2016–present: Românii au talent, X Factor, and breakthrough In 2016, Santiago auditioned for
season six of
Românii au talent. She ultimately reached the finals of the competition, but lost to
Laura Bretan. After the competition, she was signed to Romanian record label
Cat Music. Santiago and Jukebox advanced from the second semi-final held in
Timișoara, and later competed in the final held in
Bucharest on 25 February 2018. They ultimately placed fourth. Later in 2018, Santiago auditioned for
season eight of
X Factor Romania. She advanced past her initial audition and was mentored by Romanian singer
Delia Matache during the course of the show. Santiago ultimately was crowned the winner of the competition on 23 December 2018. In January 2019, Romanian singer
Dan Bittman announced his withdrawal from
Selecția Națională 2019 due to scheduling conflicts, and the Romanian broadcaster
Romanian Television (TVR) announced that two wildcard entries would replace him in the competition. A week later, Santiago was announced as one of the two wildcards with the song "Army of Love". Santiago competed in the first semi-final on 27 January 2019 and advanced to the final after winning the jury vote. She competed in the final on 17 February 2019, and placed third behind
Ester Peony. Santiago competed in the 14th season of
Te cunosc de undeva! (translation:
I know you from somewhere!), the
Romanian version of the talent show,
Your Face Sounds Familiar. She won the season, gaining 87 points in the finale. ==Personal life==