DAVA (real name — David Ashotovich Manukyan; born 16 March 1993 in Novosibirsk) — is a Russian singer, rapper, songwriter, producer, television host and video blogger. Manukyan’s professional path is unusual in that music became only the third major field of his career after competitive ballroom dancing and social media. After beginning to release his own songs in 2018, DAVA progressed within just a few years from short internet videos to a solo album, major musical collaborations and an independent pop career.
His discography combines pop music, hip-hop, melodic rap, dance electronic music and romantic urban lyrics. Among DAVA’s best-known works are “XXX”, “Kislorod”, “Tantsuy kak pchela”, “Budu pyanym”, “Chyornyy bumer”, “Rolex”, “Obnulila nas” and “More”. His catalogue also includes new versions of well-known Russian pop hits from the 1990s and 2000s, as well as collaborations with artists from different generations.
Childhood and ballroom dancing
David Manukyan was born on 16 March 1993 in Novosibirsk. He began dancing in early childhood. Over time, the hobby developed into a serious sporting career: Manukyan competed in ballroom dancing and took part in Russian and international competitions.
His most successful year was 2011. Manukyan became a Russian championship winner and a silver medallist at the world ballroom dancing championship. This stage of his biography also proved important for his later stage career: his professional choreographic training eventually became one of the distinguishing features of DAVA’s concert and television performances.
After finishing school, Manukyan continued his education in Novosibirsk. However, competitive dancing gradually ceased to be his main professional direction. He later tried his hand at entrepreneurship and internet projects before ultimately moving into show business.
Where the name DAVA came from
The stage name DAVA is connected to David’s childhood nickname. According to Manukyan, his friends had called him Dava long before the beginning of his public career. Later, the name became the title of his media project and then developed into his full artistic pseudonym.
This origin distinguishes DAVA from artificially constructed stage names: the pseudonym is directly linked to David’s real name and existed long before his music career.
Move to Moscow and social media popularity
In 2017, Manukyan moved to Moscow and began actively developing his own social media pages. Initially, the foundation of his popularity was short humorous videos, sketches and collaborative clips with other creators.
His collaboration with Karina Cross became particularly important. Their joint content helped both creators significantly expand their audiences, and later their collaboration moved from video blogging into music.
It was this large internet audience that allowed DAVA to develop his music career according to a model typical of the late 2010s: an artist no longer had to first secure radio airplay or television rotation in order to introduce a new song to listeners. Social networks and digital platforms became the first channels for distributing his music.
First songs: “Vnutri” and “XXX”
DAVA’s professional music discography begins in 2018. One of his first notable recordings was the song “Vnutri”, created together with Karina Cross. It was followed by the solo single “XXX”.
These recordings already defined two directions that would continue to intersect throughout his music. The first was melodic pop lyricism about relationships. The second was more rhythmic rap delivery and elements of contemporary hip-hop. Apple Music traces DAVA’s emergence as a singer after his success in video blogging specifically to “Vnutri” and “BOOOM”.
BOOOM and collaboration with Karina Cross
At the beginning of 2019, DAVA and Karina Cross continued their musical collaboration with the track BOOOM. The song became one of the artist’s most notable early works and definitively connected his blogging audience with his music career.
At this point, music was still closely integrated into media content: music videos, social networks and viral distribution were no less important for promotion than the audio recording itself. However, his next solo works already showed that Manukyan intended to develop DAVA not only as an internet personality, but as an independent music project.
“Kislorod” — the first major solo hit
One of the key tracks of DAVA’s early period was “Kislorod”, released in March 2019. Unlike the humorous content with which Manukyan had initially been associated by a broad audience, this was a romantic pop song with melodic vocals and a modern electronic arrangement.
It was “Kislorod” that helped separate DAVA the singer from David Manukyan the blogger. The song contained almost no comedic component: it focused on relationships, emotional dependence and the lyrical image of its protagonist. Romantic themes would later become one of the permanent elements of his repertoire.
