Dons

He has achieved remarkable success with the release of eight solo albums, securing multiple accolades, including winning the Latvijas Radio’s Muzikālās Banka (translated as ‘Musical Bank’) Song of the Year award five times. At the Latvian Music Recording Awards, his albums Varanasi (2014) and Tūrists (2020) have each earned him the Best Pop Album title, out of five nominations. His album Lelle (2008) garnered him the Best Rock Album award from two nominations, and Signāls (2013) received a nomination for Best Pop-Rock Album. In 2024, he emerged victorious in the Supernova song competition with his English single “Hollow,” earning him the opportunity to represent Latvia at the Eurovision Song Contest. Prior to this, he had twice aimed to represent Latvia at Eurovision with the tracks “My Religion is Freedom” (2010) and “Pēdējā Vēstule” (2014), finishing as the runner-up in the Latvian national finals on both occasions.

Originating from Saldus, Latvia, Dons kick-started his career on the Latvian reality show Talantu Fabrikā (meaning ‘Talent Factory’) in 2003. He released a duet album titled Viens Otram (2004) with Lily (real name Linda Kalniņa, married in 2009 and divorced in 2013) following their participation in the show. His debut solo album, Lights On (2006), was predominantly in English, marking the beginning of his successful career. He then continued to release seven subsequent albums in Latvian: Lelle (2008), Signāls (2013), Varanasi (2014), Sibīrija (2015), Tepat (2016), Namiņš. Kaste. Vārdi (2018), and Tūrists (2020). While performing internationally, he has adopted the stage names Art Green and Art Singer.