Festival Della Canzone Italiana di Sanremo

If you are a fan of Italian music and Italian artists, like I am, then you’ve probably heard of a little thing called the Sanremo Music Festival or Festival Della Canzone Italiana.  The festival, which has been running since 1951, has featured some of Italy’s most talented artists.  It has also been the stepping stone for many new artists, catapulting them into the spotlight.  Artists such as Tiziano Ferro, Fabrizio Moro, Laura Pausini, Giorgia, and many others found their “big break” at this event.

The 60th edition of the Sanremo Music Festival will run from February 16-20th and feature 15 Italian artists competing for top prize and 10 newcomers in competition for in New Generation or Nuova Generazione category.

15 Big Ones / i 15 Big

Arisa
Malika Ayane
Simone Cristicchi
Toto Cutugno
Nino D’Angelo
Irene Grandi
Morgan
Fabrizio Moro
Irene Fornaciari (feat. Nomadi)
Noemi
Povia
Pupo, Emanuele Filiberto (con il tenore Luca Canonici)
Enrico Ruggeri
Valerio Scanu
Sonohra
Marco Mengoni  (da X Factor)

New Generation / Nuova Generazione

Nicolas Bonazzi
Jessica Brando
Broken Heart College
Mattia De Luca
La fame di Camilla
Luca Marino
Jacopo Ratini
Romeus
Tony
Nina Zilli

What are your predictions for this year’s edition of the Sanremo Music Festival?

My Top 5: Italian Female Singers

1. Laura Pausini

Laura Pausini was born in the town of Solarolo, Ravenna in the Emilia-Romagna region. She began singing at a very young age with her father who was also a musician and singer. She signed with Warner Music Italy shortly after her song “La Solitudine” won at the Sanremo Music Festival in 1993. Her first professional release, “Laura Pausini”, became a huge success in Italy and abroad. Since then she has gone on to record in various languages including Spanish, English, and French. In 2008, she released her most recent album “Primavera in Anticipo” in Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Canada, and many other territories across the globe. She has spent the better part of 2009 on a world tour with dates across Europe, North and South America, and Australia. She is one of the few Italian artists who have been able to capture the attention of the World on such a large scale. Her beautiful vocals, lyrics, and stage presence have made her a household name and she still has a long musical career ahead of her.

Check out these songs by Laura Pausini:
“Una Storia Che Vale”
“Invece No”

2. Anna Tatangelo

Anna Tatangelo captured my attention in early 2008 when she competed at the Sanremo Music Festival with her song “Il Mio Amico”. The song, dedicated to her best friend, broke away from the traditional songs one would hear at Sanremo as it focused on discrimination against homosexuals. However, Anna Tatangelo, who was born in Sora, Frosinone, has been on the Sanremo Music stage before. She was actually the youngest person to win the Sanremo Music Festival’s Youth Award in 2002 when she was just 15 years old. Following her victory, she recorded and released a duet with singer-songwriter Gigi D’Alessio, whom she is currently married to. She has continued to work with Gigi D’Alessio and the results have been promising as her popularity continues to build. Only 22 years old, her music is developing and maturing as she continues to grow as an artist.

Check out these songs by Anna Tatangelo:
“Il Mio Amico”
“Essere Una Donna”

3. Elisa

Elisa was born in Trieste and started writing music when she was just 11 years old. She appeared on a televised karaoke program, Karaoke, when she was 15. A couple years later, she was signed to a record label, Sugar. At 18, she moved to California and started working on her debut album. It wasn’t until September 2000 that Elisa recorded her first Italian song, “Luce (tramonti a nord est)“, which was originally written in English. It went on to win her the top prize at the 2001 Sanremo Music Festival. Elisa is a natural born talent, only 31 years old and already has numerous albums already under her belt including a greatest hits compilation.

Check out these songs by Elisa:
“Eppure Sentire (Un Senso Di Te)”
“Qualcosa Che Non C’è”

4. Giorgia

Giorgia was born in Rome and spent many years singing jazz and soul in local bars/pubs. Her incredible soulful voice and wide range of vocal abilities has made her one of the most respected and famous Italian singers. She made her official debut at the 1994 Sanremo Musical Festival. Although she didn’t win, her stage presence and natural vocal talent captured the interest of many and she quickly became an icon in the Italian music scene. She has sung duets with the likes of Andrea Bocelli, Ray Charles and Elton John. She continues to release albums with great success. Her most recent release, in 2008, is a 3 CD anthology of greatest hits spanning her career thus far (1992-2008). It will include her hits, cover songs, and newer version of some of her classics.

