Bi-2 (band)

BI-2
Shura (left) and Leva (right) in Koln, 2008
Background information
Origin	Babruysk/Minsk, Belarus
Genres	Alternative rock, indie rock, post-punk, new wave, pop rock
Years active	1988–1991, 1998–present
Associated acts	Agatha Christie, Splean
Website	Official site
Members	Lyova Bi-2 (Egor Bortnik) Shura Bi-2 (Alexandr Uman) Andrey Zvonkov Maxim Andrusschenko Boris Lifshitz Yanik Nikolenko

Bi-2 (Russian: Би-2 Bi-dva) is a Russian rock band, formed in the 80's in Minsk, Belarus. It was one of the most successful with many sales and chart-hits in Russia. Bi-2 was awarded MTV Russian Music Awards for Best Rock Act in 2007.

The band was formed in 1985 in Minsk, Belarus by two teenagers, Aleksandr "Shura" Uman and Egor "Lyova" Bortnik, who were amateur actors. Initially the band's name was "Bratya po Oruzhiyu" (Brothers in Arms), which was formed in 1988, then "Bereg Istini" (Shore of Truth), which resulted in abbreviation BI-2. This word Lyova and Shura begun to use as their scenic names, and Shura eventually changed his passport surname to Bi-II.

In the beginning of the 90s the two moved to Israel and as Jews received citizenship, but in 1993 Shura moved to Australia while Lyova remained and served in the Israel Defense Forces. In 1994 Australia Shura formed romantic and professional relationship with pianist and artist Victoria Bilogan and in 1997 they recorded their first album "Bespolaya i Grustnaya Lubov". During this time, Lyova and Shura continued to compose music together, exchanging their records and tabs via Internet and phone. Before forming Chiron, Shura collaborated with Dee Ellus, his first English lyricist, in 1993 and 1994. Shura, together with Dino Molinaro and Michael Aliani, former members of Ikon, formed the darkwave band Chiron. In 1998 Leva moved to Australia and joined Chiron as well, but the two left the project in less than two years to continue with their own band.

In 1999 Bi-2 moved to Russia, where they previously tried to release their already recorded album "Bespolaya i Grustnaya Lubov" (Genderless and Sad Love, 1998), but their plans were ruined by the Russian financial crisis of 1998, which affected the record business. In 1999, the band consisted only of two men, but the lineup soon was increased by sessional musicians. The band went up to popularity only in 2000, recording the score for popular Brother 2 movie by Aleksei Balabanov. Several score songs, included in Bi-2 eponymous debut album, shook rock radio charts, including the influential Nashe Radio chart.