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 house 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.
Play & Win is a Romanian songwriting and music production project that was formed as a trio in 2008 by Radu Bolfea, Marcel Botezan and Sebastian Barac. It became a solo project by Bolfea after Botezan and Barac left and formed Marco & Seba in 2013. The production team have more than 500 songs to their credit registered at the PRS. As Play & Win, they have been produced some of Romania's biggest dance music hits, collaborating with artists including Inna, Akcent, 3rei Sud Est, and Cătălin Josan. As a musical group, they have released numerous singles that have charted on various music charts.
"Love" is a song recorded by Romanian singer Inna for her debut studio album, Hot (2009). It was released as the second single from the record on 16 February 2009. Written and produced by Play & Win members Sebastian Barac, Radu Bolfea and Marcel Botezan, "Love" is an EDM and house track. Its lyrics revolve around the potential complications related with love. The song was described as containing high-pitched vocals by one reviewer, as well as compared to the work of English rock band New Order. Another critic foresaw the single to be commercially successful.
"Wow" is a song recorded by Romanian singer Inna for her second studio album, I Am the Club Rocker (2011). Written and produced by Play & Win members Sebastian Barac, Radu Bolfea and Marcel Botezan, it was made available for digital download on 20 April 2012 as the fifth single from the record through DIY Records. Musically, "Wow" is an electropop song.
"Caliente" is a song recorded by Romanian singer Inna for her third studio album, Party Never Ends (2013). It was released on 4 May 2012 through Roton. The track was written by the singer, while production was handled by Sebastian Barac, Radu Bolfea and Marcel Botezan. "Caliente" features lyrics in Spanish, marking Inna's first song in that language. It is a salsa and 90s dance music-influenced song.
"Crazy Sexy Wild" is a song recorded by Romanian singer Inna from her third studio album, Party Never Ends (2013). It was digitally released on 14 September 2012 by DIY, while a Romanian-language version titled "Tu și eu" was previously made available on 12 June 2012 through Roton. The track was written by Henri Lanz, Kimberly Cole, Will Rappaport and Inna, while production was handled by Sebastian Barac, Radu Bolfea and Marcel Botezan. Musically, it is a dance track featuring 90s sounds in its instrumentation. One music critic compared it to Nicki Minaj's "Starships" (2012).
"Inndia" is a song recorded by Romanian singer Inna from her third studio album, Party Never Ends (2013). It was released on 11 October 2012 through Roton and features Romanian trio Play & Win. The track was written by Sebastian Barac, Radu Bolfea, Marcel Botezan and Joddie Connor, while production was handled by the first three under the name of Play & Win. "Inndia" is an Arabic and oriental-influenced song encompassing guitar accords and male vocals which complement Inna.
"Yalla" is a song recorded by Romanian singer Inna for her eponymous fourth studio album (2015) and its Japanese counterpart, Body and the Sun (2015). It was released on 3 November 2015 through Empire and Roton. The recording was written by Marcel Botezan, Sebastian Barac, Nadir Tamuz Augustin and Inna, while production was handled by the first two under the name of Play & Win. A dance-pop and Eurodance track, "Yalla" is sung in both English and Arabic.
"Balans" is a song recorded by Romanian recording artist Alexandra Stan for her third studio album, Alesta (2016). Released on 2 March 2016 through Global Records, the track features the vocal collaboration of Swedish-Congolese singer-songwriter Mohombi. "Balans" was produced by Play & Win members Sebastian Barac and Marcel Botezan, while the writing process was handled by the latter two in collaboration with Mohombi and Breyan Isaac.
"Heaven" is a song recorded by Romanian recording artist Inna, included on the deluxe edition of her fifth studio album Nirvana (2017). It was released for digital download on 10 June 2016 through Roton. The recording was written by Andreas Schuller, Leroy Clampitt, Sebastian Barac, Marcel Botezan, Laila Samulesen, Trey Campbell and Theea Eliza Miculescu, while production was handled by Barac and Botezan. A dance-pop and tropical house recording, the single was generally acclaimed by music critics, who praised it as an earworm with Middle Eastern influences. While reviews noted lyrics in English, French, and Spanish, the singer explained that the refrain was written in a language she invented with her label. At the 2017 Radio România Actualități Awards, "Heaven" was nominated in three categories.