Check out these songs by Giorgia:
“Per Fare A Meno Di Te”
“E Poi”

5. Roberta Bonanno

Roberta Bonanno lived a regular life. Born in Milano, the 22 year old had jobs in retail stores and offices. She spent a lot of time learning English and French. It wasn’t until she entered the popular televised Italian Talent Competition, “Amici”, that her career as a vocalist took flight. In 2007, she competed and won second place and a recording contract. There is no telling where her career will lead, but for now, her single is doing well and has captured the attention of music listeners across Italy.

Check out these songs by Roberta Bonanno:
“Avrai”
“Non Ho Più Paura”

Also, don’t miss out my other posts from the “My Top 5” series:
My Top 5:  Italian Male Singers
My Top 5: Italian Television Programs
My Top 5: Italian Soccer Players
My Top 5: Italian Movies
My Top 5: Italian Females Actresses
My Top 5: Italian Male Actors

My Top 5: Italian Male Singers

1.  Eros Ramazzotti
Even if you aren’t an avid listener of Italian music, chances are you know who Eros Ramazzotti is. He has released numerous albums and has been a staple in the Italian music scene since 1984. His albums have been released worldwide and he has done duets with many talented and well-known artists such as Luciano Pavarotti, Cher, Andrea Bocelli, Laura Pausini and more recently Ricky Martin.

Check out these songs by Eros Ramazzotti:
“I Belong To You” featuring Anastacia
“Non Siamo Soli” featuring Ricky Martin
“L’Aurora”

2. Tiziano Ferro
Although Tiziano is a relatively “new” artist to the Itailan music scene, his popularity has grown exponentially.  In 1997, he was a participant in the San Remo Music Festival however didn’t make it into the finals.  He returned in 1998, and this time became one of the 12 finalists. It was there that he was discovered and in 2002, released his debut album entitled “Rosso Relativo”.   The albums first single “Perdono” blew up on the Italian music charts and led him to release a Spanish version of his debut album called “Rojo Relativo” increasing his popularity in South America.  In 2006, he released “Nessuno è solo” which debuted at #1 on the Italian charts and featured songs used in the popular Italian film “Ho Voglia Di Te”.

Check out these songs by Tiziano Ferro:
“Ti Scattero Una Foto”
“Perdono”

3.  Fabrizio Moro
Fabrizio has been in and around the music scene since 2000 when he released his first album.  However, it wasn’t until 2007 when his song “Pensa” dedicated to vicitms of the mafia won the “youth” category at the San Remo Music Festival that Fabrizio Moro catapulted into super stardom.  In 2008, he released “Domani” and is expected to release a new album later this month.  With his unique style and incredibly powerful lyrics, there is no question that his star will continue to climb.

Check out these songs by Fabrizio Moro:
“Pensa”
“Libero”

4.  Daniele Battaglia
Before making his official debut as a singer in 2007, Daniele worked in a small radio station in Bologna and also as a writer, producer and composer with his father’s record label.  Daniele learned a lot about the music industry through his father, Dodi Battaglia, the guitarist for popular Italian group Pooh.  In 2007, Daniele stepped out as a singer with a duet featuring Brenda entitled “Vorrei dirti che è facile”.  It was entered into the San Remo Music Festival however was not selected.  Later that year, Daniele released “Tutto Il Mare Che Vorrei” his debut album and in 2008, he returned to San Remo with his song “Voce Nel Vento”.  He was eliminated early on in the competition but it is certain he will be back as he continues to release music, build a growing fan base and tour all over Italy.

Check out these songs by Daniele Battaglia:
“Tutta Ma Nessuno”
“Voce Nel Vento”

5.  Nek
Nek, born Filippo Neviani, is a popular Italian singer-songwriter who like Tiziano Ferro has recorded and released albums in Italian and Spanish.  Nek released his first solo album in 1992 and participated in the San Remo Music Festival with his song “Laura Non C’e'”. He has released numerous albums over the past decade and shows no signs of retiring.  He is releasing his 10th studio album later this month.

Check out these songs by Nek:
“Laura Non C’e'”
“Sei Solo Tu” featuring Laura Pausini
“La Vita E’”

Angel

I’ve avoided watching music awards shows in the past few years. They just aren’t as good as they used to be. I remember when the AMA’s were a big spectacle with over the top performances that would just blow your mind. Recent years though I haven’t seen that “wow” factor; maybe the caliber of artists has diminished or maybe it’s just not my demographic any longer. I can no longer relate to a generation I feel is slowly flushing itself down the toilet. However, in reading through some highlights of the recent AMA’s (which I didn’t even hear about until after it aired) I saw there was a duet of “Angel” performed by Sarah McLachlan and Pink. These are two artists that I feel are exceptionally talented in their own rights. So, I guess all is not completely lost when it comes to “mainstream” media and music.