Dons

Artūrs Šingirejs (born 10 April 1984), better known as Dons, is a Latvian singer and songwriter. He is one of the most popular singers in Latvia, having won the Latvian Music Recording Awards' Top Radio Hit award eight times for most played song. He represented in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 with "Hollow".

He has released nine solo albums and has won numerous awards including Latvijas Radio's Muzikālās Banka Song of the Year six times. At the Latvian Music Recording Awards, he has won Best Pop Album twice from five nominations for Varanasi (2014) and Tūrists (2020). He has won Best Rock Album once from two nominations with Lelle (2008) and has been nominated once for Best Pop-Rock Album with Signāls (2013). In 2024, he won the Supernova song competition with his English-language single "Hollow" to represent Latvia in the Eurovision Song Contest. Previously, he attempted to represent Latvia in the Eurovision Song Contest twice with the songs "My Religion is Freedom" (2010) and "Pēdējā Vēstule" (2014), finishing second both times in the Latvian national finals.

Born in Saldus, Latvia, Dons began his career on the Latvian reality show Talantu Fabrika in 2003. He released a duet album, Viens Otram (2004), with fellow contestant Lily (real name Linda Kalniņa, m. 2009; div. 2013). His first solo album Lights On (2006) was mostly in English. He found success releasing his next eight albums in the Latvian language: Lelle (2008), Signāls (2013), Varanasi (2014), Sibīrija (2015), Tepat (2016), Namiņš. Kaste. Vārdi (2018), and Tūrists (2020). In 2021, he signed with Universal Music and released his ninth album Laiks on the label in August 2024.

Early life Artūrs Šingirejs was born on 10 April 1984 in Brocēni, Saldus district, Latvia to a Belarusian father and a Latvian mother, who performed professionally as a soloist in the Liepāja group Santa, led by Zigmars Liepiņš. His father was also an amateur singer who performed on the guitar; he credits his parents as being his main teachers. He has one brother and three sisters, one of whom was the first to encourage him to perform on stage at the age of four. He studied piano at the Saldus Music School. He later studied culinary arts before returning to music as a profession. During the show, he met and dated fellow contestant Lily (real name Linda Kalniņa). He joined Radio SWH Rock as a DJ host after winning the reality show, which he says was much more stressful than performing on stage. Dons and Lily released an English language duet album in 2004, Viens Otram . The album became a best seller in Latvia and they earned a nomination for Top Radio Hit with "Just For You" at the 2003 Latvian Music Recording Awards. Dons later commented on his numerous names, "Call me whatever you want. I have a lot of names. The name Art Singer I use in England is an abbreviated name. Art Green was the predecessor of Art Singer, but I somehow didn't feel that name... In Latvia I'm known more as Dons, which I chose myself. That nickname came in and dragged me along and I get along with it well".

In 2007, he performed in Zigmars Liepiņš' popular musical theatre Adata with the song "Ja Tu Man Esi" (""). The song was nominated for Top Radio Hit at the Latvian Music Recording Awards that year. The album was the first of many where he collaborated with lyricist Ingus Bērziņš. where he got 4th place. Still living abroad, he briefly returned to Latvia for a month to compete in the 2010 Latvian Eurovision Song Contest, finishing in second with his song "My Religion Is Freedom".

Other than sharing the songs he wrote, Dons has remained private about his activities while living abroad. Writing the album's music, he worked with song lyricist Ingus Bērziņš to produce his third solo album, Signāls. He won Best Radio Hit at the 2012 and 2013 Latvian Music Recording Awards for his single "Signāls", which also won song of the year at Latvijas Radio's 2012 Muzikālās Banka . The album was nominated for Best Pop and Rock Album at the 2013 Latvian Music Recording Awards and his video for "Darling, Darling" was nominated for Best Video.

Outside of producing and touring his album that year, he worked as a voice actor and reality show judge. He voiced and sang as the character of Olaf in the Latvian adaptation of Disney's Frozen (2013). He returned to his origins on the Latvian reality show Jaunā Talantu Fabrikā as a judge, where he tutored winner Aminata Savadogo and later helped produce her songs.

During this period, his marriage to Lily dissolved and officially ended in 2013. His divorce became the inspiration for his first single "Pēdējā Vēstule" ("") off his next studio album, Varanasi (2014). He considers the album a continuation of his previous album Signāls, stating, "On a sensory level, the album Varanasi is full of relationships, everyday life and cognition. Musically from choir and strings to electronics and rock. I'm happy for the producers' courage not to be afraid to experiment with innovative things".

