Mina Anna Maria Mazzini (born 25 March 1940) or Mina Anna Quaini (for the Swiss civil registry), known mononymously as Mina, is an Italian-Swiss singer and actress. She was a staple of television variety shows and a dominant figure in Italian pop music from the 1960s to the mid-1970s, known for her three- octave

vocal range Vocal range is the range of pitches that a human voice can phonate. A common application is within the context of singing, where it is used as a defining characteristic for classifying singing voices into voice types. It is also a topic of st ...

, the agility of her soprano voice, and her image as an emancipated woman. In performance, Mina combined several modern styles with traditional Italian melodies and swing music, which made her the most versatile pop singer in

Italian music The term ''Italian music'' is ambiguous and may refer to several topics: *The music of Italy *The folk, popular, classical (especially opera) musics of Italy and the Italian people , flag = , flag_caption = The national ...

. Mina dominated the country's charts for 15 years and reached an unsurpassed level of popularity. She has scored 79 albums and 71 singles on the Italian charts. Mina's TV appearances in 1959 were the first for a female

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm a ...

singer in Italy. Her loud syncopated singing earned her the nickname "Queen of Screamers". The public also labeled her the "Tigress of Cremona" for her wild gestures and body shakes. When she turned to light pop tunes, Mina's chart-toppers in West Germany in 1962 and Japan in 1964 earned her the title of the best international artist in these countries. Mina's more refined sensual manner was introduced in 1960 with

Gino Paoli Gino Paoli (; born 23 September 1934 in Monfalcone) is an Italian singer-songwriter. He is a seminal figure who has written a number of songs widely regarded as classics in Italian popular music, including: " Il cielo in una stanza", "Che cos ...

's ballad " This World We Love In", which charted on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1961. Mina was banned from TV and radio in 1963 because her pregnancy and relationship with a married actor did not accord with the dominant Catholic and bourgeois morals.Mina. Storia di un mito by Nino Romano (Rusconi 1986) After the ban, the public broadcasting service

RAI RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana (; commercially styled as Rai since 2000; known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane) is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many ter ...

tried to continue to prohibit her songs, which were forthright in dealing with subjects such as religion, smoking and sex. Mina's cool act combined sex appeal with public smoking, dyed blonde hair, and shaved eyebrows to create a "bad girl" image. Mina's voice has distinctive

timbre In music, timbre ( ), also known as tone color or tone quality (from psychoacoustics), is the perceived sound quality of a musical note, sound or tone. Timbre distinguishes different types of sound production, such as choir voices and musica ...

and great power. Her main themes are anguished love stories performed in high dramatic tones. The singer combined classic Italian pop with elements of blues, R&B and

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became ...

during the late 1960s, especially when she worked in collaboration with the singer-songwriter

Lucio Battisti Lucio Battisti (5 March 1943 – 9 September 1998) was an influential Italian singer-songwriter and composer. He is widely recognized for songs that defined the late 1960s and 1970s era of Italian songwriting. Battisti released 18 studio albums ...

. Top Italian songwriters created material with large vocal ranges and unusual

chord progression In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from the common practice ...

s to showcase her singing skills, particularly "Brava" by

Bruno Canfora Bruno Canfora (; 6 November 1924 – 4 August 2017) was an Italian composer, conductor, and music arranger. Life and career Born in Milan, Canfora studied piano at an early age, then studied oboe at the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in Milan. D ...

(1965) and the pseudo- serial "Se telefonando" by Ennio Morricone (1966). The latter song was covered by several performers abroad. Shirley Bassey carried Mina's ballad " Grande grande grande" to charts in the U.S., UK, and other English-speaking countries in 1973. Mina's

easy listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to 1970s. It is related to middle-of-the-road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit songs, n ...

duet "

Parole parole "Parole parole" () is a duet song originally performed by Italian singer Mina and actor Alberto Lupo. It was released in April 1972, by PDU and later was included on Minas's twenty-first studio album '' Cinquemilaquarantatre'' (1972). The song ...

" was turned into a worldwide hit by

Dalida Iolanda Cristina Gigliotti (; 17 January 1933 – 3 May 1987), professionally known as Dalida, was an Italian-French singer and actress born in Egypt. She sang in eleven languages and sold millions of records internationally. Her best known son ...

and Alain Delon in 1974. Mina gave up public appearances in 1978 but has continued to release popular albums and musical projects on a yearly basis to the present day.

Early life

Anna Maria Mazzini was born into a working-class family in

Busto Arsizio Busto Arsizio (; lmo, label= Bustocco, Büsti Grandi) is an Italian city and ''comune'' in the south-easternmost part of the Province of Varese, in the region of Lombardy, in Northern Italy, north of Milan. The economy of Busto Arsizio is main ...

, Lombardy. The family moved to work in Cremona in her childhood. She listened to American rock and roll and jazz records and was a frequent visitor at the Santa Tecla and the Taverna Messicana clubs of Milan, both known for promoting rock and roll. After finishing high school in 1958, she attended college where she majored in accounting.Mina. Biografia
Musicalstore.it site. In Italian. Retrieved 27 June 2007

Career

Queen of Screamers (1958–1961)

While on summer holiday in Versilia on 8 August 1958, Mazzini gave an improvised performance of the song "Un'anima tra le mani" to amuse her family after a concert at the La Bussola night club. During the following nights, Sergio Bernardini, the owner of the club, held her back in her attempts to get back on stage.P. Belluso- F. Merkel, Unicamente Mina, Gammalibri 1983, p. 12 In September, she started her solo career with the backing of the band Happy Boys. Her concert in September 1958, before an audience of 2,500 people at the Theatre of Rivarolo del Re, won enthusiastic approval from local critics. She soon signed with Davide Matalon, owner of the small record company Italdisc. Her first single, "Non partir"/"Malatia", was produced under the stage name Mina for the Italian audience. Simultaneously, " Be Bop A Lula"/"When" was issued under the name ''Baby Gate'' for the international audience. ''Baby'' was chosen as a contrast to her 178 cm height (5 ft 10 in) – exceptionally tall for an Italian woman – and ''Gate'' as a tribute to

The Golden Gate Quartet The Golden Gate Quartet (a.k.a. The Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet) is an American vocal group. It was formed in 1934 and, with changes in membership, remains active. Origins and early career The group was founded as the Golden Gate Jubilee Singe ...

. In December, her performance at the Sei giorni della canzone festival of Milan was described by the ''La Notte'' newspaper as the "birth of a star". It was Mina's last performance with the Happy Boys, as her family refused to let her skip college for a scheduled tour of Turkey. Less than a month after the breakup with her previous band, Mina co-founded a new group called Solitari, which consisted of a singer, a saxophonist, a pianist, a contrabassist, and a guitarist. Her first hit with the band featured Mina performed an extra-loud, syncopated version of the popular song " Nessuno" ("Nobody"), which she performed at the first rock festival in the Milan Ice Palace in February 1959.Nessuno. In TV esplode Mina
Galleria della canzone site. In Italian. Retrieved 27 June 2007 Performances of the song on the TV game shows '' Lascia o raddoppia?'' and ''Il musichiere'' on 1 March and 4 April were hailed by Italian critics. The starlet signed with Elio Gigante, an experienced artist manager. In the following years, he organized her performances in the grand ballrooms of Italy. Her first Italian 1 hit was the up-tempo "Tintarella di luna" ("Moon Tan") in September 1959, which was performed in her first ''

musicarello The musicarello (; plural: musicarelli) is a film subgenre which emerged in Italy and which is characterised by the presence in main roles of young singers, already famous among their peers, and their new record album. In the films there are alm ...

'' (musical comedy film), '' Juke box – Urli d'amore''. In late 1959, Matalon had her drop the name Baby Gate in favour of Mina.

