this period, Laura succeeds to be the first woman in her native country regarded as a modern rock performer, combining her vocal abilities with her rebel attitude and looks. In 1994, 1995, and 1996, she enters the competition for song-writing at the Mamaia Festival. Her second album, ...Nici o stea ("...No Star") is released in February 1997. Some of the songs from the new album have become well known in Romania. Afterwards, Laura wins the best female voice prize at Malta Song Festival in Malta, and the third place with her own song, În singurătate ("In Loneliness"), at the Mamaia Festival. In the same year, she enters the discography contest at the Golden Stag Festival with ...Nici o stea. Stoica's album is awarded the second place. In 1998, Laura tours in Israel and participates at the Pamukkale Festival in Turkey, where she gets the jury prize. She is the best female rock vocalist of the year, according to "Bravo Romania". Laura Stoica Band has some new line-ups, which include: Remus Carteleanu (guitar), Matei Bulencea 'Căpitanu' and Paul Baciu (bass), Emanuel Gheorghe 'Fisă' and Mihai Coman (keyboards), Răzvan Lupu 'Lapi' (drums), and later, Relu Bițulescu, Andrei Bărbulescu, Răzvan Gorcinski (drums), and Fernando Drăgănici (keyboards). In 2000, Stoica completes the recordings for her third album, entitled Vino ("Come"), but she doesn't manage to release it, due to her dropping in popularity. Vino is officially released nine years later. In 2000, Laura graduates the "Ecological University of Bucharest" with a degree in drama. Constantin Codrescu, Vlad Rădescu and Doru Ana are her teachers during the last two years of studying. As an actress, she performs at Nottara and Odeon Theatre in Bucharest, at the National Opera Theater in Constanța, and at "Toma Caragiu" Theatre in Ploiești. In 2003, she is chosen by Disney to provide Melpomeme's voice in Romanian for the animated series Hercules. After some minor tours and concerts in the United States of America, Stoica returns to her native country and, in 2004, she plans a comeback on the local music scene. She establishes a brand new line-up for her band: Adrian Vișteanu (guitar), Emanuel Gheorghe 'Fisă' (keyboards), Victor Miclăuș (bass), and Cristian Mărgescu (drums, who becomes her fiancé). In June 2005, she releases a new album, entitled S-a schimbat ("It Has Changed"), but the disc has only very little media coverage and gains almost no commercial success. On 9 March