Karolina Myroslavivna Kuiek (born 27 September 1978), better known as Ani Lorak, is a Ukrainian-born Russian singer. Having been awarded the title of People's Artist of Ukraine (revoked in 2024), she has been cited as one of the most influential and popular women in Ukraine, and has also been ranked as one of the most beautiful women from Eastern Europe. In 2014, she reported the highest income of all singers in Ukraine.

After her performance of the song "Shady Lady" while representing Ukraine in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008, Lorak began gaining considerable fame outside of the former Soviet Union, coming in second place behind "Believe" by Russian singer Dima Bilan. In 2018, she received a ZD Award in the category for Best Singer of the Year.

In October 2022, Lorak was sanctioned by the Ukrainian government because she continued to work and live in Russia after the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Among other restrictions, she was deprived of all Ukrainian state honours bestowed upon her and also prohibited from entering the country for five years. She received Russian citizenship in 2025.

Lorak was born in the provincial city of Kitsman, Chernivtsi Oblast in Western Ukraine. She lived in the same house as Hero of Ukraine, singer and composer Volodymyr Ivasyuk, who spent his childhood, as Lorak's maternal grandfather had bought it from the Ivasyuks after they had decided to move away from Kitsman. Prior to her birth, her parents – a journalist and an announcer – had separated, however, her mother chose to still give Lorak her father's surname upon her birth.

Lorak developed the desire to become a singer as early as the age of four. She often performed at various school vocal competitions. As a child, she listened a lot to Russian singers such as Alla Pugacheva and Larisa Dolina, which were popular at the time she was young.

Speaking Ukrainian as her native language, Lorak was raised by a single mother. After having lived in Kitsman for several years, the family moved to Chernivtsi, where they lived in poverty. From the age of six until seventh class, she and her brothers were placed in a foster home in Chernivtsi as her mother was unable to provide for her children full-time. When she was nine, her eldest brother Serhii died while in combat during the Soviet–Afghan War. When the family was given an apartment in Chernivtsi, Lorak was subject to severe bullying in her new school due to her poor background.

In 1992, at the age of 13, she took part in the Chernivtsi singing competition Pervotsvit, which she won. There, she met Yuriy Falyosa, who became her first producer. As a result, at the age of 15, she signed her first professional contract for the duration of ten years. In that timeframe, as part of her contract duties, she was not allowed to marry or give birth.

Kuiek became known as Ani Lorak from March 1995 onwards after she took part in the popular children's music television programme Morning Star on Channel One Russia. Intending to perform there mononymously as Karolina, she was told that that was undesirable as there was another famous singer at the time in Russia who performed under that pseudonym. As a result, the stage name "Ani Lorak" was invented, which was the name "Karolina" read backwards.