Inna facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Inna
|
|
|---|---|
Inna on the set of Masked Singer România in 2021
|
|
| Born |
Elena Alexandra Apostoleanu
16 October 1986 Mangalia, Romania
|
| Education | Ovidius University |
| Occupation |
|
| Years active | 2008–present |
|
Works
|
Discography |
| Partner(s) | Deliric (2020–present; engaged) |
| Musical career | |
| Genres |
|
| Labels | |
| Associated acts |
|
Elena Alexandra Apostoleanu (born on October 16, 1986), known as Inna, is a famous singer from Romania. She was born in Mangalia and grew up in Neptun. Before becoming a singer, she studied political science at Ovidius University.
Inna started her music journey in 2008. She first used the stage name "Alessandra" and sang pop-rock music. Later that year, she changed her name to "Inna." This new name was easier to remember and was what her grandfather called her. She then began to sing EDM, house, and popcorn music.
Her first song, "Hot" (2008), became a huge hit around the world. It reached number one in Romania and on the Billboard Hot Dance Airplay chart. Her first album, also called Hot, came out in 2009. It sold very well and had other popular songs like "Amazing" (2009).
Inna's second album, I Am the Club Rocker (2011), featured the global hit "Sun Is Up" (2010). This song won the Eurodanceweb Award, making Inna the first Romanian artist to win it. She became one of the most successful Romanian artists. Her album Party Never Ends (2013) was also very popular. It included "More than Friends" with Daddy Yankee.
In 2014, Inna released "Cola Song" with J Balvin. This song was used to promote the FIFA World Cup. Her fourth album, Inna, came out in 2015. It had "Diggy Down", which was her third number-one song in Romania. Since 2017, Inna has been a coach on the TV show Vocea României Junior.
She continued to release successful albums like Nirvana (2017) and Yo (2019). Yo was special because Inna wrote all the songs in Spanish. It had a new, experimental sound. Her song "Bebe" reached number one in Romania in 2020. More recently, "Flashbacks" (2021) and "Up" (2021) were big hits. Her latest albums are Heartbreaker (2020) and Champagne Problems (2022).
Inna is known as the best-selling Romanian artist. She has won many awards, including the Balkan Music Awards and MTV Europe Music Awards. Inna also works to help others. She supports campaigns against domestic violence and for children's rights.
Life and career
Early life and career beginnings (1986–2007)
Elena Alexandra Apostoleanu was born on October 16, 1986, in Mangalia, Romania. Her parents are Giorgic and Maria Apostoleanu. She grew up in Neptun. Her father worked as a sea rescuer, and her mother was a dancer and singer.
As a child, Inna loved to swim and play football and basketball. She also loved music. As a teenager, she listened to many types of music, including electro house and europop. She admired artists like Beyoncé, Christina Aguilera, Celine Dion, and Whitney Houston.
Inna went to elementary school in Neptun. Later, she studied at Economy College in Mangalia. She then studied political science at Ovidius University in Constanța. She also took singing lessons and performed at music festivals. She tried out for a Romanian band called A.S.I.A., but it didn't work out.
While working in an office, Inna's manager heard her singing. He connected her with the music production team Play & Win. She recorded several songs with them. In 2008, she used the stage name Alessandra. She submitted two songs, "Goodbye" and "Sorry," for the Eurovision Song Contest 2008. Neither song was chosen. She performed "Goodbye" on the TV show Teo!, which was her first time on television.
Later that year, she changed her stage name to Inna. She chose this name because it was easy to remember. It was also the name her grandfather used for her when she was little. Inna started her career singing pop-rock songs. But after changing her name, she switched to house music. Inna has said that Swedish House Mafia, The Black Eyed Peas, and Jessie J have inspired her music. She also looks up to Pink, Houston, and Dion.
First albums: Hot and I Am the Club Rocker (2008–2011)
Inna's first song, "Hot", was sent to Romanian radio stations in August 2008. It quickly became number one in Romania. This led to her performing in many Romanian nightclubs. The song was also a big hit across Europe. It even topped Billboard's Hot Dance Airplay chart in 2010.
Her second song, "Love" (2009), reached number four in Romania. Inna received her first awards nominations for "Hot" at the 2009 Eska Music Awards in Poland. In April 2009, her Romanian music label, Roton, signed a deal with the American label Ultra Records.
Inna worked with Romanian musician Bogdan Croitoru on her next song, "Déjà Vu" (2009). They released it under different names at first. This created a lot of talk before they showed their real identities. The song was very successful, just like her earlier ones. Inna had her second number-one hit in Romania with "Amazing" in 2009.
