[1][2] In Romania, dance music started growing in popularity in the underground scene after the fall of the Ceaușescu communist regime in 1989.
Romania's entry into the European Union in 2007 facilitated local musicians' and songwriters' contact with international music.
[3] One of the earliest examples of popcorn music is the song "Sexy Thing" (2008) by David Deejay and Dony.
[1][5] Production trio Play & Win were also involved in the genre's development and worked on material for Akcent and Inna, among others.
[6] The genre eventually became mainstream internationally,[3] with "Stereo Love" by Edward Maya and Vika Jigulina, and "Mr. Saxobeat" by Alexandra Stan notably developing into worldwide hit singles.