Gala Rizzatto
Encyclopedia
Gala is an Italian
pop
singer-songwriter
best known for her songs Freed From Desire
, Let a Boy Cry
, “Come Into My Life” and “Suddenly”. Gala returned in 2005 to release the song Faraway in both France and Greece, and again in 2009 with the Tough Love album. In 2011 the singer is set to release her new song You Lose Yourself In Me.
and Paul Eluard
’s muse, Gala Dali
, she left Italy at 17 to attend art school in Boston. In 1993 she moved to New York where she photographed the New York City underground scene of artists and club-goers.
“ became an international pop classic. It was recorded between Milan and London and was released by Italian independent label Do It Yourself Records. Her album Come into My Life
, was released in 1998, with 4 singles charting in the Top 20 across Europe, selling a combined 6 million records worldwide.
In 1996 she was voted Best Female Singer of the Year in Italy by the official monthly magazine Musica e Dischi. In July 1997 she was awarded with the "Italian Dance Award" as the best pop-dance artist of the year. Gala has achieved Platinum
recording awards in France and the Benelux and a Gold
record in the United Kingdom. The same year she was nominated for the "Best Dance Act" at the "Mobo Awards" in the UK
alongside: The Prodigy
, Chemical Brothers and Orbital
.
In July 1997 she won “Best Foreign Artist of the Year” at the Midem
in Cannes, France. Between 1995 and 1998 Gala performed on the UK
’s BBC
Top of the Pops
, France’s Taratata
, Les Années Tubes, M6’s Hit Machine, MTV Germany, as well as performing in venues such as Bercy Stadium in Paris and Las Ventas
in Madrid.
In 1998, while performing “Let a Boy Cry
” on Taratata
, she met Prince
’s manager Steve Fargnoli who began representing her. The same year she signed with Universal Records in Italy. After Steve Fargnoli’s unexpected death in 2001. Gala broke her contract with Universal Records and returned to New York.
In 2005 “Faraway” was released in France by EMI
and Greece where it reached #1 on the iTunes chart and #6 in the national charts. “Faraway” was co-produced by Cash Money Records
musician/producer Kevin Rudolf
. It was featured in a Bod Man perfume TV advertisement, aired on MTV
, HBO and was covered by Greek Idol
winner Tamta.
In 2005 Gala appeared on Pink TV and on M6’s Fan De. In 2006 she performed Mega PANN party at the Central Studios in Utrecht
.
The video “I Am The World“ was used in the video installation, “The Song I Love to” by the Argentinean artist Sebastiano Mauri.
In 2008 Gala formed the label Matriarchy Inc, based in Brooklyn, New York teaming up with producer Marcus Bell, drummer Deantoni Parks
and guitarist Joe Friedman. The result of this collaboration, Tough Love, is Gala’s debut album released digitally worldwide on Matriarchy Inc. September 6, 2009.
In 2009 she performed two nights at the Ethias Arena
. In 2010 Gala performed at the Highline Ballroom in New York, at the Palais des Sports
and at the Antique Theater in Arles. The same year she was invited to perform as the only artist at 24h velo de Louvain-la-Neuve.
In 2011 Gala headlined the MNM Party Zone at Forest National
in Brussels and the Dance Machine
tour in France where she performed in Rennes, Paris, Montpellier, Strasbourg, Nantes, Caen, Toulouse, Rouen, Lille, Marseille and Lyon.
and Marcelo Alvarez
on the album “Duetto” and Mario Frangoulis
.
She remains an avid photographer, with many of her photos appearing on her official website.
!Country
!Certification
!Date
!Sales certified
!Physical sales
|-
|France
|align="center"|Diamond
|align="center"|January 16, 1997
|align="center"|750,000
|align="center"|1,013,000
|-
|UK
|align="center"|Gold
|align="center"|August 1, 1997
|align="center"|400,000
|align="center"|
|-
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
best known for her songs Freed From Desire
Freed from Desire
"Freed from Desire" is a 1996 dance song recorded by the Italian artist Gala. Released as the first single from her second album Come into My Life, it was a hit in many countries, topping the charts in France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Israel, Brazil, Greece and Denmark.The track was released in the...
