Дора (Dora)

Dora (Daria Shikhanova) is a Russian pop artist born in Saratov who has released music since the mid-2010s, initially under the name Mental Affection before adopting her current stage name. She is often associated with a bright, playful pop sound she herself has described as «cute rock», blending pop hooks with rock-tinged energy and an exaggeratedly girlish, cartoonish aesthetic.

Her songs, such as «Барбисайз», «Дорадура» and «Втюрилась», lean into themes of teenage romance, self-irony and internet culture, delivered with an intentionally childlike vocal style and colorful, meme-friendly visuals that have made her a distinctive figure among younger Russian-language pop and internet-adjacent artists.

Dora built much of her early following through direct engagement with fans online, cultivating an image tied closely to internet aesthetics and youth culture rather than conventional mainstream pop polish, which has kept her music tightly linked to a specific, dedicated online fanbase.