"Ruleta" is a song recorded by Romanian singer Inna, featuring collaborative vocals by Romanian performer Erik, for her fifth studio album, Nirvana (2017). It was made available for digital download and streaming on 21 June 2017 by Global Records as the album's second single. The track was written by Inna, Erik, Marius Dia and Breyan Isaac, while production was handled by Sebastian Barac, Marcel Botezan and David Ciente. "Ruleta" features lyrics in English and Spanish. It is an EDM and reggaeton-influenced song, with touches of Indian and Caribbean music.
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.
"Nirvana" is a song recorded by Romanian singer Inna for her fifth studio album of the same name (2017). It was made available for digital download on 28 November 2017 by Global Records, as the record's third single. The track was written by Inna and Thomas Troelsen, while production was handled by Sebastian Barac, Marcel Botezan, David Ciente, Vlad Lucan and Troelsen. Musically, "Nirvana" is a Latin-influenced club song, featuring a rap delivered in Spanish during its drop.
"Ra" is a song recorded by Romanian singer Inna, digitally released on 27 September 2018 as the lead single from her sixth studio album, Yo (2019), by Global Records. It was entirely written in Spanish by Cristina Maria Chiluiza and Inna, while Sebastian Barac, Marcel Botezan and David Ciente handled the production. A ballad, the song lyrically features a female empowerment message about leaving a toxic relationship and gaining confidence. Its sound differs significantly and acts as a departure from Inna's previous, club-oriented releases.
"Te Vas" is a song by Romanian singer Inna, digitally released on 31 May 2019 by Global Records as the fifth single from her sixth studio album Yo (2019). It was written by Inna and Cristina Maria Chiluiza, while production was handled by Sebastian Barac, Marcel Botezan, David Ciente and Alexandru Cotoi. A Spanish-language house song reminiscent of Inna's past material, the track lyrically discusses the bond between two separated lovers.
"Bebe" is a song by Romanian singer Inna and Ugandan recording artist Vinka, digitally released on 4 November 2019 by Global Records. It was written by the aforementioned artists alongside Theea Miculescu, while the production was handled by Sebastian Barac and Marcel Botezan. A French, Swahili, Luganda, and English love song, the track's genre has been described as Afro and dancehall-influenced pop. Music critics gave mixed reviews to the track, praising its catchiness but criticizing the track as sonically uninteresting.
Heartbreaker is the seventh studio album by Romanian singer Inna. It was released for streaming to YouTube and SoundCloud by Global Records on 27 November 2020, and was issued to fellow platforms and released for digital download a week later under the same label. An EDM, Middle Eastern and Latin-influenced dance-pop release, the album was preceded by Inna's retransition to the EDM genre following the release of Yo (2019), her experimental and gypsy-inspired sixth studio album.
"Flashbacks" is a song recorded by Romanian singer Inna for her seventh studio album, Heartbreaker (2020). It was written by Inna and Minelli alongside its producers Sebastian Barac, Marcel Botezan, David Ciente and Alexandru Cotoi. On 20 January 2021, the song was serviced as the lead single of the album to Romanian radio stations. An electropop and EDM-inspired electro dance and dance-pop track, it is driven by a piano loop and slap bass. Lyrically, the song talks about a woman struggling to let go of her love interest who is far away.
Champagne Problems is the eighth studio album by Romanian singer Inna. It was released in two parts, Champagne Problems #DQH1 and Champagne Problems #DQH2, that were made available for digital download and streaming through Global Records on 7 January and 11 March 2022, respectively. Recording sessions took place in late 2021 for both releases and was completed in 16 days in a mansion Inna resided in with several Romanian songwriters and producers; such as Sebastian Barac, Marcel Botezan, David Ciente, Alexandru Cotoi, Minelli, Moa Pettersson Hammar and Gustav Nyström. The first release has been described as a primarily dance-pop record that encompasses Latin pop and reggaeton influences.
"Up" is a song recorded by Romanian singer Inna. Global Records sent it to Romanian radio stations on 21 October 2021. Another version of the track with Jamaican rapper Sean Paul was issued on 17 December 2021. "Up" was written by Inna, Sebastian Barac, Marcel Botezan, Alex Cotoi and Minelli, while the production was handled by Barac, Botezan and Cotoi; Paul received additional writing and production credits on his version. "Up" is a dancehall-influenced pop song, with its lyrics describing a healing love.
