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Paula Seling | |
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.jpg) Seling in 2014 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | (1978-12-25)25 December 1978 (age 46) |
| Genres | |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1995–present |
| Labels |
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| Website | paulaseling |
Paula Seling (Romanian pronunciation:[ˈpa.ulaˈseliŋɡ]; born 25 December 1978[1]) is a Romanian singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. She has released more than thirteen albums (including three Christmas albums) and over twenty singles, which include two top-ten hits in theRomanian Top 100,[2][3] and a minor European hit which entered the charts in Finland and Norway,[2] as well as theUK Singles Chart.[2]
Together withOvidiu Cernăuțeanu, Seling has representedRomania in the Eurovision Song Contest twice: in2010 with the song "Playing with Fire", finishing 3rd,[4] and in2014 with the song "Miracle", finishing 12th.
In 2010 she participated inDansez Pentru Tine (Romanian "Dancing with the Stars"), finishing 3rd.[5][6][7] From October 2011, she was also a juror and mentor in the Romanian version ofX Factor.
Paula Seling was born inBaia Mare, northwesternRomania, on 25 December 1978. She began playing piano when she was six years old.[1][2] At the age of 10, she began to sing in the schoolchoir, soon becoming a soloist.[1] She entered a series of piano contests and choral music contests between the ages of 11 and 15, before joining a school band named the Enders as a pianist in 1994.[1]
After graduating from theGheorghe Șincai National College in Baia Mare in June 1997,[2][8] she studied journalism at the Școala Superioară de Jurnalism inBucharest, graduating in 2002.[2]
In 1995, she won the Best Instrumental Interpreter award at the "Steaua de cristal" (The Crystal Star) Contest inBotoșani, "Ursulețul de aur" (The Golden Teddy Bear) award in Baia Mare, and first place at the "Armonia" (Harmony) Festival inBucharest.[citation needed]
In 1996, she won the "Aurelian Andreescu" trophy under the guidance ofAnda Popp, and made her first performance at theGolden Stag Festival,[9] also appearing in the showViața de român ("Romanian life"),[10] as a backing vocalist.
In 1997, she opened forJoan Baez,[1][11] and participated in the Mamaia Trophy with the Romanian-language song "Trurli". She sang on the showDin darul magilor ('From the Magi's Gift') in December 1997.
The following year she released her first album in English,Only Love,[1] recorded at Sound House Records,Germany.[12][13]
Seling first competed in theSelectia Nationala in 1998,[14][15] collaborating with band Talisman on the song "Te iubesc", which came 4th with 565 points, finishing 2nd in the jury vote and 6th in the televote.[2] Around the same time, she was named "Woman of the Year" for 1998 byAvantaje magazine.[1]
On 9 November 1998, Seling was the opening act forChick Corea's concert in Bucharest.[1] Following the concert Seling collaborated with percussionist Lucian Maxim on a project fusingjazz, classical music and old Romaniangypsy music.[citation needed]
In 1999 Seling released her first complete album, entitledDe dragoste ("For Love"),[16][17] a collection of 10 songs composed by Nicu Alifantis. The album included tracks such as "Almost Silence"/"Aproape liniște"; "The Shadow"/"Umbra"; and "How Good That You Exist"/"Ce bine că ești".
Seling competed in theMamaia Festival 2001 with her performance of "Ploaie în luna lui marte" (Rain in the Moon of Mars), a cover of a song byNicu Alifantis, which was named Hit of the Year. Dana Cristescu proposed Alifantis to work on Seling's next album as a composer and producer. "Ploaie în luna lui marte" was chosen to be the first track.[citation needed]
In January 2001 Seling released the albumMă voi întoarce ("I will return"),[18] which included "Lângă mine" (Next to me), a duet with Cristi Enache ofDirecția 5.[19]
Paula and Paul Seling worked on the album,Știi ce înseamnă (să fii fericit) ("You know what it means (to be happy)") until the autumn of 2001, collaborating with Cezar Stănciulescu and Cristi Ștefănescu of the bandNSK. All the lyrics for the album were written by Paula.[12] Also in 2001, Seling released the albumPrima selecție ("First selection"),[12] a collection of live recordings, duets and re-recordings, and collaborated withPuya fromLa Familia.