Growing up (1960–1965)

In 1960, Mina made her

Festival della canzone italiana The Sanremo Music Festival, officially the Italian Song Festival () and commonly known as just (), is the most popular Italian song contest and awards ceremony, held annually in the city of Sanremo, Liguria. It is the longest-running annual ...

Sanremo Sanremo (; lij, Sanrémmo(ro) or , ) or San Remo is a city and comune on the Mediterranean coast of Liguria, in northwestern Italy. Founded in Roman times, it has a population of 55,000, and is known as a tourist destination on the Italian Rivie ...

debut with two songs. She turned to slow emotional love songs for the first time. The song "È vero" ("It's True") reached No. 8 on the Italian charts.

's song " Il cielo in una stanza" ("The Sky in a Room") marked the beginning of the young singer's transformation from a rock and roll shrieker to a feminine inspiration for cantautori.Il cielo in una stanza
Hit Parade Italia. In Italian. Retrieved 25 May 2010 The idea for the song "Love can grow at any moment at any place" had come to Paoli while lying on a bed and looking at the purple ceiling. The single topped the list of annual sales in Italy and reached the Billboard Hot 100 as "This World We Love In". Video performances of the song were included in the musicarellos ''Io bacio... tu baci'' and ''Appuntamento a Ischia'', and in 1990, in the

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack ...

of the film ''Goodfellas''. At the 1961 Sanremo song festival, Mina performed two songs. "Io amo, tu ami" ("I Love, You Love") finished fourth and "Le mille bolle blu" ("A Thousand Blue Bubbles") placed fifth. Disappointed with these results, Mina declared her intention of never performing at the Sanremo song festival again. As her songs and movies were already popular abroad, Mina started to tour Spain and Japan, and performed on Venezuelan TV in 1961. Mina performed on Spanish TV and at the

Paris Olympia The Olympia (; commonly known as L'Olympia or in the English-speaking world as Olympia Hall) is a concert venue in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, France, located at 28 Boulevard des Capucines, equally distancing Madeleine church and Opéra ...

hall at the beginning of 1962. The presentation of her German single "Heißer Sand" on 12 March 1962 on

Peter Kraus Peter Kraus (born 18 March 1939) is an Austrian-German singer and actor. Born Peter Siegfried Krausenecker in Munich, Germany, Kraus was popular especially in the 1950s, notably in those musical comedy films where he played opposite Cornelia F ...

's TV show caused a boom of 40,000 record sales in ten days in Germany. The record went to No. 1 and spent over half the year on the German charts in 1962.Mina. Ready Steady Girls website. Retrieved 21 February 2008 Mina had six more singles on the German chart in the next two years. In a listeners' poll conducted in July 1962 in Germany, Austria, and the German-speaking portion of Switzerland, Mina was voted the most popular singer in the world."Mina ha conquistato la Germania", ("Mina has conquered Germany". In Italian). ''Grand Hotel'', 14 July 1962 In May 1962, she performed in Buenos Aires. Meanwhile, her version of the

mambo Mambo most often refers to: * Mambo (music), a Cuban musical form *Mambo (dance), a dance corresponding to mambo music Mambo may also refer to: Music * Mambo section, a section in arrangements of some types of Afro-Caribbean music, particul ...

rhythm " Moliendo Cafe" and the surf pop "Renato" peaked at No. 1 and No. 4 respectively on the Italian charts. "L'eclisse twist" appeared on the flipside of "Renato", and was used on the soundtrack of Michelangelo Antonioni's feature film '' Eclipse''. In 1963 Mina's TV and radio career was interrupted by

, the Italian public broadcasting service, as she refused to cover up her relationship (and resulting pregnancy) with the married actor

Corrado Pani Corrado Pani (4 March 1936 – 2 March 2005) was an Italian actor and voice actor. Life and career Born in Rome, Pani began his career playing the role of Jesus as a child in a Radio Vaticana radio drama. He made his film debut in 1953, with ...

. Mina's record sales were unaffected and due to public demand, RAI ended the ban. On 10 January 1964 she returned to the TV screen on the program ''La fiera dei sogni'', and performed the song "Città vuota", a cover of

Gene McDaniels Eugene Booker McDaniels (February 12, 1935 – July 29, 2011) was an American singer and songwriter. He had his greatest recording success in the early 1960s, reaching number three on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart with "A Hund ...

' "It's a Lonely Town (Lonely Without You)", which was her first release on the RiFi label. Her next single, "È l'uomo per me", a cover of

Jody Miller Myrna Joy "Jody" Miller (November 29, 1941 – October 6, 2022) was an American country music singer. "Home of the Brave" and "Queen of the House" are her well-known albums. She is a recipient of the Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal ...

's "He Walks Like a Man", became the biggest selling record of the year in Italy. Her new melodic mannerMina nuova maniera
Bella journal, 29 March 1964. In Italian was demonstrated again on 11 December 1964 TV program ''Il macchiettario'', where she performed "Io sono quel che sono" ("I Am What I Am"). A reminder of her previous adolescent image, her single "Suna ni kieta namida" ("Tears Disappear in the Sand"), sung in Japanese, peaked at No. 1 on the Japanese singles chart and earned Mina the title of Best International Artist in Japan.F. Fratarcangeli, "Mina talk", Coniglio, 2005, p. 87. In Italian The first episode of the ''Studio Uno'' live Saturday night series showcased Mina's new blond look with shaved eyebrows. The shows included the brooding songs "Un bacio è troppo poco" ("One Kiss is Not Enough") and "Un anno d'amore" ("A Year of Love"), a cover of

Nino Ferrer Nino Agostino Arturo Maria Ferrari (), known as Nino Ferrer (15 August 1934 – 13 August 1998), was an Italian-born French singer-songwriter and author. Biography and career Nino Ferrer was born on 15 August 1934 in Genoa, Italy, but lived the ...

's "C'est irreparable". In the same series she performed "Brava" ("Good"), a rhythmic jazz number specially written by Bruno Canfora to demonstrate the Mina's vocal range and performing skills. Her '' Studio Uno'' album topped the Italian chart that year. Her recordings of 1965 included the

scatting In vocal jazz, scat singing is vocal improvisation with wordless vocables, nonsense syllables or without words at all. In scat singing, the singer improvises melodies and rhythms using the voice as an instrument rather than a speaking medium. ...

performance of "Spirale Waltz", the theme song for the film ''

The 10th Victim ''The 10th Victim'' ( it, La decima vittima) is a 1965 science fiction film directed and co-written by Elio Petri, starring Marcello Mastroianni, Ursula Andress, Elsa Martinelli, and Salvo Randone. An international co-production between Italy and ...

''.

Independence (1966–1968)

Maurizio Costanzo Maurizio Costanzo (born 28 August 1938) is an Italian television host, journalist, screenwriter and film director. Biography Costanzo began his career as a journalist, first as a contributing writer to ''Paese Sera'' and then as managing editor ...

and Ghigo De Chiara wrote the lyrics of "Se telefonando" ("If Over the Phone") as the theme for the TV program '' Aria condizionata'' in spring 1966. The lyrics were composed in a dark,

Hal David Harold Lane David (May 25, 1921 – September 1, 2012) was an American lyricist. He grew up in New York City. He was best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach and his association with Dionne Warwick. Early life David ...

mode. The serialist composer Ennio Morricone was asked to compose the music. Mina and the three songwriters met in a RAI rehearsal room at Via Teulada, Rome. Morricone started to repeat a short musical theme of just three notes (by his term a ''micro-cell'')Morricone, Ennio. Classical Music Library Biography
SibeliusMusic site. Retrieved 27 June 2007 on an upright piano. He had copied the snippet of melody from the siren of a police car in Marseilles. After a few bars Mina grabbed the lyrics sheet and started to sing as if she had known the tune before. Composed in this way, "Se telefonando" is a pop song with eight transitions of

tonality Tonality is the arrangement of pitches and/or chords of a musical work in a hierarchy of perceived relations, stabilities, attractions and directionality. In this hierarchy, the single pitch or triadic chord with the greatest stability is ca ...

that builds tension throughout the chorus. Morricone's arrangement featured a sophisticated combination of melodic trumpet lines,

Hal Blaine Hal Blaine (born Harold Simon Belsky; February 5, 1929 – March 11, 2019) was an American drummer and session musician, thought to be among the most recorded studio drummers in the music industry, claiming over 35,000 sessions and 6,000 singles. ...

