Lorenzo Fragola (born 26 April 1995) is an Italian singer-songwriter. He rose to fame after winning the
eighth season of the Italian talent show ''
X Factor
''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–200 ...
''. His winner's single, "The Reason Why", debuted atop the
Italian Singles Chart
The Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana (FIMI) or the Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy. It was established in 1992, when ...
, and was later certified double platinum by the
Federation of the Italian Music Industry
The Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana (FIMI) or the Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy. It was established in 1992, when ...
.
Fragola competed both in the
65th and
66th Sanremo Music Festival, performing the songs "Siamo uguali" and "Infinite volte", and placing tenth and fifth, respectively. Both his debut album ''1995'', released in Italy on 31 March 2015, and its follow-up, ''Zero Gravity'' (2016) debuted atop the Italian Albums Chart.
Biography
1995–2012: Early birds
Lorenzo Fragola was born in
Catania
Catania (, , , Sicilian and ) is the second-largest municipality on Sicily, after Palermo, both by area and by population. Despite being the second city of the island, Catania is the center of the most densely populated Sicilian conurbation, wh ...
, Sicily, on 26 April 1995. His parents divorced when he was three. Since then, he lived with his mother and brother.
His interest in music was encouraged by his father, who plays piano. As a child, Fragola started to take music lessons, and he subsequently entered a
choir
A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...
. Despite writing songs since a few years, he refused to sing them to an audience until when he was 17, when he composed and performed a song for a musical based on the film ''
Shakespeare in Love
''Shakespeare in Love'' is a 1998 period romantic comedy film directed by John Madden, written by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard, and produced by Harvey Weinstein. It stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush, Colin Firth, B ...
''.
[
After completing high school, Fragola moved to ]Bologna
Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...
, where he started studying Arts, Music and Entertainment.[
]
2013–14: ''X Factor'' and career breakthrough
In 2013, he auditioned for the seventh series of the Italian talent show ''X Factor
''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–200 ...
'', but he failed to pass the first selection. He tried once again to enter the competition in 2014, when he performed Domenico Modugno
Domenico Modugno (; 9 January 1928 – 6 August 1994) was an Italian singer, actor and, later in life, a member of the Italian Parliament. He is known for his 1958 international hit song " Nel blu dipinto di blu", for which he received the fir ...
's "Cosa sono le nuvole" and his own song "The Reason Why". As a result, he was chosen as one of the contestants of the eighth series of ''X Factor''. Mentioned by Italian rapper Fedez
Federico Leonardo Lucia (born 15 October 1989), better known by the stage name Fedez (), is an Italian rapper, singer-songwriter, social media personality, and businessman. In 2011, he released the albums ''Penisola che non c'è'' and ''Il mio pr ...
, Fragola reached the final of the competition and, on 11 December 2014, he was announced the winner, beating runner-up Madh.
His prize was a recording contract with Sony Music, with a stated value of €300,000.
During the week preceding the final of ''X Factor'', Fragola's debut single, as well as the new song performed by the remaining semi-finalists, was released to Italian radio stations and as a digital download. Titled "The Reason Why", the song immediately achieved commercial success, reaching the top position of the Italian chart during its first week.[ ] The single was also certified double-platinum by the Federation of the Italian Music Industry
The Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana (FIMI) or the Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy. It was established in 1992, when ...
, denoting sales in excess of 60,000 units.
The song was later included in his self-titled EP, released by Sony Music
Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the ...
on 12 December 2014. In December of the same year, Fragola appeared in the music video for the song "Sayonara", released by ''X Factor'' runner-up Madh.
Shortly after, Fragola signed a deal with Newtopia, the recording company co-founded by his former ''X Factor'' mentor, Fedez. According to the deal, Fragola is now co-managed by Newtopia and Sony Music.
2015: Sanremo Music Festival and debut album
In February 2015, Fragola competed in the "Big Artists" section of the 65th Sanremo Music Festival, performing the song "Siamo uguali", co-written with Fedez and Fausto Cogliati. During the contest, Fragola also performed a cover of Ron Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald.
Ron or RON may also refer to:
Arts and media
* Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character
* Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character
*Ron Douglas, the protagonist in '' Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe ...
's "Una città per cantare", which is an Italian adaptation of "The road", originally recorded by Jackson Browne
Clyde Jackson Browne (born October 9, 1948) is an American rock musician, singer, songwriter, and political activist who has sold over 30 million albums in the United States.
Emerging as a teenage songwriter in mid-1960s Los Angeles, he had his ...
.
After reaching the final, he finished in tenth place.
Fragola's debut album, ''1995'', was released on 31 March 2015.
