Lorenzo Cherubini (; born 27 September 1966), better known as Jovanotti (), is an Italian singer-songwriter,
rapper
Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...
and
disc jockey
A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobil ...
.
The name Jovanotti derives from ''giovanotti'', the plural form of the Italian word ''giovanotto'' ("young man"). Cherubini initially chose "Joe Vanotti" as his stage name, but a promotional poster for a night club incorrectly billed him as "Jovanotti" and the name stuck. (The spelling ''Jovanotti'' is anglicized; the letter J is rarely used in Italian) Jovanotti is commonly known to his fans by the diminutive form "Jova", and often refers to himself that way in promotional items and on his Web TV channel Jova.TV, which launched 2 October 2014.
Jovanotti gradually departed from his early mix of
hip hop, rap and
disco
Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric p ...
, taking in
funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the mi ...
,
world music and even classical arrangements and
ska influences. As his musical influences changed, so did his lyrics too, which over time began to increasingly address philosophical, religious and political issues, which are more typical of the Italian
cantautore
A singer-songwriter is a musician who writes, composes, and performs their own musical material, including lyrics and melodies. In the United States, the category is built on the folk-acoustic tradition, although this role has transmuted th ...
tradition. His social and political commitment increased as well. Some of his earlier work is also closer to keyboard-heavy 1980s pop.
Most of his songs are sung in Italian; he also released a Spanish-language greatest hits album. His live album includes a short version of the
Sugarhill Gang Sugar Hill may refer to:
Places
In the United States:
* Sugar Hill, Georgia, a city
* Sugar Hill, New Hampshire, a town
* Sugar Hill, Manhattan, New York, a section of Harlem
* Sugar Hill (New York), a mountain in Schuyler County
* Sugar Hi ...
's "
Rapper's Delight
"Rapper's Delight" is a 1979 hip-hop track by the Sugarhill Gang, produced by Sylvia Robinson. Although it was shortly preceded by the Fatback Band's "King Tim III (Personality Jock)", "Rapper's Delight" is credited for introducing hip-hop mus ...
." Jovanotti appears on several international compilations, most notably ''Red Hot + Rhapsody'', a 1998 tribute to
George Gershwin
George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions ' ...
, on which he performed "I Got Rhythm". Jovanotti also appeared in one of
Luciano Pavarotti
Luciano Pavarotti (, , ; 12 October 19356 September 2007) was an Italian operatic tenor who during the late part of his career crossed over into popular music, eventually becoming one of the most acclaimed tenors of all time. He made numero ...
's charity concerts in 1996.
Biography
Early life
Cherubini was born on 27 September 1966 in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus ( legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
to
Tuscan parents, Mario and Viola Cardinali, but he spent part of his childhood in his parents' hometown,
Cortona
Cortona (, ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Arezzo, in Tuscany, Italy. It is the main cultural and artistic centre of the Val di Chiana after Arezzo.
Toponymy
Cortona is derived from Latin Cortōna, and from Etruscan 𐌂𐌖� ...
, in the
province of Arezzo
The province of Arezzo ( it, provincia di Arezzo) is the easternmost province in the Tuscany region of central Italy. Its capital is the city of Arezzo. The province is bordered by the regions of Marche, Emilia-Romagna, Umbria, and the provinces ...
(
Tuscany
it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 = Citizenship
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographics1_title1 = Italian
, demogra ...
).
After completing his
high-school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
studies, he started working as a disc jockey in several
discothèques
A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music.
Nightclubs gene ...
and radio stations in the province of Rome.
In 1985 he moved to
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city ...
.
[ Two years later, during the summer of 1987, while he was playing a ]DJ set
A DJ mix or DJ mixset is a sequence of musical tracks typically mixed together to appear as one continuous track. DJ mixes are usually performed using a DJ mixer and multiple sounds sources, such as turntables, CD players, digital audio players ...
in Palinuro
Palinuro is an Italian small town, the most populated civil parish (''frazione'') of Centola, Province of Salerno, in the Campania region. The name of the town is derived from Palinurus, the helmsman of Aeneas, as recorded in the fifth and sixt ...
, he met the record producer and talent scout
In professional sports, scouts are experienced talent evaluators who travel extensively for the purposes of watching athletes play their chosen sports and determining whether their set of skills and talents represent what is needed by the scou ...
Claudio Cecchetto
Claudio Cecchetto (born 19 April 1952) is an Italian record producer and talent scout.