-style drumming, a string set, a 1960s

Europop Europop (also spelled Euro pop) is a style of pop music that originated in Europe during the mid-to-late 1960s and developed to today's form throughout the late 1970s. Europop topped the charts throughout the 1980s and 1990s, with revivals and ...

female choir, and intense subsonic-sounding trombones. "Se telefonando" was presented in May 1966 in a ''Studio Uno'' episode and in August the same year at ''Aria condizionata''. The single peaked at No. 7 on the Italian chart and was 53rd in the annual list of sales. The album '' Studio Uno 66'' featured the song as one of the standout tracks along with "Ta-ra-ta-ta" and "Una casa in cima al mondo". It was the fifth biggest selling album of the year in Italy. In 1966, Mina started working with the Swiss Broadcasting Service and the Orchestra Radiosa in Lugano. She founded the independent record label PDU in collaboration with her father. The first record issued under the label was ''

Dedicato a mio padre ''Dedicato a mio padre'' is an album by Italian singer Mina, released in 1967. It is the first independently produced album through her record label PDU. Track listing 1967 albums Italian-language albums Mina (Italian singer) albums

'' (Dedicated to My Father). Mina's growing interest in Brazilian music resulted in "

La banda La Banda is a city in the province of Santiago del Estero, Argentina. It has about 95,000 inhabitants as per the , making it the second largest in the province. It is the head town of the Banda Department. La Banda is located only 8 km away ...

" ("The Band"), a

Chico Buarque Francisco Buarque de Hollanda (born 19 June 1944), popularly known simply as Chico Buarque, is a Brazilian singer-songwriter, guitarist, composer, playwright, writer, and poet. He is best known for his music, which often includes social, economic, ...

song, which reached No. 3 in Italy. Mina continued to perform on Italian TV, and presented "Zum zum zum" on the spring 1967 variety series ''Sabato sera'', accompanied by the

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

naval band. The series also included "La coppia più bella del mondo" ("The Most Beautiful Couple in the World"), a duet with Adriano Celentano. The title of the song "Sono, come tu mi vuoi" ("I Am, as You Want Me to Be") was taken from

Luigi Pirandello Luigi Pirandello (; 28 June 1867 – 10 December 1936) was an Italian dramatist, novelist, poet, and short story writer whose greatest contributions were his plays. He was awarded the 1934 Nobel Prize in Literature for "his almost magical power ...

's play '' Come tu mi vuoi''. The lyrics talk about the manic attention of the press on an artist's private life. Another hit from ''Sabato sera'' was " L'immensità" ("Immensity"), which was re-scored by

Augusto Martelli Augusto Martelli (15 March 1940 – 3 November 2014) was an Italian composer, conductor, arranger and television personality. Born in Genoa, the son of conductor and composer Giordano Bruno Martelli, Martelli is probably best known for the song ...

and released as "La inmensidad" in Spain and Latin American countries. RAI broadcast the third episode of '' Senza Rete'' ("Without Safety Net") live on 18 July 1968 from the Auditorio A of the corporation's regional headquarters in

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

. The program presented Mina's homage to

Luigi Tenco Luigi Tenco (21 March 1938 – 27 January 1967) was an Italian singer-songwriter. Biography Tenco was born in Cassine (province of Alessandria) in 1938, the son of Teresa Zoccola and Giuseppe Tenco. He never knew his father, who died in uncle ...

, who had recently died. She turned his song "Se stasera sono qui" ("If I Stay Here Tonight") into a rigorous piece of

Se stasera sono qui
Hit Parade Italia. In Italian. Retrieved 31 July 2010 in the score of Pino Calvi. She celebrated the 10th anniversary of her career with a concert at La Bussola, backed by the Orchestra Augusto Martelli. The concert was recorded and issued as '' Mina alla Bussola dal vivo''. '' Canzonissima 1968'' was a Saturday night prime time variety show that aired on

Rai Uno Rai 1 () is an Italian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by state-owned public broadcaster RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana. It is the company's flagship television channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream and gener ...

from September 1968 to January 1969. It was hosted by Mina,

Walter Chiari Walter Annicchiarico (8 March 1924 – 20 December 1991), known as Walter Chiari , was an Italian stage and screen actor, mostly in comedy roles. Biography Walter Annicchiarico was born in Verona, Italy on 8 March 1924 to a family originally ...

and

Paolo Panelli Paolo Panelli (15 July 1925 – 18 May 1997) was an Italian comedian and film actor. He appeared in 55 films between 1948 and 1996. He was married to Bice Valori. Selected filmography * '' Guarany'' (1948) * ''Arrivederci, papà!'' (1948 ...

.Zum zum zum
Galleria della canzone. In Italian. Retrieved 27 June 2007 The orchestrations were scored by the conductors Bruno Canfora and Augusto Martelli. "Sacumdì Sacumdà", Mina's talking and laughing version of Carlos Imperial's bossa nova "Nem Vem Que Não Tem", narrowly escaped a ban by RAI because of its irreverent lyrics. The song was performed as part of a musical fantasy, back to back with "Quelli che hanno un cuore", her intense version of " Anyone Who Had a Heart".Settimana 20 Dicembre 1968
Hit Parade Italia. In Italian. Retrieved 25 May 2010 Another interpretation of a Dionne Warwick song was "La voce del silenzio" ("Silent Voices") by Paolo Limiti and Elio Isola, presented in a live session during the show. "Niente di niente" ("Nothing at All") was her version of

the Delfonics The Delfonics were an American R&B/soul vocal group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Delfonics were most popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Their most notable hits include " La-La (Means I Love You)", " Didn't I (Blow Your Mind Thi ...

' "Break Your Promise". The series also included the songs "Fantasia", "La musica è finita" ("The Music is Over") and the elegant "Un colpo al cuore" ("Heart Attack"). "Un colpo al cuore" ended up as No. 68 on the best-selling singles chart for that year in Italy. Each show was closed by Mina singing "Vorrei che fosse amore" ("Wish It Was Love"), a piece of atmospheric music by

that was No. 50 on the best-selling singles chart for 1968 in Italy. A selection of songs from the series were issued as the album '' Canzonissima '68''.

