seems to me that lesbians look aesthetically much nicer,” she said.

Her comments drew widespread condemnation – including from her former bandmate, who said: “I think everybody should be free to love who they love and be with who they want to spend their life with.”

Volkova later backtracked and insisted she “loved” t.A.T.u’s gay fans.