Mihai Trăistariu
Mihai Trăistariu (Romanian pronunciation: [miˈhaj trəjstaˈri.u]; born December 16, 1979 in Piatra Neamț, Romania), also known as simply Mihai (stylized as M I H A I or MIHAI), is a Romanian singer and songwriter. He is best known for representing Romania at the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 held in Athens, Greece, where he placed 4th with his song, "Tornerò". The track gained commercial success, selling over one million units worldwide and influencing the trajectory of Trăistariu's career.
Mihai Trăistariu | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Mihai Trăistariu |
| Also known as | Mihai |
| Born | December 16, 1979[1] Constanța, Romania |
| Genres | Dance-pop |
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Labels | |
| Website | Official website |
Career
Trăistariu comes from an artistic family. His father, Gheorghe Trăistariu, was a well-known painter of Piatra Neamţ, while his mother, Natalia Trăistariu, studied medicine and sang in her youth. Trăistariu has three siblings: Geanina, Constantin and Vasile Trăistariu. All four play a musical instrument, with Mihai playing the piano. Trăistariu studied piano for 10 years with a private teacher and graduated from the Alexandru Ioan Cuza University in Iași with a double major in mathematics and informatics, as well as from the Theatre University in Constanța and the National College Petru Rareș in Piatra Neamț, but chose to pursue a music career. When he was 16 years old, Trăistariu began to take lessons in acting and directing with Romanian actor Corneliu Dan Borcia, the manager of Teatrul Tineretului, the Youth Theater in Piatra Neamţ. He joined the jazz courses of the Student House in Iaşi, led by Romanian composer and teacher Romeo Cozma.
In 2006, Trăistariu was chosen to represent Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with his song "Tornerò", placing fourth in the Grand Final. Trăistariu is one of the few male singers in the world that has a five-octave range, earning him the nickname "the male Mariah Carey".
Selecția Națională participations
Trăistariu has competed nine times in the Selecția Națională, a pre-selection show to select Romania's entrant for the Eurovision Song Contest. He won the competition in 2006, while placing second in 2017 and in 2000 with his then-band Valahia.
| Year | Title | Place |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | "Why" (as part of Valahia) | 2nd |
| 2002 | "Mother" (as part of Valahia) | 4th |
| 2003 | "Friends are Friends" (as part of Valahia) | 3rd |
| 2005 | "All the Time" (with Nico) | 3rd |
| 2006 | "Tornerò" | 1st |
| 2016 | "Paradisio" | 5th |
| 2017 | "I Won't Surrender" | 2nd |
| 2018 | "Heaven" | 7th |
| 2019 | "Baya" | Withdrew |
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Altceva |
|
|
| Tornerò |
|
|
| Love |
|
|
| Lie, ciocârlie |
|
|
| Balade |
|
As lead artist
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Sales | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROM [3] |
FIN [4] |
GRE [5] |
SWE [6] | ||||
| "Niciodată" (featuring LA) |
1999 | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Cât de frumoasă eşti" | 2004 | 96 | — | — | — | Altceva | |
| "Iţi dau" | 2005 | — | — | — | — | ||
| "All the Time" (with Nico) |
— | — | — | — | |||
| "Baby" (featuring Tiger One and Alin) |
— | — | — | — | |||
| "Tornerò" | 2006 | 38 | 8 | 4 | 21 |
|
|
| "Dimmi Si o No" | 2007 | — | — | — | — | Love | |
| "Your Love Is High" | 2008 | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Puerto Rico" | 2009 | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Je t'aime" | 2010 | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Lie, ciocârlie" | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Nu mai vreau iubire" | 2012 | — | — | — | — | ||
| "It's Another Day" | 2013 | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Only You" (featuring Costi Ioniță) |
— | — | — | — | |||
| "Paradisio" | 2016 | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Zombie Love" | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Iau vara la mișto" | — | — | — | — | |||
| "I Won't Surrender" | 2017 | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Heaven" | 2018 | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Baya" | — | — | — | — | |||
| "—" denotes a title that did not chart, or was not released in that territory. | |||||||
As featured artist
| Title | Year |
|---|---|
| "Chop Chop" (En3rgy MC featuring Mihai Trăistariu) |
2017 |
| "Portobella" (En3rgy MC featuring Mihai Trăistariu) |
References
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved October 3, 2013.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- ""Tornero" i-a adus lui Traistariu 2,5 milioane de euro" ["Tornero" earned Mihai Traistariu 2,5 million euros]. Evenimentul Zilei (in Romanian). January 9, 2007. Archived from the original on October 25, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2018.
- For peak positions in Romania:
- For "Cât de frumoasă eşti": "Romanian Top 100". Romanian Top 100 (in Romanian). Jurnalul. July 3, 2005. Archived from the original on March 4, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
- For "Tornerò": "Romanian Top 100". Romanian Top 100 (in Romanian). Jurnalul. June 17, 2006. Archived from the original on February 8, 2018. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
- "Mihai: Tornero" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
- "Top 50 Singles – 27/8 – 2/9/2006". IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on September 1, 2006. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
- "Swedishcharts.com – Mihai Tràistariu – Tornero". Singles Top 100. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
- "Mihai Trăistariu a făcut 1 milion şi jumătate de euro, în trei ani, din Tornero" [Mihai Traistariu earned 1,5M euros from "Tornero" in three years]. Gândul (in Romanian). July 13, 2009. Archived from the original on February 4, 2018. Retrieved February 4, 2018.
External links
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Luminiţa Anghel and Sistem with "Let Me Try" |
Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 |
Succeeded by Todomondo with "Liubi, Liubi, I Love You" |
 Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
(Note: Entries scored out are when Romania did not compete) | |||||||||||||
Authority control  |
|---|