Mogol-Battisti (1969–1973)

After a break of three months, Mina returned and recorded the song "Non credere" ("Disbelieve"), composed by Luigi Clausetti and Pietro Soffici, with lyrics by Mogol, in April. The single became the third biggest-selling record of the year in Italy. Mogol and his fellow composer

, along with the

Premiata Forneria Marconi Premiata Forneria Marconi (PFM) (translation: ''Award-winning Marconi Bakery'') is an Italian progressive rock band founded in 1970 which continues to the present day. They were the first Italian group to have success internationally. The group ...

on back-up instrumentals, worked with Mina on several songs as a result of the success of "Non credere". The team produced a set of songs including " Io e te da soli" ("You and Me Alone"), "Insieme" ("Together"), "Amor mio" ("Love of Mine"), "Io vivrò senza te" ("I'll Live without You"), " E penso a te" ("And I Think of You"). One of the first introductions of the new repertoire was the ''Senza Rete'' live televised concert from the Auditorio A in Naples on 20 January 1970. The material provided by Mogol-Battisti was the core for five albums. Among them, ''... bugiardo più che mai...più incosciente che mai...'' was Mina's first independent album to reach No. 1 of the weekly Italian charts and was the biggest selling album of 1969 in Italy. ''... quando tu mi spiavi in cima a un batticuore...'' was seventh on the annual record chart of 1970. '' Del mio meglio...'' (''My Best...'') was second in 1971. '' Mina'' was the biggest seller of 1972. The latter two albums were recorded during a break from live performances to give birth to her daughter Benedetta. Alberto Lupo, Mina 1972

Mina's comeback took place at RAI's variety series ''Teatro 10'' in spring 1972. One of the highlights of the series was a selection of Battisti's songs performed in duet with the composer. The shows also included "Balada para mi muerte" ("Ode to My Death"), a

nuevo tango Nuevo tango is both a form of music in which new elements are incorporated into traditional tango music, and an evolution of tango dance that began to develop in the 1980s. Dance Origins Prior to the 1990s, Argentine tango was taught with a didact ...

duet with

Ástor Piazzolla Astor Pantaleón Piazzolla (, ; March 11, 1921 – July 4, 1992) was an Argentine tango composer, bandoneon player, and arranger. His works revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed '' nuevo tango'', incorporating elements fr ...

at the

bandoneón The bandoneon (or bandonion, es, bandoneón) is a type of concertina particularly popular in Argentina and Uruguay. It is a typical instrument in most tango ensembles. As with other members of the concertina family, the bandoneon is held ...

, backed by the Argentinian group Conjunto 9. " Grande grande grande", arranged by

Pino Presti Giuseppe Prestipino Giarritta (born 23 August 1943), professionally known by his pseudonym Pino Presti, is an Italian bassist, arranger, composer, conductor and record producer from Milan. He is a 5th-dan black belt in Shotokan Karate. Pre ...

, was the second biggest-selling single of the year in Italy. The successes pushed Enrico Riccardi to take inspiration from Battisti's style in Riccardi's composition "Fiume azzurro", which earned another place in the top 100 of annual record sales in Italy.Fiume azzurro
Hit Parade Italia. In Italian. Retrieved 25 May 2010 The final number of the eight ''Teatro 10'' episodes was "

" ("Words Words"), a duet with

Alberto Lupo Alberto Lupo (byname of Alberto Zoboli; 19 December 1924 – 13 August 1984) was an Italian film and television actor best known for his roles in swash-buckling and actions films of the 1960s. Lupo starred in films such as ''A 008, operazione ...

. The song is an

dialogue between Mina's singing and Lupo's declamation. The lyrics' theme are hollow words. These intertwine the lady's lamentation of the end of love and the lies she has to hear with the male protagonist's recitation. In the dialog she scoffs at the compliments he gives her, calling them ''parole'' – just words. The single was released in April 1972 and topped the Italian charts. It was covered by numerous Italian and French duets.Parole parole
Hit Parade Italia. In Italian. Retrieved 25 May 2010 Mina said she would be retiring from public appearances after an exclusive concert at the La Bussola Club on 16 September. Thousands of people turned up at the nightclub's doorstep.
Hit Parade Italia. In Italian. Retrieved 31 July 2010
Galleriadellacanzone.it. In Italian. Retrieved 1 September 2007 Gianni Ferrio's Orchestra featured Gianni Basso on tenor saxophone and Oscar Valdambrini on trumpet. Mina lost her husband Virgilio Crocco in a car accident in 1973. She continued her career with the top Italian chart hits "E poi..." ("And Then...") and "L'importante è finire" ("It's Important to Finish"). She recorded the theme song "Fa presto, fa piano" ("Works Quickly, Works Quietly") for the film '' La sculacciata'', issued in 1974.

Since 1974

Mina's last live TV appearance was the final episode of the ''Milleluci'' series on 16 March 1974. Mina was the hostess of the series alongside

Raffaella Carrà Raffaella Maria Roberta Pelloni (18 June 1943 – 5 July 2021), better known as Raffaella Carrà (), was an Italian singer, dancer, television presenter, actress and model. She was well known in Europe and Latin America as a result of her man ...

. During the series, she explored different musical styles in the songs " Everything's Alright", "

Mack the Knife "Mack the Knife" or "The Ballad of Mack the Knife" (german: "Die Moritat von Mackie Messer", italic=no, link=no) is a song composed by Kurt Weill with lyrics by Bertolt Brecht for their 1928 music drama ''The Threepenny Opera'' (german: Die Dreig ...

", " Night and Day", and "

Someday (You'll Want Me to Want You) "Someday You'll Want Me to Want You" is a popular song published in 1944 by Jimmie Hodges. The song became a standard, recorded by many pop and country music singers. Background In April 1951, Hugh O. Starr, an inventor from Steubenville, Ohio, ...

". After "Non gioco più" ("The Game Is Over"), a blues duet with the harmonica player

Toots Thielemans Jean-Baptiste Frédéric Isidor, Baron Thielemans (29 April 1922 – 22 August 2016), known professionally as Toots Thielemans, was a Belgian jazz musician. He was mostly known for his chromatic harmonica playing, as well as his guitar and whistl ...

, Mina announced her withdrawal from public performances. Her last appearance on TV was her performance of "Ancora ancora ancora". The video was the final number of the "Mille e una luce" show on 1 July 1978.Ancora ancora ancora
Galleria della canzone. In Italian. Retrieved 28 June 2007 Her last concert appearances, a series of thirteen fully booked concerts at La Bussola in 1978, were cut short due to her illness. Mina gave her last public performance on 23 August 1978 at the Bussoladomani theatre. It was recorded and issued as '' Mina Live '78''. Mina & Pino Presti Orchestra

Mina continued to release albums on a yearly basis with her son

Massimiliano Pani Massimiliano Pani is an Italian songwriter, producer and composer born on 18 April 1963 in Milan to parents Corrado Pani and Mina. His mother has always aroused great curiosity and interest not only for her career but the events that have charact ...

as the producer. Between 1972 and 1995, she published a double album each year. From 1973, her LPs and CDs have been characterized by artistic motifs of the designers Luciano Tallarini, Gianni Ronco and the photographer Mauro Balletti. From the mid-1980s, the design of the album covers was trusted to Balletti alone. All of Mina's records under the PDU label have reached the Italian Top 100. A large part of her work has consisted of covering well-known songs; she has dedicated tribute albums to

The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

, Frank Sinatra,

Renato Zero Renato Fiacchini (born 30 September 1950), known by the stage name Renato Zero (), is an Italian singer, songwriter, producer, dancer and actor whose career spans from the 1960s to the 2020s. Zero is the only artist to have reached the top of th ...

, Domenico Modugno,

Enzo Jannacci Vincenzo Jannacci (3 June 1935 – 29 March 2013), more commonly known as Enzo Jannacci (), was an Italian singer-songwriter, pianist, actor and comedian. He is regarded as one of the most important artists in the post-war Italian music scene. ...

, the

Neapolitan song Canzone napoletana (), sometimes referred to as Neapolitan song ( nap, canzona napulitana ), is a generic term for a traditional form of music sung in the Neapolitan language, ordinarily for the male voice singing solo, although well represented ...

, and

sacred music Religious music (also sacred music) is a type of music that is performed or composed for religious use or through religious influence. It may overlap with ritual music, which is music, sacred or not, performed or composed for or as ritual. Relig ...

. Starting in 1989, all of her records included the jazzy piano playing of

Danilo Rea Danilo Rea (born 9 August 1957) is an Italian jazz pianist. He is a graduate of the Santa Cecilia music conservatory in Rome. He made his debut with the "Trio di Roma" (with Roberto Gatto and Enzo Pietropaoli) in 1975.Riccardo Giagni. "Danilo ...

