Mihai Trăistariu (; born December 16, 1979 in

Constanța Constanța (, ; ; rup, Custantsa; bg, Кюстенджа, Kyustendzha, or bg, Констанца, Konstantsa, label=none; el, Κωνστάντζα, Kōnstántza, or el, Κωνστάντια, Kōnstántia, label=none; tr, Köstence), histo ...

, 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 Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

at the

Eurovision Song Contest 2006 The Eurovision Song Contest 2006 was the 51st edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Athens, Greece, following the country's victory at the with the song "My Number One" by Helena Paparizou. Organised by the European Broadcasti ...

held in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

, 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.

Career

Trăistariu comes from an artistic family. His father, Gheorghe Trăistariu, was a well-known painter of

Piatra Neamț Piatra Neamț (; german: Kreuzburg an der Bistrița (Siret), Bistritz; hu, Karácsonkő) is the capital city of Neamț County, in the historical region of Western Moldavia, in northeastern Romania. Because of its privileged location in the Easter ...

, 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 The Alexandru Ioan Cuza University (Romanian: ''Universitatea „Alexandru Ioan Cuza"''; acronym: UAIC) is a public university located in Iași, Romania. Founded by an 1860 decree of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza, under whom the former Academia Mih ...

Iași Iași ( , , ; also known by other alternative names), also referred to mostly historically as Jassy ( , ), is the second largest city in Romania and the seat of Iași County. Located in the historical region of Moldavia, it has traditionally ...

with a double major in mathematics and

informatics Informatics is the study of computational systems, especially those for data storage and retrieval. According to ACM ''Europe and'' ''Informatics Europe'', informatics is synonymous with computer science and computing as a profession, in which ...

, as well as from the Theatre University in

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 Neamț. 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

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 Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the whi ...

''Selecția Națională'' participations

Trăistariu has competed nine times in the ''

Selecția Națională Romania has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 22 times since its debut in , and has placed in the top ten six times. Its best results were achieved by Luminița Anghel and Sistem in , and by Paula Seling and Ovi in , who both finished ...

'', a pre-selection show to select Romania's entrant for the

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...

. He won the competition in

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

, while placing second in

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

and in

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

with his then-band Valahia.

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

References

External links

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Eurodance Contest
{{DEFAULTSORT:Traistariu, Mihai 1979 births Living people People from Piatra Neamț Eurovision Song Contest entrants for Romania Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2006 Italian-language singers Countertenors Alexandru Ioan Cuza University alumni 21st-century Romanian male singers 21st-century Romanian singers