Life and career
Cecchetto was born in Ceggia, (metropolitan city of Venice). He has hosted several Italian music festivals, from Festival di Sanremo to Fe ...
, who proposed they begin working together. That same year Jovanotti released his first single, "Walking," and started working as a DJ for one of the most prominent national radio stations, Radio DeeJay
Radio DeeJay is an Italian radio station. It was founded on 1 February 1982 by the Italian radio and television personality Claudio Cecchetto and was acquired by the Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso in 1989. In 2020 EXOR (of the Agnelli-family) became ...
, which was founded by Cecchetto five years earlier.
Career breakthrough: 1980s and 1990s
His first studio album, ''Jovanotti for President
Lorenzo Cherubini (; born 27 September 1966), better known as Jovanotti (), is an Italian singer-songwriter, rapper and disc jockey.
The name Jovanotti derives from ''giovanotti'', the plural form of the Italian word ''giovanotto'' ("young man") ...
'', was released in 1988 and became the symbol of the Italian youth of the eighties, without any interest in ideologies
An ideology is a set of beliefs or philosophies attributed to a person or group of persons, especially those held for reasons that are not purely epistemic, in which "practical elements are as prominent as theoretical ones." Formerly applied prim ...
and politics. Despite receiving strongly negative criticism, the album became a big commercial success, reaching the third position on the Italian ''Musica e dischi
''Musica e dischi'' was the oldest and long-running music industry publication in Italy.
'' Billboard'' defined the publication as the "Italian record bible
The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts ...
'' Albums Chart and selling over 400,000 copies in Italy. Moreover, the album spawned five singles, including the number-one hits, "Gimme Five" (also the name of his British TV show for Janet Street Porter's DEF II
DEF II was a programming strand on BBC2, which aired at 6 pm on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9 May 1988 to 23 May 1994, to serve the teenage market. It was produced by Janet Street-Porter, and followed on from her influential youth TV show '' N ...
youth TV block on BBC Two
BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream a ...
) and "Gimme Five (Rasta Five)" and the songs "Go Jovanotti Go" and "Mix, Remix & The singers," which entered the Italian top 5.
In 1998, Jovanotti played a brief role in the movie I Giardini dell'Eden, directed by Alessandro D'Alatri.
The song "Piove" was released for the second season of ''The Sopranos
''The Sopranos'' is an American crime drama television series created by David Chase. The story revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster, portraying his difficulties as he tries to balance ...
'' as an ending credits track.
2000s
His 2005 CD, ''Buon Sangue'', was influenced by both rock and old school hip hop. It is one of his most innovative works to date. Edoardo Bennato
Edoardo Bennato (born 23 July 1946, Naples, Campania, Italy) is an Italian singer-songwriter. He is the brother of the singer-songwriter Eugenio Bennato.
He is considered one of the greatest Italian rockers, a genre that he has often combined ...
collaborated on one track, while bass player Saturnino co-wrote two of the songs.
In 2007 he was featured at the end of Negramaro's song, "Cade la Pioggia," of their CD, ''La Finestra'', and in 2008 he released the new album ''Safari''.
In 2008 he performed as guest artist on the track "Lugar Comum" from the album '' Encanto''. At the end of 2009, he collaborated with Claudio Baglioni
Claudio Baglioni (; born 16 May 1951) is an Italian pop singer-songwriter and musician. His career has been going on for over 50 years. Some songs from the 70s are part of Italian culture such as ''E tu come stai?''. In the 80s he released the ...
and Fabrizio Bosso, along with 70 other artists, in the song "Con tutto il mio cuore (with All My Heart)." On 1 January 2010 the group released "Baciami Ancora (Kiss Me Again)" for the soundtrack of a film by Gabriele Muccino
Gabriele Muccino (; born 20 May 1967) is an Italian film director. He has worked his way from making short films only aired on Italian television to become a well-known and successful American filmmaker. He is the elder brother of actor Silvio Mu ...
.
2010s
In December 2010 he achieved a number one hit on the Italian Top 20 charts with "Tutto l'amore che ho." On 25 January 2011, he released his eighteenth album ''Ora ORA or Ora may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Ora'' (film), a 2011 experimental dance film
* Rita Ora (born 1990), British-Albanian singer-songwriter and actress
* ''Ora'' (Jovanotti album), 2011
* ''Ora'' (Rita Ora album), 2012
* "Ora" ...
