Artūrs Šingirejs (born 10 April 1984), better known as Dons, is a Latvian singer and songwriter. He is one of the most popular singers in Latvia, having won the Latvian Music Recording Awards' Top Radio Hit award eight times for most played song. He represented in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 with "Hollow".
He has released nine solo albums and has won numerous awards including Latvijas Radio's Muzikālās Banka () Song of the Year six times. At the Latvian Music Recording Awards, he has won Best Pop Album twice from five nominations for Varanasi (2014) and Tūrists (2020). He has won Best Rock Album once from two nominations with Lelle (2008) and has been nominated once for Best Pop-Rock Album with Signāls (2013). In 2024, he won the Supernova song competition with his English-language single "Hollow" to represent Latvia in the Eurovision Song Contest. Previously, he attempted to represent Latvia in the Eurovision Song Contest twice with the songs "My Religion is Freedom" (2010) and "Pēdējā Vēstule" (2014), finishing second both times in the Latvian national finals.
Born in Saldus, Latvia, Dons began his career on the Latvian reality show Talantu Fabrika () in 2003. He released a duet album, Viens Otram (2004), with fellow contestant Lily (real name Linda Kalniņa, m. 2009; div. 2013). His first solo album Lights On (2006) was mostly in English. He found success releasing his next eight albums in the Latvian language: Lelle (2008), Signāls (2013), Varanasi (2014), Sibīrija (2015), Tepat (2016), Namiņš. Kaste. Vārdi (2018), and Tūrists (2020). In 2021, he signed with Universal Music and released his ninth album Laiks on the label in August 2024. He released his EP Tuvums I in 2026.
Early life Artūrs Šingirejs was born on 10 April 1984 in Brocēni, Saldus district, Latvia to a Belarusian father and a Latvian mother, who performed professionally as a soloist in the Liepāja group Santa, led by Zigmars Liepiņš. His father was also an amateur singer who performed on the guitar; he credits his parents as being his main teachers. He has one brother and three sisters, one of whom was the first to encourage him to perform on stage at the age of four. He said about being the fourth child, "...gave me freedom: I was the fourth child in the family and I got it even more than the others. Freedom gave me the courage to dream". His mother taught him English from the age of six and he credits Freddie Mercury as one of his first musical idols. He studied piano at the Saldus Music School. He had his first solo performance at age 16 and stated, "My first performance was at school, and I realized that I wanted to do this - there is something here that binds me". He later studied culinary arts before returning to music as a profession. He learned to play the guitar and sing through self-study.
Career 2003–2007: Early work Dons gained popularity in 2003 by participating in the Latvian reality show Talantu Fabrika (). During the show, he met and dated fellow contestant Lily (real name Linda Kalniņa). He joined Radio SWH Rock as a DJ host after winning the reality show, which he says was much more stressful than performing on stage. Dons and Lily released an English language duet album in 2004, Viens Otram (). The album became a best seller in Latvia and they earned a nomination for Top Radio Hit with "Just For You" at the 2003 Latvian Music Recording Awards. In 2004, his song "Ja es būtu vējš" () was nominated for Top Radio Hit at the Latvian Music Recording Awards. After the success of the duet album, Dons focused on a solo career, releasing his first solo album (mostly in English) Lights On in 2006. The album was nominated for Best Rock Album and his single, "Lights Out" was nominated for Best Rock Song at the 2006 Latvian Music Recording Awards.
Afterwards, he moved between London and Los Angeles with Lily, saying in interviews at the time that she was his muse and source of inspiration; they married in 2009. While living abroad, he adopted and subsequently abandoned several stage names; first he used Art Green and later went by Art Singer while in the United States. Dons later commented on his numerous names, "Call me whatever you want. I have a lot of names. The name Art Singer I use in England is an abbreviated name. Art Green was the predecessor of Art Singer, but I somehow didn't feel that name... In Latvia I'm known more as Dons, which I chose myself. That nickname came in and dragged me along and I get along with it well". While in Los Angeles, he received four offers to be the lead singer in various rock bands.
In 2007, he performed in Zigmars Liepiņš' popular musical theatre Adata with the song "Ja Tu Man Esi" (""). The song was nominated for Top Radio Hit at the Latvian Music Recording Awards that year.
2008–2014: Return to Latvia, Eurovision attempts In 2008, Dons released his second solo album, Lelle (), which was his first Latvian language album. The album was the first of many where he collaborated with lyricist Ingus Bērziņš. It won the Best Rock Album in the Latvian Music Recording Awards that year. The success of the album proved his audience preferred his music performed in Latvian over his English language music. He represented Latvia at the New Wave 2008, where he got 4th place.
In 2009, Dons participated in the television series 1000 Jūdzes Indijā () presented by Latvijas Televīzija with fellow travelers radio DJ Egon Reiter, comedian Jānis Skutelis, Edgars Zaķis and rapper Gustavo. After the series ended, he stayed in India for a month longer as a creative means of self-searching and meditation, which later reflected in his music. Still living abroad, he briefly returned to Latvia for a month to compete in the 2010 Latvian Eurovision Song Contest, finishing in second with his song "My Religion Is Freedom".
