Eduard Marian Ilie (Romanian pronunciation:[ˈedu.ardmariˈaniˈli.e]; born 29 June 1986), better known by his stage name Edward Maya, is a Romanian musician, record producer, DJ and songwriter. He is known for his 2009 smash hit single "Stereo Love".
Career
In and around 2006, Maya worked with many other Romanian artists such as Akcent and Vika Jigulina. He also worked on the song Tornerò, which was performed by Mihai Trăistariu in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006. He added in an interview on Beat-Town.com that this song "was the beginning of my career".[2]
In the summer of 2009, Maya launched his first song as an artist, "Stereo Love", reaching No. 2 on the Romanian singles chart. Later that year, "Stereo Love" became an international hit in clubs.[3] While this success was followed by concerts worldwide, the song entered the top-5 singles charts in Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK.[4][5][6][7]
On 13 May 2010, Maya released his second single "This Is My Life". To help maintain control of his career and provide opportunities for other artists, Maya has formed his own record label, Mayavin Records.[8]
Maya released the song and video for his third single "Desert Rain" on Christmas night worldwide.[9] In an interview, Maya talked about his Desert Rain tour, where he mentioned he would begin in India and later Europe, the US, South Africa and Pakistan.[10] His fourth single "Mono in Love" was released on 29 November 2012 also featuring Vika Jigulina.
Maya voiced Grug in the Romanian dub for the 2020 animated movie Onward.[11]
In February 2026, he was announced as an automatic finalist in the San Marino Song Contest 2026, the national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2026, alongside William Imola with the song "Balla".[12] They failed to win, finishing outside of the top 4.
Discography
Studio albums
List of studio albums
Title
Album details
The Stereo Love Show
Released: 3 December 2013
Label: Mayavin Records
Formats: Digital download
Angels
Released: 4 November 2014
Label: Mayavin Records
Formats: Digital download
Singles
List of singles, with selected chart positions and certifications, showing year released and album name
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