Luminița Anghel

Luminița Anghel was born on 7 October 1968 in Bucharest, Romania. By her teens, she was singing with a military ensemble called “Doina” and toured in Romania and abroad. Her big break came in 1993 when she won first prize at the Mamaia Music Festival, a major Romanian song contest. A year later, she first took part in Selecția Națională, the Romanian national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest. She sang the songs “Nu e prea târziu” (with Gabriel Cotabiță) and “Speranță” – both qualified to Romania’s national final, but neither won. In 1995, she returned to Mamaia and earned third prize with the song “Fereastra”. In 1996 she was present in Selecția Națională again. This time with “Încotro soartă”. She finished 6th.

These early successes made Luminița a recognized pop singer in Romania. She released her first album Șansa e de partea mea in 1998, followed by a second album Promisiuni in 2001. In 1998 (“Europa”, performed with Laura Stoica, Nicoleta Nicola, and others, 6th) and 2000 (M-ai înșelat”, 6th) she attempted to go to Eurovision again. Throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, Luminița also won awards at international music festivals, including the Golden Stag Festival in 2001 and singing competitions in Bulgaria, Malta, and Cairo. In 2002, she participated in Selecția Națională with the song “All I Want” and finished in 5th place.

Luminița Anghel is best known for her journey with the Eurovision Song Contest. After many attempts, Luminița’s dream came true in 2005 when “Let Me Try” won the national selection. She represented Romania at Eurovision 2005 in Kyiv and achieved an impressive third place in the international final. This performance – an energetic pop song with industrial drum beats – was a huge success and tied Romania’s highest-ever Eurovision placement. It made Luminița Anghel famous across Europe. In later years, she continued to enter strong songs in Romania’s Eurovision trials (2010, 2013, 2015), finishing near the top each time, though she did not win again.

Outside Eurovision, Luminița Anghel has had a rich music and media career. She has released popular singles (for example, Love Will Come reached the top 5 in Romania) and collaborated with other artists. Luminița is also a familiar face on Romanian television. She has hosted or co-hosted many TV shows, such as Care pe care (a game show in 1999) and talent or entertainment programs in the 2000s. Her warm personality and experience made her a popular TV presenter.

Luminița has ventured into acting as well. In 1996, she had a cameo role in the French film Captain Conan. In 2010, she provided the Romanian voice for Mother Gothel in Disney’s animated film Tangled. She also appeared as herself or in small roles on Romanian TV series, including a 2005 telenovela Secretul Mariei. Through these projects, Luminița showed her versatility as an entertainer beyond singing.

In addition to her music career, Luminița Anghel entered politics in the late 2000s. She ran as a candidate for the Romanian Parliament (Chamber of Deputies) in the 2008 elections, representing the Social Democratic Party (PSD) in Bucharest. Despite her popularity as a singer, she lost that election to a well-known rival, Elena Udrea. Luminița later said she learned a lot from the experience, even though she was not elected. Her brief foray into politics showed she had interests in public service, but ultimately she returned her focus to the arts.

Even after 2015, Luminița Anghel has remained active in music and public life. She continues to give live performances and special concerts. In recent years, she has also been invited to help guide others in music competitions. For example, she served on the Romanian jury for the Eurovision Song Contest. In September 2023, Luminița was among the artists who performed at a special concert called “Amazing Grace: Celebrating Religious Freedom – A Romanian Tribute to America” at the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.. This high-profile event in the United States showed that her talent is still recognized internationally.