Natalia Barbu
MoldovaBiography of Natalia Barbu
Natalia Barbu was born on August 22, 1979 in the city of Beltsy in Moldova. She is a popular Moldovan singer and the winner of the national competition "Moldstar". She has also been a finalist in international festivals such as "Mamaia", "Slavianski Bazaar", "New Wave", and "Maluri de Prut".
Early Life and Education
Natalia Barbu's family moved to the city of Ribnita in 1986. She attended a school with Romanian as the language of instruction and studied violin at a music school. At the age of 12, she began performing at weddings. After graduating from high school, Natalia continued her education at the Chisinau Music School named after Stefan Nyaga. She initially played the violin in the folk orchestra and later became a vocalist. During this time, she also explored jazz and pop music.
Musical Career
In 1998, Natalia graduated from music school and started performing as a violinist in the folk ensemble "Mugurel". In the same year, she participated as a singer in three music festivals and won prizes in all of them. She received the first prize at the Mihaela Runceanu Pop Music Festival, the prize at the National Pop Music Competition "Maluri de Prut", and the Grand Prix at the "Mamaia" Pop Music Festival in Romania. In 1999, Natalia took part in the "Vitebsk" Contest of Young Pop Singers within the framework of the International Arts Festival "Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk" in Belarus, where she was awarded a special diploma by the International Federation of Festival Organizations (FIDOF). Winners of such diplomas have the right to participate in FIDOF member festivals, such as the Sanremo Festival, without going through the qualifying stage.
Solo Career and Eurovision
In 2000, Natalia briefly joined the pop-rock group "Millenium" in Chisinau but soon decided to pursue a solo career. In the same year, she enrolled in the Gavriil Musicescu State Conservatory in Chisinau, but was unable to complete her studies due to frequent tours and performances. In May 2007, Natalia Barbu represented Moldova at the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 with the song "Fight" in English. The contest took place in Helsinki, Finland (Moldova's third participation in Eurovision). Natalia Barbu finished in 10th place with 109 points.
