Dana Dragomir

Dana Dragomir (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈdana draɡoˈmir]; born 22 July 1964) is a Swedish pan flute musician and composer of Romanian origin. She is also known under the name Pandana (combination between the Greek god Pan and her name).

Dana Dragomir
Background information
Also known asPandana
Born (1964-07-22) 22 July 1964
Bucharest, Romania
OriginSweden
GenresPopular music, instrumental pop, easy listening
Occupation(s)Musician, composer
Instrument(s)Pan flute
Years active1980–present
LabelsPandana Records
Websitepandana.com

Dana Dragomir is best known for her interpretation of the song "Mio My Mio", written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus of ABBA.[1] She is the first professional female Pan flute player in the world.[2] Her music is a mixture of Pop, World and New-age music.[2] She achieved chart success in Sweden with several of her albums, being quoted the best selling instrumental artist in Scandinavia and she is the first instrumental artist ever to top the Swedish radio record chart, Svensktoppen.[2]

Biography

Dragomir has a twelve year education at the prestigious Dinu Lipatti and George Enescu High School of Music in Bucharest, her place of birth. She was discovered and became an established star at the age of sixteen in her native country.

In 1985, aged 21, she left Romania for a three-year contract in Las Vegas, her manager then having big plans for her in the USA. These were the last years of the Ceaușescu era, and the Securitate let her leave the country only on condition that she would spy for them. But Dragomir had no intention to ever come back to Romania. Her defection had dear consequences for her parents, who both lost their jobs. She eventually went back to Romania for the first time in 1990, after the fall of Ceaușescu.[3]

Meanwhile, she had quickly grown dissastified with the slow developing project in the USA, and finally left the country and her manager to settle in Sweden.[3] Her big breakthrough there came in 1991 with her rendition of "Mio min Mio", a song initially composed for the 1987 film Mio in the Land of Faraway by the two former ABBA members Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. Her instrumental version became a huge success and stayed in the Svensktoppen chart for ten weeks, peaking at number 1.[4][5]

She was married to Klas Burling, a radio and tv personality best known for inviting and bringing the Beatles to Sweden in 1963. Burling also acts as her manager. They live in Stockholm's Östermalm neighborhood and together they have a daughter, Alexandra Burling, born 16 August 1994. Klas passed away 19 february 2023. [6]

Discography

Albums
Year Album Peak chart positions Certifications
(SWE)
SWE
[7]		 NOR
[8]		 DEN
[9]
1987 Från Orup till Bellman with Merit Hemmingson[10] — — —
1989 Merry Christmas with Merit Hemmingson — — —
1991 Fluty Romances 26 — — Gold
1992 Demiro 28 — — Gold
1994 Samling — — —
1995 Panflöjts favoriter (with Gheorghe Zamfir)[11] 21 — —
1996 Pandana published by EMI Electrola[12] 41 — —
1997 Traditional — — —
1999 Favoriter — — —
2000 Pan Is Alive And Well 40 — —
2007 Älskade Svenska visor 22 — —
2011 The best of me 20 — —
2014 Frost — — —

"—" denotes releases that did not chart or unknown.

Own compositions

Dana Dragomir is not only playing cover songs, but she also composed own songs (often together with musicians like Per Andreasson, Amadin, Peter Grönvall and Renate Cumerfield.)[13][14][15]

Own compositions

1992 into The Light (From the album Demiro)[16]

Music composed with other musicians
  • 1991 The Song of Iancu Jianu with Per Andreasson (From the album Fluty Romances)[17]
  • 1991 Cries of Beirut with Per Andreasson (From the album Fluty Romances)[17][18]
  • 1991 Firutza with Per Andreasson (From the album Fluty Romances)[17]
  • 1991 Ah, IA zein with Per Andreasson (From the album Fluty Romances)[17]
  • 1995 Marmarooni with Renate Cumerfield (From single Pandana is Dana Dragomir)[12]
  • 1995 Ote'ae with R. Cumerfield (From the album Pandana)[12]
  • 1995 Rich and Poor (From the album Pandana) [12]
  • 1999 Pan is alive with Peter Grönvall (From the album Pan is alive and well) [13]
  • 1999 Salomeia with Peter Grönvall (From the album Pan is alive and well)[13]
  • 1999 Complaint with Peter Grönvall (From the album Pan is alive and well)[13]

Awards and nominations

Swedish Grammis Awards nomination in 1990 with Merit Hemmingson[19]

References
  1. Håkansson, Nana (29 July 2009). "Dana Dragomir – mer än Mio min Mio" (in Swedish). Sveriges Radio. Archived from the original on 3 June 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  2. Dana, Andronie (11 June 2006). "Regina in tara straina – Dana Dragomir, prima naista profesionista din lume" [Dana Dragomir, the world first professional female Panflute player] (in Romanian). Archived from the original on 1 July 2016. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  3. Salomonsson, Claes (29 November 1999). "Dana Dragomir avslöjar: Jag var Securitate-agent". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 8 May 2016.
  4. "Dana Dragomir kommer tillbaka". TTELA (in Swedish). 15 July 2013. Archived from the original on 19 August 2013. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
  5. "Svensktoppen 1991". Sveriges Radio. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
  6. "In anii '80, canta la Phenian pentru sotii Ceausescu si Kim Ir-sen. Azi, locuieste in cel mai scump cartier din Stockholm" (in Romanian). PRO TV. 30 September 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
  7. "Swedish Charts – Discography Dana Dragomir". Retrieved 25 March 2011.
  8. "Norwegian Charts – Discography Dana Dragomir". Retrieved 25 March 2011.
  9. "Danish Charts – Discography Dana Dragomir". Retrieved 25 March 2011.
  10. "Discogs Dana Dragomir". Discogs. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  11. "Swedish Charts – Dana Dragomir". Swedish Charts. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  12. "smdb.kb.se PanDana / Dana Dragomir (in swedish)". SVENSK MEDIEDATABAS.
  13. "Pan is alive and well". Svensk Mediedatabas.
  14. "Fluty romances – Dana Dragomir". svensk mediedatabas.
  15. "PanDana – Dana Dragomir".
  16. "Into the Light track 07 (in swedish)". SVENSK MEDIEDATABAS.
  17. "smdb.kb.se – Fluty romances / Dana Dragomir (in swedish)". SVENSK MEDIEDATABAS.
  18. "Discogs – Dana Dragomir – Fluty Romances". Discogs.
  19. "1990 Grammis nominees (in swedish)". Grammis.se. Archived from the original on 27 March 2016.
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