. After leaving the stage, her greatest chart successes have been duets. In 1985, "Questione di feeling", a duet with

Riccardo Cocciante Riccardo Cocciante (; born 20 February 1946), also known in French-speaking countries and the U.S. as Richard Cocciante (), is an Italian singer, composer, theatre man and musician. He acquired French citizenship. Personal life Cocciante was ...

, was the 13th biggest-selling single of the year in Italy and became an evergreen (as a hit song is called in Europe). The duet album '' Mina Celentano'', recorded with Adriano Celentano, was the biggest-selling album of 1998 in Italy. The break in Mina's TV appearances lasted until 2001, when she released footage of her recording sessions. The videos were broadcast over the

Wind Wind is the natural movement of air or other gases relative to a planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heating of land surfaces and lasting a few ho ...

internet site on 30 March. This resulted in millions of visits to the site on that night, and additional millions on following days. The footage was released as the DVD ''Mina in Studio''. After that event, Mina's singles started to chart in Italy again. The track "Succhiando l'uva" (2002), written for her by

Zucchero Adelmo Fornaciari (; born 25 September 1955), more commonly known by his stage name Zucchero Fornaciari or simply Zucchero (), is an Italian singer, musician and songwriter. His stage name is the Italian word for "sugar", as his elementary teach ...

, peaked at No. 3 on the chart. Mina's cover of "Don't call me baby (Can't take my eyes off you)" (2003) reached No. 4 in Italy. The single "Alibi" (2007) reached No. 6 in Italy. The triple CD '' The Platinum Collection'' reached No. 1 on the Italian charts. So did '' Olio'' (1999), '' Veleno'' (2002), '' Bula Bula'' (2005), '' Todavía'' (2007), '' Le migliori'' (2016) and '' Maeba'' (2018). Mina's later releases included duets with

Mick Hucknall Michael James Hucknall (born 8 June 1960) is an English singer and songwriter. Hucknall achieved international fame in the 1980s as the lead singer and songwriter of the soul-influenced pop band Simply Red, with whom he enjoyed a 25-year career ...

Fabrizio De André Fabrizio Cristiano De André (; 18 February 1940 – 11 January 1999) was an Italian singer-songwriter, the most prominent ''cantautore'' of his time. His 40-year career reflects his interests in concept albums, literature, poetry, political pr ...

Piero Pelù Pietro "Piero" Pelù (born 10 February 1962) is an Italian singer and songwriter, best known for his work with the Italian band Litfiba. He was born in Florence. In July 1999, Pelù quit Litfiba. In 2000, he released his first solo album ''N ...

, Adriano Celentano, Lucio Dalla,

Joan Manuel Serrat Joan Manuel Serrat i Teresa (; born 27 December 1943) is a Spanish musician, singer and composer. He is considered one of the most important figures of modern, popular music in both the Spanish and Catalan languages. Serrat's lyrical style ...

, Miguel Bosé,

Tiziano Ferro Tiziano Ferro (; born 21 February 1980) is an Italian singer, songwriter, producer and author. He broke through in 2001 with his international hit single " Perdono" and has remained commercially successful since then, in several countries. Ferro ...

, Giorgia and

Seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to imp ...

. In recent years, Mina has been writing a weekly column on the front page of '' La Stampa'' (from 2000 until 2011) and a page in the Italian edition of the magazine '' Vanity Fair'', where she answered fan letters (from 2003 until 2015). Mina continues to publish

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...

selling albums to the present. She alternates pop albums with jazz-arranged projects and other styles, and keeps surprising with new musical collaborations. Meanwhile, her voice and songs are omnipresent in radio and TV commercials, theme tune of sports programs, talent shows (where they sing classics), tribute shows, new covers, and even as samples in the recordings of other artists (for example rapper Mondo Marcio). Although not appearing live, she opened and closed the 2009

Sanremo Music Festival The Sanremo Music Festival, officially the Italian Song Festival () and commonly known as just (), is the most popular Italian song contest and awards ceremony, held annually in the city of Sanremo, Liguria. It is the longest-running annua ...

with her version of the Puccini opera aria "

Nessun dorma "" (; English: "Let no one sleep") is an aria from the final act of Giacomo Puccini's opera ''Turandot'' (text by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni) and one of the best-known tenor arias in all opera. It is sung by Calaf, (the unknown prince), ...

". Her voice was also present, singing a cover in video's by main sponsor TIM, at the Festival editions of 2017 and 2018. In 2016, there was quite hype about a second album of Mina and Celentano together: '' Le Migliori''. It became the best selling album of the year in Italy. In 2018, Mina's new album ''MAEBA'' in 2018 debuted again at the Number 1 spot of the Italian albums and vinyls hitparade.

Musical style and public image

Voice

Mina is a soprano with great agility and a range of three octaves. Swingy and anti-melodic in her early years ("Tintarella di luna", 1959), her singing later acquired high dramatic tones. Louis Armstrong famously declared her to be "the greatest white singer in the world".

Queen of Screamers

Caught up in the wave of rock and roll sweeping across Italy in 1958, Mina listened to American records, and she was a frequent visitor at the Derby Club, the Santa Tecla, and the Taverna Messicana clubs of Milan, which promoted rock and roll music. Mina's repertoire at the beginning of her career included clumsy imitations of British and American rock and jazz songs, while her extra-loud and syncopated version of the song "Nessuno" showcased her excellent sense of rhythm. Earlier in 1958, Domenico Modugno had caused astonishment by raising his hands in the air during his performance of " Nel blu dipinto di blu" ("Volare"). In Mina's first TV appearances she further broke with tradition by shaking her head, hands, and hips to the rhythm. The writer

Edoardo Sanguineti Edoardo Sanguineti (9 December 1930 – 18 May 2010) was a Genoese poet, writer and academic, universally considered one of the major Italian authors of the second half of the twentieth century. Biography During the 1960s he was a leader of th ...

recalled the Italian public's first encounter with the enthusiastic singer as "for many people a memorable experience, ... a revelation." TV host

Mario Riva Mario Riva (26 January 1913 – 1 September 1960) was an Italian television presenter and actor. He appeared in 51 films between 1941 and 1960. Life and career Born in Rome as Mariuccio Bonavolontà, the son of a composer, Giuseppe (Joseph) ...

named her one of the ("screamers"),Coriandoli
Galleria della canzone. In Italian. Retrieved 27 June 2007
Hit Parade Italia for her distinctive

and power. Later, the public called Mina "the Queen of Screamers". Her extravagant gestures earned her another nickname – "the Tigress of Cremona" ().

Grown up

Mina introduced her new sensual manner in her presentation of the ballad "Il cielo in una stanza" in 1960. Three years later, her love affair with Corrado Pani challenged the moral foundations of Italy, a country where divorce was illegal and single motherhood was considered shameful. Thus, her non-conformist choices represented the emancipation of women in Italy, which did not accord with the dominant Catholic and bourgeois virtues prevalent at the time. The subsequent ban from performing on Italian TV and radio channels further developed Mina's image as an independent bad girl, which she emphasized with her choice of song themes. An example was her performance of "Sacumdì Sacumdà" on air after RAI had expressed their displeasure with the song's lyrics about a girl's encounter with the Devil. Other songs that RAI initially banned as immoral were "Ta-ra-ta-ta" (dealing forthrightly with smoking),Mina - Fumo blu (Ta ra ta ta ta ta)
Musica e memoria. In Italian. Retrieved 21 January 2008 "La canzone di Marinella", and "L'importante è finire" (alluding to sex without love).
Musica e memoria. In Italian. Retrieved 21 January 2007 Mina's cool act featured sex appeal, public smoking, dyed blonde hair, shaved eyebrows, and heavy use of eye make-up. The main themes of Mina's songs were distressing love stories. Her style was to interpret them in a highly dramatic way by using gestures and body language to bring the story alive. Mina's performance was typically characterised by expressive intensity, subtle variations, and original phrasing. The music critic Gherardo Gentili has noted her interpretive skills as such: "By Mina, a word became the word, a note became the note." To demonstrate Mina's vocal range, the composer

penned the song "Brava", and Ennio Morricone wrote "Se telefonando" with numerous transitions of tonality. More songs were composed exclusively for Mina and arranged for RAI's all-star orchestras for performance on the TV variety series '' Studio uno'', ''Sabato sera'', ''

Canzonissima ''Canzonissima'' was an Italian musical variety show broadcast by Rai 1 from 1958 to 1974, aired on Saturday evening except for the last two editions in which it was aired on Sunday afternoon. The program was referred to as "the synthesis and the ...

