Since the 1970s, songs and albums released by Romanian[A] artists have charted and received certifications in the world's largest music markets.[B] The first Romanian artist to chart in such markets was the nai player Gheorghe Zamfir. His studio albums Music by Candlelight (1978) and Traumland der Panflöte (1979) peaked at number two in the Netherlands and Germany, respectively, while several of his other records released in the 1980s were certified multiple times platinum by Music Canada. Zamfir's singles "Light of Experience (Doina de jale)" and "The Lonely Shepherd" were also successful in some regions. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, soprano opera singer Angela Gheorghiu charted multiple albums on the US Billboard Classical Albums chart and in European countries. The early 2000s saw twin duo the Cheeky Girls scoring four top ten hits on the UK Singles Chart, with "Cheeky Song (Touch My Bum)" (2002) peaking at number two and being awarded gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).
Singer Haiducii reached the top five of the charts in France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain in 2004 with "Dragostea din tei", a cover of the 2003 song of the same name by Moldovan group O-Zone. She went on to have two more top ten hits in Italy at around the same time as the group Akcent experienced moderate success in some European countries with their single "Kylie" (2005). Inna released several charting singles from her debut studio album Hot (2009), most notably its lead single of the same name in 2008, which reached number one in Spain and the top ten in France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. It was one of the first hits of the popcorn genre, a Romanian style of dance music created in the late 2000s which established itself as part of the international mainstream over the course of the next few years. Other notable popcorn songs are "Stereo Love" (2009) by Edward Maya and Vika Jigulina, and "Mr. Saxobeat" (2010) by Alexandra Stan, which are two of the most successful songs of Romanian origin.[8][9] Apart from reaching high peak positions and attaining certifications in almost every major music market, "Stereo Love" is the only documented Romanian song to chart in Brazil (number eight), as well as the highest Romanian peak in Canada (number ten in an alternative version released with Canadian singer Mia Martina) and the United States (number 16), while "Mr. Saxobeat" is the only charting Romanian song in Australia (number 19) and the highest-charting release in Japan (number nine).
Throughout the remainder of the 2010s, Inna and Alexandra Stan released other commercially successful singles, such as "Sun Is Up" (2010) and "Get Back (ASAP)" (2011), respectively. Inna also scored two top ten hits in Spain with "More than Friends" (2013) and "Cola Song" (2014), while Alexandra Stan charted several top 40 albums and singles in Japan—Saxobeats (2011), "Lemonade" (2012), "Cliché (Hush Hush)" (2012), "Dance" (2014), Unlocked (2014) and Alesta (2016). "Musica" (2011) by the group Fly Project was a top ten hit in Italy, receiving a double platinum certification from Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana (FIMI). Their 2013 single "Toca-Toca" was awarded gold in the same region and peaked at number ten in France. Other notable Romanian successes in the 2010s include "Zalele" (2013) by Claudia and Asu, which peaked at number five in Italy, and "I Need Your Love" featuring Romanian musician Costi, which reached the top 40 in the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom, and peaked at number 66 on the Billboard Hot 100.
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