Other than sharing the songs he wrote, Dons has remained private about his activities while living abroad. In 2012, Dons returned again to Latvia, for a longer period to revive his career with a new album with songs written while in London. Writing the album's music, he worked with song lyricist Ingus Bērziņš to produce his third solo album, Signāls. He won Best Radio Hit at the 2012 and 2013 Latvian Music Recording Awards for his single "Signāls", which also won song of the year at Latvijas Radio's 2012 Muzikālās Banka (). The album was nominated for Best Pop and Rock Album at the 2013 Latvian Music Recording Awards and his video for "Darling, Darling" was nominated for Best Video.
Outside of producing and touring his album that year, he worked as a voice actor and reality show judge. He voiced and sang as the character of Olaf in the Latvian adaptation of Disney's Frozen (2013). He returned to his origins on the Latvian reality show Jaunā Talantu Fabrikā () as a judge, where he tutored winner Aminata Savadogo and later helped produce her songs.
During this period, his marriage to Lily dissolved and officially ended in 2013. His divorce became the inspiration for his first single "Pēdējā Vēstule" ("") off his next studio album, Varanasi (2014). He considers the album a continuation of his previous album Signāls, stating, "On a sensory level, the album Varanasi is full of relationships, everyday life and cognition. Musically from choir and strings to electronics and rock. I'm happy for the producers' courage not to be afraid to experiment with innovative things".
In 2014, he participated in Dziesma () with "Pēdējā Vēstule" in an attempt to represent Latvia in the Eurovision Song Contest". While the song in Latvian is dedicated to his ex-wife, he stated if he had won, he would have sung a version he wrote himself in English and re-dedicate that version to his father who died in 2007. However, he finished in second place behind Aarzemnieki, losing by 97 votes, much to the surprise of many. Despite the loss at the Dziema 2014, the song won Song of the Year at both the 2013 Muzikālās Banka (Musical Bank) and the Latvian Music Recording Awards. Due to his popularity, his tour for the album had to be extended, including going from one show at Palladium Riga to six sold out nights. The album reached gold status in Latvia in less than two months after being released. He had major success at the 2014 Latvian Music Recording Awards, with Varanasi winning Pop Album of the Year and winning Song of the Year with his single "Tev Piedzims Bērns" () and Top Radio Hit with "Pāriet Bailes" (), which also won Song of the Year at the 2014 Muzikālās Banka () awards.
Inspired by the success of Varanasi, Dons embarked on a journey via the Trans-Siberian Railway from Moscow to Vladivostok, Siberia, and later flying to Delhi, India, and traveling by train to Varanasi in 2014. About his motivation, Dons said, "Although in the song ('Pēdējā Vēstule'), Varanasi is a metaphor for peace of mind, which we can also find in the beet fields, on the stage, at the wheel of a car - wherever there is a place. I know that in any case, getting to this city will be emotional". Traveling alone, he brought only the necessities and his guitar in a creative search for materials for his next album.
2015–2020: Rise in popularity
With his material from his Trans-Siberian Railway journey, Dons released his fifth solo album Sibīrija () in 2015 with lyrics again by Ignus Bērziņš. The first single "Medus Pods" () was written while stationed near Lake Baikal during his Siberian trip. Dons noted about his ongoing songwriting relationship with the lyricist Bērziņš: "My songs are about myself, my pain and my joys, my dreams and my disappointments, otherwise I can't write. This is exactly the case with 'Medus Pods'. After music and our conversations, Ingus can read the state of my soul very well..." His next two singles from Sibīrija were "Pašā Ielas Galā" () and "Dieviņš" (). "Medus Pods" () was nominated for Best Song and Best Video at the 2014 Latvian Music Recording Awards. Sibīrija was nominated for Best Album, "Pašā Ielas Galā" () won Best Video and "Dieviņš" () won Top Radio Hit and was nominated for Alfa's Song of the Year at the 2015 Latvian Music Recording Awards.
In 2015, he was a judge in the first season of the Latvian television show Supernova, used to select songs to represent Latvia in the Eurovision Song Contest. He reprised the same role at the Latvia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017.
Dons released his sixth solo album Tepat () in October 2016 which was the first album where he wrote the lyrics along with the music. The album was stylistically different from his previous albums, featuring a simpler instrumentation but "emotionally richer". The tour featured two nights at Latvia's Arēna Rīga, making Dons one of the few domestic groups capable of bringing in a crowd large enough for that arena. The single "Tepat" () was nominated for Alfa's Song of the Year and Top Radio Hits at the 2017 Latvian Music Recording Awards.
In 2017, he performed with the Riga Dome Choir School on the song "Zelta Kamanas" ().
In February 2018, Dons released his seventh solo album, Namiņš. Kaste. Vārdi (). He featured a variety of lyricists including himself, Ingus Bērziņš, Arnis Račinskis, Ģirts Rozentāls and Kaspars Ansons. The album featured some songs that were originally written in 2010 while in London. The fourth single from the album was "Salauzta Sirds" (), which was a collaboration with Ozols. That single won Top Radio Hit and Best Song at the 2019 Latvian Music Recording awards and the album was nominated for Best Pop Album.