Xonia

1989–2007: Early life and education
Xonia was born 25 June 1989 in Melbourne, Australia to Romanian parents.[1] Her full birth name is Loredana Sachelaru but she started promoting herself as "Xonia" since her adolescence.[2]
In 1997, Xonia began showing interest in music and was subsequently signed to a recording contract with a local label in early 2003.[3] Throughout her adolescence she worked with several music producers such as Rob Davis, Doug Brady and Kevin Colbert in order to record her debut album.[4] Simultaneously, Xonia graduated the Australian Ballet School (Certificate III in Dance) and was taken under the mentorship of Robert Sturrock, a well-known choreographer and dance coach.[5] In early 2000s Xonia put aside her musical career and focused on acting; shortly after she had a number of cameo appearances in high-profile TV series such as Noah's Arc, SeaChange, Holly's Heroes and Neighbours.[6][7]
In 2006 Xonia was selected to represent Australia at the international Beauty Contest "Miss Diaspora", where she had the opportunity to perform in front of 20,000 live spectators.[8] Same year later she performed in the Melbourne Commonwealth Games opening and closing ceremonies and was selected to dance with a guest star, the football player Nathan Brown from Richmond team.[9] Throughout 2007, Xonia showcased her choreography abilities while working with pop singer Georgina Ward for her live shows;[10] eventually she was featured as a backup dancer in some of the music videos produced by Ian Smith and Laura Gissara.[11] At the age of 19, Xonia enrolled in at the Hollywood Pop Academy in California, where she studied dance theory for a short time.[12]
2008–present: Career breakthrough
In early 2008, Xonia started touring the United States, where she sang for the Romanian diaspora at some social events.[13] Eventually she spent some time in New York recording music and working on her original material.[14] Whilst living in America, Xonia received an invitation to participate as a jury member at the annual Miss Diaspora Contest;[15][16] she accepted the invitation and performed on the stage of the Callatis Festival same year later.[17][18] Shortly after this representation, as a reward for her musical efforts, she was given a record deal with Star Management Romania in order to launch her career.[19]
Xonia's debut single, titled "Someone to Love You", was released in late 2009 and enjoyed moderate success.[19] Same year later she was selected to represent Australia at the international music festival the Golden Stag, where she performed two songs: "Dirty Dancer" and "Trandafir de la Moldova".[20][21] Impressed by her vocal ability showcased during the contest, the Universal Romania representatives offered her a management contract.[22][23] Eventually Xonia released a single in early 2010, entitled "Take the Lead", which has received favorable reactions and created a significant buzz on the internet.[24][25][26]
In early 2010 Xonia collaborated with the Romanian pop band Deepcentral on a new single called "My Beautiful One".[27] As of November 2010, the track spent 25 consecutive weeks in the top 30 on the Romanian Top 100, peaking at number four.[28][29] Xonia is currently working on her debut album with some well-known Romanian music producers including Marius Moga, George Hora, Mihai Ogășanu and Deepcentral.[5][22]