Ilinca ft. Alex Florea
Ilinca and Alex Florea are the winners at the 2017 Eurovision Romanian national selection with the song Yodel It!Ilinca comes from a family of musicians and she has been studying music since she was seven years old. She started with festivals throughout Romania and results gradually started to appear. At 14 she took part in X Factor as a member of a four-piece girl band, reaching the live shows. At 16 she took part in The Voice of Romania, where she reached the semifinals along with Loredana, and she continued to take part with her coach in the national tour and to collaborate with several cultural institutions in the country.
Alex Florea started singing since he was 16, when Mihai Traistariu, who represented Romania in the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest, sent him to a music school and then to festivals. Alex went to the Popular Arts School, under the guidance of Theodor Radulescu. At present, he is studying for a masters degree at the Faculty of Fine Arts, more specifically, in the Theatre Section. In 2014, he participated in The X Factor along with his brother, and he also achieved success in The Voice of Romania in 2015.
Things you should know about Ilinca and Alex
What are the three most interesting aspects about your entry?
We are full of energy, good energy, I might add. We love to sing and bring smiles to people's faces. As we are performing, we are always trying to share the positive vibes and the sheer joy of being on stage with the public. We love the fact that our song is very diverse, we combine rock, rap and yodelling to express ourselves and we believe that shows how much we love music. All music.
What are the three most impressive facts about you?
I (Ilinca) am the only yodelling artist in Romania, doing it since I was very young. Alex is very versatile and I love his voice. I sing opera as well and Alex is also an actor.
Do you have a (lucky) routine before you go on stage?
We try to tell jokes and get ourselves in a happy mood, because we generally are happy people. And we use palinka as well! (laughs)
Why is the Eurovision Song Contest important for you?
We are very proud to have been chosen to represent our country in such a prestigious competition.
About the song writer & composer
Mihai Alexandru studied cello at the George Enescu Musical High School and afterwards he went to the Ciprian Porumbescu Conservatory. Member of the Union of Romanian Composers, Mihai won many prizes for the numerous hits that he composed. Mihai is also a member of many important national and international juries. The composer started at the age of 20, as a member of the famous band Iris. After he met the singer Nicola, and launched hit after hit throughout the years. He has participated more than 20 times in national selections for the Eurovision Song Contest in Romania and Switzerland.
Alexa Niculae is a Romanian singer, songwriter and presenter. Alexa took part in Star Academy in 2005 and Megastar in 2006. In 2009 she performed two songs at the national selection for the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest. In 2010, Alexa took part in the national selection again, with the song Baby, composed by Mihai Alexandru. In 2013 and 2014, she continued to collaborate with Mihai Alexandru on the songs What is Love and Letting Go, performed by Renee Santana, the niece of the legendary artist Santana. In 2017 she won the national selection in Romania, this time as a songwriter in collaboration with Mihai Alexandru with the song Yodel It!, performed by Ilinca and Alex Florea.