The album, composed of both Italian-language and English-language songs, includes both his previous singles, "The Reason Why" and "Siamo uguali", as well as tracks co-written by Nek
Filippo Neviani (born 6 January 1972), known by his stage name Nek, is an Italian singer-songwriter and musician. Nek is popular in Italy and throughout the Spanish-speaking world, and has performed and released most of his albums in both Italia ...
, Rebecca Ferguson
Rebecca Louisa Ferguson Sundström (born 19 October 1983) is a Swedish actress. Ferguson began her television acting career in 1999 with the Swedish soap opera ''Nya tider'' and made her motion picture acting debut in 2004 with the Swedish slash ...
and Tom Odell
Thomas Peter Odell (born 24 November 1990) is an English singer-songwriter. He released his debut extended play, ''Songs from Another Love'', in 2012. He won the 2013 BRIT Awards, BRITs Critics' Choice Award in early 2013. Odell's debut studio ...
, among the others. ''1995'' debuted at number one on the Italian Albums Chart
The Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana (FIMI) or the Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy. It was established in 1992, when ...
. It also spawned the singles "The Rest", released in April 2015, and "#fuori c'è il sole", which became a top-ten hit in Italy during the summer of 2015.[ On 29 June 2015, Fragola performed a show at the ]PalaLottomatica
Palazzo dello Sport or PalaEUR, formerly known as PalaLottomatica, is a multi-purpose sports and entertainment arena in Rome, Italy. It is located in the heart of the well known modern EUR complex. The arena hosted the 1960 Olympic basketball ...
in Rome, titled ''Fragola al cinema'' and broadcast live in 180 Italian theatres. The show, including Francesca Michielin
Francesca Michielin (, ; born 25 February 1995) is an Italian singer-songwriter. She rose to fame after winning the X Factor (Italian season 5), fifth season of the Italian talent show ''X Factor (Italian TV series), X Factor'', she published fiv ...
, Rocco Hunt, Chiara and Nek
Filippo Neviani (born 6 January 1972), known by his stage name Nek, is an Italian singer-songwriter and musician. Nek is popular in Italy and throughout the Spanish-speaking world, and has performed and released most of his albums in both Italia ...
as musical guests, was a preview of 1995 il Tour, Fragola's first Italian concert tour, which debuted in Autumn of the same year.
2016: ''Zero Gravity''
In February 2016, Fragola competed for the second year in a row in the Sanremo Music Festival
The Sanremo Music Festival ( ), officially the Italian Song Festival (), is the most popular Italian song contest and awards ceremony, held annually in the city of Sanremo, Liguria, organized and broadcast by (RAI). It is the longest-running ...
. He performed the song "Infinite volte", which reached the fifth position in the Big Artists section. The song preceded Fragola's second studio album, ''Zero Gravity'', which was released on 11 March 2016. The album became his second number-one on the Italian Albums Chart. It also spawned the singles "Luce che entra" and "D'improvviso", certified gold and platinum in Italy, respectively.[
On 21 May 2016, Fragola performed the ]Italian national anthem
"" (; ) is a patriotic song written by Goffredo Mameli and set to music by Michele Novaro in 1847, currently used as the national anthem of Italy. It is best known among Italians as the "" (; ), after the author of the lyrics, or "" (; ), from ...
during the 68th Coppa Italia Final at the Stadio Olimpico
Stadio Olimpico (; ), colloquially known as l'Olimpico (The Olympic), is an Italian multi-purpose sports venue located in Rome. Seating over 70,000 spectators, it is the largest sports facility in Rome and the second-largest in Italy, after ...
in Rome.
Personal life
In 2014, when he was selected as one of the contestants of the eighth series of ''X Factor'', Fragola was engaged with his girlfriend, Federica Consiglio. During an interview released to the Italian edition of '' Vanity Fair'', Fragola stated he considered himself "as if he was married to her", since the couple started living together immediately after completing high school, splitting their time between Bologna
Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...
, where he was studying Arts, Music and Entertainment, and Modena
Modena (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena, in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It has 184,739 inhabitants as of 2025.
A town, and seat of an archbis ...
, where she studies Biotechnology.[ However, in late December 2014, Consiglio announced through a Facebook post the couple had split on 17 December of the same year.]
Discography
Studio albums
EPs
Singles
As lead artist
As featured artist
Other charted songs
Album appearances
Music videos
Sanremo Music Festival entries
Awards and nominations
References
External links
Lorenzo Fragola
at Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fragola, Lorenzo
1995 births
21st-century Italian male singers
Italian pop singers
Living people
The X Factor winners
X Factor (Italian TV series) contestants
Musicians from Catania
English-language singers from Italy