SINGERS from Romania

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Romanian Singers of all time. This list of famous Romanian Singers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Romanian Singers.

1. Angela Gheorghiu (1965 - )

With an HPI of 53.19, Angela Gheorghiu is the most famous Romanian Singer.  Her biography has been translated into 36 different languages on wikipedia.

Angela Gheorghiu (Romanian: [anˈdʒela ɡe̯orˈɡi.u] ; née Burlacu; born 7 September 1965) is a Romanian soprano, especially known for her performances in the operas of Puccini and Verdi, widely recognised by critics and opera lovers as one of the greatest sopranos of all time. Embarking her career in 1990, she made her Royal Opera House and Vienna State Opera debuts in 1992, followed by New York's Metropolitan Opera debut in 1993. She was catapulted to international stardom after starring as Violetta in Verdi's La traviata at Covent Garden in 1994. Her signature roles include Mimì in La bohème, Magda in La rondine, the title roles in Tosca and Adriana Lecouvreur. She had performed frequently with French tenor Roberto Alagna, whom she first met in 1992 and married in 1996, in concerts and opera productions until their eventual divorce in 2013. Her voice is described as "...the most instantly recognizable and interesting soprano voice of our time. A liquid instrument of great lyrical beauty with gleaming spun-gold high notes, but a dark, vibrant contralto range, reminiscent of Maria Callas.", and she is considered "the world's most glamorous opera star". She has made substantial discography primarily with EMI Classics (absorbed into Warner Classics in 2013) and Decca, and holds several Gramophone Awards and honorary doctorates.

2. Júlia Várady (1941 - )

With an HPI of 52.88, Júlia Várady is the 2nd most famous Romanian Singer.  Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Júlia Várady (Hungarian: Várady Júlia; born 1 September 1941) is a Hungarian-born German soprano who started out as a mezzo-soprano.

3. Inna (1986 - )

With an HPI of 51.09, Inna is the 3rd most famous Romanian Singer.  Her biography has been translated into 52 different languages.

Elena Alexandra Apostoleanu (born 16 October 1986), known professionally as Inna (stylized in all caps), is a Romanian singer. Born in Mangalia and raised in Neptun, she studied political science at Ovidius University before meeting the Romanian trio Play & Win and pursuing a music career. She adopted the stage name "Alessandra" and a pop-rock style in 2008; later that year, she changed her stage name to "Inna" and began releasing house music. "Hot" (2008), her debut single, was a commercial success worldwide and topped the Romanian and Billboard's Hot Dance Airplay chart, among others. Her debut studio album of the same name followed in August 2009 and was certified Gold and Platinum. It featured several other successful singles in Europe, including "Amazing" (2009), the singer's second number-one single in Romania. Inna's second album, I Am the Club Rocker (2011), yielded global success for the single "Sun Is Up" (2010). The track won the Eurodanceweb Award, making Inna the first and only Romanian artist to win the award. In 2011, it was announced Inna was the highest-paid Romanian and Eastern European artist. Her follow-up studio album, Party Never Ends (2013), was nominated for two consecutive years for Best Album at the Romanian Music Awards and reached the top ten in Mexico. It featured "More than Friends", a moderate European hit in collaboration with Daddy Yankee. In 2014, Inna signed with Atlantic Records and released the commercially successful "Cola Song" with J Balvin, which was used to promote that year's FIFA World Cup. Inna's fourth and eponymous studio album was released in October 2015 and included "Diggy Down", her third number-one single in Romania. Beginning in 2017, Inna has been a coach on the talent show Vocea României Junior alongside Andra and Marius Moga. In the same year, she also released her fifth album Nirvana, whose singles found chart success in European countries such as Romania and Turkey. She signed a record deal with Roc Nation in 2018 to release her sixth studio album Yo in May 2019. Entirely envisioned by Inna, the Spanish-language effort marks a change in direction for her, as she approaches experimental and gypsy-influenced music styles. Her first single outside the Yo era, "Bebe", reached number one in Romania in March 2020. The singer also attained success in various Eastern European territories with "Flashbacks" (2021) and "Up" (2021), with the former being the lead single from her seventh studio album, Heartbreaker, released in November 2020. Inna's eighth record, Champagne Problems, followed as a two-part release in January and March 2022. With global album sales of four million copies from her first three studio albums, Inna is the best-selling Romanian artist. She has received several awards and nominations, including the Balkan Music Awards, European Border Breakers Award, MTV Europe Music Awards and the Romanian Music Awards. Inna is a human rights activist, participating in campaigns against domestic violence and in support of children's rights.