“Tantsuy kak pchela” with Ramil'
In the same year, 2019, DAVA and Ramil' released the collaborative track “Tantsuy kak pchela”. It combined a dance-oriented foundation with a melodic performance style and became another important work from the first stage of his career.
Apple Music lists “Kislorod” and “Tantsuy kak pchela” among the songs that helped DAVA establish himself as an independent performer. In later years, the artist would regularly use collaborations as a way to connect his own audience with different segments of the Russian pop and hip-hop scene.
“Milada”, “Instamodel” and development of his own image
2019 became a period of intensive single releases for DAVA. Among the notable songs were “Milada”, “Instamodel”, “Dikaya lyubov”, “Skorost” and other works.
Two themes regularly intersected in the lyrics of this period: romantic relationships and contemporary social media culture. Even the title “Instamodel” directly referred to the environment from which the artist’s own popularity had emerged.
At the same time, his musical image became noticeably more serious than his earlier video content. DAVA gradually moved away from the simple model of a “blogger who recorded a song” and began building a distinct catalogue with its own lyrical and dance-oriented aesthetic.
EP “Sila prityazheniya”
On 9 July 2019, DAVA released his first EP, “Sila prityazheniya”, through Atlantic Records Russia. The release consisted of five tracks with a total running time of around twelve minutes.
It included:
- “Ultramarin”
- “Sekrety”
- “Budu pyanym”
- “Mne tak tebya malo”
- “Sila prityazheniya”
In Apple Music’s digital catalogue, the release is classified as pop music. Its main significance was that, for the first time, DAVA presented not just a standalone viral single, but a compact, cohesive work in which romantic lyrics, vocals and rap delivery existed within a single project.
Pop music and hip-hop
The very first EP showed that it would be inaccurate to define DAVA exclusively as a rapper. His rap delivery is usually placed alongside a melodic chorus, while harmony and a memorable vocal phrase form the foundation of many of his songs.
Musically, DAVA therefore exists at the intersection of pop music, melodic hip-hop and dance electronic music. In some tracks, rap delivery becomes the main element; in others, a full pop melody dominates; while in a third group, the music is built around a dance rhythm.
This stylistic flexibility became especially apparent in his next major release.
Album “Korol”
On 24 July 2020, DAVA released his debut full-length album “Korol”. Ten tracks with a total running time of around 22 minutes were released through Atlantic Records Russia. Apple Music classifies the record as hip-hop/rap.
Conceptually, the album differed from the predominantly romantic “Sila prityazheniya”. In the first half, DAVA used humour and satire, making fun of the image of a successful rap artist while simultaneously telling the story of his own journey from Novosibirsk to fame.
The second half of the project was built around songs well known to Russian audiences from the 1990s and 2000s. DAVA recorded new versions of “Zayka”, “Kroshka moya”, “Propadayu” and “Chyornyy bumer”. Some of them were created together with performers connected to the original versions.
As a result, “Korol” was more than simply a collection of new rap tracks. The album combined modern hip-hop production, self-irony, nostalgia for Russian pop music and the artist’s own story.
“Chyornyy bumer” with Seryoga
One of the most recognisable songs from the project was a new version of “Chyornyy bumer”, recorded together with Seryoga. The original track had been one of the biggest Russian-language rap hits of the mid-2000s, while DAVA’s version transferred it into the aesthetic of a new generation of pop-rap.
For Manukyan, this work was part of the album’s broader idea: not to parody the music of his childhood, but to combine it with a contemporary sound. In the current Apple Music catalogue, “Chyornyy bumer” remains among DAVA’s most popular tracks.
“Kroshka moya” and Ruki Vverh!
The same principle was used in a new version of “Kroshka moya”, recorded with “Ruki Vverh!”. The song connected DAVA with the generation of Russian dance-pop from the late 1990s and underlined an important feature of “Korol”: the album deliberately worked with the audience’s cultural memory.
