O-Zone
{{short description|Moldovan pop music trio}}
{{other uses}}
{{Distinguish|Ozone (American band)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2018}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = O-Zone
| background =
| image = O-Zone at Cerbul de Aur in 2005.jpg
| landscape = yes
| caption = O-Zone performing at Cerbul De Aur in September 2005.
From left to right: Arsenie Todiraș, Dan Bălan, Radu Sîrbu
| origin = Chișinău, Moldova
| genre = {{flat list|
}}
| years_active = 1999{{cite news|url=https://adevarul.ro/stiri-interne/societate/povestea-trupei-o-zone-varianta-romaneasca-a-714863.html|title=Povestea trupei O-Zone, varianta romaneasca a visului american|trans-title=The story of O-Zone, the Romanian version of the American dream|work=Adevărul|date=27 July 2004|accessdate=21 January 2025|language=Romanian}}{{cite news|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/o-zone-mn0000484025#biography|title=O-Zone – Biography|publisher=AllMusic|accessdate=21 January 2025}}–2005, 2024-present
Reunions: 2017, 2019
| label = Cat Music, Ultra, Avex, Time Records
| website = {{URL|artists.universal-music.de/ozone}}
| current_members = Arsenie Todiraș
| past_members = Petru Jelihovschi
Dan Bălan
Radu Sîrbu
}}
O-Zone is a Moldovan Eurodance group and boy band produced by Dan Bălan; originating in 1999 as a duo, which consisted of Bălan, and Petru Jelihovschi before the latter's departure. Their official trio lineup in 1999 consisted of Bălan, Radu Sîrbu, and Arsenie Todiraș.{{Cite web |url=https://www.artline.ro/O_zone__a_successful_band-16682-2-n.html |title=O-zone, a successful band |date=November 2008 |website=artline.ro |access-date=12 October 2009}}
The group became the first Moldovan act to gain global popularity with their song "Dragostea din tei" and their subsequent album DiscO-Zone, which was released in 2003, before disbanding the following year.
The group members have since focused on their solo careers. The band occasionally reunited for concerts in 2017 (Chișinău, Moldova; Bucharest, Romania) and 2019 (Bucharest, Romania). In 2024, it was announced that O-Zone are going to do a summer tour, but this time as a tribute band, consisting of Arsenie as the only singer and two dancers. Worldwide, O-Zone have sold over 12 million copies of "Dragostea din tei" and over 2.5 million copies of its parent album DiscO-Zone.{{cite news|url=https://adevarul.ro/showbiz/vedete/dan-balan-le-spun-americanilor-ca-sunt-roman-din-963459.html|title=Dan Balan: 'Le spun americanilor că sunt român din Chişinău'|trans-title=Dan Balan: 'I tell Americans that I am a Romanian from Chişinău'|language=Romanian|date=7 December 2009|accessdate=14 August 2024|work=Adevărul}}
History
=1998–2001: Formation and early years=
O-Zone first formed as a duo of Dan Bălan and Petru Jelihovschi in 1999.{{cite web |title=Radu si Arsenie de la O-Zone vor ca trupa sa se reuneasca |date=22 March 2007 |url=http://www.ziaruldeiasi.ro/mozaic/radu-si-arsenie-de-la-o-zone-vor-ca-trupa-sa-se-reuneasca~ni4a4q |language=ro |access-date=7 June 2010}} They released their first album, Dar, Unde Ești..., in 1999. However, Jelihovschi had not intended to make music his career, so he split from Bălan. Undaunted, Bălan held open auditions for new band members. At one such audition, he met Arsenie "Arsenium" Todiraș, who eventually won over the initially skeptical Bălan with his version of Elvis Presley's "Love Me Tender". Bălan and Todiraș would have proceeded as a duo act until Bălan received a call from Radu Sîrbu, who wanted a chance to audition for the group. Despite Sîrbu having missed the initial auditions, Bălan agreed, and after a successful audition, Sîrbu joined O-Zone, officially making the group a trio.
