Discovered in her hometown of Bucharest, Romania, Alina Puscau became an overnight sensation as a model. With her lithe 5-foot-9 (176 cm) frame, her long brown hair, full lips and piercing green eyes, her looks were an instant hit. At 16, she won the Elite Model Look, which launched her career on an international level. Before long, she was traveling the world over, shooting for Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, Cosmopolitan, Victoria's Secret and Glamour, and with the top fashion photographers, from Bruce Weber to Patrick Demarchelier. And while her life took on a fantasy-like quality, there was still a dream left unfulfilled—becoming a singer.
“Ever since I was a little girl, I loved music and singing was my passion,” says Alina. “I would stand in front of the mirror, singing Madonna hits, wearing my mother’s shoes with socks stuffed in my shirt.” The youngest of three, she was the shameless ham. “I was used to being the center of attention,” she says. But it wasn’t until one of her childhood friends, a Romanian pop star, invited her to write and perform a song with her, that she realized she had musical chops, too.
That first song caught the attention of LA-based, Romanian music producer Rad, which subsequently led to meeting director Brett Ratner. Taken by her talent, Ratner asked her to write and record a song for his next film, “Rush Hour 3.” Impressed with what he heard, Ratner signed Alina to his record label. Paired with Rad, she recorded her debut CD, Everybody Wants Me, last summer in Romania.
“That summer was spent entirely on my album, a project that was done for fun, and on which I was able to be open about my feelings and express my life experiences,” says Alina. The album's first single "When You Leave (Numa Numa)" was remixed by Swedish superstar DJ/artist Basshunter, who adds his own distinctive beats and style to the track. With its undeniably happy chorus of “Numa, Numa Ay,” it's bound to be this summer’s stick-in-your-head anthem from the beaches of Ibiza to the shores of the OC. The album's title track, “Everybody Wants Me,” is a coy, catchy dance tune about playing hard to get. “I don’t like playing games, but sometimes you have to,” says Alina.
Stylistically, the album spans the gamut from Reggae-Ton on the fierce “Hot, Hot” to “Movie Stars,” a house track reminiscent of “Vogue,” to the more down-tempo “Thinking of You.” Naturally, some of the songs are about her glamorous life, but they’re all romantic at heart. “Fashion,” Alina’s answer to Fergie’s “Glamorous,” tells the story of a woman who may get champagne and diamonds, but still doesn’t have the one thing she wants—love. “Beautiful” is about appreciating the good things in life. “And by that, I don’t mean what money can buy,” Alina clarifies. “It’s health, love, friends and family.” Not surprisingly, Alina is very close with her family.
“I grew up poor, with a father who was an electrician, and a mother who was a carpet weaver,” she says. “It feels good to be able to give back and help my family.” One of her greatest rewards was buying her mother a gorgeous pre-war home in Romania. Her other happiest moment? Realizing her lifelong dream to sing. “Music is like a wave, and it washes over you,” says Alina. “It allows you to express yourself in a completely different way, and it takes you to another place.” Though Alina has already traveled the globe as a model, her musical journey has just begun. And she’s ready to take the world by storm all over again. “In life you have to try everything,” she says.
