Gigi d'Alessio
Encyclopedia
Luigi "Gigi" D'Alessio is an Italian popular singer and Neapolitan singer-songwriter.
. Well-known in Naples beginning in the early 1990s and throughout Italy due to participation in the Sanremo Festival in 2000 and 2001. He has also made overseas appearances, the most recent is in Malta
August 11, 2007. He lives in Rome with the popular Italian singer Anna Tatangelo
, who is two decades younger than him. Previously, he was married to Carmela Barbato, with whom he has three children. He frequently writes and produces songs for Tatangelo, and some of the hits he had a hand in writing include "Quando due si lasciano" and "Ragazza di periferia". For Tatangelo's latest album, the couple penned the songs "Averti qui" and "Lo so che finirà" together. The couple have recorded two duets: "Un nuovo bacio" and "Il mondo è mio". They also toured the US and Canada together in October, featuring in successful concerts. He was the writer and composer of Tatangelo's song performed at Sanremo Music Festival 2008, "Il mio amico".
D'Alessio achieved international success with his recent single "Un cuore malato", a duet with Belgian-Sicilian singer Lara Fabian
. He also released in 2007 a version of this song half in Italian, half in Portuguese, named "Um coração apaixonado", recorded with Brazilian pop singer Wanessa Camargo
. The song was included in both D'Alessio's Made in Italy Brazilian edition (replacing "Un cuore malato" with Lara Fabian) and in Camargo's 2007 Total album.
In a late 2008 interview with Italian Vanity Fair
, D'Alessio says that at the beginning of his career from 1992-1997 as his fame grew around Napoli, members of various Camorra
clans would threaten him to sing at their parties and other festive gatherings. He would hear things like, "If you don't come and sing at my son's wedding reception, I'll cut your throat" and "If you don't sing your songs at my nephew's baptismal lunch, I'll bust your head." Some Camorra members preferred to make threats aimed at D'Alessio's nose, legs, tongue, and hands. At one point D'Alessio sang at 15 parties a day from lunch until dawn. After D'Alessio's 7 June 1997 concert at Napoli's San Paolo Stadium, he stopped singing at parties.
Career
D'Alessio was born in NaplesNaples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
. Well-known in Naples beginning in the early 1990s and throughout Italy due to participation in the Sanremo Festival in 2000 and 2001. He has also made overseas appearances, the most recent is in Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
August 11, 2007. He lives in Rome with the popular Italian singer Anna Tatangelo
Anna Tatangelo
Anna Tatangelo is an Italian pop singer, and a judge of X Factor Italy. At the age of 15, she became the youngest person to win the Newcomer's Award at the prestigious Sanremo Music Festival singing contest. She has a romantic relationship with singer Gigi D'Alessio.-Biography:Anna Tatangelo was...
, who is two decades younger than him. Previously, he was married to Carmela Barbato, with whom he has three children. He frequently writes and produces songs for Tatangelo, and some of the hits he had a hand in writing include "Quando due si lasciano" and "Ragazza di periferia". For Tatangelo's latest album, the couple penned the songs "Averti qui" and "Lo so che finirà" together. The couple have recorded two duets: "Un nuovo bacio" and "Il mondo è mio". They also toured the US and Canada together in October, featuring in successful concerts. He was the writer and composer of Tatangelo's song performed at Sanremo Music Festival 2008, "Il mio amico".
D'Alessio achieved international success with his recent single "Un cuore malato", a duet with Belgian-Sicilian singer Lara Fabian
Lara Fabian
Lara Fabian is a Belgian-Italian international singer who also holds Canadian citizenship. Multilingual, she sings in French, Italian and English....
. He also released in 2007 a version of this song half in Italian, half in Portuguese, named "Um coração apaixonado", recorded with Brazilian pop singer Wanessa Camargo
Wanessa Camargo
Wanessa Godói Camargo Buaiz , or simply as Wanessa, a Brazilian pop singer-songwriter...
. The song was included in both D'Alessio's Made in Italy Brazilian edition (replacing "Un cuore malato" with Lara Fabian) and in Camargo's 2007 Total album.
In a late 2008 interview with Italian Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair (magazine)
Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
, D'Alessio says that at the beginning of his career from 1992-1997 as his fame grew around Napoli, members of various Camorra
Camorra
The Camorra is a Mafia-type criminal organization, or secret society, originating in the region of Campania and its capital Naples in Italy. It is one of the oldest and largest criminal organizations in Italy, dating to the 18th century.-Background:...
clans would threaten him to sing at their parties and other festive gatherings. He would hear things like, "If you don't come and sing at my son's wedding reception, I'll cut your throat" and "If you don't sing your songs at my nephew's baptismal lunch, I'll bust your head." Some Camorra members preferred to make threats aimed at D'Alessio's nose, legs, tongue, and hands. At one point D'Alessio sang at 15 parties a day from lunch until dawn. After D'Alessio's 7 June 1997 concert at Napoli's San Paolo Stadium, he stopped singing at parties.
Albums
- Lasciatemi cantare (1992)
- Scivolando verso l'alto (1993)
- Dove mi porta il cuore (1994)
- Passo dopo passo (1995)
- Fuori dalla mischia (1996)
- È stato un piacere (1997)
- Tutto in un concerto (1998)
- Portami con te (1999)
- Quando la mia vita cambierà (2000)
- Il cammino dell'età (2001)
- El camino de la etad (2001)
- Uno come te (2002)
- Buona vita (2003)
- Buona vita spagnolo (2003)
- Quanti amori (2004) ( ITA # 1 - 4x platinum - 300,000+ )
- Cuorincoro (2005)
- Made in Italy (2006)
- Mi faccio in quattro (2007)
- Superamore (2008) (unpublished)
- Questo sono io (2008) ( 2X Platinum - 140,000+ )
- Sei come sei (2009) ( Platinum - 95,000+ )
- Semplicemente sei (2010)