Ани Лорак (Ani Lorak)

Ani Lorak, born Karolina Myroslavivna Kuek, is a Ukrainian and Russian pop singer, songwriter and television personality noted for one of the widest vocal ranges on the Russian-language pop scene. She began her career in the early 1990s and gained national recognition after winning the Russian television talent competition «Utrennyaya Zvezda» in 1995, where she adopted her stage name.

Her international breakthrough came in 2008, when she placed second at the Eurovision Song Contest with «Shady Lady», cementing her status as one of the biggest pop stars of the post-Soviet space. Musically, she works within glossy, dance-oriented pop and R&B-tinged ballads, with a career spanning both Russian- and Ukrainian-language releases, reflecting her presence in both countries' music industries.

Over her career she has released numerous studio albums that achieved gold and platinum status and won multiple major industry awards, including the «Golden Gramophone». Beyond music, she is known for entrepreneurial and philanthropic activity, and has remained a prominent, long-running figure in Eastern European pop culture.