, Let a Boy Cry
Let a Boy Cry
"Let a Boy Cry" is a 1996 song recorded by the Italian singer known under the name of Gala. It was the second single from her second album, Come into My Life, and her third single overall...
, “Come Into My Life” and “Suddenly”. Gala returned in 2005 to release the song Faraway in both France and Greece, and again in 2009 with the Tough Love album. In 2011 the singer is set to release her new song You Lose Yourself In Me.
Early life
Named by her parents after Salvador DaliSalvador Dalí
Salvador Domènec Felip Jacint Dalí i Domènech, Marquis de Púbol , commonly known as Salvador Dalí , was a prominent Spanish Catalan surrealist painter born in Figueres,Spain....
and Paul Eluard
Paul Éluard
Paul Éluard, born Eugène Émile Paul Grindel , was a French poet who was one of the founders of the surrealist movement.-Biography:...
’s muse, Gala Dali
Gala Dalí
Gala Dalí , usually known simply as Gala, was the wife of first Paul Éluard, then Salvador Dalí, and an inspiration for them and many other writers and artists.- Early years :...
, she left Italy at 17 to attend art school in Boston. In 1993 she moved to New York where she photographed the New York City underground scene of artists and club-goers.
Career
In exchange for a photo of a European deejay Gala recorded her first demo. Written in New York and then mailed overseas on a cassette tape, her first demo of the song “Freed From DesireFreed from Desire
"Freed from Desire" is a 1996 dance song recorded by the Italian artist Gala. Released as the first single from her second album Come into My Life, it was a hit in many countries, topping the charts in France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Israel, Brazil, Greece and Denmark.The track was released in the...
“ became an international pop classic. It was recorded between Milan and London and was released by Italian independent label Do It Yourself Records. Her album Come into My Life
Come into My Life (Gala album)
Come into My Life is the debut studio album by Italian Dance music singer Gala, released in 1997. The album was recorded at the Planet Studio in Milan, Italy....
, was released in 1998, with 4 singles charting in the Top 20 across Europe, selling a combined 6 million records worldwide.
In 1996 she was voted Best Female Singer of the Year in Italy by the official monthly magazine Musica e Dischi. In July 1997 she was awarded with the "Italian Dance Award" as the best pop-dance artist of the year. Gala has achieved Platinum
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
recording awards in France and the Benelux and a Gold
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
record in the United Kingdom. The same year she was nominated for the "Best Dance Act" at the "Mobo Awards" in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
alongside: The Prodigy
The Prodigy
The Prodigy are an English electronic dance music group formed by Liam Howlett in 1990 in Braintree, Essex. Along with Fatboy Slim, The Chemical Brothers, and other acts, The Prodigy have been credited as pioneers of the big beat genre, which achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s and 2000s...
, Chemical Brothers and Orbital
Orbital (band)
Orbital are a British electronic dance music duo from Sevenoaks, England consisting of brothers Phil and Paul Hartnoll. Their career initially ran from 1989 until 2004, but in 2009 they announced that they would be reforming and headlining The Big Chill, in addition to a number of other live shows...
.
In July 1997 she won “Best Foreign Artist of the Year” at the Midem
Midem
-MIDEM:Short for Marché International du Disque et de l'Edition Musicale, MIDEM is the world's largest music industry trade fair, which has been held annually at and around the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France, since 1967...
in Cannes, France. Between 1995 and 1998 Gala performed on the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
’s BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
, France’s Taratata
Taratata
Taratata is a French TV show showcasing live and pre-recorded footage of current rock acts. Presented by Nagui since its début in 1993, the show was initially shown on France 2. This show often involves surprise and unlikely duets, as well as brief interviews with the artists...