'' and '' Teatro 10''. Mina (alongside Carmen Villani) pioneered by combining classic Italian pop and swing music with features of blues, R&B and soul music, particularly in the songs "Se stasera sono qui" and "Deborah". She helped to incorporate new styles into Italian pop music, including

, as seen in her duet "Balada para mi muerte" with

Mogol-Battisti

When she altered her musical style in 1969, Mina changed her hairdo from short and straight to long blonde curls, and started to wear a black minidress. Mogol's and Lucio Battisti's first songs, particularly "Insieme" and "Io e te da soli", showcased Mina's blues and soul skills. Around the time of their collaboration, Mina turned toward middle-of-the-road pop. Battisti's melodies were sophisticated and had a complex chord sequence. The songs were characterized by frequent changes of rhythm, pauses, and dialogues between the voice and the orchestra. Another characterizing feature was an instrumental introduction without a rhythmic base.

Mina Latina

A fan of bossa nova, Mina recorded in Spanish and Portuguese from the start of her career and currently enjoys a fan base in Spain and Latin America. The Spanish director

Pedro Almodóvar Pedro Almodóvar Caballero (; (often known simply as Almodóvar) born 25 September 1949) is a Spanish filmmaker. His films are marked by melodrama, irreverent humour, bold colour, glossy décor, quotations from popular culture, and complex narra ...

has used Mina's songs in his movie soundtracks. In 2001, Mina published the compilation album ''Colección Latina''. It includes standards in Spanish, as well as Spanish covers of her originals. In 2003, the musical ''Mina... che cosa sei?'' based on Mina's songs was staged in Argentina, starring Elena Roger. It was nominated for four ''

Premios ACE The Association of Latin Entertainment Critics (Asociación de Cronistas de Espectáculos de Nueva York, in Spanish) is a nonprofit cultural organization founded on December 12, 1967. The organization has bestowed the Latin ACE Awards (Premios ACE) ...

'' in 2003 and 2004, among them ''Best Musical'', and won the '' Premio Clarín'' for Best Musical. In 2007, Mina published '' Todavía'', an album in Spanish and Portuguese, which reached No. 36 on the Spanish charts and No. 1 on the Italian charts. It included duets with

, Miguel Bosé, Diego Torres,

, and Diego El Cigala.

Collaborations

Collaborations with arrangers

Tony De Vita Antonio De Vita (10 February 1932 – 14 January 1998), best known as Tony De Vita, was an Italian composer, conductor, arranger and pianist. Born in Milan, De Vita graduated at the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in his hometown. He started his care ...

("Tintarella di luna", "Piano", "Il cielo in una stanza") * Ennio Morricone ("Se telefonando") *

("Vorrei che fosse amore", "Brava", "Sono come tu mi vuoi") *

("E se domani", "Un anno d'amore", "Non credere") (+ several albums) * Detto Mariano ("Insieme") * Gianpiero Reverberi ("Amor mio", "Io e te da soli") * Gianni Ferrio ("Parole parole", "Non gioco più") (+ several albums) *

("Grande grande grande", "E poi", "L'importante è finire", "Fiume azzurro", "E penso a te") (+ several albums) * Alberto Nicorelli ("Ancora ancora ancora") * Paul Buckmaster ("Questione di feeling") *

("Acqua e sale", "Brivido Felino")

Collaborations with other performers

* With Adriano Celentano: ''Acqua e sale - Amami amami - A un passo da te - Brivido felino - Che t'aggia di' - Come un diamante nascosto nella neve - Dolce fuoco dell'amore - E l'amore - Io non volevo - Ma che ci faccio ancora qui - Messaggio d'amore - Non mi ami -

Prisencolinensinainciusol "Prisencolinensinainciusol" (stylized on the single cover as "PRİSENCÓLİNENSİNÁİNCIÚSOL") is a song composed by the Italian singer Adriano Celentano, and performed by Celentano and his wife Claudia Mori, a singer/actress-turned-record p ...

- Se mi ami davvero - Sempre sempre sempre - Sono le tre - Specchi riflessi - Ti lascio amore'' * With

: ''Parole parole'' * With

Alberto Sordi Alberto Sordi (15 June 1920 – 24 February 2003) was an Italian actor, voice actor, singer, comedian, director and screenwriter. Early life Born in Rome to a schoolteacher and a musician and the last of five children, Sordi was named in hon ...

: ''Fumo di Londra'' * With

Andrea Mingardi Andrea Mingardi (born 1 August 1940) is an Italian singer-songwriter, composer, musician, author and occasional actor. Life and career Born in Bologna, Mingardi approached the music at young age, founding the group "Golden Rock Boys" in 1959. ...

: ''Datemi della musica'' - ''Mogol Battisti'' * With Angel "Pato" Garcia: ''Contigo en la distancia'' * With

: ''Balada para mi muerte'' * With the Audio 2: ''Dentro ad ogni cosa'' - ''Rotola la vita'' * With

Benedetta Mazzini Benedetta is a feminine given name of Italian origin, the feminine equivalent of the masculine name Benedetto, a cognate of Benedict. Persons having the name include: * Benedetta Barzini (contemporary), Italian actress and model *Benedetta Bianchi ...

: ''More Than Words'' * With

Beppe Grillo Giuseppe Piero "Beppe" Grillo (; born 21 July 1948) is an Italian comedian, actor, blogger, and politician. He has been involved in politics since 2009 as the co-founder (together with Gianroberto Casaleggio) of the Italian Five Star Movement ...

: ''Dottore'' * With

: ''E l'era tardi'' * With

: ''La canzone di Marinella'' * With Fausto Leali: ''Via di qua - A chi mi dice'' * With

Fred Bongusto Alfredo Antonio Carlo Buongusto (6 April 1935 – 8 November 2019), known by his stage name Fred Bongusto, was an Italian light music singer, songwriter and composer who was very popular in the 1960s and 1970s. Career history Bongusto was born ...

: Medley ''Non ci lasceremo mai - Frida - Sei proprio tu - Doce doce - A Detroit'' * With

Gianni Morandi Gianni Morandi (; born 11 December 1944) is an Italian pop singer, actor and entertainer. Early life Gian Luigi Morandi was born in a little village called Monghidoro on the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines. His father Renato was active within the ...

: Reggio Emilia - Meglio sarebbe - L'uva fogarina (Teresina imbriaguna) - Come porti i capelli bella bionda * With

Giorgio Gaber Giorgio Gaber (), byname of Giorgio Gaberscik (25 January 1939 – 1 January 2003), was an Italian singer, composer, actor, and playwright. He was also an accomplished guitar player and author of one of the first rock songs in Italian ("Ciao ti ...

