Gianna Nannini
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Her voice - angry, accusing, tender, rough, loving - is her trademark. She rocks. She rolls. She storms across Europe. She's a millionseller - Gianna Nannini. Italy's most successful female artist, Gianna Nan- nini has spent her fifteen year career attacking taboos, breaking down barriers and crossing international borders to become the "prima - donna" of European rock. For millions she is simply - Giannissima. Gianna is also a relentless worker, a bundle of energy radiating power, sensi- GIANNA tivity and sensuality, to which her sold -out concerts, a dozen albums and her impressive list of hit singles, including her latest hit, "Sorridi", from last year's "Scandalo" album, readily testify. tial#1111! Her voice - angry, accusing, tender, rough, loving - is her trademark. Her intensity, credibility and unique amalgamation of strength and vulnerability are what have endeared her to an ever-growing legion of fans, young and old, throughout the continent. Gianna Nannini has gold and platinum records in abundance. She has been honored with numerous awards, including Female Artist of the Year. She writes her own lyrics, which are considered to be among the most innovative that Italy has to offer. She composes not only most of her own songs, but film sound- tracks as well. She has also worked with the likes of such internationally re- nowned figures as Conny Plank, Sting and Dieter Meier. But most important of all, she has reached the hearts of not only a vast number of Italians, but also of hundreds of thousands of fans who, while not neccessarily understanding all of her lyrics, are enraptured by the honesty anti directness of her rock 'n' roll. Rock, however, was not always Gianna Nannini's thing. Born in the medieval setting of Siena, Italy, cozily nestled in the enchanting province of Tuscany, on 14 June, 1956, Gianna soon discovered her love for music, and began taking piano lessons at the age of thirteen. True to her "Gemini" nature, rebellion and self-confidence motivated Gianna to leave her family behind her at the age of nineteen. Moving to Milan, she was finally in a position to take command of her career, which she had decided to dedicate to music. She began playing in small clubs, and developing her writing talents. Accompanying herself on the piano, Gianna released her debut LP, "Gianna Nannini", in 1976. Her lyrics were criti- cal, revealing, honest, and very autobiographical. Due to her outspokenness, the singer/songwriter Gianna Nannini was given the spotlight at many of the concerts organized by feminist groups in all of the large Italian cities through- out 1977. "Una Radura", her second albbm, on which she was accompanied by some of Italy's most well known musicians (Premiata Forneria Marconi a.k.a. PFM), was released in 1978. The signs of growth Were already evident. The sin- ger/songwriter image was becoming too confining. Gianna's adventurousness and curiosity finally prevailed in 1979, when she set off for the United States to find the roots of rock music. Despite her dis- appointment in what she saw and experienced in the "land of unlimited oppor- tunities", Gianna nevertheless discovered the roots of her own rock deep within herself, and has succeeded in finding a very mediterranean - no, a very interna- tional - form of expressing the drive behind her scorching rock 'n' roll. The result of this enlightenment was the LP "California", Gianna's first rock album, on which she comes to terms with her sometimes dichotomous feelings. Refusing to sing in English, Gianna was nevertheless successful in parlaying the single, "America", which created a scandal in her homeland, into her first media hit outside of her native Italy, bringing her considerable critical acclaim in 1980. Despite of, or maybe because of the explicit sexual content of the song, Europe was beginning to awaken to the magic of Gianna Nannini. 1981 was a very busy year for Gianna. With the release of the album "G.N." she not only documented her suprising experiments with modern electronics, but also delivered numerous beautiful songs, such as "Vieni Ragazzo" and "Occhi Aperti". In the same year she also composed the soundtrack to the Ber- nardo Bertolucci-produced film, "Sconcerto Rock". With this much activity it was obviously time for re -or- ganization. Carefully weighing the various possibilities avail- able to her, Gianna chose to enter into a long-term manage- ment partnership with former promoter and record company executivePeter Zumsteg of Zurich -basedZumstegand Partner. Under the competent personal guidance of Zumsteg, Gianna Nannini's career has continued to win broad -based.