With no available means to acquire cassette players, Dana stated how she used to skip classes in mid-school in order to listen her favorite artists during the one-hour music broadcast on radio.

While struggling with shyness issues, which she later said she controlled by breathing exercises,[4] in 1997 Nălbaru joined the newly formed band HI-Q with Mihai and Florin.

[8] While still hosting television shows, Dana creates her first solo-album in 2004, called Zbor (Fly), followed soon by Intra in joc (Get in the game) in 2005, accompanied by four videos.

[10] Her first video for the play Mai e o zi was evidential for her pursue of individuality, free spirit and nonconformity by showing Nălbaru symbolically paring her hair.

A second video directed by her husband Dragoş Bucur for the play Tu (You), which also cast a number of known TV actors like Dan Bordeianu, stated her main artistic motto that "love heals everything".

In 2005 she appeared in the movie După ea ("After Her")[16] in a secondary role, while acting along her husband and other notable Romanian film actors like Victor Rebengiuc.

In 2007, Dana Nălbaru put out a DVD issue for young parents, Cum să am grijă de copilul meu ("How to Take Care of My Child") containing a complete pediatric guide for newborns.