=2002–2004: Rise to success=
{{Listen
| filename = O-Zone - Dragostea din tei.ogg
| title = O-Zone "Dragostea din tei" (2003/2004)
| description = O-Zone's single "Dragostea din tei" enjoyed immense popularity around the world.{{deletable file-caption|Sunday, 3 November 2024|PROD}}
}}
In 2002, O-Zone moved from Moldova to Bucharest, Romania, hoping to gain more recognition. There, the group became an instant hit band with their upbeat song "Despre Tine" ("About You"), which held the top position on the Romanian Top 100 chart for three weeks in February 2003. Their second hit, which brought them worldwide attention, was "Dragostea Din Tei", translated roughly as "Love from the Linden Trees". It quickly became popular in Romania, where it also topped the Romanian singles chart for four weeks in September 2003, but faded from popularity by the end of 2003.{{cite news |title=Romania/Moldova: O-Zone Breathes Fresh Air Into European Pop Music Scene - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty |newspaper=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |date=8 April 2008 |url=http://www.rferl.org/content/article/1052664.html |publisher=Radio Free Europe |access-date=3 June 2010 |last1=Tomiuc |first1=Eugen }} However, the song gained popularity in Italy when the little-known duo Haiducii released a cover of "Dragostea Din Tei", which topped the Italian pop charts. Arsenie Todiraș later said that at the time that, while not illegal, Haiducii's cover felt like a betrayal because the group had not asked permission to make a cover. However, the cover's success led to curiosity about the original artist, and led to Time Records, an Italian record label, offering O-Zone a one-year contract. Soon after the song's release in Italy, it was also released in various other countries in Europe under Polydor Records and became an instant hit.
"Dragostea Din Tei" topped the singles charts of nearly a dozen European countries in 2004. It reached the top-10 in many other countries, including in the United Kingdom, where it reached number 3 on the singles chart.{{cite web |title="Dragostea din tei" by O-Zone, in various singles charts |url=http://acharts.us/song/1600 |publisher=Acharts.us |access-date=3 June 2010}} The re-release of "Despre Tine" in 2004 from the same album had similar success across Europe.
In contrast to their multi-platinum status in Europe, O-Zone never entered the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the United States,{{cite magazine |title=O-Zone Album & Song Chart History|url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=the o zone|chart=all}} |magazine=Billboard |access-date=2 June 2010}} although it did reach the 14th position on the Hot Dance Airplay chart.{{cite web |title=O-Zone Japanese Official Website |url=http://maiahi.com/index.html |publisher=Avex Marketing |language=ja |access-date=3 May 2010}} The viral video "Numa Numa Dance" by interneter Gary Brolsma helped to boost awareness of "Dragostea Din Tei" in the U.S. In the video Brolsma was seen lip-syncing to the song while sitting in a chair and dancing with only his arms and hands,{{cite news |title=Internet Fame Is Cruel Mistress for a Dancer of the Numa Numa |url=https://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/featured_articles/20050228monday.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=3 June 2010}} but, while the song received moderate to major airplay, most Americans knew it simply as the "Numa Numa Song" and never knew the name of the original song or the group that performed it. "Dragostea din tei" was sampled in the song "Live Your Life" by T.I. and Rihanna, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 in late 2008.{{cite web |title=T.I. feat. Rihanna's Live Your Life sample of O-Zone's Dragostea Din Tei |url=http://www.whosampled.com/sample/view/274/T.I.%20feat.%20Rihanna-Live%20Your%20Life_O-Zone-Dragostea%20Din%20Tei/ |publisher=WhoSampled |access-date=3 June 2010}}
=2005: O-Zone split up=
