Radu Sîrbu (also known as Radu Sârbu, RadU, Picasso and Radu Alexeevici Sîrbu (Russian: Раду Алексеевич Сырбу, romanized: Radu Alekseevich Syrbu; born 14 December 1978 in Peresecina) is a Moldovan singer[1] and music producer. He was part of the pop music trio O-Zone whom received international success for their single Dragostea Din Tei. He currently lives and works in Bucharest, Romania.
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Radu Sîrbu | |
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![]() Radu Sîrbu | |
Background information | |
Born | (1978-12-14) 14 December 1978 (age 43) Peresecina, Moldovian SSR, Soviet Union |
Origin | Moldova |
Genres | Rock, Eurodance, Pop rock |
Occupation(s) | Singer, producer |
Years active | 1995–present |
Labels | Indie |
Radu Sîrbu was born on 14 December 1978 in Peresecina village and lived there during his early childhood. For a portion of his youth, he lived in the cities of Orhei and Bălți. He would later return to Peresecina to finish high school and work as a DJ at his father's nightclub. He also organized musical theatre shows through his studio, "Artshow," which he created for children and teenagers. In 1996, after graduating, he began his studies at the Chișinău Music Conservatory and taught vocal classes for children on the side.
In 2001, Sîrbu was selected to be a member of O-Zone during a casting session organized by the Moldavian singer Dan Balan. The group was then made up of three members: Sîrbu, Balan, and Arsenie Todiras (nicknamed Arsenium). The group quickly gained popularity in Moldova. They moved to Bucharest in 2002 to expand their notoriety further.[2]
The band's first successful song was 'Despre Tine' ('About You') which topped the charts in Romania. Their second hit, 'Dragostea Din Tei' ('Love from the Linden Trees') brought O-Zone international fame. After spending four weeks at the top of the Romanian Top 100, the Italian label Time Records offered them a one-year contract.[3] After its release in Italy at the beginning of 2004, the song became a hit across Europe and topped the Eurochart Hot 100 for twelve weeks.[4] Dragostea Din Tei reached the first position in the French,[5] German,[6] Belgian,[7] Swiss,[8] and Dutch[9] charts at the end of 2004.
In January 2005, the trio announced that O-Zone would be disbanded and that they had planned to focus on their respective solo careers.[citation needed] Balan would move to The United States with his rock band 'Balan' while Todiras launched a solo career in Germany under the name Arsenium. Sîrbu would also work on solo projects. In 2005, he worked with DJ Mahay and released the song 'Dulce'. He made a music video for the song 'Whap-pa' and released his album titled Alone.[10] More recently he released his single Doi străini (Two strangers)[11] alongside a music video. In 2007, he and Arsenium got together and released the single July. He changed his stage name to RadU and currently lives in Romania with his wife and daughter.
After releasing his first album under Mr&Ms, Sîrbu began to work with DJ Layla. They produced the song 'Single Lady' by DJ Layla Feat. Alissa.[12] The lyrics were co-written by Radu and Sianna Sîrbu. The video for 'Single Lady' was released, with the track reaching No.1 in Europa Plus Moscow/Russia. Sîrbu also released a second single with DJ Layla, 'City Of Sleeping Hearts' and released a music video for it.
He then started producing under the brand Wild Rose Project. The first single of the project named Ecstasy was in collaboration with the artist Dee-Dee. In 2014, Radu produced the song 'Dynamite', sung by Liza Fox with lyrics co-written by Radu Sîrbu, Anna Sîrbu, and Inessa Lee. The song reached the top 40 charts in the United Kingdom.
O-Zone | |
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Studio albums | |
Singles |