INTERVIEW
Born in Cluj, the heart of Transylvania, Romania, Ramona
Ciceoan was raised by a musical family, with both her parents
being singers and dancers.
“My parents were pretty lucky, even though we lived
in a communist country with closed borders, they had the
opportunity to travel through Europe with the folkloric
organisation they were involved in. I also got to travel
with them for short periods of time and I really gained an
understanding of this type of lifestyle, how much joy it can
bring to both the performers and public.”
Ramona is very close to her family; you can tell by the
admiration in her voice as she shares stories of her childhood.
“I was lucky to have 2 sets of grandparents who lived in the
countryside in Maramures and near Cluj Napoca, a village
called Orman. My brother and I would spend every summer
helping our grandparents with work and experiencing what
I can only describe as the best childhood a child can have;
being surrounded by love, good food, a healthy environment,
animals, but also understanding the importance of hard
work.”
Despite a background in folklore music and an
understanding of country life and traditions, Ramona has
always had a soft spot for pop music. “I
remember going to the market with my
father and asking him to buy me my first
tape – it was Mariah Carey’s 1st album –
Vision of Love. I was about 9 or 10 and
I would sing along to every song over and
over! After Mariah, I fell in love with Celine
Dion and Whitney Houston – they are my
3 biggest idols!”
When Ramona was 17, she and her family
released an album of folklore Christmas
Carols, something she says she is grateful
they managed to achieve as it was one of
her father’s dreams. From here, Ramona
continued with recording folklore music, but
also started studying pop and soul as well as entering contests
around Romania.
“ I entered a contest “Rain of Start”, where you have to
pretend to be a megastar. I was Jennifer Rush and sang Power
of Love – I got as far as the semi-finals. I had family from all
over travel to Bucharest to support me – that was a proud
moment!”
In 2013, Ramona sadly lost her father. “I have to say I feel
extremely blessed and grateful for having had such great parents
who offered me and my brother the very best upbringing.
They raised us with strong beliefs in common sense, modesty,
honesty, respecting people and being thoughtful. I just thank
GOD and the universe every day for having had such a good
start in life and for the blessings I receive daily. My father was
a well-known singer and a very loved and good person. He
was a great spirit, always making people smile around him.
We were left with a huge hole in our hearts when he passed
away, however, we do have great memories, so we are very
thankful for those. An experience like this opens your eyes
and shows you that you only have this current moment.”
"I strongly
believe there is
beauty in each
individual style,
wherever there is
soul, there can’t
be fault."
Moving to Jersey
Ramona never intended on leaving Romania, but shortly after
her father’s passing, she decided she would like to work in
Jersey for a year, before heading back and continuing with her
musical journey. Apparently, life had different plans for her
though, and 13 years later she now holds a British passport
and considers Jersey her second home with her long term
partner, Tony.
Ramona has always worked 2-3 jobs to ensure that one day
she’ll be in the position to focus on her music. Whilst working
in The Drift, Ramona was able to meet various people in the
music industry, which helped her start her singing career on
the island. Ramona recalls one particular charity event that
had various singers who were rehearsing all day, and she
wanted to know how to get involved. After approaching AJ
Fells (a composer/ songwriter) she was given the opportunity
to audition to become the lead singer in a local band, ZED.
“We played in various venues around Jersey, from pubs and
hotels to wedding parties. After two years, myself and two
other members, husband and wife duo - Steve and Caroline,
started our own band, Skyline – I was the singer, Carrie was
on saxophone and Stevie was on the keyboard. I feel blessed to
have met them, they are the greatest friends
and family I could ask for, we just had the
most amazing times together.”
After 5 years of playing covers and their
own songs around Jersey and Romania,
Ramona decided to take a step back to focus
on her solo career.
Going solo
Ramona has recently formed a long term
collaboration with a Romanian DJ, Victor
Biliac and Eduard Serei to produce their own
tracks under her stage name, Ramona C.
“We have just finished our first song
together, ‘Don’t Worry About Me’, and are
currently working on our second song. I’m also in the process
of creating the video for our first track, so I’m very excited
about that! I have also just started a collaboration with Sax
Show Orchestra by TzikaSax - we are organising parties from
weddings and work do’s to concerts. They are a great team
who I am very honoured to work with.”
Ramona has recently decided to take a break from her fulltime
job this year so she can concentrate on her music and
spend some time soul searching.
“I love travelling and reading and want to spend some time
doing that as well as volunteering. I want to write down all
the experiences I’ve had over the last 13 years and turn them
into music. I’m very passionate about my heritage so I want
to mix folkloric music with pop and various styles in order to
make Romanian themes well-known across the globe. When
it comes to music, I strongly believe there is beauty in each
individual style, wherever there is soul, there can’t be fault.” •
Don't Worry About Me - Ramona C (Prod. by Victor Biliac)
can be found on Youtube
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