Renáta Tímea "Reni" Tolvai (born 24 March 1991) is a Hungarian singer, dancer, and model. She first came to prominence in 2010 after winning the fifth season of the Hungarian show ''
Megasztár''. She has gone on to win multiple awards in Hungary, and took part in
''A Dal'' in
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
,
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
, and
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
.
Early life
Reni was born as Renáta Tímea Tolvai on 24 March 1991 into the
Hungarian minority in
Oradea
Oradea (, , ; german: Großwardein ; hu, Nagyvárad ) is a city in Romania, located in Crișana, a sub-region of Transylvania. The county seat, seat of Bihor County, Oradea is one of the most important economic, social and cultural centers in the ...
, Romania.
Music career
In 2010, she was only 19 when besides winning the Hungarian Idol she also became the Hungarian Voice of the Year.
Her first single "Hagylak menni" appeared with a music video in the summer of 2011, on 8 August and had a great success hitting the top charts of Hungarian radio's play lists. This single brought her the trophy of "Transylvanian Music Awards" for the Best Hungarian dance-pop hit of the Year and Bravo Otto Award Video of the Year. Today this song has over 3.5 million views on YouTube.
In 2011 Reni released her debut solo album "Ékszer".
She was also one of the most nominated and awarded woman in Hungary in the past two years:
2011 Bravo Otto – Hungarian female singer of the year
2012 Bravo Otto – Video of the year for " Hagylak menni"
2012 Bravo Otto – Hungarian female singer of the year
2012 Viva Comet – Female performer of the year
2012 Transylvanian Music Awards – Best Hungarian dance-pop hit of the Year.
2013 was the year of Reni's renaissance: new management, new songs and new look. Her new and regenerative single "Playdate" brought a taste of freshness not only to her music but for the whole Hungarian pop music. Video for this single was released on 3 May.
In 2013, August a new song and video were released with Dj Metzker Viktória and No!End's assistance. The song was originally written and recorded in cooperation with CPR Production in the summer of 2012 in Chicago.
In 2014, she released her single "Shout" which has become one of the most popular hits of Reni. In March she went on US tour, where she performed in Pompano Beach and Sarasota, FL, Brooklyn, NY and Garfield, NJ. Following the tour the music video for ''Shout'' has been released.
Reni's music is generally R&B-pop, but she also incorporates electro pop, jazz and soul into her songs. She was always inspired by her idols
Beyoncé
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...
and
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With ...
.
Personal life
Tolvai was in a relationship with Hungarian-American singer
András Kállay-Saunders
András Kállay-Saunders (born January 28, 1985), also known as Kállay Saunders, is a Hungarian-American singer, songwriter and record producer. He Hungary in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014, represented Hungary in the Eurovision Song Contest ...
. They both previously participated in ''Megasztár'', and sang a duet on the show. They broke up in 2021.
Discography
Albums
Singles
Music videos
Television appearances
*
Megasztár – contestant
*
A nagy duett
A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes'' ...
– contestant
*
Aktív – guest
* Mokka – guest
*
Frizbi Hajdú Péterrel – guest
*
Hőálló Megálló – guest
*
A Dal – contestant
Awards
* 5th
Megasztár – 1st Place (the Voice of the Year)(2010)
* Award for the Hungarian Culture (2011)
*
Transylvanian
Music Awards – the Best Hungarian
dance-pop
Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...
hit of the Year (2012)
See also
*
Hungarian pop
Hungarian pop is the pop music scene of Hungary. It is often associated with Rezső Seress's song "Gloomy Sunday" which was covered by numerous artists. The most notable artists include Zsuzsa Cserháti, Kati Kovács, Zsuzsa Koncz, Judith Szűcs ...
External links
Tolvai Reni Official Site*
Rio (film)
Mahasz
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tolvai, Reni
1991 births
People from Oradea
Romanian musicians of Hungarian descent
21st-century Hungarian women singers
Singing talent show winners
Living people
Hungarian pop singers