# Aiko (Czech singer)

Alena Shirmanova-Kostebelova (Russian: Алёна Ширманова-Костебелова, pronounced; born 26 December 1999), known by her stage name Aiko, is a Russian-Czech singer and songwriter based in Brighton, England. She represented the Czech Republic in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 with the song "Pedestal".

## Early life

Alena Shirmanova-Kostebelova was born in Moscow, Russia. At the age of five, she moved with her family to Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic.

## Career

In 2015, Shirmanova participated in the fourth season of the reality talent show Česko Slovenská SuperStar. She then moved to the United Kingdom to pursue a musical career, first settling in London and later in Brighton. Under the stage name Aiko, she released her debut self-titled album in 2018, followed by Expiration Date in 2020, when she released her first single "Hunt". Her stage name originates from a combination of her love for Japanese culture and her childhood nickname 'Ajka'.
She was the first Czech artist to feature on the Times Square screens and the first Czech female to take part in the Spotify Equal Campaign. She performed at the Rock for People, ESNS, Metronome Prague, The Great Escape, Grape, Nouvelle Prague, Sziget and Waves Vienna festivals, as well as following Alice Merton, Black Honey, Lauren Ruth Ward and Tamino in some of their tours as a supporting artist. Some of her songs were included in the TV shows Teen Mom and Love Island.
Aiko released her third album Fortune's Child on 13 October 2023. On 28 November 2023, she was announced as one of the contestants of the Czech national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, competing with the song "Pedestal". On 13 December, she was crowned as the winner of the selection. At the event, she failed to qualify from the second semi-final, placing 11th out of 16 with 38 points.

## Personal life

Aiko is currently in a relationship with Spanish drummer Kat Almagro, who participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 for San Marino as a member of Megara.

## Discography
### Studio albums

| Title | Details |
| Expiration Date | Released: 17 July 2020 Label: Self-released Formats: Digital download, streaming |
| Fortune's Child | Released: 13 October 2023 Label: Self-released Formats: Digital download, streaming |
| Aikonic | Released: 28 June 2024 Label: 420 Production Formats: Digital download, streaming |

### Extended plays

| Title | Details |
| Aiko | Released: 25 August 2018 Label: Self-released Formats: Digital download, streaming |

### Singles
#### As lead artist

| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album / EP |
| Title | Year | LTU | Album / EP |
| "Hunt" | 2020 | — | Expiration Date |
| "Power" | 2021 | — | Fortune's Child |
| "Daughter of the Sun" | 2021 | — | Fortune's Child |
| "Gemini" | 2021 | — | Fortune's Child |
| "Alter Ego" | 2022 | — | Non-album singles |
| "I Want to Be Perfect" | 2022 | — | Non-album singles |
| "Restless" (with Boy Jr.) | 2022 | — | Fortune's Child |
| "Instincts" | 2023 | — | Non-album single |
| "Lucky Streak" | 2023 | — | Fortune's Child |
| "Pedestal" | 2023 | 49 | Fortune's Child |
| "White Flag" | 2024 | — | Aikonic |
| "Hunger" (with Teya) | 2024 | — | Aikonic |
| "Regal" | 2024 | — | Non-album singles |
| "Cleopatra" | 2025 | — | Non-album singles |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. ||||

#### As featured artist

| Single | Year | Album / EP |
| "Why Don't You" (Ivo Blahunek featuring Aiko) | 2023 | Non-album singles |
| "The Internet" (Noisy Pots featuring Aiko) | 2023 | Non-album singles |
| "Come Closer" (Tonya Graves [cs] and Blanka Maderová featuring Teza and Aiko) | 2023 | Non-album singles |