Elena Alexandra Apostoleanu, known professionally as Inna, is a Romanian singer. Born in Mangalia and raised in Neptun, she studied political science at Ovidius University before meeting the Romanian trio Play & Win and pursuing a music career. She adopted the stage name "Alessandra" and a pop-rock style in 2008; later that year, she changed her stage name to "Inna" and began releasing EDM, house and popcorn music. "Hot" (2008), her debut single, was a commercial success worldwide and topped the Romanian and Billboard's Hot Dance Airplay chart, among others. Her debut studio album of the same name followed in August 2009 and was certified Gold and Platinum. It featured several other successful singles in Europe, including "Amazing" (2009), the singer's second number-one single in Romania.
Romanian singer Inna has released eleven studio albums, three compilations, 62 singles and 51 promotional singles. Her YouTube channel surpassed three billion total views as of May 2019. 24 of her singles have reached the top ten in Romania, with "Hot", "Amazing", "Diggy Down", "Bebe", "Up" and "Tare" topping the country's singles chart in 2008, 2009, 2015, 2020, 2021 and 2022, respectively. With global album sales of four million copies from her first three studio albums, Inna is the best-selling Romanian artist.
Alexandra Ioana Stan is a Romanian singer. Born in Constanța, she made her worldwide breakthrough with the 2010 single "Mr. Saxobeat", which was written and produced by Marcel Prodan and Andrei Nemirschi. They had previously discovered Stan at a karaoke bar in 2009 and signed her to their label, Maan Records. "Mr. Saxobeat" had followed the singer's debut single, "Lollipop " (2009), which brought her moderate fame in Romania. "Mr. Saxobeat" quickly achieved commercial success locally and abroad, reaching number one in several countries and gathering various certifications. Saxobeats, Stan's debut studio album, was released in August 2011 and features the follow-up singles "Get Back (ASAP)" (2011) and "Lemonade" (2012), which had moderate success in Europe.
"Mr. Saxobeat" is a song by Romanian singer Alexandra Stan, released on 12 September 2010 as the second single from her debut studio album, Saxobeats (2011). The track was written and produced by Marcel Prodan and Andrei Nemirschi, and was recorded at their Maan Studio. Musically, "Mr. Saxobeat" is a Eurodance, dance-pop and popcorn song, with its instrumentation consisting of notably saxophone and horn as well as 'conventional' synth and techno sound. The lyrics echo the singer's vision of a perfect man. Reviewers were positive towards the recording, with them praising its catchiness, the saxophone sequences and Stan's voice.
"Get Back (ASAP)" is a song recorded by Romanian singer Alexandra Stan, released on 28 March 2011 by Play On / Jeff Records as the third single from her debut studio album, Saxobeats (2011). The track was written and produced by Marcel Prodan and Andrei Nemirschi, and was recorded at their Maan Studio in Constanța. Musically, "Get Back (ASAP)" is a dance song with jazz accents, containing a saxophone in its instrumentation. Music critics were positive towards the recording, praising its catchiness, while also comparing it to its predecessor, "Mr. Saxobeat" (2010). "Get Back (ASAP)" also received an award in the Pop/Dance Song of the Year category at the 2012 Radio România Actualități Awards.
Saxobeats is the debut studio album recorded by Romanian singer and songwriter Alexandra Stan, released on 29 August 2011 by Play On Records. It was mainly written and produced by Marcel Prodan and Andrei Nemirschi, who recorded it at their Maan Studio. They had previously discovered the singer at a karaoke bar and offered her a record deal with their own label, Maan Records. Same year she released a promotional single, "Show Me the Way", through the label which was later included on Saxobeats. The music on the album overall approaches genres of hi-NRG and dance music. "Lollipop " features a sample of American singer Fergie's 2006 single "Fergalicious". The record received mixed reviews from music reviewers, praising it for approaching a danceable style, but also criticizing its formulaic production.
"Lollipop (Param Pam Pam)" is the debut single recorded by Romanian recording artist Alexandra Stan for her debut studio album, Saxobeats (2011). The track was written by Marcel Prodan and Andrei Nemirschi, while production was solely handled by Prodan. It was first released in Romania in 2009. Following the international success of Stan's 2010 single "Mr. Saxobeat", "Lollipop (Param Pam Pam)" was re-distributed in various other countries in 2011. The music video for "Lollipop (Param Pam Pam)" features the singer and other female dancers dancing to the song in front of a purple backdrop; interspersed scenes portray Stan licking a lollipop. She herself described the song as "club-friendly" and as featuring "funny lyrics", while music critics praised it for being a "catchy pop song" and a "club sensation". Sampling elements from American singer Fergie's "Fergalicious" (2006), the single commercially peaked at number 58 on her native Romanian Top 100.
"1.000.000" is a song recorded by Romanian recording artist Alexandra Stan for her debut studio album, Saxobeats (2011). Featuring the vocal collaboration of German-Zimbabwean rapper Carlprit, it was made available as a digital download on 22 February 2012 through Vae Victis and E2. The track was written by Andei Nemirschi, Marcel Prodan and Marcian Alin Soare, while being produced by Nemirschi and Prodan. Musically, "1.000.000" is an R&B and pop song which incorporates hip hop beats in its instrumentation; Stan repeats the word "million" over the chorus, which is reminiscent of Romanian band M&G's track "Milioane".
"All My People" is a song recorded by Romanian recording artist Alexandra Stan for her Japan-only reissue album, Cliché (2013). Written and produced by Marcel Prodan and Andrei Nemirschi, the track features vocal collaboration from Prodan's fictional character, Manilla Maniacs. His vocals were particularly praised by music critics as being "low-pitched" and "distorted". Musically, "All My People" is a club-friendly electro dance song and draws influences from Stan's single "Mr. Saxobeat" (2010).
