Aiko (Czech singer)

Alena Shirmanova-Kostebelova (Алёна Ширманова-Костебелова, ; born 26 December 1999), known by her stage name Aiko, is a Russian-born 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 a very wealthy family in Moscow, Russia. Shortly after, she moved with her family to Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic, where she was raised.

Career
In 2015, Shirmanova participated in season 4 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".

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 for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, competing with the song "Pedestal". On 13 December, it was revealed that she had won the selection. At the event, Aiko failed to qualify from the second semi-final, placing 11th out of 16 with 38 points.

Personal life
Following her participation in Eurovision, Aiko began dating Kat Almagro, who had temporarily joined the band MEGARA as their drummer to represent San Marino in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024.