Edward Maya

One of Eastern Europe's leading EDM artists, Edward Maya is a producer, songwriter, and performer who became an international sensation in 2009 with the release of the song "Stereo Love." Born Eduard Marian Ilie in Bucharest on June 29, 1986, Maya became interested in music as a child and attended Bucharest's George Enescu Music High School. While continuing his studies at the Bucharest Conservatory, Maya began writing songs with Eduard Carcota, and one of their compositions became an entry in the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest. This early success led to Maya collaborating with a number of Romania's leading producers, earning credits on recordings by Costi Ionita, Cassa Loco, Marius Nedelcu, and Blaxy Girls. Maya became a successful producer in his own right with the album Fără lacrimi ("No Tears") by Akcent, which scored a number of hits in Europe. In 2009, Maya teamed up with Eldar Mansurov and Vika Jigulina to create "Stereo Love," the first single released under Maya's name. The song became a major success in Romania, reached the Top Ten in 16 other countries, and racked up over 50 million views on YouTube. In 2010, Maya released his follow-up single, "This Is My Life," another YouTube hit featuring Jigulina, as well as his first album, called Stereo Love. To help maintain control of his career and provide opportunities for other artists, Maya formed his own record label, Mayavin Records. Through Mayavin, Maya dropped a third single with Jigulina, "Desert Rain," in early 2011, which went Top Ten in the Czech Republic, while "Friends Forever" followed in mid-2012. Maya's second album, The Stereo Love Show, appeared in 2013, and featured another major single, "Mono in Love." ~ Mark Deming