, Les Années Tubes, M6’s Hit Machine, MTV Germany, as well as performing in venues such as Bercy Stadium in Paris and Las Ventas
Las Ventas
The Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas is a famous bullring in Madrid .Situated in the Guindalera quarter of the district of Salamanca, it was inaugurated on June 17, 1931. It has a seating capacity of 25,000 and is regarded as the home of bullfighting in Spain.This bullring was designed by the architect...
in Madrid.
In 1998, while performing “Let a Boy Cry
Let a Boy Cry
"Let a Boy Cry" is a 1996 song recorded by the Italian singer known under the name of Gala. It was the second single from her second album, Come into My Life, and her third single overall...
” on Taratata
Taratata
Taratata is a French TV show showcasing live and pre-recorded footage of current rock acts. Presented by Nagui since its début in 1993, the show was initially shown on France 2. This show often involves surprise and unlikely duets, as well as brief interviews with the artists...
, she met Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
’s manager Steve Fargnoli who began representing her. The same year she signed with Universal Records in Italy. After Steve Fargnoli’s unexpected death in 2001. Gala broke her contract with Universal Records and returned to New York.
In 2005 “Faraway” was released in France by EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
and Greece where it reached #1 on the iTunes chart and #6 in the national charts. “Faraway” was co-produced by Cash Money Records
Cash Money Records
Cash Money Records is a record label founded by brothers Bryan "Birdman" Williams and Ronald "Slim" Williams. Today it operates as a subsidiary of Universal Music Group, and is distributed by Universal Republic Records as of 2011...
musician/producer Kevin Rudolf
Kevin Rudolf
Kevin Rudolf is an American singer-songwriter and record producer signed to Cash Money Records. Rudolf is mostly known for singing and producing rock/pop music...
. It was featured in a Bod Man perfume TV advertisement, aired on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, HBO and was covered by Greek Idol
Greek Idol
Greek Idol is a reality television competition to find new solo singing talent. Part of the Idol franchise, it is based on the British show Pop Idol created by Simon Fuller. The first season of the show debut on March 5, 2010 on Alpha TV. The second season is scheduled to premiere on 19 February 2011...
winner Tamta.
In 2005 Gala appeared on Pink TV and on M6’s Fan De. In 2006 she performed Mega PANN party at the Central Studios in Utrecht
Utrecht
Utrecht is a city in the Netherlands.The name may also refer to:* Utrecht , of which Utrecht is the capital* Utrecht , including the city of Utrecht* Bishopric of Utrecht* Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Utrecht...
.
The video “I Am The World“ was used in the video installation, “The Song I Love to” by the Argentinean artist Sebastiano Mauri.
In 2008 Gala formed the label Matriarchy Inc, based in Brooklyn, New York teaming up with producer Marcus Bell, drummer Deantoni Parks
Deantoni Parks
Deantoni Parks is a new wave/avant-garde/experimental drummer, songwriter, film director, actor and record producer born in Newnan, Georgia. He is the founder; producer and drummer of the New York band, KUDU, and one-half of the writing duo, Dark Angels with producer and keyboardist Nick Kasper,...
and guitarist Joe Friedman. The result of this collaboration, Tough Love, is Gala’s debut album released digitally worldwide on Matriarchy Inc. September 6, 2009.
In 2009 she performed two nights at the Ethias Arena
Ethias Arena
The Ethias Arena is the largest multipurpose arena in Hasselt, Belgium used for music concerts, sports and other large events...
. In 2010 Gala performed at the Highline Ballroom in New York, at the Palais des Sports
Palais des Sports (Paris)
Palais de Sports is an indoor sports arena, located at 1, place de la Porte de Versailles in the 15th arrondissement of Paris, France. The closest métro station is Porte de Versailles....
and at the Antique Theater in Arles. The same year she was invited to perform as the only artist at 24h velo de Louvain-la-Neuve.
