Shura

Shura is the professional name of British singer, songwriter and record producer Alexandra Lilah Denton, also known as Aleksandra Lilah Yakunina-Denton. She is born in Hammersmith, England, and grows up in Manchester. Her stage name is a Russian short form of her first name, and she is fluent in Russian.

Background and early work

Shura begins playing guitar at 13 and starts recording music at 16. While reading English Literature at University College London, she forms a band with guitarist Patrick Duncombe and works with producer Hiatus, also known as Cyrus Shahrad. In 2011 she starts recording with Hiatus on the project Hiatus & Shura. After university she takes a gap year and develops her songwriting while working in the Amazon rainforest.

Before concentrating on music, she is a promising footballer and plays for Manchester City from under-11 to under-16 level. Her mother is a Russian actress and her father is an English documentary filmmaker. She has two brothers, including a twin called Nicholas, who appears in four of her music videos: “Touch”, “White Light”, “2Shy” and “What’s It Gonna Be?”. She is an out lesbian.

Recording career

Shura is best known for electropop and synth-pop, and her work also sits within pop, electronic and sophisti-pop. She releases her debut single, “Touch”, in 2014. Her debut album, Nothing’s Real, follows on Polydor Records in 2016.

In summer 2014 she experiences a severe panic attack and later describes it as feeling like she is dying. The artist name also appears as an alias for Alexander Krüger, a techno artist.