Biography
Who is Dan Balan?
Early life and background
Dan Balan was born on February 6, 1979, in Chișinău, Moldova. His father, Mihai Balan, worked as a diplomat, while his mother, Ludmila Balan, worked as a television presenter. He also has a sister named Sanda Balan, who was born in 1984 and also pursued a career in television. During his childhood, his grandfather Boris Vasiliev was deported to Siberia as a child.
At age 11, Dan received his first musical instrument, which was a second-hand accordion. He attended music school, though his parents initially encouraged him to pursue university studies in law. After a brief period in law school, he left to focus entirely on music and joined his first band, a gothic doom metal group named Inferialis.
Career with Inferialis
In 1995, the band Inferialis held its first concert inside a factory concert hall located in Chișinău. His entire family attended the performance, and his parents were impressed enough to purchase an expensive synthesizer for him. He performed with the group for the next two years, taking on various small gigs while exploring different musical directions.
Dan soon shifted his focus toward commercial pop music, identifying primarily as a producer interested in varied musical styles. In 1998, he recorded and released his first solo song titled "De la Mine". This marked his transition away from heavy metal and toward the commercial sound that would define his future projects.
Success with O-Zone
Later in 1998, Dan formed the musical project O-Zone alongside Petru Jelihovschi. The duo released their debut album, "Dar unde esti?", which became a commercial hit with seven songs reaching the top of Moldovan radio charts. Jelihovschi later left to pursue television work, leading Dan to hold auditions for new members.
After auditions, Arsenie Todiraș and Radu Sirbu joined the group. In 2002, the band released their second album, "Number 1", through Cat Music. Their single "Numai tu" won Best Music Video at the MTV Romania Music Awards. The group achieved global fame in 2003 with the release of the international hit single "Dragostea din tei", which topped charts in over thirty countries and sold millions of copies worldwide.
Solo projects and Crazy Loop
Following the breakup of O-Zone in 2005, Dan moved to Los Angeles in early 2006 to record a solo rock album with producer Jack Joseph Puig. Although the album was recorded, it remained largely unreleased at the time, with certain tracks appearing years later on his 2012 album "Freedom, Part 1".
In 2007, he introduced an experimental alter ego named Crazy Loop, releasing the debut album "The Power of Shower". He later released music under his own name and earned a Grammy Award nomination in 2009 for co-writing Rihanna and T.I.'s song "Live Your Life", which sampled "Dragostea din tei".
Birthday and age
Dan Balan was born on February 6, 1979, which makes Dan 47 years old today. That birthday falls under the Aquarius sign. Dan shares the date with 35 other famous people.
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