Dark pop songstress Aiko wants you to put yourself on a pedestal.
Born in Moscow and raised in the Czech Republic, Alena Shirmanova-Kostebelova began making music under the moniker Aiko in 2018. Over the course of four albums, the performer has cultivated a fierce, alternative sound with her nontraditional pop melodies and her penchant for zippy electronic grooves (“Funny feeling”) and heavier, rock-fueled riffs (“Funeral”).
“I think my music sort of evolves with me,” shares the Moscow-born artist over Zoom, instantly recognizable with her signature microbangs and blue highlights. “I think the more I exist within the creative sphere, the more I find myself.”
Inner-love and self-respect are common themes within the musician’s daring discography. Whether she’s preaching about putting herself first in “Parade” (“Well, I loved you dear, but I prefer to love me”) or rejecting a suitor’s advances in “Everything is always about me” (“I don’t need a savior”), Aiko wants to remind listeners to be bold.
“When you put [on] your headphones, you sort of feel like the main character and you’re strutting down the street,” she explains. “That’s the imagery that I have when I think of someone listening to my music.”
Within the last year, the Brighton-based singer had a song featured in Netflix’s Spanish drama Elite, went on her first European headlining tour, and released her fourth studio album, AIKONIC. During the pandemic, she took part in Spotify’s EQUAL Campaign, meant to highlight women and nonbinary artists, and became the first Czech musician to appear on Times Square screens.
“I’m still a bit gutted because I couldn’t see it with my own eyes,” recalls the 25-year-old entertainer. “I remember waking up and checking livestreams of cameras in Times Square [to see] if [it was] actually happening, and it was.”
Sitting at the top of her accomplishments is when the singer represented the Czech Republic at the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest with high-octane self-love anthem “Pedestal.” The silver lining of a nasty breakup, the track simmers with maximalist pop production and commanding vocals (“I will be loving me more/ I finally learned not to force things/ And I love me more”).
“I’ve gone through a lot of situations and things in my life where I had to find and earn the confidence [in] myself,” says the singer-songwriter. “It’s something that I’m willing and want to give back to people and sort of spread around me.”
Aiko placed 11th in the competition and garnered an abundance of exposure; the Eurovision version of “Pedestal” has amassed over 5 million streams on Spotify. More than streaming numbers, the pop starlet says she’s been met with unwavering gratitude from fans for her empowering message.
“I’m trying to create something that is original and coming from within me,” she explains. “It’s just as important to me that listeners can connect to the music and find a piece of themselves in it.”
Aiko
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This article appears in March 7 • 2025.