In 2014, he participated in Dziesma with "Pēdējā Vēstule" in an attempt to represent Latvia in the Eurovision Song Contest". Despite the loss at the Dziema 2014, the song won Song of the Year at both the 2013 Muzikālās Banka (Musical Bank) and the Latvian Music Recording Awards. The album reached gold status in Latvia in less than two months after being released. He had major success at the 2014 Latvian Music Recording Awards, with Varanasi winning Pop Album of the Year and winning Song of the Year with his single "Tev Piedzims Bērns" and Top Radio Hit with "Pāriet Bailes" , which also won Song of the Year at the 2014 Muzikālās Banka awards. About his motivation, Dons said, "Although in the song ('Pēdējā Vēstule'), Varanasi is a metaphor for peace of mind, which we can also find in the beet fields, on the stage, at the wheel of a car - wherever there is a place. I know that in any case, getting to this city will be emotional". The first single "Medus Pods" was written while stationed near Lake Baikal during his Siberian trip. "Medus Pods" was nominated for Best Song and Best Video at the 2014 Latvian Music Recording Awards. He reprised the same role at the Latvia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017.

Dons released his sixth solo album Tepat in October 2016 which was the first album where he wrote the lyrics along with the music. The album was stylistically different from his previous albums, featuring a simpler instrumentation but "emotionally richer". The tour featured two nights at Latvia's Arēna Rīga, making Dons one of the few domestic groups capable of bringing in a crowd large enough for that arena.

In February 2018, Dons released his seventh solo album, Namiņš. Kaste. Vārdi . He featured a variety of lyricists including himself, Ingus Bērziņš, Arnis Račinskis, Ģirts Rozentāls and Kaspars Ansons. The album featured some songs that were originally written in 2010 while in London. The fourth single from the album was "Salauzta Sirds" , which was a collaboration with Ozols. That single won Top Radio Hit and Best Song at the 2019 Latvian Music Recording awards and the album was nominated for Best Pop Album. Some people doubted his abilities to perform in the lead role, however, Igo who performed as lead in the original production noted after hearing his performance, "Dons has a very wide range of voices, he timbres his tone very masterfully. I have never had any doubts about him, because purely technically he is capable of very, very much. Probably even more than people know and can imagine. Therefore, I had no doubts and no question as to whether he could cope with this task."

In 2020, he participated in a number of collaborations. He worked with 20 Latvian musicians to create the charity anthem, "Es zinu, Tu esi" to raise money for domestic violence victims. He released another song "Mans Eņģelis" for the charity Angels over Latvia, which raised money to benefit children in need of medical care. He co-wrote Aminata Savadogo's song "Nejauc man prātu" . In response to the Latvian government lack of support for the cultural sector during the COVID-19 pandemic in Latvia, Dons and other leading Latvian musicians expressed their criticism with a video composition called "Klusums" .

On 24 November 2020, Dons released his eighth solo album, Tūrists , which featured 10 songs from a total of 27 he had written. The lead single "Es Nāktu Mājās" became popular, winning Song of the Year at the 2019 Muzikālās Banka and tying him for most ever with Prāta Vētra (Brainstorm). A few days later, he released the single "Piedošana" , teaming up with Intars Busulis and Prāta Vētra (Brainstorm) to perform it. Dons summarized the song as, "Forgiveness is an art we learn all our lives. Sometimes it seems like we've learned it, but new challenges come and we have to start all over again".

In August 2021, Dons announced he had signed with Universal Music. His first single with the new label was released on 16 September 2021 titled "Tas rakstīts debesīs (Piena ceļš)" . The song was cowritten with DJ Rudd (Rūdolfs Budze) and Aminata Savadogo about an admiration "of space, of infinity, of stars, about possibilities and probabilities". and along with "Piedošana" , his collaboration with Prata Vetra and Intars Busulis, made the final 15 for most valuable song of the 2021 Muzikālā Banka . "Tas rakstīts debesīs (Piena ceļš)" finished in third place and "Piedošana" finished in seventh place during the 2021 Muzikālā Banka finals.

