Florin Ristei
Florin Ristei, born Traian Florin Ristei on 29 August 1987 in Galați, Romania, is a Romanian singer and television presenter living in Bucharest. He is best known for his debut single "Dana" with his early band Amici and for winning the third season of X Factor Romania in 2013. In 2012, Universal Pictures chose him to sing the main songs for the Romanian version of the Disney film Disney Magical Music, alongside Paula Seling and Dalma Kovacs.
As a child, he was ambitious and hardworking. He was discovered in 1999 by Lucian Pintilie at a karaoke contest in Constanța. He became the lead singer of Amici, the youngest pop-rock band in Romania at the time; they released "Dana" in 2000 and went on to release two EPs, an album, and appear on a compilation. In 2005 he joined the band Marfar, whose biggest hit was "Baby Marinaru'." In 2012 he formed FreeStay, whose debut "Ea a fost Dana" reached Romania’s radio and TV stations. They competed in Romania’s national selection for Eurovision 2013 with "Criminal Mind," finishing 9th.
In 2013 Ristei auditioned for X Factor Romania and won the competition. He released songs such as "Altfel de magie," "Cerșetori de iubire," and "Trebuia să fii tu." In 2016 he released "Las-o..." with Vescan, which topped Romanian charts. He has collaborated with artists including What's Up, Andra, and Smiley. In 2017 he won Best Romanian Male Voice at the Radio Romania Awards. In 2020 he became a judge on X Factor Romania Season 9, becoming the first former winner to join as a judge. He is dating Naomi Hedman, a contestant from X Factor season 9.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 15:29 (CET).