Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

 

Incredible but true, Mietta is turning 50 today, Auguri! The Southern Italian beauty mainly known as a singer but also an actress and a writer has been keeping low profile since 2010 when she gave birth to her son but made a comeback with summer hit  Milano è dove mi sono persa , and is ready to relaunch her singing career full time and who knows, maybe we will see her again in Sanremo, too? I have been a fan since her Sanremo debut 1988 with Sogno . The year after she was back and won the Newcomers with Canzoni , and the year later scored massive evergreen with Vattene amore together with Amedeo Minghi (also OGAE Song contest winner). She has returned five times to Sanremo since, last time so far 2008 with Baciami adesso . She won Vota la Voce three years in a row 1989-1991 as the female artist of the year. In 1990's she also started acting in both films and television and has continued to do so ever since. In 2000's she has participated in various reality shows an...

  Born in Saigon and having flourishing careers going on in both Italy and France Cocciante has been releasing amazing songs already for decades. He has enjoyed also fame and success in Spain and South America, especially with Margherita . I came across him in the 80's but really got into him after his Sanremo 1991 win with Se stiamo insieme . In late 90's he has great success with musical Notre-Dame de Paris in France, with megahit Belle . In 1995 he also released a Spanish cover of one of my favorite songs ever, William Sheller's Un homme heureux , that indeed fits his repertoire perfectly. Check out also

  I got to know Amedeo Minghi late 80's and discovered also his back catalogue, even if he really hit on me in the 90's, with collaboration with Mietta being the real turning point. I may have lost him in the 2010's but he has written some beautiful music over the decades, I ricordi del cuore being one of my all time favorite songs that still gives me goosebumps every time. And there's OGAE Song contest winner Vattene amore with Mietta. And a majestic hymn to his hometown, Rome.  Check out also

  Pino Mango is one of my all time favorite artists and fully bloomed in the 90's for me, even if I followed him all the way from early 80's to his premature death on stage during his concert in December 2014. He had his very recognisable own Mediterranean sound with his unique voice. I love each of his albums, some more some less but none of them has left me cold or indifferent. Such a shame we won't be getting any new Mango songs. He's deeply missed..... He also wrote songs to likes of Mia Martini and Mietta among others. Check out also:

Mietta. The one that was supposed to do Eurovision 1990 but then Toto Cutugno, already on RAI's payroll got a job in the very last minute. She was the hottest female singer in the early 1990's collecting awards and top placings in various festivals, released hit albums with songs by Amedeo Minghi and Mango among others before she started to experiment a bit with her music and success vanished. She's done eight Sanremos, winning the newcomers in 1989 and finishing in top-10 five times. She's become an actress and a writer, too, and a mother.  It's been four years since her latest album, she has tried to get back to Sanremo (or so it is rumored) almost every year. Hopefully Carlo Conti will take her this time and relaunch her career big time. And it'd be time she does that Eurovision, too. After all she's got one of the best voices and is one of the most beautiful women in Italy. The world deserves to see and hear more of her! Her latest releases are ...

This is a sad day. Giuseppe Mango, or simply Mango suffered a heart attack last night during his concert while singing his first big hit Oro and didn't survive. Italy has lost one of its greatest voices and song writers. This blogger is particularly taken by the news as Mango has been one of my top favorite singers since his hit Australia back in 1985. Since then he has created his own style and released some fantastic songs full of Mediterranean flavor and heat of the south. The 1990's in particular were fantastic but also in 2000's he scored hits like La Rondine , one of his best songs ever. I was always keeping up the hope to see him do Eurovision one day..... His songs have been covered also my many foreign artists. His wife and mother of his two kids is Laura Valente, once a Matia Bazar singer.....  He also wrote a lot of songs for other artists including Mia Martini , Loretta Goggi , Andrea Bocelli ,  Scialpi , fabulous  Andrea Mirò , Dennis Fantina an...

