Alexandra Stan

Alexandra Ioana Stan (born June 10th, 1989) is a Romanian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in the city of Constanța, she made her worldwide breakthrough with the 2011 single Mr. Saxobeat, which was written and produced by Marcel Prodan and Andrei Nemirschi. They discovered Stan at a karaoke bar in 2009 and offered her a contract with their label Maan Records. Mr. Saxobeat followed the singer's debut recording, Lollipop (Param Pam Pam), which brought her fame in her native country. Mr. Saxobeat quickly achieved commercial success in Romania and abroad, reaching number one in several countries. Saxobeats, her debut studio album, was released in August 2011 and features the follow-up single Get Back (ASAP), which together with Lemonade was a moderate hit in Europe.

An alleged altercation with Prodan in 2013 delayed the release of Stan's second album Unlocked, which was eventually premiered in August 2014. Two of its singles, Dance and Cherry Pop, were successful in Japan. Stan's third studio album Alesta was released in March 2016; it led to a collaboration with Inna and Daddy Yankee on We Wanna, which reached the top 60 in several countries. Mami, her fourth record, followed in 2018. Stan has received a number of awards and nominations, including the European Border Breakers Awards, Japan Gold Disc Awards, MTV Europe Music Awards and Romanian Music Awards. She is also referred to as one of the most successful Romanian artists alongside Inna.

1989-2008: Early life
Alexandra Ioana Stan was born on June 10, 1989 in the city of Constanța, Romania, to Daniela and George Stan. She has one sister, Andreea Stan. Her mother worked as a saleswoman and her father was hired as a groundskeeper. From a very young age, Stan showed an interest in music; she studied at Traian Secondary School and later at the Faculty of Management Andrei Șaguna. Stan's public singing debut occurred after she was invited to sing in a televised show when she was 15 years old.

2009: Career beginnings
She eventually participated in various music-related contests, including the Mamaia Music Festival in 2009. Romanian producers and songwriters Marcel Prodan and Andrei Nemirschi discovered Stan that year at a karaoke bar in Constanța. They offered her a record deal with their label Maan Records and she recorded a promotional single titled Show Me the Way. Stan rose to fame in Romania with the release of her debut single Lollipop (Param Pam Pam), which was given notable radio airplay. The song's provocative, low-budget music video was criticized by some viewers for emphasizing her physical and not her vocal qualities.

2010–2013: Saxobeats and hiatus
In 2011, Stan made her international breakthrough with the single Mr. Saxobeat. The song first achieved success in Romania, where it peaked at number one on the Romanian Top 100 for eight consecutive weeks. It then became acclaimed worldwide, topping the record charts in several other countries, and selling almost one million copies in less than year. At the 2011 Romanian Music Awards, Stan and Mr. Saxobeat won several awards and nominations. Stan also won the Best Romanian Act and a nomination for Best European Act at the 2011 MTV Europe Music Awards.

After the success of Mr. Saxobeat, Stan released the follow-up single Get Back (ASAP), which achieved modest success and reached the top 10 in Finland and Romania, and the top 20 in other European countries. The singer's debut studio album Saxobeats was released in August 2011; it was moderately successful in Japan and Europe. For Stan's international achievements in 2011, she won a European Border Breaker award. Her chart success followed in 2012 with Lemonade, which was certified Gold in Italy. The release of Stan's second studio album was postponed following an alleged violent incident between her and Prodan, her then-impresario, in June 2013. The case attracted widespread media coverage in Romania. In August 2013, Stan was featured on German group Follow Your Instinct's single Baby, It's OK, which fared moderately well in German-speaking Europe. Later that year, the singer launched a campaign against domestic violence called "Nu bate! Mai bine cântă!" (english = Don't fight! Just sing!).

2014: Unlocked and comeback
In April 2014, Stan released her comeback single Thanks for Leaving, which she said was personal. The follow-up Cherry Pop became the most sought-after ringtone on the Recochoku service in Japan within two hours of its release, while Dance experienced similar success on its release. Unlocked, Stan's second studio album, was premiered in August 2014, and charted within the top 30 in Japan. Stan signed a new record deal with Fonogram Records. The music video for Give Me Your Everything, the fourth single from Unlocked, caused controversy for a scene that features Stan wearing a robe inscribed with masonic symbols. The Unlocked Tour, during which Stan was accompanied by Romanian dance group StanBoyz, followed the album's release. Later in 2014, Stan performed Cher's song Strong Enough translated into Catalan for La Marato, an annual Spanish charity event, and she also appeared as a special guest at the Spanish Carnival of Las Palmas.[40]