''. Later in 2011 he played at the Bonnaroo Music Festival
The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is an American annual four-day music festival developed and founded by Superfly Presents and AC Entertainment. Since its first year in 2002, it has been held at what is now Great Stage Park on a farm in ...
.
Commitment
Along with the evolution of his sound, his social and political commitment for mainstream causes has increased since the 1990s. As a convinced pacifist, he frequently worked with organizations such as Make Poverty History
Make Poverty History are organizations in a number of countries, which focus on issues relating to 8th Millennium Development Goal such as aid, trade and justice. They generally form a coalition of aid and development agencies which work togethe ...
, Amnesty International
Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and s ...
, and he has contributed to events dedicated to debt relief ( Global Call to Action Against Poverty).
Jovanotti has a friendship with Bono
Paul David Hewson (born 10 May 1960), known by his stage name Bono (), is an Irish singer-songwriter, activist, and philanthropist. He is the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the rock band U2.
Born and raised in Dublin, he attended ...
due to their mutual quest for the cancellation of foreign debt in poor African countries. He also collaborated with Michael Franti of Spearhead on his ''Capo Horn'' and ''Ora ORA or Ora may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Ora'' (film), a 2011 experimental dance film
* Rita Ora (born 1990), British-Albanian singer-songwriter and actress
* ''Ora'' (Jovanotti album), 2011
* ''Ora'' (Rita Ora album), 2012
* "Ora" ...
'' albums. Both Michael Franti and U2 misspelled his name as Giovanotti in the liner note credits.
Television
Even though Jovanotti has never had a UK chart hit under his own name, he was briefly known in the United Kingdom as the presenter of the DEF II
DEF II was a programming strand on BBC2, which aired at 6 pm on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9 May 1988 to 23 May 1994, to serve the teenage market. It was produced by Janet Street-Porter, and followed on from her influential youth TV show '' N ...
programme ''Gimme 5''. The show, which featured a brief introduction each week by Jovanotti, showcased youth television programmes from around the world.
In 2020 he released exclusively for RaiPlay
RaiPlay is the multimedia portal owned by the Italian national broadcaster RAI replacing Rai.tv since 12 September 2016. It is for watching popular Italian shows such as 'Inspector Montalbano', 'Don Matteo' and many more.
Login and registration, ...
the documentary in sixteen episodes "Non voglio cambiare Pianeta" ''(I don't want to change Planet)'' which he filmed whilst travelling from Chile to Argentina on his bicycle, between January and February 2020.
Gino Latino
Jovanotti was behind one of two rival Gino Latino italo house
Italo house (often simply referred to as "Italian" or "Italian house" in the UK) is a form of house music originating in Italy. Typically popular in Italy, Britain, and United States since the late 1980s, it fuses house music and Italo disco. Th ...
tracks in the early 1990s. His Gino Latino single, "Welcome", reached number 17 on the UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
.
Personal life
On 6 September 2008, Jovanotti married Francesca Valiani at Cortona, in the Church of Santa Maria Nuova. Their daughter Teresa was born in 1998. He dedicated the lullaby "Per te" to Teresa, one of the hits of the album ''Capo Horn'' (1999), and the song "Libera" from the album ''Lorenzo 2015 cc''.''Jovanotti insieme alla figlia Teresa, 'tali e quali', cinguetta mamma Francesca Valiani''
(Italian)
Discography
Studio albums
* ''
Jovanotti for President
Lorenzo Cherubini (; born 27 September 1966), better known as Jovanotti (), is an Italian singer-songwriter, rapper and disc jockey.
The name Jovanotti derives from ''giovanotti'', the plural form of the Italian word ''giovanotto'' ("young man") ...
'' (1988)
* ''
La mia moto
''La mia moto'' is the second studio album by Italian singer-songwriter Jovanotti, released by FRI Records in 1989.
The album reached number four on the FIMI Chart.
Track listing
Charts and certifications
Charts
Year-end charts
Cert ...
'' (1989)
* ''
Giovani Jovanotti'' (1990)
* ''
Una tribù che balla
''Una tribù che balla'' is the fourth studio album by Italian singer-songwriter Jovanotti, released by FRI Records
Fri is a common abbreviation of Friday.
Fri or FRI may also refer to:
* ''Fri'' (yacht), involved in anti-nuclear protests
* ' ...
'' (1991)
* ''
Lorenzo 1992
''Lorenzo 1992'' is the fifth studio album by Italian singer-songwriter Jovanotti, released by FRI Records
Fri is a common abbreviation of Friday.
