The Voice of Romania Talent Show

Ștefan Stan (Ștefan Alexandru Stan) was born in 1977 in Bucharest. He says he started singing at home for his parents. He worked in construction and then in an air-conditioner factory before taking off to work in the US for a while. He sang there in cafés and pubs. He declared he couldn't bring himself to leave Romania, so after a few roundtrips home, he decided to come back home for good. He became The Voice of Romania in 2011, and then got singing gigs here and there. As of September 2013, he is also presenter of the TV show Killer Karaoke. He now has one album out from Universal Music Romania, titled Povestea mea (My Story).

Julie Mayaya (Julie Mayaya Nzal A Nka) was born in 1986 in Iași, Romania. Her mother is Romanian and her father Congolese. Julie spent her childhood in Congo, but studied in Romania. She started singing when she was five. As a child, he sang in the school choir, and as a teenager she sang at weddings and parties. She studied computer science and mathematics in university in Bucharest, but eventually chose to work as a musician. She has collaborated with the band VLP Project, recording some songs and video clips with them. She cites as influences Tina Turner and Etta James. Julie Mayaya won The Voice of Romania in 2012.

Mihai Chițu is 33 years old. He has a wife and a little daughter of four and a half, Riana. After winning The Voice of Romania a few days ago, he decided to quit his job as a sales agent.

Mihai Chițu's close runner-up was Sânziana Niculae. She’s a student at the University of Music in Bucharest. I think her best performance on the show was the song "Georgia on My Mind."

Adrian Nour came in third. I loved his rendition of Loucura, and the fact that he tackled a fado piece in the first place! He could have varied the phrasing a little more, but I think he did a wonderful job nevertheless, because he managed to capture the spirit of fado in his performance, and he also controlled the notes and phrases so well. He was good in everything he sang on the show, and he’s also a great actor. He is, in fact, an actor in Bucharest.

Marius Marin sings solo and in a band called Celebration. He has just released a single with another band, Verdikt.