A special artist, capable of uniting multiple generations, has passed away. He sold 60 million records in his career
Ornella Vanoni was one of the most iconic and long-lived voices in Italian music. With a career that began in the 1950s, she is considered the “Lady of Italian song” thanks to her unmistakable timbre and ability to cross different genres. Among the Italian singers with the highest number of sales, she boasts around 60 million records sold. An artist capable of telling her story with irony and of enchanting even young people. Lately she had been the protagonist of a nice exchange with the Inter footballer Bonny who, in an interview given to the Gazzetta, had revealed that he was a big fan of hers.
from Milan
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Born in Milan on 22 September 1934. Daughter of a pharmaceutical industrialist, after studying at the Ursulines she attended various colleges in Switzerland, France and England dreaming of becoming a beautician. Returning to Milan, she enrolled in 1953 at the Academy of Dramatic Art of Giorgio Strehler’s Piccolo Teatro, who became her teacher and companion. From the theater his career in music began at the end of the 1950s with the “songs of the underworld”, a repertoire with lyrics focused on the theme of the underworld, which also led to the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto in 1959.
with Gino Paoli
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The turning point came with the meeting with Gino Paoli, which marked both the singer’s professional and personal life. From their relationship – one of the best known in the history of Italian music – unforgettable songs such as “Senza fine”, “Che cosa c’è” and his intense interpretation of “Il cielo in una stanza” were born. In the following years, Ornella opened her repertoire to bossa nova and author’s music, collaborating with Toquinho, Vinicius de Moraes, Sergio Bardotti, Paolo Conte and Ivano Fossati. The 1970s consolidated his success: he published some of the most iconic songs of his career, including “The Appointment”, which has become an absolute classic, “One Reason More” and “Tomorrow is another day”.
a very long career
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In the 80s and 90s he continued to experiment, alternating sophisticated pop and songwriting with songs such as “Rossetto e chocolate”, “Uomini” and “Insieme a te”, without ever losing his elegant and unmistakable style. Ornella Vanoni’s private life has also often been at the center of attention, but always managed with irony and great sincerity. In addition to her relationship with Gino Paoli, she has experienced important stories, including her marriage to the entrepreneur and producer Lucio Ardenzi, with whom she had her only child. The singer has often spoken frankly about her loves, her fragilities, her rebirths and her special relationship with art, which for her has always been a form of freedom.
how many collaborations
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He has collaborated with some of the most important Italian authors: in addition to Paoli, Sergio Bardotti, Paolo Conte, Fabrizio De André, Ivano Fossati, Lucio Dalla. But also world-famous international jazz musicians such as George Benson, Michael Brecker, Randy Brecker, Ron Carter, Eliane Elias, Gil Evans, Steve Gadd, Herbie Hancock, Chris Hunter, Lee Konitz and Herbie Mann. His career continued throughout the 80s and 90s. In the 2000s and 2010s he remained a protagonist, collaborating with artists such as Mario Lavezzi, Pacifico, Vinicio Capossela, Samuele Bersani, Francesco Gabbani.
press tenco
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The only female performer to win two Tenco Awards, she competed in eight editions of the Sanremo Festival, reaching second place in 1968 with “Casa bianca” and placing fourth three times, in 1967 (with “La musica è finite”), in 1970 (with “Eternità”) and in 1999 (with “Alberi”). The last participation dates back to 2018, with Bungaro and Pacifico and the song “Imparare a amarsi” (fifth place in the rankings). The singer then returned to the Ariston as a guest in 2009, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2023. In her career she has recorded more than 50 albums.
La Gazzetta dello Sport
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