Fri or FRI may also refer to:
* ''Fri'' (yacht), involved in anti-nuclear protests
* '' Fri – ...
'' (1992)
* ''
Lorenzo 1994
''Lorenzo 1994'' is the sixth studio album by Italian singer-songwriter Jovanotti, released by Mercury Records on 10 January 1994.
The album peaked at number one on the Italian Albums Chart
The Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana (FIM ...
'' (1994)
* ''
Lorenzo 1997 - L'albero
Lorenzo may refer to:
People
* Lorenzo (name)
Places Peru
* San Lorenzo Island (Peru), sometimes referred to as the island of Lorenzo
United States
* Lorenzo, Illinois
* Lorenzo, Texas
* San Lorenzo, California, formerly Lorenzo
* Lorenzo State ...
'' (1997)
* ''
Lorenzo 1999 - Capo Horn'' (1999)
* ''
Lorenzo 2002 - Il quinto mondo
Lorenzo may refer to:
People
* Lorenzo (name)
Places Peru
* San Lorenzo Island (Peru), sometimes referred to as the island of Lorenzo
United States
* Lorenzo, Illinois
* Lorenzo, Texas
* San Lorenzo, California, formerly Lorenzo
* Lorenzo ...
'' (2002)
* ''
Buon sangue'' (2005)
* ''
Safari
A safari (; ) is an overland journey to observe wild animals, especially in eastern or southern Africa. The so-called "Big Five" game animals of Africa – lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and Cape buffalo – particularly form an impor ...
'' (2008)
* ''
Ora ORA or Ora may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Ora'' (film), a 2011 experimental dance film
* Rita Ora (born 1990), British-Albanian singer-songwriter and actress
* ''Ora'' (Jovanotti album), 2011
* ''Ora'' (Rita Ora album), 2012
* "Ora" ...
'' (2011)
* ''
Lorenzo 2015 CC.
''Lorenzo 2015 CC.'' is the thirteenth studio album by Italian singer-songwriter Jovanotti, released by Universal Music on 24 February 2015.
The album was preceded by the single "Sabato", released on 16 December 2014, which reached number four ...
'' (2015)
* ''
Oh, Vita!
Lorenzo Cherubini (; born 27 September 1966), better known as Jovanotti (), is an Italian singer-songwriter, rapper and disc jockey.
The name Jovanotti derives from ''giovanotti'', the plural form of the Italian word ''giovanotto'' ("young man") ...
'' (2017)
* ''Jova Beach Party'' (2019)
* ''Lorenzo sulla luna'' (2019)
* ''Il disco del Sole'' (2022)
Filmography
Awards and nominations
Bibliography
* ''Yo, brothers and sisters. Siamo o non siamo un bel movimento?'', Milano, Vallardi, 1988.
* ''
Cherubini'', S.l., Soleluna, 1993.
* ''
Il grande boh!'', Milano, Feltrinelli, 1998. ISBN 88-07-70102-2; Milano, Feltrinelli, 2000. ISBN 88-07-81604-0
* ''
Quarantology, 1966-2006'', Milano, Rizzoli, 2006. ISBN 88-17-01165-7
* ''La parrucca di Mozart'', Torino, Einaudi, 2009. ISBN 978-88-06-20054-1
* ''Per te'', Roma, Gallucci, 2009. ISBN 978-88-6145-086-8
* ''
Viva tutto!
Viva may refer to:
Companies and organisations
* Viva (network operator), a Dominican mobile network operator
* Viva Air, a Spanish airline taken over by flag carrier Iberia
* Viva Air Dominicana
* VIVA Bahrain, a telecommunication company
* ...
'', Add Editore, 2010. ISBN 978-88-96873-18-2
* ''Gratitude'', Torino, Einaudi, 2013. ISBN 978-88-06-21834-8
* ''Sbam!'', Milano, Mondadori, 2017. ISBN 978-88-04-68543-2
References
External links
*
Interview and music videos of Jovanotti in performance in San Francisco on PBS "Sound Tracks presents Quick Hits"Aliases
{{Authority control
1966 births
Living people
Singers from Rome
People from Cortona
Italian male singer-songwriters
Italian rappers
Hip hop singers
World Music Awards winners
Italian pop singers
20th-century Italian male singers
21st-century Italian male singers
Italian radio personalities
Folk-pop singers