Simone Cristicchi

Simone Cristicchi is an Italian singer-songwriter, stage actor and writer. He was born in Rome on 5 February 1977. From a young age he showed a great passion for art, in particular for drawing and comics. He got into this world thanks to the guidance of the famous Jacovitti, with whom he studied for several years. However, his creative streak found another outlet in music: self-taught, he learned to play guitar and began writing his first songs, inspired by Italian singer-songwriters such as Francesco De Gregori, Fabrizio De André and Rino Gaetano.

In the 1990s he formed his first band and began performing in venues around Rome, honing a style that blended folk, singer-songwriter craft and a theatrical streak that would mark his entire career.

After years of paying his dues, his talent was noticed and in 2005 he signed a contract with Sony Bmg. That same year he made his debut with the single "Vorrei cantare come Biagio", a tongue-in-cheek song that, playing on Antonacci's name, pokes fun at the gap between serious singer-songwriters and commercial pop. The track becomes a huge hit and brings him into the spotlight, paving the way for his first album, "Fabbricante di canzoni" (2006).

But it's in 2007 that he achieves full recognition: he takes part in the Sanremo Festival with "Ti regalerò una rosa", a moving letter from the world of mental illness, inspired by his experiences with patients in Italian psychiatric hospitals. The song wins the Festival and receives the Mia Martini Critics' Award, becoming one of the most iconic songs of his career.

After his Sanremo triumph, he releases the album "Dall'altra parte del cancello", a more mature and socially engaged record that delves into themes of memory and the condition of society's forgotten.

Alongside music, Cristicchi develops a strong interest in civic theatre and historical research. In 2010 he stages the show “Li romani in Russia,” a monologue based on the accounts of survivors of the Italian Campaign in Russia. His commitment to narrating memory also leads him to write books such as “Centro di igiene mentale” (2007) and “Mio nonno è morto in guerra” (2012), which explore stories of marginalization and resistance.

In 2013 he returns to Sanremo with “La prima volta (che sono morto),” an ironic song about death and artistic rebirth, and “Mi manchi,” a melancholy ballad that meets with good success.

Next comes the theatre project “Magazzino 18” (2014), a show dedicated to the Istrian-Dalmatian exodus and the foibe massacres, with music composed by Cristicchi himself.

In 2017 he releases the album “Abbi cura di me,” a collection of his best-known songs, enriched by the title track, “Abbi cura di me,” an intense secular prayer that once again brings him to Sanremo, in the 2019 edition.

After some years devoted mainly to theatre and writing, Cristicchi returns to music with a new album and takes part in the 2025 Sanremo Festival with the song “Quando sarai piccola.” Written in collaboration with Nicola Brunialti and Amara, the song is a delicate letter to his mother, addressing the reversal of roles between parent and child as the mother's memories begin to fade. One of the most moving songs of the Festival, it proves a hit with both audience and critics, finishing fifth in the final ranking, though it also draws some controversy for lyrics accused of exploiting pain for effect.