Akcent

Akcent
Akcent, Bucharest, Romania
Background information
Origin	Bucharest, Romania
Genres	Dance-pop, europop, house
Years active	1999–present (now as solo only)
Labels	Fire Records Ltd., ARY Musik Records, Magic Records, Roton, Ultra, Ministry of Sound, Robbins Entertainment, Warner, Universal, Sony
Associated acts	Sandra N., Ruxandra Bar, Lora, Edward Maya, Lidia Buble, Maxim, XOXO, Reea, Aza, Amira
Past members	Classic lineup Marius Nedelcu Mihai Gruia Sorin Stefan Brotnei Other members Ramona Barta Corneliu Ulici

Akcent (pronounced "ascent"; originally a wordplay on "") is a multi-certified, award-winning Romanian dance pop act whose members sing in Romanian, English, Polish and Spanish. The group was created by Adrian Sînă, and Ramona Barta. Their first single "Nu-mi pasă de nimeni" (I don't care about anyone) got positive reactions from critics and became the reason Catalin Muraru signed them to Roton in 1999. They released their debut album Senzatzia in 2000. Except for the first track "Ultima vara" (The last summer) which received some airplay, the album was a commercial failure and the band disbanded. Soon after, Sina brought Marius Nedelcu, Mihai Gruia and Sorin Brotnei into the group, changing it from a duo to a boyband. They came to prominence once with the release of their hit single "Ti-am promis" (I promised you).

The climax of the group's career was the international release of their breakthrough single "Kylie", the English version of their internal hit "Dragoste De Inchiriat". The song reached peak position in many European charts and fared well enough in countries such as the Netherlands and France. The band even participated in the Selecția Națională, with hopes of representing Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest. They united with pop singer Nicoleta Matei and entered the song "Jockero", which failed to win. Nevertheless, it became one of their number-one singles on the Romanian Top 100. They continued to see success all through the late 2000s and early 2010s.

Born and raised in Baia Mare, Maramureș Adrian Claudiu Sînă formed the band in 1998. Back then, it was just him and singer Ramona Barta. The two sent their debut single to nationwide mainstream radio stations as early as 1999. The song "Ultima vara" (The Last Summer) managed to reach the top-twenty of many airplay charts. The duo also released a studio album titled Senzatia (The Sensation). The album didn’t do well and Barta split from Sînă. The duo changed into a boyband when Sina introduced Marius Nedelcu, Mihai Gruia and Sorin Brotnei to the group. Their debut album În culori was released in Romania on January 10, 2002 and included the hit single "Ţi-am promis". They rose to fame instantly when "Ti-am promis" (I promised you) reached the summit of the Romanian Top 100 during winter 2001. The album also became one of the most successful albums in the country's recent history. It received a Gold certification within three weeks. Some months later, it was eventually certified Platinum by the Uniunea Producătorilor de Fonograme din România. During this time, they won multiple MTV Romania Music Awards as well.