Being the richest recording artist in Eastern Europe, Elena Alexandra Apostoleanu, professionally known as INNA, is a Romanian singer, songwriter, dancer, human rights activist and philanthropist. After an unsuccessful audition for the Romanian band A.S.I.A., she was working in an office when her manager heard her singing and contacted the Romanian production trio Play & Win with whom she recorded several songs.
The singer first adopted the stage name Alessandra along with a pop-rock style, and entered two songs to represent Romania at the Eurovision Song Contest 2008, with “Goodbye” and “Sorry”, neither of which were selected. She also had her first TV appearance, performing “Goodbye” live on the primetime TV show Teo!.
Later that year, she changed her stage name to a shorter, easier-to-memorise one, INNA, as her grandfather called her when she was young. Drastically turning her style to a more electronic direction, she released her debut single “Hot”, which became a commercial success worldwide and topped several charts–including Romanian Top 100 and Billboard’s Hot Dance Airplay.