Inna's first album, Hot, came out in August 2009. It also included the song "10 Minutes" (2010). The album sold very well. It was certified Gold in Romania and Platinum in France. By 2011, it had sold 500,000 copies worldwide. Inna won the MTV Europe Music Award for Best Romanian Act in both 2009 and 2010. She was the first Romanian artist to win this award two years in a row. In 2010, she was also nominated for MTV Europe Music Award for Best European Act.
Inna's song "Sun Is Up" was released in October 2010. It reached number two on the Romanian Top 100. It also did well in other European countries. It earned Gold in Switzerland and Italy, and Silver in the United Kingdom. "Sun Is Up" won the Eurodanceweb Award in 2010. This was the first time Romania had won this award.
Inna released her second album, I Am the Club Rocker, in September 2011. It included the song "Club Rocker", which had a remix with American rapper Flo Rida. The album featured europop, dance-pop, techno, and house music. Her label, Roton, called it one of the best albums of the year. It was certified Gold in Poland. Inna promoted the album with her I Am the Club Rocker Tour (2011–12) in Europe and the United States. She gave interviews and appeared on radio shows in Mexico. She also had her first big concert in Romania at the Arenele Romane in Bucharest. She arrived by helicopter, like a true star!
The song "Club Rocker" (2011) was moderately successful. Other songs from the album included "Un Momento" (2011), "Endless" (2011), and "Wow" (2012). "Endless" reached number five in Romania, and "Wow" was in the top ten. In 2011, Inna became one of the highest-paid Romanian artists.
New sounds: Party Never Ends and Inna (2012–2016)
Inna released her third album, Party Never Ends, in March 2013. It had popular songs like "More than Friends" (2013) with Daddy Yankee and "In Your Eyes" (2013) with Yandel. Party Never Ends reached number ten in Mexico. It was nominated for Best Album at the Romanian Music Awards in both 2013 and 2014.
In March 2013, Inna sang on "P.O.H.U.I." by the Moldovan group Carla's Dreams. This song reached number three in Romania. It was named the best song of the year at the Romanian Top Hits Awards. In late 2013, Inna was featured on Pitbull's song "All the Things" from his album Meltdown.
"Cola Song", a song with J Balvin, came out in April 2014. It was released under Atlantic Records. This song was successful in Europe and was certified Platinum in Spain. It helped promote the FIFA World Cup 2014. It was also used in the video game Just Dance 2017. In 2014, Inna worked with Pitbull again on "Good Time". She was also featured on Romanian rapper Puya's "Strigă!", which reached number two in Romania.
Inna released her fourth album, also called Inna, in October 2015. A different version of the album, Body and the Sun, was released in Japan in July 2015. One of the songs from the album was "Diggy Down" (2014). This was her third song to reach number one in Romania. It won the Best Dance award at the Media Music Awards. Inna's next song, "Bop Bop" (2015), reached number two in Romania. "Rendez Vous" (2016) was certified Gold in Poland.
In 2015, Inna was named the Best Romanian Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards. She was also nominated for Best European Act. She sang with Alexandra Stan and Daddy Yankee on "We Wanna", which was a moderate hit. Inna also sang uncredited vocals on Carla's Dreams' "Te rog", which became number one in Romania.
New chapters: Nirvana, Yo, and Heartbreaker (2016–2021)
In August 2016, Inna performed at the Untold Festival. She also joined a music group called G Girls. With this group, she released two songs: "Call the Police" and "Milk and Honey". In early 2017, Inna became a coach on Vocea României Junior with Andra and Marius Moga. By May of that year, her YouTube channel had over two billion total views.
Inna's fifth album, Nirvana, was released in December 2017. Songs from this album included "Gimme Gimme" (2017), "Ruleta" (2017), and "Nirvana" (2017). These songs were successful in countries like Romania and Turkey. "Ruleta" and "Nirvana" reached numbers three and two in Romania. She also had two more top ten songs in Romania, "Nota de plată" and "Pentru că", with the Moldovan group the Motans.
Inna released her sixth album, Yo, in May 2019. All the songs on this album were in Spanish. Inna was fully in charge of the creative process for this album. She worked closely with Romanian producer David Ciente. Inna described the music on Yo as experimental and gypsy-influenced. This was a new direction for her. "Ra" was the first song from the album, released in September 2018. She promoted it with appearances in Mexico and the United States. She also signed a record deal with Jay-Z's record label Roc Nation. Her next song, "Iguana", reached number four in Romania. In August, Inna started her own digital magazine called InnaMag.