Antonia Clara Iacobescu, known professionally as Antonia, is a Romanian singer.
Unlocked is the second studio album by Romanian singer-songwriter Alexandra Stan, released on 27 August 2014, by Victor Entertainment. Several collaborators are credited for the record's production, including Andreas Schuller, Sebastian Jacome, Chrishan Prince, Erik Lidbom, and Gabriel Huiban; songs were developed during the first Romanian international songwriting camp FonoCamp in 2013. Unlocked was released following an alleged physical altercation between Stan and her former manager Marcel Prodan, which led to a court case and a short hiatus in 2013. As a result, she left Prodan's label and signed a record deal with Fonogram Records to distribute the record in various countries.
"Thanks for Leaving" is a song recorded by Romanian singer Alexandra Stan for her second studio album, Unlocked (2014). It was made available for digital consumption on 28 April 2014 through Fonogram Records and Roton as the record's first single. Written by Alexandru Cotoi, Sebastian Jacome, Lee Anna James and Naz Tokio, the track was solely produced by Cotoi and Jacome. Musically, "Thanks for Leaving" is an electropop ballad whose lyrical themes discuss on new beginnings, choices that can be made in difficult situations to move forward, and discovering the joy of being yourself. Particularly, Stan revealed that the lyrics of the recording were personal to her as referring to her past-manager Marcel Prodan, with whom she had an alleged physical altercation in 2013, which caused her career hiatus that year.
"We Wanna" is a song by Romanian singers Alexandra Stan and Inna, the first single from Stan's third studio album, Alesta (2016). Featuring the vocal collaboration of Puerto Rican performer Daddy Yankee, it was made available for digital consumption on 8 June 2015 through Roton, Fonogram and Global Records. The track was written by Ramon Ayala, Jacob Luttrell, Andreas Schuller and Thomas Troelsen, while being produced by Schuller and Troelsen. Musically, "We Wanna" is a dance-pop song inspired by 90s electro music and Paul Johnson's "Get Get Down" (1999), whose lyrics delve on themes such as enjoyment and partying. It was solely intended for Inna, but it was then offered to Stan in order to relaunch in the music industry.
Cliché is the reissue of Romanian recording artist Alexandra Stan's debut studio album, Saxobeats (2011). It was released for digital download on 2 October 2013 through Maan Studio; its deluxe edition was made available for digital and physical consumption on 23 October 2013 by Victor Entertainment. The record premiered following an alleged physical altercation with her former manager Marcel Prodan, which resulted in Stan taking a break from her career. Along with Andrei Nemirschi and Marcian Alin Soare, Prodan has written and produced nearly all the songs on Cliché .
Party Never Ends is the third studio album recorded by Romanian singer Inna, released on 4 March 2013 by Roton, and re-issued on 14 October 2014, by Atlantic Records in the US. The singer collaborated with several producers on the record, including DJ Frank E, Orange Factory, Steve Mac, Lucas Secon, DJ Smash and Play & Win. Party Never Ends has been described as approaching dance music and its subgenres, with influences varying from Latin, hip hop and house to electropop, salsa and dubstep. The Times of India gave the album a mixed review; while commending some tracks, other were deemed passable or mediocre.
Alesta is the third studio album recorded by Romanian recording artist Alexandra Stan. It was released both digitally and physically on 9 March 2016 through Victor Entertainment as a follow-up to Unlocked (2014). To achieve her desired sound, Stan collaborated with several producers on the record, including Andreas Schuller, Thomas Troelsen, Sebastian Barac and Marcel Botezan. The singer also took part at a music camp organized by Marius Moga, where she further worked on material featured on the album. Musically, Alesta, a dance record, draws influence from ethnic, Eastern and Western European music. Lyrically, Stan confessed during an interview with Cosmopolitan that every recording "[tells] a different story".
"Call the Police" is a song recorded by Romanian girl band G Girls. It was made available for digital consumption on 14 June 2016 through Global Records and Roton worldwide, while being distributed in Italy on 15 July 2016 by Ego. Serving as the group's debut recording, the track was written by Eric Turner and J-Son, while production was handled by Marcel Botezan and Sebastian Barac. Musically, "Call the Police" is a "typical" Eurodance song which musically incorporates "Romanian music dance vibe".
"Écoute" is a song by Romanian recording artist Alexandra Stan for her third studio album, Alesta (2016). Featuring the vocal collaboration of Romanian band Havana, it was sent to Italian radio stations on 1 July 2016 by Ego Music. The lyrics of the recording were written in both English and French by Nadir Tamuz, Alexandra Ţîrţîrău, Sorin Seniuc and Vanotek, with the track being produced by Luigi Enciu. "Ecoute" is a dance song, which incorporates tropical beats and oriental sounds in its instrumentation. According to Stan, the songwriting is based on the theme of limitless and unconditional love.
G Girls was a Romanian girl supergroup, which was created by their label Global Records. It initially consisted of Inna, Antonia, Loredana Ciobotaru (Lori) and Alexandra Stan; the latter one later departed and was replaced with Lariss. The group experienced commercial success with their debut single, "Call the Police" (2016), which peaked at number six in Poland.
Nirvana is the fifth studio album by Romanian singer Inna. It was released on 11 December 2017 by Global Records and UMG in a partnership with supermarket chain Lidl. For this record, she collaborated with multiple producers, including Marcel Botezan, Sebastian Barac, Thomas Troelsen, Alex Cotoi and Vlad Lucan. It was entirely recorded at the studios of Global Records in Bucharest, Romania. Nirvana has been described as a pop album, with influences varying from electronic dance music (EDM), reggaeton and R&B to Latin, club and tropical music.