For Manukyan himself, revisiting such songs was not a form of retro stylisation, but an attempt to transfer familiar compositions into a modern sonic environment — with a denser beat, hip-hop rhythm and updated studio production.
“Rolex” with Philipp Kirkorov
In August 2020, DAVA released one of the most notable collaborations of his career — “Rolex” with Philipp Kirkorov.
The collaboration was significant not only because it brought together two highly visible media figures. It effectively linked two generations of Russian show business: the traditional television pop scene represented by Kirkorov and DAVA’s digital career model, which had developed through social media.
“Rolex” was released as a standalone single and remains one of the most prominent recordings in the artist’s digital catalogue.
Songs with Olga Buzova
DAVA’s discography also contains several recordings with Olga Buzova. At the end of 2019, they released “Mandarinka”, followed later by the duet “Snezhinki”.
Although public interest in these tracks was largely connected to the performers’ personal relationship, from a discographical perspective they represent a model typical of DAVA’s dance-pop duets: a simple vocal melody, electronic arrangement and a structure aimed at digital audiences and short-form consumption.
“Obnulila nas” and return to lyrical pop
After the more ironic and conceptual “Korol”, DAVA returned to romantic pop lyricism as his main direction in 2021. One of the most notable songs of this period was “Obnulila nas”.
Here, the artist returned to the emotional model of the earlier “Kislorod”: relationships are described through the experience of a breakup, while rap delivery becomes secondary to melody and chorus.
The track “More”, officially released in August 2021, followed the same direction. Apple Music separately highlights “Obnulila nas” and “More” as important works from the period when DAVA returned to the lyrical side of his sound.
Production work and Milana Khametova
Over time, Manukyan expanded his activities beyond his own discography and began working as a producer. One of his most notable projects was his work with young singer and blogger Milana Khametova.
DAVA and Khametova also recorded songs together, including “Odin doma”, “Novogodnyaya” and “Stat shefom”. The latter was officially released in June 2023. Production gradually became another stable part of Manukyan’s professional profile alongside music, television and his own media projects.
Music after “Korol”
After 2020, DAVA did not release full-length albums with the same regularity, focusing primarily on singles. This format corresponds to the contemporary pop industry, where an individual song can exist as an independent media project without necessarily being included on an album.
His later discography included “Obnulila nas”, “More”, “Alye rozy”, “Pod gitaru”, “Nachat s nulya”, “Vremenno”, “Lovlyu taksi”, “Orientiry” and other tracks.
Return of the dance element
Manukyan’s sporting background continued to influence his stage image. Unlike many performers who entered music through social media, DAVA has many years of professional dance training, so choreography is not simply an additional stage skill for him, but part of his early biography.
This was also evident in television projects. In 2021, Manukyan took part in “Dancing with the Stars” and finished in second place. His return to the dance floor years after ending his competitive career reminded a broad audience of his professional dance background.
Television and expansion of his career
As DAVA’s fame grew, he ceased to be exclusively a musician and blogger. From 2021 to 2023, he worked as a host on the reality show “Dom-2”, participated in various television projects and, in 2022, joined the jury of the music show “Battle of Generations” on MUZ-TV.
Television did not replace his music career, but significantly expanded Manukyan’s public image. He began working simultaneously as a performer, host, producer and participant in entertainment formats.
RU.TV Award
In 2021, DAVA received the RU.TV Russian Music Award in the category “Music Blogger”. The title of the category accurately reflected Manukyan’s position in the industry at that time: his career existed at the intersection of two environments — social media and the professional music scene.
Film and production
During the 2020s, Manukyan also became increasingly active outside music. He appeared in films and television series and took part in production projects. This transformed DAVA from a performer with a blogging background into a broader media brand.
His musical activity did not stop, however. Even alongside television, film and production work, the artist continued to release individual tracks regularly.
DAVA in the mid-2020s
In 2023–2024, new works included “Vremenno”, “Lovlyu taksi”, “Orientiry” and “Vesna”. In 2024, DAVA recorded “Potantseval” together with Stas Kostyushkin.
