October 16: Romanian singer-songwriter and dancer Inna, is 27-years-old today.

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Elena Alexandra Apostoleanu - known professionally as Inna – was born October 16, 1986 in the village of Neptun, Romania, near Mangalia on the Black Sea.

Inna is the first European female singer to surpass one billion hits on YouTube, having accomplished this milestone on February 2012. Her stage name Inna was a nickname given to her by her grandfather.

After graduating from high school she studied Political science at Ovidius University in Constanţa. Before turning eighteen, she auditioned to join nationally famous pop group A.S.I.A., but she was rejected in favor of soloist Alina Diana Crișan. She took a job as a sales assistant in a shop in Neptun selling slippers. In late 2007, producer Marcel Botezan heard Inna singing in the market, and offered her a contract with Roton.

Late in 2007, Inna signed a contract with Romanian producers Play & Win and she started recording her first tracks. In 2008, Inna took the stage name "Alessandra" and entered two songs produced by Play & Win for the selection to represent Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest, but neither ("Goodbye" and "Sorry") was selected. "Goodbye" was performed live on primetime TV show "Teo!" in March 2008, and "Sorry" became a viral hit within a couple of months in Romania. 


Alessandra then changed her style from pop ballad to house music. In summer 2008, she recorded new tracks including a demo for "Hot" and "Left Right.” Inna's debut studio album, Hot was an international success, appearing in many record charts around the world, and particularly popular in the United Kingdom where it reached number one. The album's lead single of the same name also charted worldwide, topping in 2009 a United States year-end chart.


"Hot" won the MTV Europe Music Award for Best Romanian Act at the 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards. It reached Gold music recording sales certification in Italy, 3× Platinum in Norway and Platinum in Spain.

Inna's second studio album, I Am the Club Rocker was produced by Play & Win and received the "Romanian Album of the Year" award from her label Roton. Her third studio album, Party Never Ends was released in March 2013. Inna has won numerous awards, including two MTV Europe Music Awards and over thirteen awards in three consecutive years at the MTV Romania Music Awards.

As of May 2011, Inna has sold over 100,000 albums and over 600,000 singles in the United Kingdom. At the end of 2011 Inna became the richest recording artist in Romania and in Eastern Europe.

During an interview in March 2013, Inna revealed that she already started recording songs for her fourth album in Los Angeles, California. The album is scheduled for an early 2014 release.

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For more about Inna, visit her Website at –

http://www.innaofficial.com/

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