Andriy Kuzmenko

Andriy Kuzmenko Андрій Кузьменко
Kuzmenko in August 2011
Background information
Also known as	Kuzma Skryabin
Born	(1968-08-17)17 August 1968 Sambir,Lviv Oblast,Ukrainian SSR,Soviet Union
Died	2 February 2015(2015-02-02)(aged 46) Lozuvatka,Dnipropetrovsk Oblast,Ukraine
Genres	Rock,pop rock,post-punk,synthpop,New Romanticism,dark wave,rave,techno,new wave
Occupation(s)	Singer, musician, songwriter, poet, writer, presenter, producer, actor, radio host
Instrument(s)	Vocals, keyboards, guitar
Years active	1983–2015
Labels	Studiya Leva, Caravan CD, Nova Records, NAC, Boom Records, Atlantik, Real Records, Lavina Music,Moon Records
Formerly of	Skryabin,Yulia Lord, Natalia Mogilevskaya,Payushchie Trusy,Plach Yeremiyi,Iryna Bilyk,Druha Rika,Dazzle Dreams

Andriy Viktorovych"Kuzma"Kuzmenko(Ukrainian:Андрі́й Ві́кторович Кузьме́нко;17 August 1968 – 2 February 2015) was aUkrainiansinger, poet, writer, TV presenter, producer and actor,Hero of Ukraine(2020). He was best known as the lead singer of the Ukrainian rockbandSkryabin,founded in 1989. He died in a traffic collision on 2nd of February 2015 inLozuvatka,Dnipropetrovsk Oblast,aged 46.

Biography

Andriy Kuzmenko was born on 17 August 1968, in Sambir, Lviv region. His family moved to the city ofNovoyavorivsk,where he would start his career. As a child, he dreamed of becoming a garbage truck driver. His mother was a music teacher, while his father was an engineer. Kuzmenko, an only child, graduated from music school and from the Faculty of Dentistry. He was not interested in dentistry, but finished his studies at the request of the parents. He was also actively involved in sports and participated in biathlons. On 14 September 1997, Kuzmenko and his wife Svitlana had a daughter, who was given the name Maria Barbara, in honor of the Polish actressBarbara Brylska,a childhood idol of Kuzmenko. According to him, his wife resembles Brylska.

2000s

Kuzmenko's life heavily revolved around Skryabin during this period. In 2000, he became a presenter of his own hit parade "Hot Seven", which lasted until 2002. Beginning around 2003, Kuzmenko worked as a presenter of the programs "Chance" and "Shikanemo" with singer Natalia Mogilevska. He was given all control of management over Skryabin, and began to take the band in a sonically new direction. In 2006, Kuzmenko published his autobiography, titled "Me, Pobeda and Berlin". The book was wildly popular, and has been reprinted several times since then. In 2009, he created the groupPayushchie Trusy(Singing Pants), and helped the project "DZIDZIO"grow in popularity. In the same year he was a voting member for the" Book of the Year B-B-C "award.

2010s

At the end of January 2014, Kuzmenko recorded a song dedicated to the events of Euromaidan, stating that he supports the people on the Maidan, but not the opposition. During the 2014 war, he helped the military and the wounded in the area of ATO in eastern Ukraine. In October 2014, he launched his own Internet radio station called «S.R.A.K.A.», which, according to him, played the music he listened to in the car. Shortly before his death, Kuzmenko strongly criticized the current government in interviews, wishing death upon government officials and accusing them of corruption.

Death

On 2 February 2015, at around 8:20, Kuzmenko died in a car accident near Lozuvatka village inKryvyi Rih RaioninDnipropetrovsk Oblast.The press service of the Department of State Automobile Inspection of theMinistry of Internal Affairs of Ukrainereported that, according to the preliminary data, theToyota SequoiaSUV driven by Kuzmenko collided with aGAZ-53on the 86th km of highway "Kryvyi Rih–Kropyvnytskyi".The injuries Kuzmenko received in the collision were fatal. He was returning fromKryvyi Rih,where his band had performed the day before. The vehicle's passenger was taken to a hospital in Kryvyi Rih.

Legacy

Asteroid291923 Kuzmaskryabin,discovered at theAndrushivka Astronomical Observatoryin 2006 was named in his memory.The officialnaming citationwas published by theMinor Planet Centeron 23 March 2016 (MPC99355).

Filmography

Actor

• Evenings in khutir near Dykanka (2001) —Kuzma, a friend of Vakula(indicated in cast list as Andriy Kuzmenko).
• Lesya+Roma (2006) —as himself (cameo)
• Carnival night at Inter (2006) —as himself
• Very New Year Cinema (2007) —guest at the New Year Holiday in museum (cameo)
• Little Red Riding Hood (2009) —Blue Beard

Gallery

• 
  Scriabin concert in Melitopol 2014
• 
  WithSlava Frolovain 2003
• 
  Ukrainian postal stamp, 2018