Rita Dakota (real name Margarita Gerasimovich) is a Belarusian and Russian singer, songwriter, and composer. She gained widespread fame after participating in the "Star Factory 7" project. She has authored hits for many well-known performers. Born on March 9, 1990, in Minsk (Belarus), she lived and worked in Moscow for a long time.
In 2019, the singer admitted that she consciously rejects offers to perform in annexed Crimea to avoid getting onto the "blacklists" of the Ukrainian authorities.
...All year round we refuse to sing in these cities, because then Ukraine will 100% be 'closed' to us, where we have a huge, active fan club... If Ukraine is 'closed' to us, for me that would be a real tragedy... I love you, Ukraine. I love you, Russia.
In the same year, the artist successfully held solo concerts in Kyiv and Odesa.
In 2020, she supported Belarusian protesters. The singer released the song "Leave", addressed to Alexander Lukashenko. All proceeds from streams and downloads of this track were directed towards helping people affected by police brutality during the protests.
Rita Dakota's stance on the war in Ukraine
In February 2022, amidst escalating tensions around Ukraine following Russia's recognition of the so-called "DPR" and "LPR", Rita Dakota spoke out on Instagram regarding the escalation in Donbas, expressing support for Ukraine (post deleted):
Everything happening today is rock bottom. It feels so terribly shameful. Ukraine, dears, hang in there! We are with you with all our hearts, not a single reasonable person on earth supports war. There are no winners in war, everyone loses in war. We are brothers, do not let political games change that.
Rita also published information regarding humanitarian collections to aid refugees from Luhansk and Donetsk. Seeking to reach her audience, she added:
I send you all my love and support. To each of you. To every Ukrainian whose heart is now tearing with pain. To every Russian whose heart is tearing with shame and helplessness.
Despite her anti-war statements, Dakota continued to hold commercial concerts in Russia for some time, explaining this by contractual obligations. In 2023, the singer left for the United States together with her family, planning it as a temporary stay for studies and recording an English-language album.
Ban on concerts and end of career in Russia
In July 2025, Rita Dakota published a video address in which, with tears in her eyes, she revealed that she was informally banned from performing on the territory of the Russian Federation. The singer called this the end of her career in the country.
Organizers cancelled her performances without explanation, causing the artist to lose most of her income. Currently, Dakota resides abroad (in the US and Bali) and states that her musical activities in Russia have ceased completely.
For 2026, the singer has scheduled a major concert tour across cities in the US and Europe.
