Luisa Ionela Luca (born 22 August 1988), known professionally as Minelli, is a Romanian singer and songwriter. Upon being part of the girl group Wassabi from 2006 to 2009, she rose to fame with her 2019 single "Mariola", which topped the Romanian

Airplay 100 Multiple record charts have been inaugurated in Romania since the 1990s. The Romanian Top 100 was the country's national chart until 2012. Founded in 1995, it was a ranking based on the compilation of charts submitted by local Romanian radio stat ...

chart. Subsequently, in 2021, " Rampampam" became a hit in multiple territories.

Life and career

Minelli was born as Luisa Ionela Luca on 22 August 1988, and began singing at the age of 11, when she formed a band in her hometown. In 2004, she moved to Bucharest, and between 2006 and 2009, she was a member of the band Wassabi. They attempted to represent Romania at 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 ...

in 2007, submitting the songs "Crazy" with Morandi and "Do the Tango with Me" to that year's national final. After Wassabi disbanded, Minelli focused on her solo career and began working as a singer and songwriter. In 2019, Minelli released her first number-one single in Romania, "Mariola", which topped the country's

ranking. 2021's " Rampampam" became a hit multiple regions such as Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Lithuania and Poland. For the week ending 28 August 2021, "Rampampam" reached number 139 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' Global Excl. U.S. As a songwriter, Minelli's repertoire includes songs such as "Inimi de ceară" (2017) performed by Andra, "Touch Me" (2019) by

Antonia Antonia may refer to: People * Antonia (name), including a list of people with the name * Antonia gens, a Roman family, any woman of the gens was named ''Antonia'' * Antônia (footballer) * Antônia Melo Entertainment * '' Antonia's Line'', or ...

and " Flashbacks" (2021) by Inna.

Personal life

Minelli met Lucian Luca in 2007 at a recording studio, and the two later married. In 2010, they became parents when Sarah Maria, their first child, was born. In 2017, Minelli gave birth to her second child, a boy named Filip.

Discography

Extended plays

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Uncredited vocals

Promotional singles

Guest appearances

Songwriting credits

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1988 births People from Slobozia 21st-century Romanian singers 21st-century Romanian women singers Romanian dance musicians Romanian women pop singers Romanian women singers Global Records artists English-language singers from Romania Living people