In February 2022, Dons released a new single, "Tavs pieskāriens" . He also announced a summer concert at the ruins of the Sigulda Castle. In May 2022, Dons collaborated with Latvian rapper on his next single, "Brīnišķīga diena" . At the 2022 Muzikālā Banka finals, "Tavs pieskāriens" finished in 7th place. At the 2023 Latvian Music Recording Awards known as the Zelta Mikrofons , his single "Tavs pieskāriens" was nominated for song of the year, video of the year, top radio hit and people's choice for (ELVI) song of the year. His duet "Brīnišķīga diena" with rolands če was also nominated for top radio hit. The lyrics are by Latvian poet , who says, "There have always been forces of attraction and repulsion in relationships. The song 'Divatā' holds the hope that attraction will prevail, and two loving people will eventually be able to find their way to each other". In September 2023, Dons released his next single "Lauzto šķēpu karaļvalsts" , inspired by the "times when you feel crushed and bent under the weight, the belief that time will heal and allow you to get back up can be the only thing that gives you strength". The single won Most Valuable Song at the 2023 Muzikālās Banka awards and its music video was nominated for Best Video at the 2024 Latvian Music Recording Awards. Contestants answered trivia questions and performed songs from the different music eras, with losers being sent home via fan votes. "Lauzto šķēpu karaļvalsts" is the Latvian version of "Hollow", which was written first. According to Dons, the songs are different from each other; Dons advanced to the final of Supernova, which he won in a landslide with 33,000 more audience votes than the runners-up and placed first with the jury.

In order to focus on his Eurovision preparations, Dons announced he was postponing the release of his next album, Laiks from April to August 2024.

Having been predicted by bookmakers not to qualify and given the lowest chances by odds to qualify from the second semi-final, Dons defied pre-contest expectations and qualified for the grand final, placing 7th out of 16 with 72 points. After advancing, he said, "Bookmakers are bookmakers, but they also set the tone. Of course, it's not pleasant when you see that you've been put in last place. You have nothing to lose! Maybe that helped a little. Throwing everything asides and just going out and doing what I love the most. Bookies - that's their job. Let them do their job, we'll do ours."

Dons (and band) performing in London at the Shepherd's Bush Empire (November 2024) Following up his performance at Eurovision, Dons released another English language single called "Dark" in May 2024. He released a Latvian version called "Sāp" in preparation for the release of his ninth studio album Laiks . Dons says about his single, "I want to allow each listener to experience the story of the song "Sāp" through his own emotional prism. A story about falling in love, about the beginning of a relationship and illusions that disappear with time". His "Laiks" concert at Daugava Stadium on 17 August 2024 included songs from the very beginning of his career to his latest works. He reflected on the crowd, saying, "Yes, that was strength! And this strength is truly within us. We are a people who do everything with sincerity—whether it's emotions, setting a table, cooking a soup, or creating a song—it's all real!"

Dons was announced as a judge for the debut season of Ir Talants, the Latvian version of the popular global series Got Talent. On 16 October, 2024, the Latvian Music Producers Association presented Dons with a platinum certificate for "Hollow"; the platinum award is given to songs that have been streamed 4 million times or more. In 2024, the Latvian Music Producers Association announced the creation of the GAMMA awards, which celebrates "all aspects of the Latvian music industry". He released the title track "Tuvums" , which also has an English version called "I'll love you until I die"; he co-wrote it with DJ Rudd (Rūdolfs Budze). He said the song "is about my favorite topic: human relationships. You don't always have to be physically close to feel closeness; it can appear in memories, feelings, thoughts. Sometimes it seems that nothing is more valuable than the presence of another person, especially when it seems that the whole world is breaking in half - then this support is felt even in thoughts". and also the most donated song charity marathon “Dod pieci! 2025” organized by Latvijas Radio 5.

Music style

Dons is known for playing only a few large shows for each tour, as he prefers that "each song has its own story, including my own. And the story is an experience. Maybe that's why I don't perform so often".

Lyrics, song meanings Dons is a long-time collaborator with lyricist Ingus Bērziņš, who he considers one of the best poets in Latvia. Bērziņš' lyrics are sometimes criticized as making little sense: Normunds Vucāns of ParMuziku (an online magazine produced by Latvian Music Producers Association) writes, "Unfortunately, these thoughts are hidden behind such unsuccessful and illogical lyrics that the idea is absolutely not understood, and the question arises as to whether the author himself understands what he has created." However, Dons says he knows the meaning of all the lyrics, appreciating that Bērziņš is adventurous with his writings.

Due to the popularity of some of his songs, he stated how he had to distance the personal origins of those songs from the listeners so that the music can "belong" to them, saying:

"I have a song ("Kolekcionārs" , lyrics by Ingus Bērziņš based on John Fowles' The Collector) on the album Lelle with a message written about tragic events. I remember once telling the true story at a concert and there was a terrible silence in the audience. Of course, later the audience came back to life, but in this little moment of silence, I saw that the audience is in tears, because the story of the song is really heavy. After this incident, I decided - no, with my private stories about songs, at least in concerts, it is better to slow down.

So I say that everyone has the right to their own version and I have no right to interfere in this interpretation... Other times it's cool to leave listeners with a subtext to the lyrics. And response, the listeners unravel exactly what I had in the song! Other times you will find out something like you had never looked at this song. Even an example with the same song "Kolekcionārs" - it can be like a ballad of love. It can too! I didn't see it that way, I saw a very gloomy scene, but people see something like that there. Not bad! I'm interested in new interpretations".