4. Ileana Cotrubaș (1939 - )

With an HPI of 50.76, Ileana Cotrubaș is the 4th most famous Romanian Singer.  Her biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Ileana Cotrubaș (Romanian: [iˈle̯ana kotruˈbaʃ] ; born 9 June 1939) is a Romanian operatic soprano whose career spanned from the 1960s to the 1980s. She was much admired for her acting skills and facility for singing opera in many different languages.

5. Peter Maffay (1949 - )

With an HPI of 48.21, Peter Maffay is the 5th most famous Romanian Singer.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Peter Alexander Makkay (born 30 August 1949), known as Peter Maffay (ˌpe.tɐ.ˈma.faɪ̯), is a Romanian-born German musician, singer, and composer.

6. Alexandra Stan (1989 - )

With an HPI of 44.78, Alexandra Stan is the 6th most famous Romanian Singer.  Her biography has been translated into 44 different languages.

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.

7. Alma Gluck (1884 - 1938)

With an HPI of 43.69, Alma Gluck is the 7th most famous Romanian Singer.  Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Alma Gluck (May 11, 1884 – October 27, 1938) was a Romanian-born American lyric soprano.

8. Paula Seling (1978 - )

With an HPI of 39.12, Paula Seling is the 8th most famous Romanian Singer.  Her biography has been translated into 33 different languages.

Paula Seling (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈpa.ula ˈseliŋɡ], born 25 December 1978) is a Romanian singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. Raised in Baia Mare, she attended Gheorghe Șincai National College and later moved to Bucharest to pursue her musical career. She has released more than thirteen albums (including three Christmas albums) and over twenty singles, which include two top-ten hits in the Romanian Top 100, a minor European hit which entered the charts in Finland and Norway, as well as the UK Singles Chart. She represented Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010, together with Ovidiu Cernăuțeanu, with the song "Playing with Fire". They finished third in the finals. She then participated in Dansez Pentru Tine (Romanian "Dancing with the Stars") where she finished third. Starting October 2011, Seling was a juror and mentor in the Romanian X Factor. In 2011, she collaborated with Al Bano and Plan D.

9. Elena Gheorghe (1985 - )

With an HPI of 38.66, Elena Gheorghe is the 9th most famous Romanian Singer.  Her biography has been translated into 37 different languages.

Elena Gheorghe (born 30 July 1985; Romanian pronunciation: [eˈle.na ˈɡe̯orɡe]) is a Romanian singer. In the first half of the 2000s, she joined the Romanian pop group Mandinga, with whom she released two albums. In 2006, she separated from the group and pursued her solo career. She has released three studio albums and one compilation album. She scored a top ten in the Romanian Top 100 with the debut single "Vocea Ta".

10. Luminița Anghel (1968 - )

With an HPI of 37.01, Luminița Anghel is the 10th most famous Romanian Singer.  Her biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Luminița Anghel (Romanian pronunciation: [lumiˈnit͡sa ˈaŋɡel]; born 7 October 1968) is a Romanian singer, TV personality and politician. She is internationally known for representing Romania at the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 along with percussion band Sistem. Their song, "Let Me Try", reached the third place in the final after placing first in the semi-finals; their appearance marks the country's best result in the contest along with 2010's "Playing with Fire" performed by Paula Seling and Ovi. Anghel particularly experienced success in her native country with follow-up recordings, resulting her receiving an offer from Walt Disney Pictures to provide vocals for Tangled's Mother Gothel in 2010. The singer won numerous awards, including distinctions from Bulgaria and Malta.