Luca Carboni

Luca Carboni is an Italian singer-songwriter born in Bologna on October 12, 1962. He made his debut in the 80s, becoming one of the leading figures of the Italian pop scene thanks to his intimate, melancholic style, which blends simple melodies with sensitive, reflective lyrics.

He made his debut in 1984 with the excellent album "...e intanto Dustin Hoffman non sbaglia un film". Launched by musicians such as Ron and Gaetano Curreri of Stadio, and lovingly produced by an exceptional mentor like Lucio Dalla, who lends it his unmistakable imprint, Luca writes almost all of the songs himself. His soft, broken vocals, his thick Bolognese accent, the fairly understated arrangements, and the dreamy, minimal poetics that would become one of his trademarks all made a strong impression on both audience and critics.

"...e intanto Dustin Hoffman non sbaglia un film" contains tracks that stand as generational manifestos, singing of the unease, fears and typical situations of young people in those complicated 80s, as in "Ci stiamo sbagliando ragazzi", or "Fragole buone buone", written with Curreri, or again "Giovani disponibili".

After a first tour lasting four months that took him around Italy, Carboni returned with "Forever", released in 1985, on which he again worked with his previous production team. "Forever" confirms the growth of a singer-songwriter with his own distinctive mark and something to say. Sales double those of his debut album, and the record yields radio hits such as "Sarà un uomo", suspended and hazy, which imagines a pressing near future, urgent changes, recalling the past with affection and emotional involvement ("...stanno già salutando quelli nati senza televisione, stanno finendo quelli che hanno camminato senza scarpe...").

Lasting success arrives with the more elaborate "Luca Carboni" in 1987. Quietly, without fanfare, the Bolognese singer-songwriter writes stories that are both his own and those of his listeners, setting to music and singing the life flowing around and within him. "Silvia lo sai" is the first single released, a huge hit, built on a spare arrangement and lyrics that show, like a photo album flipping quickly past, life slipping away and sweeping us all along, scattering us across the world like poor leaves in the wind. Gaetano Curreri once again oversees production, helping Carboni find a personal sonic signature. Thanks to this, and other songs like "Lungomare", a nocturnal introspection beneath the moon endlessly lighting up the Adriatic Sea, "Farfallina", an intangible, delicate declaration of love, and "Vieni a vivere con me", the record sells more than five hundred thousand copies.

Success is overwhelming, and from this intense experience, which spills over and turns everything upside down, Carboni seems to flee, responding with the new album released in 1988. The “Persone Silenziose” (“Silent People”) are already there on the album cover, drawn by Carboni himself. Those faces you see on the train, or stopped at a traffic light, or in a bookshop. Shy, reserved people, those who live inside their own thoughts, whose silence can sometimes speak louder than noise. The Bolognese singer-songwriter's fourth album is dedicated to them, a journey through these small lives that conceal great intensity, as powerful as storms. Memories, small gestures, bouts of shyness are all translated into music, arranged with restraint and emotion.

This record too meets with excellent sales, paving the way for a long, intense period of live shows.

In 1992 the Bolognese singer-songwriter energizes and entertains audiences with the biting “Ci vuole un fisico bestiale”, an upbeat pop-rock single that anticipates “Carboni”, produced by Mauro Malavasi, co-writer of “Mare mare”, another track that would earn permanent heavy rotation on the radio. “Carboni” sells over a million copies, and sets the stage for another intense live tour, this time with Jovanotti, with whom the Bolognese singer-songwriter will form a lasting and fruitful friendship, and with whom he will release the album “Diario Carboni”, which will in turn become an electrifying European live record.

With the following record, “Mondo”, in 1995, Carboni partly drops studio arrangements, choosing to record live-takes of songs with a strong streak of social critique, such as “Inno”, which alongside “Non è” shows the Emilian singer-songwriter searching for more mature themes and harder, more direct lyrics, recounting hardship and difficult realities, underscored by sounds far less polished and soft than his early productions.

The urge to change and experiment leads to the 1998 album “Carovana”, made entirely by Carboni himself, from which the pensive, airy “Le ragazze” is drawn.

Real, personal life absorbs the singer-songwriter's attention for a few years, and he turns his experiences as a father, partner, friend and son into precious musical material with the album “Lu*ca”, released in 2001.

In the years that follow, Carboni writes, paints, and collaborates with friends and musicians, until in 2006 he returns to the studio with “Le band si sciolgono”, which brings him back together with old travelling companions like Curreri, as well as new collaborations, such as those with Pino Daniele and Tiziano Ferro.

In 2009, with the album “Musiche ribelli”, Luca Carboni pays tribute to those Italian singer-songwriters who, in the 1970s, captured the spirit of their time. Artists who are a cornerstone of our musical history: De Gregori, Guccini, Dalla, Lolli, Finardi, Jannacci, Battiato. The Bolognese singer-songwriter carefully chooses a social and political moment that produced a musical scene of real cultural weight, capable of giving life to songs that paired beautiful melodies with lyrics that left deep marks on people's consciences.

Again with Malavasi, in 2011 he makes the album “Senza titolo”, led by the delicate single “Fare le valigie”.

Two years later, “Fisico e politico” (2013), a collection of hits and unreleased tracks put out to mark 30 years of his career, is also a chance to collaborate with musician friends such as Tiziano Ferro, Jovanotti and Cremonini. Carboni brings in rapper Fabri Fibra for the previously unreleased single that gives the album its title, as well as Ligabue, who writes “C'è sempre una canzone”, along with Battiato, Elisa, Biagio Antonacci, and Samuele Bersani.

“Pop up” comes out in 2015, announced by the single “Luca lo stesso”. Produced by Michele Canova, it is an introspective, autobiographical record. It reflects on the passing of time, sings of love, raises questions about God, moving from pop ballads to funky dance numbers. And once again it is a success, though that doesn't seem to be the main goal of the Bolognese singer-songwriter, always shy and rather private, as much as the need to tell his own story once again, choosing new ways, sounds and words.

On 9 February 2018, the album “Primati” by the band Lo Stato Sociale is released, featuring the track “Facile”, a duet with Luca Carboni, who on 8 June puts out his new album, made up of 9 previously unreleased tracks, titled “Sputnik”, preceded by the single “Una grande festa”. On 2 June he is a guest at the Teatro Romano in Verona for the event “Lucio!”, a tribute concert to Lucio Dalla alongside many Italian artists including Ron, Massimo Ranieri and Gaetano Curreri, duetting with Cellamare himself on the track “Quale allegria”. On 28 September a new track instead comes out, “Imparare dal vento”, which sees Carboni collaborate with Tiromancino, featured on their new album; the album “Fino a qui” is released.

In January 2022, Carboni announces that he is at work on his thirteenth studio album, together with producer Marta Venturini, planning to release it in the early months of 2023. However, he is later forced into a temporary withdrawal from the scene for more than two years, having to undergo treatment to fight lung cancer.

In 2024, after revealing his illness and the two years of forced hiatus due to treatment, Luca Carboni celebrated 40 years of activity with the exhibition “Rio Ari O”, marking a career that began in 1984 with his debut album.