Gianna Nannini

Gianna Nannini
Gianna Nannini live at Villa Manin, Codroipo Italy in 2008
Background information
Birth name	Gianna Nannini
Born	(1954-06-14) 14 June 1954
Origin	Siena, Tuscany, Italy
Genres	Pop
Instrument(s)	Vocals, piano, guitar, violin
Years active	1976–present
Website	GiannaNannini.com

Gianna Nannini (Italian pronunciation: [ˈdʒanna nanˈniːni]; born 14 June 1954) is an Italian female singer-songwriter and pop musician. She may be best known for her 1986 song, "Bello e Impossibile" (Handsome and impossible).

Personal life

Born in Siena on 14 June 1954. She is the older sister of former Formula One racing driver Alessandro Nannini. She graduated in philosophy from the University of Siena in 1994. The following year she took part in a protest organized by Greenpeace at the French embassy in Rome against the decision of the French government to pursue nuclear experiments at Mururoa. In August 2010 she announced that she was pregnant and that she would dedicate the upcoming album to her child. Gianna showed off her pregnancy on the cover of Vanity Fair magazine wearing a T-shirt with the inscription ‘God is a woman’. On 26 November 2010 at 12am Nannini's daughter Penelope Jane Charlotte was born on the seventh floor of the Madonnina Clinic in Milan.

Musical career

Her first hit was in 1979 with the single "America" and the album California, which became a success in several European countries. Her rise to fame in Italy started in 1984 with the release of her sixth album, Puzzle. This album peaked in the top 10 at the Italian, German, Austrian and Swiss hit-parades. She sang for the videoclip "Fotoromanza" (directed by Michelangelo Antonioni), won several musical awards and started a European tour, including a participation at the Montreux Jazz Festival. In 1986, her hit "Bello e Impossibile" was a huge success and earned her more awards in Italy, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Her 1987 compilation album Maschi e Altri sold over a million copies.

In 2004, she released Perle, which contains a number of her greatest hits in new arrangements. Backup-musicians were Christian Lohr on piano (who also is co-producer), and a string quartet: Vincenzo di Donna (first violin), Luigi de Maio (second violin), Gerardo Morrone (viola), Antonio di Franca (violoncello). With this orchestra Nannini went on a "Perle-tour" in Central Europe during 2004 and 2005.

The album Grazie was released in February 2006, and peaked at number one of the Italian hit-parade with the single "Sei nell'anima". During the summer of 2006, she toured all over Italy as promotion for the album. "Io", another track from the album, also became a big hit.

In April 2007, she released Pia Come la Canto Io, a collection of songs written for a pop opera that was performed in 2008. This work was eleven years in the making, and is based on the medieval Tuscan character Pia de' Tolomei (mentioned briefly in Dante's Purgatorio). The album was produced by Wil Malone, who also produced Grazie.

An acoustic version of her song Meravigliosa Creatura (from Perle) has been used in a 2008 advertisement spot for the Fiat Bravo directed by Matthias Zentner. The song and the spot have achieved such a success to take Perle to the Italian top 50 in sales, and Fiat would later include a Gianna Nannini song, "Aria" in another Fiat Bravo ad.

Duets

In 1987 she performed with Sting and Jack Bruce the Threepenny Opera by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill at the Schauspielhaus in Hamburg. In 1990, she and Edoardo Bennato sang "Un'estate italiana", the official song of the Football World Cup 1990. In September 2006, she recorded the single "Ama Credi E Vai" with Andrea Bocelli. Nannini was also featured on Einstürzende Neubauten member Alexander Hacke's solo album Sanctuary, on the track "Per Sempre Butterfly". In 2008 she duetted with the Italian rapper Fabri Fibra in his videoclip version of the song "In Italia". She also sang the song "Aria" with the Macedonian singer Toše Proeski.

Gianna Nannini's Band current lineup

• Gianna Nannini - vocals, guitar, violin, piano
• Milton Mcdonald - guitar, backing vocals
• Davide Ferrario - keyboards, backing vocals
• Davide Tagliapietra - guitar, backing vocals
• Mylious Johnson - drums
• Alex Kilier - bass
• Will Malone - producer, musical director

Discography

• Gianna Nannini (1976)
• Una radura (1977)
• California (1979)
• G. N. (1981)
• Sconcerto Rock (1981, soundtrack)
• Latin Lover (1982)
• Puzzle (1984)
• Tutto Live (1985, live)
• Profumo (1986)
• Maschi e Altri (1987, compilation)
• Malafemmina (1988)
• Scandalo (1990)
• Giannissima (1991, live)
• Maschi e altri [Chicos y otros](1992, Spanish language version)
• X Forza E X Amore (1993)
• Dispetto (1995) ( # 1 ITA )
• Bomboloni (1996, compilation) including a song about bombolone (pastry)
• Cuore (1998) #2 (ITA Platinum)
• Momo (2002, soundtrack)
• Aria (2002) #7 (ITA), #29 (SUI)
• Perle (2004) #6 (ITA), #22 (SUI)
• Grazie (2006) #1 (ITA), #12 (SUI), #32 (GER) ( Italy 7x platinum )
• Pia come la canto io (2007) #5 (ITA)
• Giannabest (2007, compilation) #1 (ITA), #15 (POR), #23 (SUI), #32 (GER) ( Italy 7x Platinum )
• Giannadream – Solo I Sogni Sono Veri (2009) (ITA #2) ( ITA 4x Platinum )
• Extradream – Solo I Sogni Sono Veri (2010)
• Io e te (2011) ( ITA #1 ) ( ITA 4x Platinum )
• Inno (2013) ( ITA #1 ) ( ITA Platinum )
• Hitalia (2014) ( ITA #1 ) ( ITA 3x Platinum )

External links

• Gianna Nannini official site
• Review of Giannadream (in English)