On 13 January 2005, while still very popular, the members of O-Zone announced their disbandment, citing personal reasons.{{cite web |title=Cultural Roundup |url=http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/roundup/2005/01/19/roundup-03 |publisher=SETimes |access-date=3 June 2010}} Their last European concert was held at the 2005 Golden Stag Festival in Romania.{{cite web |title=O-Zone's Last Concert During "The Golden Deer" Festival Was A Huge Success We will miss ozone and open up a place in our heart for them |url=http://www.spotlightingnews.com/article.php?news=420 |publisher=Spotlightning News |access-date=3 June 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110108023806/http://spotlightingnews.com/article.php?news=420 |archive-date=8 January 2011}}
Also in 2005, Japanese music label Avex Trax gained distribution rights for O-Zone music in Japan and released the album DiscO-Zone in August 2005 in the country. The album, which features the song "Dragostea Din Tei", became immensely successful in Japan. Topping the Oricon albums charts, it reached over 800,000 sales in 2005 alone and became the 12th-most popular album of 2005,{{cite web |title=2005年 年間アルバムチャート-ORICON STYLE ミュージック (2005 Japanese End of Year Chart) |url=http://www.oricon.co.jp/music/special/051219_01_2.html |publisher=Oricon |language=ja |access-date=2 June 2010}} partially because the album was re-released twice by Avex Trax. DiscO-Zone ended up charting for over a year on the Oricon weekly albums chart{{cite web |title=O-ZONEのCD・DVDリリース情報、O-ZONEのプロフィールならオリコン芸能人事典-ORICON STYLE |url=http://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/artist/347987/products/release/ |publisher=Oricon |language=ja |access-date=31 May 2010}} and sold over one million copies overall.{{cite web |title=Biography - Dan Balan Official Website |url=http://edu-archive.org/protect.php?url=http://www.danbalan.com/bio/ |access-date=30 July 2014 }}{{dead link|date=February 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} In 2006, O-Zone won the Best Foreign Act award at the 2006 Japan Gold Disc Awards.{{cite news |url=https://av.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/20060310/jgd.htm |title=第20回日本ゴールドディスク大賞授賞式を開催－最もCDが売れたのは倖田來未。受賞に感涙 |work=The AV Watch |date=2006-03-10 |language=ja |accessdate=2023-10-04}}
=2017–present: Occasional reunions and tribute band =
{{Expand section|date=March 2018}}
On 5 May 2017, Dan Bălan, Radu Sîrbu and Arsenie Todiraş announced that O-Zone would be reforming for two concerts. O-Zone re-united for Europe Day on 9 May 2017. One of concerts was held in Chișinău and the other took place on the same day in Bucharest.{{Cite web|url=https://www.romania-insider.com/europe-day-celebrated-concerts-downtown-bucharest/|title=Famous Moldovan pop band reunites after 12 years for Europe Day concert in Bucharest|last=Marica|first=Irina|date=8 May 2017|website=Romania Insider|language=en-US|access-date=12 January 2018}}
On 17 December 2019, Dan Bălan, Radu Sîrbu and Arsenie Todiraş announced that O-Zone would be performing for one concert, which took place on New Year's Eve 2019 in Bucharest as part of performances by stars of the 90s and 00s called Revelion 2020 Disco Night Fever. After the event, all three returned to their projects again. The exception was the collaboration of Radu and Arsenie for the song "Lay Down".
In 2024, O-Zone announced a summer tour in Europe, but this time as a tribute band, consisting of Arsenie from the original group and two dancers.{{Cite web |title=Instagram |url=https://www.instagram.com/reel/C76nr6riStF/?igsh=ZWdocm5lNnZqOTU3 |access-date=2024-06-10 |website=www.instagram.com}}
Discography
=Studio albums=
=Singles=
See also
Notes
{{notelist-ua}}
References
{{reflist|2}}
External links
- {{in lang|ja}} [http://maiahi.com/index.html O-Zone Official Japanese Website]
- {{in lang|de}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20100127040311/http://artists.universal-music.de/ozone/ O-Zone Official German Website]
{{Authority control}}
{{O-Zone}}
{{Japan Gold Disc Award for Artist of the Year}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:O Zone}}
Category:Moldovan musical groups
Category:Musical groups established in 1999
Category:Musical groups disestablished in 2005
Category:Musical groups reestablished in 2024