In 2025, he released “U menya — ty”. In 2026, the catalogue continued with “Radost v prostom”, “Parallel” and “Kolybelnaya”. This shows that after the most intensive hit-making period of 2019–2021, DAVA did not end his music career, but moved toward a model of regular standalone singles.
How DAVA’s sound changed
DAVA’s music career can roughly be divided into several stages.
The first stage — 2018–2019 — was connected with the transition from blogging into music. Melodic pop-rap, romantic lyrics and songs aimed directly at digital audiences predominated here: “XXX”, “Kislorod”, “Tantsuy kak pchela”.
The second stage is most clearly represented by the album “Korol”. Here, DAVA made more active use of rap, humour and self-irony while simultaneously turning to Russian pop music from the 1990s and 2000s.
The third stage began after 2020. The album format moved into the background, while melodic pop singles and collaborations once again became the foundation of his catalogue. Rap delivery is used much more freely in these works, while the chorus often becomes the central element.
Musical style
It would be inaccurate to describe DAVA exclusively as a rapper. Hip-hop is certainly present in his catalogue, but a significant share of his best-known songs are structured according to the conventions of contemporary pop music.
The main characteristics of his sound are compact song structures, melodic choruses, electronic beats, a combination of vocals and rap delivery, and lyrics focused primarily on emotionally accessible themes: relationships, falling in love, breakups, personal success and self-irony.
Apple Music classifies the debut EP “Sila prityazheniya” as pop, while the full-length “Korol” is categorised as hip-hop/rap. This distinction clearly demonstrates the artist’s stylistic flexibility.
The role of social media in DAVA’s music
DAVA’s story is representative of a generation of artists who emerged at the turn of the 2010s and 2020s. His audience formed before his music discography, meaning that his path to listeners was the reverse of the traditional show-business model.
Where a traditional performer would first record songs, seek support from a label, radio and television, and only then gain public recognition, DAVA first created his own multimillion-person media environment and only afterwards began turning it into a music audience.
This also explains the characteristics of his early songs: short running times, instantly memorable choruses, visually oriented music videos and a direct connection between the musical material and internet culture.
Main discography
Studio albums
- “Korol” — 2020
EPs
- “Sila prityazheniya” — 2019
Key songs
- “Vnutri” — with Karina Cross
- “XXX”
- BOOOM — with Karina Cross
- “Kislorod”
- “Tantsuy kak pchela” — with Ramil'
- “Milada”
- “Instamodel”
- “Budu pyanym”
- “Mandarinka” — with Olga Buzova
- “Chyornyy bumer” — with Seryoga
- “Kroshka moya” — with Ruki Vverh!
- “Rolex” — with Philipp Kirkorov
- “Obnulila nas”
- “More”
- “Alye rozy”
- “Vremenno”
- “Lovlyu taksi”
- “Potantseval” — with Stas Kostyushkin
- “U menya — ty”
- “Parallel”
- “Kolybelnaya”
DAVA’s place in contemporary pop culture
DAVA belongs to the first generation of Russian artists for whom social media was not merely an auxiliary promotional tool for an already existing music career, but the starting point of their entire professional recognition.
At the same time, his story differs from many short-lived “singing blogger” projects of the late 2010s. After his first viral songs, Manukyan released an EP and a full-length album, worked with a major label, recorded music with artists from several generations and continued expanding his catalogue after the initial internet boom had passed.
An important element of his career remains his ability to combine different formats. His professional background as a dancer shapes his stage performance, his blogging past gives him an understanding of visual and digital content, while his music catalogue combines romantic pop, rap, dance electronic music and nostalgic interpretations of Russian hits.
For this reason, DAVA is more accurately viewed not simply as a blogger who began recording songs, but as an artist of the digital era whose music career developed within a new model of show business — at the intersection of social media, streaming, television, production and the traditional pop scene.