As 2001 ended, Seling received the "Best Female Singer" award at the Romanian Music Industry awards.[1] The video for the track "Serile verii" ("Summer evenings") from theȘtii ce înseamnă... album, directed by Romaniandirector Andreea Păduraru, won the awards for Best Artist in a Music Video and Best Music Video at the 2002 MTV Music Awards Romania 2002.[1][20]
She won theGolden Stag Festival in 2002,[2][1] and was signed byRoton Records in autumn that year.[2]
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In 2002, producer, composer, director and writerTony Hawks cast Seling in a documentary movie on theDiscovery Channel, named "One Hit Wonderland", in which Seling and Hawks recorded one of Hawks's compositions in his studio from London, which was then promoted in the city. They performed the song onGloria Hunniford's show,Open House with Gloria Hunniford,[21] onChannel 5 in London.[1]
Seling and her husband launched their own record label, Unicorn Records, in 2005.[1] In 2007 she opened forMichael Bolton (7 July) andBeyonce (26 October).[1]
In 2008, Seling released a 19-track compilation album of her first 10 years of recordings, entitled1998-2008. Some of the tracks were in their original versions, while others were re-recorded in the Unicorn Records studio. That year, she also finished in 3rd place in the Selecția Națională Eurovision Final with the song "Seven Days", and performed a duet with "manele" singerFlorin Salam at theBucharest Symphony Orchestra.[2]
Her double albumCuleg Vise/Believe was released in 2009,[22] on which Seling composed, produced and arranged all 17 songs.[1] The first single from the album, "Believe", reached the top 40 of theRomanian Top 100,[2] and the album itself went on to win "Best Pop Album" at theRomanian National Radio Awards in 2010.[1]
Seling won first prize at theMamaia festival in 2009,[1] and attended the Golden Stag Festival as a judge in September 2009, where she met her future collaboratorOvidiu Cernăuţeanu.[1]
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Cernăuţeanu contacted Seling in November 2009, inviting her to collaborate on an entry to the 2010 Selectia Nationala.[2] They re-recorded the original version of the song "Playing With Fire",[2] and were selected as a finalist for the show on 27 January 2010,[23] and won the competition on 6 March 2010.
Seling and Cernăuţeanu performed "Playing with Fire" live in the second Eurovision Song Contest 2010 semi-final inOslo on 27 May 2010. They finished 4th in the semi-final to qualify for the final on 29 May 2010, where they finished 3rd,[2] equalling the highest ever ranking for Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest.[2]
In 2010, Seling joined the Romanian televised dance competitionDansez pentru tine (the Romanian version ofDancing With the Stars) with her partner Tudor Moldoveanu.[24] The pair came third in the competition.[2] Seling was the co-host of theEurovision Song Contest 2011 Romanian national final, held on New Year's Eve night onTVR 1, along with Cernăuţeanu and Marina Almasan-Socaciu.[2] She also provided the Romanian voice forHolley Shiftwell inCars 2 in 2011.[2][25]
In early 2011, Seling released a new song, "I Feel Free".[2] In April 2011, Romanian TV stationAntena 1 (part of theIntact Media Group) announced that the British reality TV music contestX Factor would come to Romania, and in early June, it was announced that Seling would be one of three judges on the show.[2][26]
In late 2011, Seling recorded duets withAlexander Ryback, Ovi Cernăuţeanu andAl Bano,[2] for inclusion alongside "I Feel Free" and another at least eight songs on a new album due in 2012.[2] In February 2012, it was reported that Seling would return to Selectia Nationala 2012, in order to representRomania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012.[2] However, she later announced that the song she was preparing for the contest wasn't ready, and would instead be entered for theEurovision Song Contest 2013. She was the spokesperson for Romania and presented the votes during the grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2012.[27]
In 2013, Seling began endorsing a Romanian moisturising cream,Gerovital.[28][29] The brandLoncolor asked Seling to become their brand ambassador in 2012, representing LONCOLOR enVogue 535.[30]
In 2012, Selling was chosen byDisney to record the song "My Spirit Flies" ("Chiar pot zbura"), for thePixar animationBrave.[31]
In August 2012, she released a single withAlexander Rybak called "I'll Show You".[32]
On 1 March 2014, Paula Seling and Ovi Cernăuţeanu again won the Selectia Nationala, and were chosen as the Romanian entry for theEurovision Song Contest 2014 in Copenhagen, with the song "Miracle".[33] Seling and Cernăuţeanu performed "Miracle" live in the second semi-final on 8 May 2014. They qualified from the semi-finals, and finished 12th in the final on 10 May 2014.
