Gianna Nannini (; born 14 June 1954HITALY certificate of incorporation
/ref>) is an Italian singer and songwriter. Her most notable songs include "America" (1979), " Fotoromanza" (1984), " I maschi" (1987), "Meravigliosa creatura" (1995), "Sei nell'anima" (2006) and " Bello e impossibile" (1986). The latter became a hit across Europe, especially in Austria, Germany, Italy and Switzerland.

Early life

Nannini was born in

Siena Siena ( , ; traditionally spelled Sienna in English; ) is a city in Tuscany, in central Italy, and the capital of the province of Siena. It is the twelfth most populated city in the region by number of inhabitants, with a population of 52,991 ...

on 14 June 1954. She has a younger brother Alessandro Nannini, a former

Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

racing driver. She studied piano and composition in Milan in the late 1970s.

Career

Nannini scored her first domestic hit in 1979 with the single "America" and the album ''

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

'', which became a success in several European countries. Her international breakthrough happened in 1984 with the release of her sixth album, the

Conny Plank Konrad "Conny" Plank (3 May 1940 – 5 December 1987) was a German record producer and musician. He is known for his innovative work as a sound engineer and producer in Germany's krautrock and kosmische music scene in the 1970s. Plank was involv ...

-produced ''

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'', which peaked in the top 10 in the Italian, German, Austrian and Swiss charts. The first single from the album, " Fotoromanza", was supported by a music video directed by

Michelangelo Antonioni Michelangelo Antonioni ( ; ; 29 September 1912 – 30 July 2007) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and editor. He is best known for his "trilogy on modernity and its discontents", ''L'Avventura'' (1960), ''La Notte'' (1961), and '' ...

, and went on to win many musical awards. Nannini embarked on a long European tour to support the album, culminating in a headlining gig at the

Montreux Jazz Festival The Montreux Jazz Festival (formerly Festival de Jazz Montreux and Festival International de Jazz Montreux) is a music festival in Switzerland, held annually in early July in Montreux on the Lake Geneva shoreline. It is the second-largest annu ...

. In 1986, her song " Bello e impossibile" was a European hit in Italy, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Her 1987 compilation album '' Maschi e altri'' sold over a million copies. In 2004, she released the greatest hits album '' Perle'', where a number of her most renowned songs were rearranged with the support of musicians such as Christian Lohr on piano (who also had a co-producer credit), and a string quartet composed of Vincenzo di Donna (first violin), Luigi de Maio (second violin), Gerardo Morrone (viola) and Antonio di Franca (violoncello). With this orchestra Nannini went on a European tour from 2004 to 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". In April 2007, Nannini released ''Pia come la canto io'', a collection of songs produced by Wil Malone and originally intended for a rock opera based on the medieval Tuscan character Pia de' Tolomei (briefly mentioned in Dante's Purgatorio) that would eventually be performed in 2008 after eleven months of gestation. An acoustic version of her song '' Meravigliosa Creatura'' (from ''Perle'') has been used in a 2008 advertisement commercial for the Fiat Bravo directed by Matthias Zentner.

Fiat Fiat Automobiles S.p.A., commonly known as simply Fiat ( , ; ), is an Italian automobile manufacturer. It became a part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in 2014 and, in 2021, became a subsidiary of Stellantis through its Italian division, Stellant ...

would later include another Gianna Nannini song, "Aria", in a subsequent Fiat Bravo ad.

Duets and collaborations

In 1987, she performed with Sting,

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and Eberhard Schoener the "Three Penny Opera" by

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known as Bertolt Brecht and Bert Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a p ...

and

Kurt Weill Kurt Julian Weill (; ; March 2, 1900April 3, 1950) was a German-born American composer active from the 1920s in his native country, and in his later years in the United States. He was a leading composer for the stage who was best known for hi ...

at the Schauspielhaus in Hamburg. In 1990, she and

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sang "

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", the official song of the Football World Cup 1990 composed by

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. In September 2006, she recorded the single " Ama Credi E Vai" with

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. Nannini was also featured on

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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 song "In Italia". She also sang the song "Aria" with the Macedonian vocalist

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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

Personal life

The biopic ''Beautiful Rebel'' (''Sei nell’anima'') was released in 2024 on

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

, starring Letizia Toni. It documents her rise as a singer, punctuated by rebellions against her family, record companies and producers, and social conventions in Italy. Nannini obtained a degree in philosophy from the

University of Siena The University of Siena (, abbreviation: UNISI), located in Siena, Tuscany, holds the distinction of being Italy's first publicly funded university as well as one of the oldest, originally established as ''Studium Senese'' in 1240. As of 2022, it ...

in 1994, when in her late 30s. In 1995 she took part in a protest organized by

Greenpeace Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning network, founded in Canada in 1971 by a group of Environmental movement, environmental activists. Greenpeace states its goal is to "ensure the ability of the Earth to nurture life in all its biod ...

at the French embassy in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

against the decision of the French government to pursue nuclear experiments at Mururoa. The test occurred on 27 December 1995. In August 2010, at the age of 56, Nannini announced that she was pregnant (the name of the father was not revealed). Nannini's pregnancy was prominently featured on the cover of '' Vanity Fair'', where she was portrayed wearing a T-shirt with the inscription "God is a Woman". On 26 November 2010 Nannini's daughter Penelope Jane Charlotte was born in Milan. In 2017, Nannini decided to move to London with her partner, Carla. In her 2017 autobiography, entitled ''Cazzi miei'', she revealed she was ready for a civil union with Carla, explaining she felt Italian laws could not give her any guarantee about Penelope's future in the case of Nannini's death.

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

Compilation albums

References

External links

*
Review of Giannadream
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nannini, Gianna 1954 births Living people Musicians from Siena Italian women singer-songwriters Italian women pop singers Italian women rock singers 20th-century Italian women singers University of Siena alumni Italian LGBTQ singers Italian LGBTQ songwriters Bisexual women musicians Bisexual singers Bisexual songwriters 21st-century Italian women singers 21st-century Italian singer-songwriters 20th-century Italian singer-songwriters LGBTQ women singers