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O-Zone

arts Maturity 7-9 Next article →

O-Zone is a famous dance music group from Moldova. They are known for making upbeat and happy songs. Their music helped them become the first act from Moldova to be popular all over the world. People love their energetic sound and catchy tunes. They made a big impact on the music scene in the early 2000s. Even after they stopped working together, their songs stayed popular in many countries.

The group started in 1999 with two members, Dan Balan and Petru Jelihovschi. They released their first album, Dar, Unde Ești..., that same year. Soon, Petru decided to leave the group to find a different career. Dan Balan held auditions to find new singers for the band. He met Arsenie Todiraș, who impressed him by singing a song by Elvis Presley. Later, Radu Sîrbu joined after a successful audition. This turned O-Zone into a trio of three singers.

In 2002, the group moved to Bucharest, Romania, to find more success. They became very famous with their song "Despre Tine," which means "About You." Their biggest hit was "Dragostea din tei," which means "Love in the Linden Trees." This song reached number one in many European countries in 2004. It even reached number three on the music charts in the United Kingdom. The song was so popular that it sold over 12 million copies worldwide.

O-Zone was also a huge success in Japan. Their album, DiscO-Zone, sold over one million copies in that country. In 2005, the album was the 12th-most popular album in Japan. The group even won the Best Foreign Act award at the 2006 Japan Gold Disc Awards. They also received a special prize at the 47th Japan Record Awards. This showed how much people in Japan enjoyed their dance music.

Many people in the United States know their music in a special way. A man named Gary Brolsma made a viral video called "Numa Numa Dance." In the video, he lip-synced to their song while dancing with his arms. Because of this, many Americans called it the "Numa Numa Song." Later, their music was used in a song by T.I. and Rihanna. Even though the group split up in 2005, their music lives on through these famous moments.

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