: Medley ''Porta romana - La ballata del Cerutti - Trani a gogò - Barbera e champagne - Il Riccardo'' * With

Johnny Dorelli Johnny Dorelli (real name Giorgio Guidi; born 20 February 1937) is an Italian actor, singer and television host. Early life Dorelli was born in Meda, Italy. In 1946 he moved to New York City with his family, where his father, Nino D'Aurelio ...

and

Renato Carosone Renato Carosone (; born Renato Carusone; 3 January 1920 – 20 May 2001) was an Italian musician. He was a prominent figure of the Italian music scene in the second half of the 20th century. He was also a modern performer of the so-called ' ...

: Medley ''Scapricciatiello - Pigliate 'na pasticca - Pasqualino Marajà - 'Na voce e 'na chitarra'' * With

Lelio Luttazzi Lelio Luttazzi (27 April 1923 – 8 July 2010) was an Italian composer, musician, actor, singer, conductor, writer, and television and radio presenter. Born in Trieste, Luttazzi began playing the piano at Radio Trieste and composing his first s ...

: ''Chi mai sei tu'' * With

: Medley ''Insieme - Mi ritorni in mente - Il tempo di morire - E penso a te - Io e te da soli - Eppur mi son scordato di te - Emozioni'' * With Lucio Dalla: ''Amore disperato'' * With

: ''Come stai'' - ''If I Fell'' * With

Massimo Lopez Massimo Lopez (born 11 January 1952) is an Italian actor, voice actor, comedian, impressionist and television personality. Together with fellow actors Anna Marchesini and Tullio Solenghi, he has been a member of the comic group known as '' Il ...

: ''Noi'' * With

: ''Someday in My Life'' * With Miguel Bosé: ''Agua y sal'' * With

Milva Maria Ilva Biolcati, (; 17 July 1939 – 23 April 2021), known as Milva (), was an Italian singer, stage and film actress, and television personality. She was also known as ''La Rossa'' (Italian for "The Redhead"), due to the characteristic co ...

: ''Motherless Child - Non arrenderti uomo'' * With

Mónica Naranjo Mónica Naranjo Carrasco (born 23 May 1974) is a Spanish singer widely popular in Spain and Latin America and recognised as one of the most powerful voices of the Spanish and Latin American music scenes. She has performed with singers such as Luc ...

: ''Él se encuentra entre tú y yo'' * With

: ''Stay with me'' * With

: ''Neri - Tutti gli zeri del mondo'' * With

: ''Amore (

Un Uomo Felice Riccardo Cocciante (; born 20 February 1946), also known in French-speaking countries and the U.S. as Richard Cocciante (), is an Italian singer, composer, theatre man and musician. He acquired French citizenship. Personal life Cocciante was ...

album) - Bella senz'anima'' - ''Questione di feeling'' * With

: ''You Get Me'' * With

: ''Non gioco più'' * With the Voci Atroci: ''Suona ancora''

Legacy

Mina has scored 77 albums and 71 singles on the Italian charts. She is the only artist to land an album at the top of the Italian charts in each of the six decades from the start of record keeping in 1965. She released an album every year during 1958–2003, and continues to release new albums and singles. President

Carlo Azeglio Ciampi Carlo Azeglio Ciampi (; 9 December 1920 – 16 September 2016) was an Italian politician and banker who was the prime minister of Italy from 1993 to 1994 and the president of Italy from 1999 to 2006. Biography Education Ciampi was born i ...

presented her with the Second Class of the

Italian Order of Merit The Italian honours system is a means to reward achievements or service to the Italian Republic, formerly the Kingdom of Italy including the Italian Social Republic. Orders of chivalry Italian Republic There are five orders of knighthoo ...

on 1 June 2001.Communication of President of the Italian Republic
1 June 2001. In Italian British singer

Dusty Springfield Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), known professionally as Dusty Springfield, was an English singer. With her distinctive mezzo-soprano sound, she was a popular singer of blue-eyed soul, pop and dram ...

referenced Mina in performance. A number of Mina's songs were turned into hits by singers in other languages: * The first of these was "Piano", scored by

Matt Monro Matt Monro (born Terence Edward Parsons, 1 December 1930 – 7 February 1985) was an English singer. Known as "The Man with the Golden Voice", he performed internationally during his 30-year career. AllMusic has described Monro as "one of the m ...

as " Softly, as I Leave You", which reached No. 10 in the

UK Top 40 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 ...

. In 1964, the song reached No. 27 of the Billboard Hot 100 in the version by Frank Sinatra. * "Se telefonando" was covered by several performers in Italy and abroad, most notably by

Françoise Hardy Françoise Madeleine Hardy (; born 17 January 1944) is a French former singer and songwriter. Mainly known for singing melancholic sentimental ballads, Hardy has been an important figure in French pop music since her debut, spanning a career o ...

and

Iva Zanicchi Iva or IVA may refer to: Organizations * Independent Voters Association, a North Dakota U.S. political organization * Informationsvidenskabelige Akademi, a Danish university * Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences, (Swedish: ''Kungliga In ...

(1966),

Delta V Delta-''v'' (more known as "change in velocity"), symbolized as ∆''v'' and pronounced ''delta-vee'', as used in spacecraft flight dynamics, is a measure of the impulse per unit of spacecraft mass that is needed to perform a maneuver such as ...

(2005),

Vanessa and the O's Vanessa and the O's is a musical group formed in 2003/2004. It was created in New York City when Parisian Vanessa Contenay-Quinones (known for Allez Pop!) got together with Swedish musical collaborators Andreas Mattsson (Popsicle) and Niclas Fris ...

(2007), and

Neil Hannon Edward Neil Anthony Hannon (born 7 November 1970) is a Northern Irish singer and songwriter. He is the creator and front man of the chamber pop group The Divine Comedy, and is the band's sole constant member. Hannon wrote the theme tunes for ...

(2008). * " Grande grande grande", recorded by Shirley Bassey as "''Never Never Never''" in 1973, reached the Billboard Hot 100, UK Top 10, No. 1 of the Australian charts, No. 2 in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

and No. 3 in

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...

with Luciano Pavarotti also recorded a version of the song in 1997 (Released as "I Hate You Then I Love You"). * A year later,

and Alain Delon recorded "

Paroles, paroles "Paroles, paroles" (; "Words, words") is a song by French singer Dalida featuring French actor Alain Delon. It was released on 17 January 1973 as the lead single from her upcoming album '' Julien'' (1973). Lyrics describe the conversation of a m ...

", the French version of "

" and made it an international hit. It became one of most recognizable French songs in the world. * Mexican icon

José José José Rómulo Sosa Ortiz (17 February 1948 – 28 September 2019), known professionally as José José, was a Mexican singer and actor. Born into a family of musicians, José began his musical career in his early teens playing guitar and sin ...

recorded the Spanish version of the hit "Sono, come tu mi vuoi", entitled "Soy como quieras tú". * English musician Elvis Costello used a sample from Mina's "Un bacio è troppo poco" on his album '' When I Was Cruel''. *

Tanita Tikaram Tanita Tikaram (born 12 August 1969) is a British pop/ folk singer-songwriter. She achieved chart success with the singles "Twist in My Sobriety" and " Good Tradition" from her 1988 debut album, ''Ancient Heart''. Background Tikaram was born i ...

covered Mina's " And I Think of You - E penso a te" in English as a track on the album '' The Best of Tanita Tikaram''. * Turkish singer

Ajda Pekkan Ayşe Ajda Pekkan (; born 12 February 1946) is a Turkish singer. She is known by the title "superstar" in the Turkish media. Pekkan became a prominent figure of Turkish pop music with her songs, in which she tried to create a strong female figure. ...

has covered more than a dozen of Mina songs. * In 2010,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

band La Scala released a rock cover of her hit "Tu Farai" with Gretta Rochelle on vocals.Song of the Day: La Scala ft. Gretta Rochelle, "Tu Farai" (Mina cover)
Cover Me. Retrieved 23 August 2010 * Spanish artist

recorded the album '' Minage'' with Mina's covers in Spanish, published on 20 March 1999. The tracks included "Ancora, ancora, ancora", "Io é te da soli", "Fiume azzurro" (as "Sobreviviré") and " L'immensità". Mina collaborated with the album recording the duet "Él se encuentra entre tú y yo" ("He is between you and me"). * Irish dance music artist Róisín Murphy covered Mina's ″ Non credere″ and ′ Ancora, ancora, ancora″ (remixed into extended tracks by UK and Italian DJs) in her 2014 EP " Mi Senti", a reinterpretation of pop classic hits by various Italian music artists. To celebrate Mina's 70th anniversary, the ''la Repubblica'' newspaper held a reader's poll to pick Mina's best song of all time. In a vote of 30,000 participants, "Se telefonando" emerged at the top of the list.

