O-Zone
| O-Zone | |
|---|---|
O-Zone performing at their final concert at the Golden Stag musical festival in Romania. (September 2005)
From left to right: Arsenie Todiraş, Dan Bălan, Radu Sîrbu |
|
| Background information | |
| Origin | Chişinău, Moldova |
| Genres | Pop, Eurodance, electronica |
| Years active | 1998–2005 |
| Labels | Cat, Ultra, Avex |
| Website | artists |
| Past members |
Dan Balan Arsenie Todiraş Radu Sîrbu Petru Jelihovschi |
O-Zone was a Moldovan pop music trio that was active from 1998 to 2005 and consisted of Dan Balan, Radu Sîrbu, and Arsenie Todiraş. The group gained global popularity with their song "Dragostea Din Tei" and their subsequent album DiscO-Zone.
O-Zone was formed as a duo of Dan Bălan and Petru Jelihovschi in 1998. They released their first album, Dar, Unde Eşti..., in 1999. However, Jelihovschi had not intended to make music his career, so he split from Bălan. Undaunted, Bălan held open auditions for new band members. At one such audition, he met Arsenie "Arsenium" Todiraş, who eventually won over the initially skeptical Bălan with his version of Elvis Presley's "Love Me Tender." Bălan and Arsenium would have proceeded as a duo act until Bălan received a call from Radu Sîrbu, who wanted a chance to audition for the group. Despite missing the auditions the first time around, Bălan agreed, and after a successful audition by Sîrbu, O-Zone officially became a trio.
In 2002, O-Zone moved from Moldova to Bucharest, Romania, hoping to gain more recognition. There, the group became an instant hit band with their upbeat song "Despre Tine" ("About You"), which held the top position on the Romanian Top 100 chart for three weeks in February 2003. Their second hit, which brought them worldwide attention, was "Dragostea Din Tei", translated roughly as "Love From the Linden Trees." It quickly became popular in Romania, where it also topped the Romanian singles chart for four weeks in September 2003, but faded from popularity by the end of 2003. But the song gained popularity in Italy when the little-known duo Haiducii released a cover of "Dragostea din tei", which topped the Italian pop charts. Arsenie Todiraş later said that at the time, while it was not illegal, the group's cover felt like a betrayal because Haiducii had not asked permission to make a cover. However, the cover's success led to curiosity about the original artist, and led to Time Records, an Italian record label, offering O-Zone a one-year contract. Soon after the song's release in Italy, it was also released in various other countries in Europe under Polydor Records and became an instant hit.
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