| Ina | |
 | |
| Ina in 2015. | |
| Born | Ina Nen 2 March 1990 Port of Lashardia, Pesa |
| Hometown | Ubenmoor, Lashardia |
| Other names | Ina Edena |
| Occupation | Recording artist, dancer, model |
| Alma mater | Queen Maria's School for the Performing Arts |
| Musical Career | |
| Genres | Lashpop, disco, new wave |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Labels | Cyclops Records |
| Associated acts | Sox, Aurora Jonöbenhardt, Wolfeblood |
Ina Edena Nen (born 2 March 1990), known professionally as simply Ina, is a Lashardian recording artist, dancer, and model.
Beginning her career as a dancer in music videos, Ina came to prominence due to her collaborations with Lashardian rapper Sox. She released her debut solo single "Don't Stop Believing" in 2013, which became a sleeper hit in Lashardia.
Known for being influenced by 1970s disco and 1980s new wave, her debut album, also titled Don't Stop Believing, reached number-one on the Lashardian albums chart in 2014.
Life and career[]
Early life[]
Ina was born as Ina Nen on 2 March 1990 into an ethnic Lashardian community in Port of Lashardia, Jak, Pesa. Her surname means "Blonde" in the Pesan language, and was first adopted when her great grandparents immigrated to the island from Lashardia in the 1930s. Her father Henrik worked as a real estate agent while her mother was a freelance makeup artist. She has two older sisters.
The family moved to Lava Ubenmoor – Flast, Ubenmoor, Lashardia, where Ina was raised, when she was 4 months old. She attended primary school in Ubenmoor, graduating in 2005. She went on to attend Queen Maria's School for the Performing Arts, and graduated in 2008 with a specialization in dance. She worked as a telemarketer prior to starting her entertainment career.
2009–2012: Work with Sox[]
Ina performing with Sox in 2011.
In 2009, Ina attended an open audition for dancers for one of Lashardian rapper Sox's upcoming music videos. She landed the part and ended up performing as the female lead in his music videos for "Noka mia", "Blef", and "Harajuku". She was credited as "Ina Edena". Her and Sox ended up developing a close friendship, which eventually led to a romantic relationship.
In 2011, after discovering she had a nice voice, Sox invited Ina to perform guest vocals on one of his upcoming songs. Despite initially declining, she reluctantly agreed. The song, "All Around the World", became Sox's best-selling single of all-time. Following the song's success, Ina signed a recording contract with Sox's label, Cyclops Records
2012–2016: Breakthrough and Don't Stop Believing[]
Ina performing in 2014.
Despite being initially reluctant to pursue a singing career, Ina was encouraged by her boyfriend Sox to do so. She stated in a 2013 interview, "I was like 'No way, I'm not doing this. I'm a dancer, not a singer.' But he gave me the courage in myself to think that maybe this could be me."
She worked intensively with Sox to develop her sound, and in 2012 released her debut solo single "Don't Stop Believing". The single originally was a flop, not even reaching the Lashardian Top 100 singles. However, after being used as the theme song for Lashardian reality show Real Life the following year, the song rocketed to the top of the charts, becoming the best-selling single of 2013.
Her debut studio album, also titled Don't Stop Believing, was released in 2014. The album was heavily lauded for the use of disco and new wave music, and was a commercial success as well, reaching number-one on the Lashardian albums chart.
She took part in Mösikalifestivali 2016 with two songs, "Body Talk", and "Kings Never Die" with Sox. "Body Talk" placed second in its semi-final and went on to place sixth in the final. "Kings Never Die" placed fourth in its semi-final, first in the second chance round, and eighth in the final.
2016–present: Life In the Limelight[]
Ina performing in 2016.
In a 2015 interview, Ina revealed that work on her follow-up album would commence at the beginning of the new year. During summer 2016, she stated that new music would be released before 2017. In October 2016, Ina released the single "Burn It Up", and preordering for her second studio album, Life In the Limelight, was made available. The song debuted at number-three on the Lashardian singles chart.
Personal life[]
Ina's native language is Lashardian, while she can also speak fluent Pesan and English. She has been in a relationship with Sox since 2010, and resides with him in Breż, Ubenmoor. In April 2016, they announced that they were engaged. They are close friends with Aurora Jonöbenhardt and Wolfeblood, whom they've collaborated with frequently.
Discography[]
Studio albums[]
| Year | Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAS | ADR | CON | PES | ||||
| 2014 | Don't Stop Believing |
|
1 | 1 | 6 | 1 |
|
| 2017 | Life In the Limelight |
|
1 | 2 | 5 | 2 |
|
Singles[]
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAS | ADR | CON | PES | ||||
| "Don't Stop Believing" | 2012 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 1 |
|
Don't Stop Believing |
| "Hold Me Now" | 2013 | 2 | 4 | 89 | 1 |
| |
| "Warm Blood" | 2014 | 5 | 10 | – | 4 |
| |
| "Run Away With Me" | 1 | 2 | 65 | 1 |
| ||
| "Cinderella" | 2015 | 2 | 5 | – | 5 |
| |
| "Body Talk" | 2016 | 10 | – | – | – |
|
Mösikalifestivali 2016 |
| "Burn It Up" | 3 | 6 | 10 | 3 |
|
Life In the Limelight | |
| "That's My Girl" | 6 | 10 | 32 | 5 |
| ||
| "Human" | 2017 | 6 | 8 | 86 | 17 |
| |
Featured singles[]
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAS | PES | ||||
| "All Around the World" (Sox featuring Ina) |
2011 | 1 | 1 |
|
Mortasya |
| "Kings Never Die" (Sox featuring Ina) |
2016 | 22 | – |
|
Mösikalifestivali 2016 |
Tours[]
- The Don't Stop Believing Tour (2014–15)
Awards and nominations[]
| Year | Event | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Lashardian Music Awards | Best Hip Hop Song | "All Around the World" | Won |
| Breakout Artist | — | Nominated | ||
| Asmatic Music Awards | Song of the Year | "All Around the World" | Nominated | |
| LRI Song of the Year | Song of the Year | "All Around the World" | Won | |
| 2013 | Lashardian Music Awards | Best Pop Song | "Don't Stop Believing" | Won |
| Best Female Artist | — | Nominated | ||
| Asmatic Music Awards | Song of the Year | "Don't Stop Believing" | Won | |
| LRI Song of the Year | Song of the Year | "Don't Stop Believing" | Won | |
| 2014 | Lashardian Music Awards | Artist of the Year | — | Won |
| Best Pop Album | Don't Stop Believing | Won | ||
| Best Female Artist | — | Nominated | ||
| Adoriam Music Awards | Best International Female Musician | — | Nominated | |
| Asmatic Music Awards | Best Lashardian Musician | — | Won | |
| Musician of the Year | — | Nominated |