Awards, nominations, honours and records

1958 * Nomination and performance at ''Sei giorni della canzone'' with "Proteggimi" **Second place 1959 * Nomination and performance at ''

'' with "Nessuno" and "Tua" * ''Juke Box d'oro'' Award * ''Microfono d'oro'' Award 1960 * Nomination and performance at the ''

'' with "Non sei felice" and "E' vero" **Seventh place * Nomination and performance at ''Canzonissima'' with "Tintarella di luna", "Il cielo in una stanza", "Folle banderuola", "E' vero", "Na sera 'e maggio", "O Sarracino", "Ma l'amore no", "Violino tzigan" e "Due note" ** Finalist with "Tintarella di luna" ** Finalist with "Na sera 'e maggio" 1961 * Nomination and performance at the ''Sanremo Music Festival'' with: ** "Io amo tu ami" (Fourth place) ** "Le mille bolle blu" (Fifth place) 1963 * Nomination and performance at ''Canzonissima'' with "Il cielo in una stanza" and "Stringimi forte i polsi" ** Finalist with "Il cielo in una stanza" 1964 * ''Best international artist'' Award, in Japan * ''Best Album of the Year'' Critics Award for the album "Mina" * ''Oscar del disco '64'' Critics Award for the album "Mina" 1965 * Nomination and performance at the ''Mostra Internazionale di Musica Leggera'' with "L'ultima occasione" 1966 * Nomination and performance at the ''Mostra Internazionale di Musica Leggera'' with "Ta-ra-ta-ta" * ''Gondola d'oro'' Award at the ''Mostra Internazionale di Musica Leggera'' 1968 * Nomination and performance at the ''Mostra Internazionale di Musica Leggera'' with "Ta-ra-ta-ta" 1987 * ''Targa Tenco'' in the category ''Performer of the Year'' with the album "Rane supreme" 2001 ITA OMRI 2001 GUff BAR

– Grand Officer Order of Merit of the Italian Republic: Awarded the second highest civil honour in Italy, by President

on 1 June 2001. 2015 * ''Ambrogino d'oro'' medal by the city of

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 h ...

Records

* The web event, live on the portal ''Wind'', which portrays some video clips of the artist in the recording studio, has recorded over 20 million hits, and was one of the most followed of all times in Italy. * She is the most charted artist in the Italian charts, and between albums and singles, she has scored 24 number one, 61 top-three, 86 top-five, 114 top-ten and 130 top-twenty, for a total of 79 albums and 71 singles in the chart.

Albums: records in Italy

Singles: records in Italy

Personal life

In her early teens, Mina was a competitive swimmer for the Canottieri Baldesio sports club in Cremona, attended by the elite of the Cremonese bourgeoisie at the time. She met her first boyfriend, a fullback for the

U.S. Cremonese Unione Sportiva Cremonese, commonly referred to as Cremonese, is an Italian football club based in Cremona, Lombardy, which plays in the . History Cremonese was in the Serie A in its first season, 1929–30, but entered a long period of decli ...

football club, at the swimming pool at her age of 16. Mina fell in love with actor

in 1962. Their relationship shocked Italian audiences as he was already married although separated from his wife. Their son,

, was born on 18 April 1963. Owing to Mina's refusal to hide the relationship, the singer was banned from performing on public Italian television or radio channels. As her record sales were unaffected and audiences demanded to see Mina on the air, RAI was forced to end the ban and let Mina return to television on 10 January 1964. Within a year, her affair with Corrado ended. Mina's brother Alfredo Mazzini died in a car accident in 1965. A year later she and her father moved to Lugano, Switzerland. Mina's intimate relationships, however, remained in Italy, as she had a brief affair with the actor

. A later relationship with actor Gian Maria Volonté ended after she found out about Volonté's affair with an actress. Mina's great love of the late 1960s, with whom she had a relationship that lasted three years and almost led to marriage, was the composer

. Her second spouse was Virgilio Crocco, a journalist for ''Il Messaggero'', in 1970. As a result of their marriage, her legal name was changed to Anna Maria Mazzini Crocco. Their daughter

was born on 11 November 1971. Crocco died in a car accident in 1973. Mina became engaged to her current husband, cardiologist Eugenio Quaini, in 1981. They were married on 10 January 2006 in Lugano. She obtained Swiss citizenship in 1989. As required in that country, she took on her husband's last name and her legal name became Anna Maria Quaini. For the public, the Italian civil registry and its Italian documents, however, she still addresses herself as Mina Mazzini, also seen in her website's domain name.

Discography

Filmography

Films

Television

Bibliography

* ''Mina, come sono'' by Gianni Pettenati (Virgilio 1980) * ''Mina, la voce'' by Mario Guarino (Forte 1983) * ''Unicamente Mina'' by Flavio Merkel and Paolo Belluso (Gammalibri 1983) * ''La leggendaria Mina'' (PDU Italiana Edizioni Musicali S.r.l./Curci 1983) * ''Mina. Storia di un mito raccontato'' by Nino Romano (Rusconi 1986) * ''Mina nelle fotografie di Mauro Balletti'' (Campanotto 1990) * ''Mina – Le immagini e la storia di un mito'' (Eden 1992) * ''Mina – Mito e mistero'' by Nino Romano (Sperling & Kupfer 1996) * ''Mina – I miti'' by Antonella Giola, Daniela Teruzzi & Gherardo Gentili (Arnoldo Mondadori 1997) * ''Mina – I mille volti di una voce'' by Romy Padovano (Arnoldo Mondadori 1998) * ''Divina Mina'' by Dora Giannetti (Zelig 1998) * ''Mina'' by Roberta Maresci (Gremese 1998) * ''Mina – Una forza incantatrice'' by Franco Fabbri & Luigi Pestalozza (eds. Euresis 1998) * ''Mina – La sua vita, i suoi successi'' by Gianni Lucini (Sonzogno 1999) * ''Mina, il mito'' (Tempo Libro 1999) * ''Studio Mina'' by Flaviano De Luca (ed. Elle U Multimedia 1999) * ''Mina disegnata fotografata'' – Authors' copyright 2001 * ''Mina: Gli anni Italdisc 1959–1964'' by Marco Castiglioni, Fulvio Fiore, Maurizio Maiotti, Stefania Fiore, Barbara Alari and Maurizio Maiotti (Satisfaction 2001) * ''Mina 1958–2005 Ancora insieme'' by Marcello Bufacchi (Riuniti 2005) * ''Mina talk. Vent'anni di interviste. 1959–1979'' by Fernando Fratarcangeli (Coniglio 2005) * ''Mina... il fascino della tigre'' by Ghea Irene (Lo Vecchio 2006) * ''La Storia della Disco Music'' by Andrea Angeli Bufalini / Giovanni Savastano (Hoepli 2019) * ''Mina, Una Voce Universale'' by Luca Cerchiari (Mondadori 2020)

External links

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References