Garbo

A singer-songwriter by nature, yet always restless and creative on both the sonic and lyrical front,

Garbo (pseudonym of Renato Abate, born 1958) has been active on the music scene since

1975, with 23 albums released.

His big breakthrough came on September 21, 1981, the year EMI Italy released “A Berlino… va bene”; on that very same day, “La voce del padrone” by Franco Battiato was also released, likewise on EMI. Garbo would go on to open every date of that memorable tour, at Battiato's own request. The video for the single “A Berlino… va bene”, produced and launched by Carlo Massarini on the show “Mister Fantasy”, broadcast on Rai1, was shot in the German capital itself, at a time when it was still divided between East and West, and therefore not without its share of difficulties tied to the political and social climate of the period.

It was in those years that Italy's new wave movement took shape, with Garbo emerging as one of its leading figures. Garbo continued his career over the following years with concerts and numerous albums, taking part in television programs and music events, most notably the 1984 edition of the Sanremo Festival – where he won the Critics' Award with “Radioclima” – Azzurro, and several editions of Festivalbar (which produced well-known crowd-pleasers such as “Quanti anni hai” and “Il Fiume”).

Starting in the 1990s, he took a more against-the-grain approach, anticipating by years the rules that now govern the record industry, moving elegantly as an “outsider” and releasing his work through independent labels, before eventually founding his own, Discipline Musica. In the 2000s, Garbo kept releasing music at a steady pace, putting out just as many albums, backed by extensive live promotion.

In 2006, he was honored with a tribute album in which figures from the Italian independent scene reinterpreted some of his songs – among them Baustelle, Delta V, Boosta (Subsonica), Andy (Bluvertigo), Krisma, Meg together with Zu, Giovanardi, and Madaski (Africa Unite).

On April 22, 2023, Incipit/Egea released “In the Void”, the new album of original material by

Garbo, his sixteenth album, met with a positive critical reception.