The song "Bebe" with Ugandan artist Vinka reached number one in Romania in March 2020. This song marked a return to her EDM sound, but also included deep house influences. Since 2020, Inna has been a judge on Pro TV's The Masked Singer Romania show.
The singer released her seventh album, Heartbreaker, on November 27, 2020. She created this album in just three weeks. She worked with Romanian songwriters and producers like Sebastian Barac, Marcel Botezan, Ciente, and Alexandru Cotoi. They worked at a mansion, and Inna shared daily vlogs on YouTube to show their progress. These vlogs were the first season of Inna's Dance Queen's House series.
In January 2021, Inna's song "Read My Lips" (2020) with Colombian singer Farina reached number ten in Romania. By May, Heartbreaker's first song, "Flashbacks", was number one in Russia. It also reached the top ten in Romania, Ukraine, Bulgaria, and other countries. "Cool Me Down" with Gromee, and "It Don't Matter" with Alok and Sofi Tukker also became hits. Inna was a special guest at the Untold Festival in September 2021.
Recent works: Champagne Problems, Just Dance, and El Pasado (2021–present)
In October 2021, Inna released the song "Up". This song became very popular in countries like Bulgaria, Poland, and Russia in early 2022. A remix of the song with Jamaican rapper Sean Paul was also released. "Up" became Inna's fifth number-one song in Romania.
Her eighth album, Champagne Problems, was released in two parts in January and March 2022. This album was also created during the second season of Dance Queen's House. In June 2022, Inna's song "Tare" with the Motans reached the top of the Romanian radio chart. Her ninth album, Just Dance, was released in 2023, also in two parts.
Philanthropy and awards
In November 2011, Inna joined a campaign against domestic violence called Durerea nu este iubire (Pain is Not Love). This campaign encouraged women to speak up against abuse. She also signed a petition asking the Romanian government to make laws against domestic violence stronger. Inna is also an activist for children's rights in Romania. In 2012, she supported the UNICEF No More Invisible Children campaign.
Inna started her own campaign called Bring the Sun Into My Life. This campaign aimed to make people more aware of violence against women. She also recorded "Tu tens la força" ("You Have the Power"). This was a Catalan language version of Gala's song "Freed from Desire" (1996). She did this for the 2015 Marató de TV3 telethon, which raises money for good causes. In 2016, Inna took part in Cartoon Network Romania's anti-bullying program, CN Clubul Prieteniei (CN Friendship Club). She also recorded a new opening song for the Romanian version of The Powerpuff Girls.
That same year, Inna and other Romanian celebrities signed a letter. This letter supported the LGBT community. It was a response to an effort to change the definition of a family in the Romanian Constitution. This effort was seen by many as limiting the rights of LGBT people.
The Guardian newspaper called Inna "one of Romania's biggest exports." This was because of how many albums she sold and how popular she was. She has won many awards and nominations. These include five Balkan Music Awards, a European Border Breakers Award, three MTV Europe Music Awards for Best Romanian Act, and thirteen Romanian Music Awards. By March 2016, Inna had sold four million copies of her first three albums. In 2015, Antena 3 reported that Inna was Romania's best-selling artist abroad.
Personal life
Inna dated her manager Lucian Ștefan for ten years until 2013. In the same year, she started a relationship with American photographer John Perez. They worked together on several projects. In 2020, Inna began dating Romanian rapper Deliric. He proposed to her in January 2023.
As of March 2017, Inna lives with her mother and grandmother in a villa she bought in Bucharest. She also spends time in Barcelona. In May 2018, Inna was hospitalized after collapsing during her tour in Turkey. The tour continued as planned. Inna speaks many languages. She speaks Romanian, English, Spanish, "a little bit of French," and "a few words in Italian, Arabic, and Russian." She says this helps her connect with people from different countries. She believes music brings everyone together.
Discography
Studio albums
- Hot (2009)
- I Am the Club Rocker (2011)
- Party Never Ends (2013)
- Inna (2015)
- Nirvana (2017)
- Yo (2019)
- Heartbreaker (2020)
- Champagne Problems (2022)
- Just Dance (2023)
- Everything Or Nothing (2024)
- El Pasado (2024)
Images for kids
-
Inna performing at the Barbarella 2013 festival
See also
In Spanish: Inna para niños
- List of music released by Romanian artists that has charted in major music markets
- List of certified albums in Romania
