Early life and career (1986–2007)

Elena Alexandra Apostoleanu was born on October 16, 1986, in Mangalia, Romania.[2] The singer recalls that her love of music was first encouraged and supported by her family. In her childhood, her grandfather called her Inna, and she eventually decided that her stage name would be Inna.[13] When she was a teenager, Inna listened to a large variety of musical genres. Although her favourite style was electro-dance, she also listened to Christina Aguilera's and Beyoncé's music.[14][15] She also recalls how it was so easy for her to sing every song that she liked.[14] She studied at Liceul Economic Mangalia (a high school in Mangalia, now called Colegiul Economic Mangalia). After graduating from high school with good marks, she attempted a degree in Political Sciences at the University of Constanţa.[16] At the end of 2007, Inna signed a contract with Romanian producers Play & Win and she started recording her first tracks.[17] In early 2008, Inna entered a couple of songs for the Eurovision Song Contest 2008, but neither of them ("Goodbye" and "Sorry") managed to pass the pre-selection.