Florin Ristei (born Traian Florin Ristei; 29 August 1987) is a Romanian singer and television presenter. He was born in the city of

Galați Galați ( , , ; also known by other #Etymology and names, alternative names) is the capital city of Galați County in the historical region of Western Moldavia, in eastern Romania. Galați is a port town on the river Danube. and the sixth-larges ...

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

, but he currently lives in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

. He is best known for his debut single, "Dana" (together with his former band, Amici) and for winning the third season of the ''X Factor Romania'' in 2013. In 2012,

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chose Ristei to sing the main songs the animated movie Disney Magical Music, alongside Paula Seling, and Dalma Kovacs who provide the Romanian version of the film.

Life and career

1987–2012: Early life, Amici and Marfar

Ristei attended the General School No. 10 from

. His teachers say that he excelled as a student; as a child he was very ambitious, but he also worked hard. He was discovered in 1999 by

Lucian Pintilie Lucian Pintilie (; 9 November 1933 – 16 May 2018Lucian Pi ...

at a karaoke contest in Constanţa, held by

Prima TV Prima TV () is a Romanian commercial TV channel, famous mainly for the ''Cronica Cârcotaşilor'' show and various reality shows aired on this channel. Overview Prima TV was launched as one of the first commercial television stations in Romania ...

. Pintilie wanted to make a film together with Ristei, but after a year of trying, the project did not materialize. Ristei later became the lead singer of the band Amici. It was, at that time, the youngest pop-rock band in Romania. In 2000, they released the smash hit "Dana", with which they entered the national music charts. Together, they released 2 EPs, an album and appeared on a compilation. In 2005, he joined the band Marfar. The band's biggest hit was "Baby Marinaru'" ()

2012–present: FreeStay, ''X Factor'' and great national success

In 2012, Ristei formed the musical project FreeStay, which meant Ristei's return to the national music market. The project's debut song, "Ea a fost Dana" (), reached Romania's radio and TV stations. They participated on Romania's national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 with the song "Criminal Mind", placing 9th in the final. In 2013, Ristei auditioned for the third season of the ''X Factor Romania'' talent show. His performances were highly appreciated by both the jury and the viewers, subsequently winning the competition. He later released the songs "Altfel de magie" (), "Cerșetori de iubire" () and "Trebuia să fii tu" (). In 2016, Ristei released the hit "Las-o..." () together with the rapper Vescan. The song reached number one on Romanian charts. This was followed by many collaborations with top-charting Romanian artists such as: What's Up for the song "Facem ce vrem" (), Andra for the song "Între noi nu mai e nimic" () and

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, who wrote the music and lyrics for the song "Îmi place prietena ei" (). In 2017, he won the award for the Best Romanian Male Voice at the Radio Romania Awards gala. In 2020, Ristei became a judge on the ninth season of the ''X Factor Romania'', this way becoming the first ever ''X Factor Romania'' winner to ever become a judge later in the show.

Personal life

Florin is currently in a relationship with ''X Factor'' season 9 contestant Naomi Hedman, raising suspicions about backstage business. He is the first and only ''X Factor'' Romania judge to have ever become involved in a relationship with a contestant.

Accolades

Discography

As featured artist

With Amici

* 2000: ''Dana'' (EP) * 2000: ''Iernatik'' (Compilation) * 2001: ''Fata blondă'' () (Album) * 2003: ''ASL PLS'' (EP)

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ristei, Florin Living people 1987 births 21st-century Romanian male singers 21st-century Romanian singers People from Galați