Seling has been married since 2005 to Radu Bucura, a friend from her teenage years and the drummer in Dana Nalbaru's band.[34] ARomanian Orthodox, she isanti-abortion, and attended theMarch for Life inBucharest in March 2016.[35]
Seling speaks, writes, and performs in French, English, and Romanian; she also performs in Italian.[citation needed]
| Year | Type | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Golden Stag Festival | Golden Stag Trophy | Won |
| Romanian Musical Industry Awards | Best Female | Won | |
| MTV Romania Music Awards | Best Music Video | Won | |
| "Avantaje" Magazine | Woman of the Year | Won | |
| 2000s | Fildorf Festival | Various Awards | Won |
| 2010 | Selectia nationala | Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest | Won |
| RRA Awards | Best Pop Album | Won | |
| Best Pop Song | Won | ||
| Eurovision Song Contest | Semi-Final | Qualified | |
| Final | 3rd Place | ||
| 2011 | "Successful Women Awards" | Young Talents | Won |
| "RRA Awards 2011" | "Artist of the Year" | Won | |
| "Female Performance of the Year" | Nominated | ||
| "Best Pop Song" (Playing With Fire) | Won | ||
| 2014 | Selecția Națională | Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest | Won |
| Eurovision Song Contest | Semi-Final | Qualified | |
| Final | 12th place |
| Year | Album details |
|---|---|
| 1998 | Only Love
|
Ştiu că Exist
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Colinde şi cântece sfinte
| |
| 1999 | De Dragoste
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| 2001 | Mă Voi Întoarce
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Ştii ce înseamnă
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Prima Selectie
| |
| 2002 | Albumul de Craciun
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| 2003 | Fără Sfârşit
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| 2006 | De Sărbători
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| 2009 | Culeg Vise
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Believe
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| 2010 | Playing with Fire
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| 2013 | One Mile of Words
|
| Title | Year | Peak Chart Positions | Album | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROM | SWE | BUL | RUS | NOR | FIN | IRE | SWI | UK | |||
| "Ploaie în Luna lui Marte" | 1998 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Ştiu că exist |
| "Te iubesc" (featuringTalisman) | 88 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest 1998 | |
| "Lânga mine" (featuring Direcṭia 5) | 2001 | 100 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Mă Voi Întoarce |
| "Un băiat şi o fată" (featuring Parlament) | 41 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Prima Selecţie | |
| "Promit" | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Stii ce inseamna | |
| "Serile Verii" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Timpul" | 2003 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ...fara sfarsit |
| "Chip de Inger" | 69 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Culeg Vise" | 2009 | 98 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Culeg Vise |
| "Believe" | 55 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Believe | |
| "Playing with Fire" (featuringOvi) | 2010 | 65 | 29 | 44 | 112 | 12 | 28 | — | 51 | 200 | Playing with Fire |
| "Counting Down" (featuringOvi) | 2011 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Calling You (Hello, Hello)" (featuringOvi) | 66 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "I Feel Free" (featuringPlan D) | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 100 | Non-album single | |
| "Pansament" | 2013 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | One Mile of Words |
| "Miracle" (featuringOvi) | 2014 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 88 | — | 174 | Non-album single |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released. | |||||||||||
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
Preceded by Proconsul | Golden Stag Trofee at theGolden Stag Festival 2002 | Succeeded by Sha Baoliang |
| Preceded by | Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 (withOvi) | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 (withOvi) | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
