Alexandra Stan
Alexandra Ioana Stan (born 10 June 1989) is a Romanian singer. Born in Constanța, she made her worldwide breakthrough with the 2010 single "Mr. Saxobeat", which was written and produced by Marcel Prodan and Andrei Nemirschi. They had previously discovered Stan at a karaoke bar in 2009 and signed her to their label, Maan Records. "Mr. Saxobeat" had followed the singer's debut single, "Lollipop (Param Pam Pam)" (2009), which brought her moderate fame in Romania. "Mr. Saxobeat" quickly achieved commercial success locally and abroad, reaching number one in several countries and gathering various certifications. Saxobeats, Stan's debut studio album, was released in August 2011 and features the follow-up singles "Get Back (ASAP)" (2011) and "Lemonade" (2012), which had moderate success in Europe.
An alleged altercation with Prodan in 2013 and a lawsuit against him preceded the release of Stan's second album, Unlocked, which would eventually be issued in August 2014. Two of its singles, "Dance" (2014) and "Cherry Pop" (2014), were successful in Japan. Stan's third studio album, Alesta, was released in March 2016 and included a collaboration with Inna and Daddy Yankee on "We Wanna" (2015); the single went on to reach the top 60 in several countries. Mami, her fourth record, followed in 2018. Preceding the release of its last single was Stan's feature on Manuel Riva's "Miami" (2018), which peaked within the top ten in Romania and on Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart. Stan has received a number of awards and nominations, including the European Border Breakers Award, a Japan Gold Disc Award, an MTV Europe Music Award and two Romanian Music Awards. She is also referred to as one of the most successful Romanian artists alongside Inna.
Life and career[edit]
1989–2009: Early life and career beginnings[edit]
Alexandra Ioana Stan[8] was born on 10 June 1989 in Constanța, Romania, to Daniela and George Stan,[2][9] and has a sister, Andreea, who is three years older.[10][11] Stan's father used to work as a cook on a ship and was thus absent for a large part of her childhood in the Faleză Nord neighbourhood, which she stated had a large emotional impact on her. In 2005, her family experienced financial problems due to her father's deteriorating health condition and moved to the Valu lui Traian commune, where Stan earned money as a waitress.[11] She recalls having self-esteem issues and being bullied by classmates for being poor, for which she eventually had post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) therapy.[11][12]
Showing an interest in music from a very young age, Stan studied at the Traian Secondary School and later at the Faculty of Management Andrei Șaguna, but dropped out of the latter in favour of pursuing a music career.[11][2] Her public singing debut was at a Romanian televised show when she was 15 years old.[13] She eventually participated in various music contests, including the Mamaia Music Festival in 2009.[2][14] Romanian producers and songwriters Marcel Prodan and Andrei Nemirschi discovered Stan that year at a karaoke bar in Constanța and signed her to their record label, Maan Records.[14] Retrospectively, in a 2021 interview, Stan claimed that the contract disrespected human rights and was written in a way so that Prodan and Nemirschi could have a widespread control over her. According to Stan, her reproaching of this matter and the alleged underpayment she was facing to them resulted in several tensions.[11] Stan rose to moderate fame and began being booked for concerts in Romania with the release of her debut single "Lollipop (Param Pam Pam)" (2009), which was given notable radio airplay.[2][11] Stan's father was involved in her management for two years early in her career.[11]
Artistry and musical style[edit]
When interviewed at the European Border Breakers Awards in 2012, Stan said the diverse nationalities in her home city Constanța have influenced her music.[74] In another interview, she named Michael Jackson, Madonna, Adele, Rihanna, David Guetta, Sia and Robbie Williams as influences.[75] Stan's first studio album Saxobeats features hi-NRG, dance, electronic, house and eurodance music,[76][77] with saxophone being used on some songs.[78] Stan expressed her interest in the instrument, which is often used in her region.[79] Its use in her songs had become her signature "saxobeat" sound.[72][73]
Unlocked has elements of dance, techno, pop and R&B,[80][81] which one music critic described as an evolution in her artistry.[82] The album also features "Thanks for Leaving", which is the first ballad of Stan's career.[83] "Cherry Pop", which appears on the same album, uses a J-pop style.[73] 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."[84]
Public image and personal life[edit]
Stan, along with Inna, has been referred to as one of the most successful and best-paid Romanian artists.[85][86] Stan frequently receives media attention for her provocative public appearances and photographic shoots.[87][88][89] The music video for "I Did It, Mama!", which was released in 2015, included a scene in which she and a background dancer simulate sexual acts, which the Romanian Cancan and Click! publications speculated could have led to a ban of the video in Romania.[90][91] In December 2019, controversial footage of Stan lasciviously dancing naked surfaced online, with the singer soon after apologizing and deleting the video, saying it had been mistakenly shared.[92] Stan is open about her sexual practices, and revealed that she had experimented with group and lesbian sex; she further stated that she experiences occasional bisexual feelings.[11][12]
Stan was born with only one kidney and received treatment for the nodules she had on her vocal cords early in her career.[11] Stan has stated that she believes in God and has her own religious principles, describing herself as a non-traditional Christian.[93] Throughout the years, Stan has lived in various cities including Constanța,[79] Los Angeles,[94] Santa Monica[95] and Bucharest.[96] At the age of 16, the singer was in a one-month romantic relationship with Romanian actor and recording artist Dorian Popa, but the relationship broke down because of alleged infidelity.[97][11] She also had a short-lived relationship with the bar owner she worked at as a waitress in her youth in Valu lui Traian.[11]
During Stan's court case against Marcel Prodan, he and others testified that she had more than a professional relationship with him; Stan initially denied these claims,[98][99] but eventually acknowledged their relationship.[100] In a 2022 interview, she revealed that depressive thoughts had led to her attempting to commit suicide twice during that time period.[100] From 2014 to 2019, Stan was in a relationship with Bogdan Stăruială,[96][101][102] and also dated Bogdan Drăghici for a couple of months as of November 2020.[103][11] In July 2021, she revealed to the public that she had married her fiancé Emanuel around two months earlier, on 24 April.[104] Stan announced their separation in October 2021.[105] Shortly after her divorce, Stan began dating singer and music producer Alex Parker.[106] The two ended their relationship after five months of dating.[107]