In 2011 Gala headlined the MNM Party Zone at Forest National
Forest National
Forest National or Vorst Nationaal is a multi-purpose arena in Brussels, Belgium. The arena can hold 8,000 people. It hosts indoor sporting events, as well as music concerts, by a wide variety of music artists....
in Brussels and the Dance Machine
Dance Machine
Dance Machine was an American dance game show and competition that premiered on June 27, 2008 on ABC. The show was hosted by Jason Kennedy of E! News. It was created by RDF USA....
tour in France where she performed in Rennes, Paris, Montpellier, Strasbourg, Nantes, Caen, Toulouse, Rouen, Lille, Marseille and Lyon.
Other Work
Gala has also worked as a songwriter for classical musicians like Salvatore LicitraSalvatore Licitra
-Early life and debuts:Born in Bern, Switzerland, to Sicilian parents, Licitra grew up in Milan. He fell into opera by accident. As many tenors before him, he was not altogether confident about his vocal capabilities and started working as a graphic artist for Italian Vogue...
and Marcelo Alvarez
Marcelo Álvarez
Marcelo Raúl Álvarez, , is an Argentine lyric tenor who achieved international success starting in the mid-1990s....
on the album “Duetto” and Mario Frangoulis
Mario Frangoulis
Mario Frangoulis is a Greek tenor and is best known for his song, "Vincerò, Perderò". He sings in Italian, Spanish, English, French, and Greek; he is fluent in all 5 languages.-Early life:...
.
She remains an avid photographer, with many of her photos appearing on her official website.
Albums
| Year | Album | Charts | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FR France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
BEL/W | BEL/F Flanders Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp... |
SWI Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... |
NL Netherlands The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders... |
||
| 1997 | L'album | |||||
| Come into My Life Come into My Life (Gala album) Come into My Life is the debut studio album by Italian Dance music singer Gala, released in 1997. The album was recorded at the Planet Studio in Milan, Italy.... |
||||||
| 2009 | Tough Love EP | |||||
| 2009 | Tough Love | |||||
Singles
| Year | Single | FR France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
UK | BEL/W | BEL/F Flanders Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp... |
CH Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... |
ITA Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... |
AU Austria Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the... |
NL Netherlands The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders... |
SWE Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... |
FIN Finland Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside... |
SPA Spain Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula... |
GRE Greece Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe.... |
ISR Israel The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea... |
BRA Brazil Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people... |
Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Everyone Has Inside | 24 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 1 | — | — | L'album |
| Freed from Desire Freed from Desire "Freed from Desire" is a 1996 dance song recorded by the Italian artist Gala. Released as the first single from her second album Come into My Life, it was a hit in many countries, topping the charts in France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Israel, Brazil, Greece and Denmark.The track was released in the... |
1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 1 | 16 | 6 | 42 | 17 | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | Come into My Life | |
| 1997 | Let a Boy Cry Let a Boy Cry "Let a Boy Cry" is a 1996 song recorded by the Italian singer known under the name of Gala. It was the second single from her second album, Come into My Life, and her third single overall... |
1 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 23 | 1 | — | 11 | — | — | 1 | 7 | 2 | 1 | |
| Come into My Life | 10 | 38 | 4 | 6 | — | 1 | — | 36 | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | ||
| Suddenly | 56 | — | 34 | 43 | — | 4 | — | 85 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–2006 | Faraway | 71 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | — | — | — |
| 2009 | Tough Love | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Tough Love |
| 2009 | Freed From Desire (The UN Remix) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2011 | Lose Yourself In Me | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Certifications
{| class="wikitable sortable"!Country
!Certification
!Date
!Sales certified
!Physical sales
|-
|France
|align="center"|Diamond
|align="center"|January 16, 1997
|align="center"|750,000
|align="center"|1,013,000
|-
|UK
|align="center"|Gold
|align="center"|August 1, 1997
|align="center"|400,000
|align="center"|
|-