2015–2018: Alesta and Mami
In June 2015, Stan released We Wanna, a collaboration with Romanian singer Inna and American reggaeton performer Daddy Yankee. The track reached the top 60 in multiple countries including Romania, Argentina and Italy. It was certified Gold in the latter region. In addition to her music career, Stan was involved with ecological and humanitarian causes at Expo 2016 in Antalya, Turkey, where she planted a tree that she named after herself. She also won a trophy at the Celebrity Awards along with other accomplished Romanian women, and earned a nomination for Best Pop Artist at the Elle Style Awards România, as she would also do in 2016. In November 2015, she released the single I Did It, Mama!, which reached the top ten in Romania. The singer's third studio album Alesta followed in March 2016, and was supported by a tour of Japan. It debuted at number 34 on the Japanese Albums Chart. Later that year, Stan made her fashion debut with a range of clothing called Alesta X Bershka, which was available in Japan.

Also in 2016, the singer joined the supergroup G Girls along with Antonia, Inna and Lori, and premiered the single Call the Police, which was successful in Poland. She also launched her own record label, Alexandra Stan Records. To promote the launch of Virgin Radio Romania in early 2017, Stan recorded a cover version of Madonna's song Like a Virgin, saying she was a fan of it. She also recorded Favorite Game for the soundtrack of the Japanese movie Miko Girl; it served as its opening song. The film premiered during the 30th Tokyo International Film Festival in October 2017, where Stan appeared on the red carpet with its cast and crew. In April 2018, Stan released her fourth studio album, which is titled Mami, and peaked at number 119 in Japan. She also contributed guest vocals on Manuel Riva's track Miami, which reached the top ten on the US Dance Club Songs chart; this was Stan's first appearance on an American Billboard ranking since 2011's Mr. Saxobeat. It also reached the top 10 in Romania.[60] The singer opened the 2018 Neversea Festival, which had selected Miami as its anthem. At the 2018 Beirut International Awards Festival, Stan was awarded a special prize for her career.

2019–present: Upcoming fifth studio album
In June 2019, following several months spent in the United States, the singer released I Think I Love It, her first single as a lead artist in over a year after Mami. She also signed record deals with Universal Music Romania and MediaPro Music.

Artistry and musical style
When interviewed at the European Border Breakers Awards in 2012, Stan said the diverse nationalities in her home city Constanța have influenced her music. In another interview she named Michael Jackson, Madonna, Adele, Rihanna, David Guetta, Sia and Robbie Williams as influences. Stan's first studio album Saxobeats featured hi-NRG, dance, electronic, house and eurodance music, with saxophone being used on some songs. Stan expressed her interest in the instrument, which is often used in her region. Its use in her songs has become part of her signature "saxobeat" sound.

Unlocked has elements of dance, techno, pop and R&B, which one music critic described as an evolution in her artistry. The album also features Thanks for Leaving, which is the first ballad of Stan's career. Cherry Pop, which appears on the same album, uses a J-pop style, which Stan said is "a music genre I haven't approached so far, but one that fits my style. I find J-pop music very energetic, it's got such a positive vibe to it." In a 2018 interview, Stan elaborated on the content of her first four studio albums: "Each album represents a stage in my life as a woman. On Saxobeats, I showed my rebellious side, typical of teenagers going to maturity, on Unlocked I rediscovered and reopened myself in front of the audience through the lyrics of songs, on Alesta I wanted to give my fans songs that they can have fun to, and on Mami I can say that I feel the most female so far."

Public image and personal life
Stan, along with Inna, has been referred to as one of the most successful Romanian artists. During a review of Saxobeats, Mike Schiller of PopMatters called her "the sort of young upstart pop diva that it's hard to hate, yet hard to take seriously". Stan frequently receives media attention for her "sexy" public appearances and photographic shoots. The music video for I Did It, Mama!, included a scene in which Stan and a background dancer simulate sexual acts, which Romanian Cancan and Click! publications speculated led to a ban of the video in Romania.

Stan has stated that she believes in God and has her own religious principles, describing herself as a non-traditional Christian. Throughout the years, Stan has lived in various cities including Constanța, Los Angeles, and Bucharest. At the age of 16, the singer was in a romantic relationship with Romanian actor and recording artist Dorian Popa, but the relationship broke down because of alleged infidelity. During Stan's court case against Prodan, he and others testified that she had more than a professional relationship with him; Stan denied these claims. From 2014 to 2019, Stan was in a relationship with Bogdan Stăruială. In 2017, Stan said she had undergone therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and self-esteem issues in her youth, which were attributed to bullying by her classmates. On the same occasion, she stated she has had several lesbian experiences in the past.

Discography
Main articles: Alexandra Stan discography, Charted songs