page_title: Inna
section_title: 2008–2011: Hot and I Am the Club Rocker
hierarchical_section_title: Inna / Life and career / 2008–2011: Hot and I Am the Club Rocker
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: Inna aux NRJ Music Awards
context_page_description: Elena Alexandra Apostoleanu, known professionally as Inna, is a Romanian singer and songwriter. Born in Mangalia and raised in Neptun, she studied political science at Ovidius University before meeting the Romanian trio Play & Win and pursuing a music career. She adopted the stage name "Alessandra" in 2008 and adopted a pop-rock style; later that year, she changed her stage name to "Inna" and began releasing house music. "Hot", her debut single, was a commercial success worldwide and topped the Romanian and Billboard's Hot Dance Airplay chart, among others. Inna's debut studio album of the same name followed in August 2009 and was certified Gold and Platinum. It featured several other successful singles in Europe, including "Amazing", her second number one single in Romania.
  Inna's second album, I Am the Club Rocker, yielded global success for the single "Sun Is Up". The track won the Eurodanceweb Award, making Inna the first and only Romanian artist to win the award. In 2011, it was announced Inna was the highest-paid Romanian and Eastern European artist.
context_section_description: Inna's debut single, "Hot", was sent to Romanian radio stations in August 2008. It topped the Romanian charts that winter, prompting her to be booked at Romanian nightclubs. The track was also commercially successful throughout Europe, and topped Billboard's Hot Dance Airplay chart in early 2010. "Love" (2009) was released as Inna's second single, reaching number four in Romania. The singer received the first nominations of her career at the 2009 Eska Music Awards in Poland for "Hot". Her Romanian label, Roton, signed a contract with the American label Ultra Records in April 2009.
  Inna collaborated with Romanian musician Bogdan Croitoru on her follow-up single, "Déjà Vu" (2009), which they released under pseudonyms (Bob Taylor and Anni) before revealing their true identities after a period of speculation. The single was as commercially successful as its predecessors. Inna had her second number-one hit in Romania with "Amazing", her fourth single, in 2009. The song was originally written by Play & Win for Romanian singer Anca Baidu, who later complained they had "stolen" it. Inna's debut studio album, Hot, was released in August 2009 and also included the last single "10 Minutes" (2010). The record was commercially successful and was certified Gold in Romania and Platinum in France. As of December 2011, it had sold 500,000 copies worldwide. Inna was the Best Romanian Act at the 2009 and 2010 MTV Europe Music Awards, the first Romanian artist to win the award in two consecutive years. In 2010, she was also nominated for Best European Act.
  Inna's sixth single, "Sun Is Up", was released in October 2010 and peaked at number two on the Romanian Top 100. It did well in a number of other European countries, earning Gold in Switzerland and Italy and Silver in the United Kingdom. "Sun Is Up" won the Eurodanceweb Award in 2010, the first time Romania had won the award. That year, Inna also received a career award at the Zece Pentru România Awards. She released her second studio album, I Am the Club Rocker, in September 2011. Featuring europop, dance-pop, techno and house music, the record was honored as one of the year's best albums by her label Roton and was certified Gold in Poland. The album was promoted by the I Am the Club Rocker Tour (2011–12) of Europe and the United States. During Mexican dates, Inna did several interviews and radio appearances. She had her first major Romanian concert at the Arenele Romane (Roman Arena) in Bucharest, where she arrived by helicopter "like a diva".
  Titled "Club Rocker" (2011), the second single from I Am the Club Rocker was moderately successful. It was the subject of a lawsuit when Spanish singer Robert Ramirez sued Play & Win for copying the refrain of his song, "A Minute of Life"; Play & Win won the court case in 2018. Three subsequent singles, "Un Momento" (2011), "Endless" (2011) and "Wow" (2012), were released from the album. "Endless" peaked at number five on the Romanian Top 100, while "Wow" reached the top ten. In December 2011 Inna was offered a lead role in a French film but turned it down for unknown reasons. According to Libertatea, Inna became the highest-paid Romanian and Eastern European artist in 2011.
caption: Inna at the 2011 NRJ Music Awards
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