Italian OGAE has kicked off their selection for the OGAE Song contest 2014 and it's as good an excuse to check out some new fresh Italian musicc as any. Here you go - who's your favorite? The cast includes Sanremo 2014 winner Arisa and Castrocaro 2013 winner Davide Papasidero as well Raphael Gualazzi. Many goodies here but I'm torn between Giorgia and Arisa. But also Moreno, Giusy, Biagio, Perturbazione.... Cremonini.... Syria.... great selection! Greta - L'estate Renzo Rubino - Per sempre e poi basta Cesare Cremonini - Logico #1 Elisa - L'anima vola Arisa - Controvento Davide Papasidero - Adesso oppure mai Moreno feat. Fiorella Mannoia - Sempre sarai Raphael Gualazzi feat. The Bloody Beetroots - Liberi o no Violetta - Dimmi che non passa Giusy Ferreri - Ti porto a cena con me Patty Pravo feat. Ermal Meta - Non mi interessa  Biagio Antonacci - Ti penso raramente Noemi - Acciaio Francesco Renga ...

Tomorrow the 14 Big names will be announced live in TV news at 13.30 local time. The speculations are running wild as there are rumors of some very big names entering the race at very last minute. However, those who know usually have cut the list to 22, and it will be interesting to see tomorrow how right they are - who is among those eight left out, and if there will be names in outside the list?! Out of the Eurovision veterans we have Alice, Raphael Gualazzi and Enrico Ruggeri listed. Besides them previous Sanremo winners include Alex Britti, Dolcenera and Antonio Maggio (of Newcomers), Francesco Renga and Ron (of Big). All are bringing two songs so there might be even guest artists for one of the songs, like Mietta is rumored as Renga's duet partner! Alex Britti is supposed to be in duet with Bianca Atzei while another duet is also listed: Violante Placido and Roberto Dell'Era . Sanremo was won in 1987 by a trio Morandi-Ruggeri-Tozzi and there could be anoth...

Nina Zilli beats Adele and wins OGAE Song contest 2012 for Italy with her Sanremo song Per sempre , the song that was also maybe ment to be her Eurovision 2012 entry. So, Nina Zilli follows Mietta & Minghi, Laura Pausini and Alexia and taken the fourth win for Italy. And this was actually  her second try, in 2010 her L'Uomo che amava le donne came 7th. Here are all the Italian entries so far. And here you can follow the voting. And here you can have a look at all entries Nina beat.

In Italy they have this very popular Tale e quale TV-show on RAI1 were a number of singers/actors each week practice and then imitate in a live show other singers. This season among the ones we have for example Gigliola Cinquetti who has done already another Eurovision legend, Domenico Modugno . She's done also Milva so far. But the real surprise has been Mietta who we know as a dark husky voiced pop singer, winner of OGAE Song contest 1990 and has delivered some great tracks in Sanremo over the years ( Baciami adesso and Fare l'amore for example). The first week she did Ornella Vanoni , then Donna Summer and this week Maria Callas! And who thought she could sing like that???  Mietta won the second show as Donna Summer and came third in the third one as Maria Calla s while Gigiloa Cinquetti won that one as Gianna Nannini ! Next week Mietta will do Jennifer Lopes while Gigilola will be Gloria Gaynor! You can follow the progress of the show here . 

Nina Zilli's Per sempre will be Italy's entry in the OGAE Song Contest 2012 after a voting that you can follow here . In all 45 people voted from Italy and abroad and La Zilli scored 303 poibts against Dolcenera ( Ci vediamo a casa ) 244 and Francesca Michielin ( Distratto ) 240.  The song was first announced as the Italian entry for the Eurovision 2012 but was changed to L'amore é femmina (Out of love ) within days.  Italy has won the contest three times previously, in 1990 with Mietta & Amedeo Minghi ( Vattene amore ),  1993 with Laura Pausini ( La solitudine ) and in 2005 with Alexia ( Da grande ). Finland will be represented by teen sensation Robin with Frontside Ollie . 

The latest possible list of participating artists in the 62nd Festival della canzone italiana di Sanremo is out while the media speculates. Almost certain seems the presence of Samuele Bersani, Fabio Concato, Eugenio Finardi, Francesco Renga and Eurovision stars Alice (possibly with the song Franco Battiato wrote for her new album?), Anna Oxa, Raphael Gualazzi and Enrico Ruggeri. Also Emma Marrone should be certain, this time without Modà who might give it another go as well. Or will it be Subsonica taking the band spot? Then in the incertain list we have ladies Loredana Bertè, Syria, Silvia Salemi, Simona Molinari, Irene Fornaciari, Nina Zilli, L'Aura and Arisa. Then there's a alk about Morgan (again), Povia, Paola Turci, Dolcenera, Marina Rei, Mariella Nava, Marco Carta, Valerio Scanu, Virginio, Annalisa, Marco Mengoni and Noemi. A surprise name could be Teresa Del Sio. We have also three names that have said "No": Patty Pravo (the nasty rumours say she's has re...

