Fiorella Mannoia

Fiorella Mannoia is one of the leading voices in Italian song of the last forty years, with a vast repertoire of songs and covers built up thanks also to prestigious collaborations.

She was born on April 4, 1954 in Rome, daughter of stuntman Luigi. She began working by following the career of her father, her sister Patrizia and her brother Maurizio Stella, acting as a stand-in for Lucia Mannucci and as a stunt-girl in Daniele D'Anza's 1968 film "Non cantare, spara".

After also working as a stand-in for Candice Bergen and Monica Vitti, she made her musical debut at the Castrocaro Festival, singing Adriano Celentano's song "Un bimbo sul leone"; although she didn't win, Fiorella earned her first recording contract with the label Carisch, which within two years allowed her to release the singles "Ho saputo che partivi" and "Ciliegie". After taking part with "Gente qua, gente là" in the 1969 edition of "Un disco per l'estate", she released "Mi piace quel ragazzo lì".

These are records that showcase the young singer's vocal talent, while not hiding an evident beat-music sound. Sales figures, however, were unremarkable, to the point that today those songs are considered genuine collector's rarities. Having become involved with guitarist Memmo Foresi, she signed a contract with Vincenzo Micocci and It Records, before releasing "Mannoia Foresi & Co" for Rca: the single "Prologo" was taken from the album. More famous is the following single, titled "Ninna Nanna", due to the censorship imposed on the lyrics of "Rose", the B-side track. The record was consequently withdrawn and reissued in a new version. After leaving Rca, Fiorella signed with Ricordi, which allowed her to release "Piccolo", "Tu amore mio" and above all "Scaldami", in which she displayed a sexy, almost transgressive image of herself.

The Eighties marked her entry into Cgd, through Pierangelo Bertoli's album "Certi momenti": thanks to the duet on "Pescatore", Mannoia managed to become known throughout Italy. In 1981 she then took part in Sanremo with the song "Caffè nero bollente", which brought her immediate success. After "E muoviti un po'", written by Valerio Liboni and presented at Festivalbar, she recorded albums produced by Mario Lavezzi and moved to Ariston.

In 1984 she returned to Sanremo with Maurizio Piccoli and Renato Pareti's song "Come si cambia": thanks to this track, the artist realized that singing was her true calling, and it's no coincidence that in the same year she won the final of "Premiatissima '84" with Riccardo Cocciante's "Margherita", beating out Patty Pravo, Iva Zanicchi and Marcella Bella. 1985 was the year of "Momento delicato", from which "L'aiuola" was taken: the song, written by Mogol, came second at Festivalbar. The following year Salvetti's event welcomed her again with "Sorvolando Eilat", from the LP "Fiorella Mannoia".

Having left Ariston, Fiorella Mannoia moved to DDD and continued her run of success: she won Sanremo's Critics' Award for two years running with "Quello che le donne non dicono" and "Le notti di maggio", in 1987 and 1988, written respectively by Enrico Ruggeri and Ivano Fossati. Also in 1988 came the album "Canzoni per parlare", which includes "I dubbi dell'amore", again written by Ruggeri; the decade closed with "Di terra e di vento", which includes the Italian-language version of "O que sera" and, above all, "Cuore di cane".

The Nineties, meanwhile, opened with "I treni a vapore", an album full of notable hits: alongside "I venti del cuore", standouts include "Il cielo d'Irlanda" (written by Massimo Bubola), "Inevitabilmente" (part of the soundtrack to Nanni Moretti's film "Caro diario") and "Tutti cercano qualcosa" (written by Francesco De Gregori). Less noticed, however, was "Gente Comune", a 1994 album that nonetheless featured collaborations with Samuele Bersani ("Crazy boy"), Caetano Veloso ("Il culo del mondo") and Francesco De Gregori ("Giovanna D'Arco"). Other important collaborations can be found in 1998's "Belle speranze": Gianmaria Testa and Daniele Silvestri are two of the most notable names.

Fiorella Mannoia's first live album (a double) was released in 1999, titled "Certe piccole voci": it also includes a cover of Vasco Rossi's song "Sally". The album was a great success: besides topping the album sales chart, it also achieved double platinum status. After the albums "Fragile" and "In tour" (the latter recorded live with Ron, Francesco De Gregori and Pino Daniele), in 2003 Mannoia starred in Ambrogio Lo Giudice's romantic comedy "Prima dammi un bacio". The album "Concerts" and the DVD "Due anni di concerti" preceded her appearance at Live 8 in Rome (where she performed "Mio fratello che guardi il mondo", "Clandestino" and "Sally") and her appointment as Officer of the Order of Merit by President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi.

A clear shift towards Brazilian popular music can be seen in "Onda tropicale", on which Mannoia duets with artists such as Carlinhos Brown, Gilberto Gil and Adriana Calcanhotto, while 2007 was marked by the release of "Canzoni nel tempo", a collection of previously released songs enriched with covers of "Io che amo solo te" and "Dio è morto". After seven years, 2008 saw the release of her first album of new material, "Il movimento del dare", notable for its collaborations with Pino Daniele, Ivano Fossati and Franco Battiato.

Godmother, in 2009, of “Amiche per l'Abruzzo”, a charity event dedicated to the victims of the L'Aquila earthquake staged in Milan at the Meazza stadium, Fiorella duets with Noemi on “L'amore si odia” and releases “Ho imparato a sognare”, on which she reinterprets songs by contemporary artists such as Tiziano Ferro, Cesare Cremonini and Negrita. 2010 is the year of “Capolavori”, a six-album collection, but also of three Wind Music Awards and the single “Se veramente Dio esisti”.

On 24 January 2012 the album of new material “Sud” is released, preceded by the singles “Io non ho paura” and “Non è un film”, and followed by the “Sud tour”.

A five-time winner of the “Targa Tenco”, Fiorella Mannoia is known for her contralto vocal register, and for her duets she tends to favour voices of the same type (Noemi and Paola Turci, for example).

On 23 September 2016 the single “Combattente” is released, anticipating the album of the same name, released on 4 November. At the end of 2016 her participation in the 2017 Sanremo Festival is announced, with the song “Che sia benedetta”. At the end of the contest she comes second, behind winner Francesco Gabbani.

On 6 November 2020 the new album is released: “Padroni di niente”. The album, made up of 8 tracks, stems from the reflections sparked during the first lockdown of 2020. It is preceded by the single “Chissà da dove arriva una canzone”, written by Ultimo and presented in September. On 14 November the second extract, “Padroni di Niente”, is released, yet another gem from the Amara-Mannoia duo. Both singles come with an official video.

On 15 and 22 January 2021 she returns to Rai 1 with “La musica che gira intorno”, a show that takes its title from the song by Ivano Fossati. On 3 December 2023 Fiorella Mannoia's participation in the 2024 Sanremo Festival was announced.

Since February 2021 she has been married to Carlo Di Francesco (music producer and a well-known face on the TV show “Amici”); the couple had already been together for fifteen years.

In 2024 comes Fiorella Mannoia's new album, titled “Disobbedire”. Across its nine tracks, a portrait of the singer and the woman. An album celebrating the artist's 70th birthday, bringing together songs - some penned by Fiorella herself - that blend love and awareness, hope and protest. Tracks that look at our times, in which music becomes a voice for cultural and social commitment.

(Source: biografieonline.it)