O-Zone

Formed in Chișinău, Moldova in 1998 – initially as a duo comprising Dan Bălan and Petru Jelihovschi – O-Zone went on to become one of Moldova’s biggest musical exports of the 2000s. The original duo released their debut album, Dar, Unde Ești... in 1999, but after Jelihovschi quit the group he was replaced with new members Arsenie "Arsenium" Todiraș and Radu Sârbu. The newly formed trio moved to Bucharest, Romania in 2002 and gained a foothold in the Romanian charts with “Despre Tine” (“About You”) in February 2003. However, it was the release of single "Dragostea Din Tei" (“The Love in the Lindentree”) that brought the group global recognition. First released in Romania in 2003, the catchy anthem exploded in Europe the following summer, becoming a Europop chart-topper in nearly a dozen European countries, including the UK, and sticking at the Number 1 spot on the Eurochart Hot 100 for 12 weeks between June and September 2004. The song became the fourth best-selling single of the 21st century in France and in Italy, a cover of the song by Haiducii topped the Italian pop charts. “Despre Tine” experienced a similar twist of fate in 2004. Originally featured on the group’s second album, 2002’s Number 1, it was re-released on third and final album DiscO-Zone (2004) and took the Number 1 spot in numerous European countries. O-Zone disbanded in 2005, but returned to perform live in 2017 and 2019.

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