Freedom, Part 1

Biography

Dan Mihai Bălan (born 6 February 1979 in Chişinău, Moldova) is a Moldovan singer, songwriter, and producer. He has performed rock and pop. He is most known for his part in the eurodance music trio O-Zone, a group he led to fame across Europe with the hit single “Dragostea din Tei.” Career: O-Zone The group was started by Dan Bălan in 1998 with Petru Jelihovschi. They released their first album, Dar, unde eşti?! (Where are you?) in 1999, and were a major success in Romania. However, for Petru...

Dan Mihai Bălan (born 6 February 1979 in Chişinău, Moldova) is a Moldovan singer, songwriter, and producer. He has performed rock and pop. He is most known for his part in the eurodance music trio O-Zone, a group he led to fame across Europe with the hit single “Dragostea din Tei.”

Career:

O-Zone
The group was started by Dan Bălan in 1998 with Petru Jelihovschi. They released their first album, Dar, unde eşti?! (Where are you?) in 1999, and were a major success in Romania. However, for Petru music was just a hobby so the group split up. Bălan was determined not to end the project though, and he later held open auditions where he met Arsenie Todiraş. At first he was a bit skeptical of Arsenie until he heard him sing “Love me Tender”. But that only made two. By chance, a couple weeks later Radu Sirbu called Bălan because he had missed the auditions. Sirbu’s audition was a success and the three officially formed a band.
They mainly sang eurodance music in Romanian, and were especially famous for their hit single “Dragostea Din Tei”, a notable summer hit from the album DiscO-Zone which in English translates to Love from the Linden Trees. Dragostea Din Tei reached Number one on the singles charts of many European countries in 2003 and 2004, and was number three in the United Kingdom. Another single called “Despre Tine” from the same album had similar success across Europe.
Converse to its multi-platinum status in Europe, O-Zone never entered the charts in the United States. Because of the Numa Numa Dance, “Dragostea Din Tei” had a burst of popularity in the United States. While the song received moderate to major airplay, most Americans never knew who the group was or the original song’s name. In January 2005, the trio split to pursue their respective solo careers.

Development in Los Angeles
In 2004, Bălan decided to venture closer to his rock roots. He chose the best musicians in his region and moved with them to Los Angeles in 2005. Although Dan wrote the compositions prior to the formation of his band, it took two years to get a signature sound and their own captivating style. He asked producer Jack Joseph Puig (John Mayer, Sheryl Crow, No Doubt, The Black Crows, Rolling Stones) to produce the record. The album was recorded in April/June 2006 at Ocean Way Studios in Los Angeles.

Crazy Loop
In 2006, Balan introduced his alter ego, "Crazy Loop,” with the Eurodance flavored song “Mm-ma-ma”. The video, directed by Marc Klasfeld, was released throughout Europe in the fall of 2007 and was voted the song of the year by fans. In December 2007, Dan also released a Crazy Loop album called The Power of Shower. The song “Crazy Loop” reached number 1 on the Romanian Charts. In 2008 he released a video for his song Joanna (Shut Up!). Crazy Loop was expected to be released around the world in April 2009.

Chica Bomb (first single under name Dan Balan)
In 2010 he released “Chica Bomb”, his first single under the name Dan Balan, featuring American recording artist Katie DiCicco. It became an instant hit in many European countries and hit #37 in Germany [2] and #44 in UK Singles Chart.
“Justify Sex” is the new debut single from Dan Bălan. He performed this song at the Europa Plus Live 2010 concert. Rumours are going around saying this could be a potential hit. The date of release is to still be confirmed. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.