Mr. Rain

Mattia Balardi, from Brescia, better known as Mr. Rain, class of '91, is hardly a newcomer: he started out in 2011, tried his luck on X Factor and has been releasing albums since 2015. The hit “Fiori di Chernobyl” (2020) is the classic turning-point moment, a triple-platinum success that revived his career. An exponent of emotional, melancholy pop-rap steeped in adolescent imagery - even as the years inevitably pass for him too - Mr. Rain reaches a much broader audience with his appearance at Sanremo 2023, performing the song “Supereroi”. He finishes third, then tries again in 2024 with “Due altalene”, placing seventeenth. “Pianeta di Miller” (2024) is his first album as a bona fide mainstream artist.

(Antonio Silvestri)