Musical performances Dons says about his music that the "thought is always the same - a story about emotions and feelings, a story about love and experience". He often travels around the world, having lived in London and the United States. The two were married from 2009 until 2013.

Discography Studio albums + List of studio albums, with selected details Title Details Peak chart positions LAT Viens otram(with Lily) Released: 2004 Label:

Label: Platforma Records Label: Platforma Records Label: Platforma Records Label: DonsMusic Formats: Physical, digital download, streaming Sibīrija Released: 18 February 2015 Label: DonsMusic Label: DonsMusic Label: DonsMusic Label: DonsMusic LTU ""2014 41 Varanasi "" 2015 — 75 Sibīrija "" — 58 "" — 46 "" 2016 — 88 Tepat "" — 36 "" — 15 "" 2017 — 7 "" — 12 ""(featuring Ozols) 2018 — 2 — — "" 2019 — 18 — "" 2020 5 — — "" 2023 7 1 — — — "" 15 1 12 1 — LaIPA: Gold "Hollow" 2024 20 3 5 1 48 LaIPA: 2× Platinum "" 14 2 — — — "" 12 1 — — — "" 2025 6 1 — — — "" 4 1 1 1 — "" 2026 5 1 — 6 — "" 13 2 — — — "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory."*" denotes that the chart did not exist at that time.

Other singles

Other charted songs TitleYearPeak chart positionsAlbum or EP 2017Dons. Tepat. Koncerts arēnā Rīga DVD release: July 6, 2017 Won Best Concert Video at the 2018 Latvian Music Recording Awards

Film/television Year Title Role

2003 Talantu Fabrika Reality Show Contestant Participant 2024 Ir Talants (Latvian version of Got Talent) Judge In 2016, due to the decision of Latvian Music Producers Association members, the title of the award was changed to the year in which the relevant ceremony is held therefore no awards were listed using this year. The Top Radio Hits award is given to the song that has received most annual airplay and reflects the most popular song that year: Dons has won this award a total of eight times from 18 nominations. He has won Best Pop Album twice from five nominations for Varanasi (2014) and Tūrists (, 2020). He has won Best Rock Album once from two nominations with Lelle (2008) and has been nominated once for Best Pop-Rock Album.

Latvijas Radio presents the annual Muzikālās Banka award to the most valuable pop and rock song, which is selected based on audience votes and evaluation by a professional jury. Dons has won this award a total of six times. 2003 "Just For You" Top Radio Hit Latvian Music Recording Awards duet as Dons & Lily

Lights On Best Rock Album

"Ja Tu Man Esi" Top Radio Hit

Lelle Best Rock Album Latvian Music Recording Awards

Top Radio Hit Latvian Music Recording Awards Song of the Year Muzikālās Banka "Darling, Darling" Video of the Year "Signāls"

"Māsa upe"

Best Song Alfa's Song of the Year Song of the Year Muzikālās Banka Best Concert Video "Medus Pods"

"Medus Pods"

Top Radio Hit Alfa's Song of the Year Song of the Year Muzikālās Banka

Sibīrija Best Pop Album

Alfa's Song of the Year

Best Video "Pašā Ielas Galā"

"Dieviņš"

Alfa's Song of the Year

"Pastnieks" Tepat Best Pop Album Tepat Best Album Art

Top Radio Hit

Alfa's Song of the Year Best Song Tepat Best Concert Video

Top Radio Hit

Song of the Year Best Song Namiņš. Kaste. Vārdi Best Pop Album "Es Nāktu Mājās" Song of the Year Muzikālās Banka

Best Video

Song of the Year Best Song "Tūrists" Song of the Year Muzikālās Banka

Tūrists Best Pop Album

"Tūrists" Elektrum Song of the Year "Ilgoties man nesanāk" Top Radio Hit "Tas rakstīts debesīs (Piena ceļš)"

ELVI Song of the Year Best Video Top Radio Hit "Brīnišķīga diena" Top Radio Hit Collaboration with rolands če "Lauzto šķēpu karaļvalsts" Song of the Year Muzikālās Banka

ELVI Song of the Year

Top Radio Hit "Lauzto šķēpu karaļvalsts" Best Video Himself Total Slay Eurovision Awards "Bultiņa melnā" Song of the Year Muzikālās Banka 7th place

Male Solo Artist of the Year

Pop Artist of the Year

Hit of the Year Most Streamed Song of the Year

Musical Event of the Year Live Performance/Concert of the Year

"Tuvums" Song of the Year Muzikālās Banka