Not all reality and talent shows gain audience and make stars. Star Academy in Italy promised a lot but will now fade away and close next week in a hurry. The third episode this week all of sudden turned into a semifinal and five singers were sent home. Next Thursday the final with ten singers and definitive closing of the show, also named as the saddest talent show in TV-history... Italian Eurovision fans are a bit worried this might put in danger the Italian Eurovision as well as its also on RaiDue channel and this flop might make the bosses think music contest just isn't the way to go after all....

Mietta is one of the chosen mentors in Italian Star Academy. She won Sanremo 1989 newcomers and has since been active in Italian music business as a singer and she is known to give a hand for new young songwriters by recording their songs. And no need to mention she is one of my favourite singers! She is joined by another Sanremo newcomers winner Syria ( 1996 ), Sanremo winner Ron of the same year and Gianluca Grignani who also has 20+ years of experience as a recording artists and teenage heartthrob. The jurors of the show are legendary singer Ornella Vanoni , one of the best show girls around Lorella Cuccarini and Nicola Savino who's a radio and Tv personality as well as imitator. And as the rumour and speculation is Star Academy might provide the possible Italian entrant for the Eurovision 2012...  The other rumour is Mietta was destined for Eurovision 1990 but as RAI was pulling it till the last minute she had to turn down the offer as her career was taking off big time in...

To continue with yesterday's Mango post here is some more of him for you! I discovered he has been covered both in Greece by Eleftheria Arvanitaki and in France by Helene Segara besides the several local Italian covers I already knew. That great female artists want to cover him is nothing new as already back in 1976 Mia Martini did Se mi sfiori and over the decades Patty Pravo , Loretta Goggi , Mina, Mietta, Leo Sayer , Neri per caso , Scialpi and Wender ft Saretta have covered his songs. Besides that he has written songs to Mietta , Loredana Bertè , Andrea Bocelli , Andrea Mirò and Dennis Fantina , just to name a few. And he himself has covered many songs by other artists, like Franco Battiato for example. And this is Mango, too. And if pnly one day Mango would collaborate with Alice....

The OGAE Italy has voting going on for their represant for the 2011 OGAE Song contest. It's a good selection of what's in the pop market in Italy so here they are: 1. Modà - La notte 2. Emma - Cullami 3. Paola & Chiara - Milleluci 4. Jovanotti - Tutto l'amore che ho 5. Alessandra Amoroso - La mia storia con te 6. Noemi - Vuoto a perdere 7. Litfiba - Sole nero 8. Nathalie - In punta di piedi 9. Cesare Cremonini & Malika Ayane - Hello! 10. Paola & Chiara - Pioggia d'estate 11. Anna Oxa ft Ivano Fossati - Tutto l'amore intorno 12. Davide Mogavero - Il tempo migliore 13. Annalisa - Diamante lei e luce lui 14. Gianna Nannini - Ogni tanto 15. Dolcenera - Il sole di domenica 16. Marco Mengoni - In un giorno qualunque Italy has won the OGAE song contest three times. First in 1990 with Vattene amore by Mietta and Amedeo Minghi, then three years later with Laura Pausini's La solitudine and then again in 2005 with Alexia's Da grande . Who do you think...

As always I spent some time in recordstores in Rome - unfortunately I missed a visit to Discoteca Laziale - and also found all I had on my list with the exception of the new Mango album as it was only released after I moved to out of town to continue my holidays. And I skipped Nathalie that I regret a bit now. Well, next time! Anyways here's what I got: Giuni Russo - A casa di Ida Rubinstein 2011 This is pretty fabulous piece of work. I have the original A casa di Ida Rubinstein LP from the 1980's but this CD version has been remastered and as a bonus there's a live DVD of her concert, including also other songs like L'addio , Nomadi and Il re del mondo that all sound fantastic live. But my favourite of them all is Fenesta che lucive . A must for a Giuni Russo fans. Mietta - Due soli Mietta is back with a very good album including already two singles, Due soli and Io no . I also like Che colpa ho , Ecco perchè , Angoli diversi e Cadono gemme a lot. I don't kn...