Samuele Bersani

Samuele Bersani
Bersani in 2009
Bersani in 2009
Background information
Born (1970-10-01) 1 October 1970 (age 54)
Rimini, Italy
GenresPop
OccupationSinger-songwriter
Years active1991–present
LabelsFuori Classifica
Websitesamuelebersani.net

Samuele Bersani (born 1 October 1970) is an Italian singer-songwriter. He received the "Mia Martini" Critics Award at the Sanremo Music Festival in 2000 and in 2012, with the songs "Replay" and "Un pallone", respectively.[1][2] His best known songs also include "Giudizi universali", released in 1997 and certified in 2017 as a platinum-selling single by the Federation of the Italian Music Industry,[3] and "Spaccacuore", which was later covered by Italian singer Laura Pausini.[4][5]

In 2000, Bersani recorded the soundtrack of the film Chiedimi se sono felice, by Aldo, Giovanni & Giacomo.[6] In 2007, he won the Amnesty International Italy "Voci per la liberta" Award for "Occhiali rotti", a song included in his album L'aldiqua (2006) and written in memory of journalist Enzo Baldoni.[7] His record Cinema Samuele received the Targa Tenco for Best Album in 2021.[8]

Biography

1970–1991: childhood and early beginnings

Samuele Bersani was born on 1 October 1970 in Rimini, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy.[9] His father was a music teacher, while his mother was an employee, and she also became the vice-mayor of Cattolica, the town in which he grew up.[10][11] He studied at the classical lyceum, but he left school a few months before his "maturity exam".[11] While he was a teenager, Bersani played in several local bands and took part in local singing competitions. In 1991, he met Italian singer-songwriter Lucio Dalla before a concert Dalla was going to give in San Benedetto del Tronto, in Central Italy. Bersani asked Dalla to listen to a recording of his original song "Il mostro", and a few minutes later Dalla's producer, Renzo Cremonini, told him to open the concert performing the song.[11] Bersani was then chosen as the opening act for the remaining concerts of Dalla's Cambio tour.[12]

1992–1996: C'hanno preso tutto and Freak

Bersani's debut album, C'hanno preso tutto, was released in November 1992.[11] The album included the song "Il mostro", as well as the single "Chiccho e Spillo", which allowed Bersani to receive media attention, becoming a radio hit and supporting sales of the album, which sold more than 20,000 copies in Italy.[11][12] In 1995, Bersani released his second album, Freak. The album's lead single, "Freak", was released in February of the same year, but some Italian radio stations decided not to air it as a consequence of a line referring both to the Italian conservative coalition and to the Italian Communist Party, which was considered a violation of the "par condicio law", which introduced fees for those stations giving airplay to songs including political messages during the electoral campaign preceding the Italian regional elections.[13][14][15] As a consequence, Bersani's label decided to anticipate the release of the second single from the album, "Spaccacuore".[16] Both "Freak" and "Spaccacuore" were later performed by Bersani during the itinerant television show Festivalbar, during the summer of 1995.[17][18] The album was a commercial success, and it was certified platinum, selling more than 130,000 copies in Italy.[19]

Discography

  • C'hanno preso tutto (1992)
  • Freak (1995)
  • Samuele Bersani (1997)
  • L'oroscopo speciale (2000)
  • Che vita! Il meglio di Samuele Bersani (2002)
  • Caramella smog (2003)
  • L'aldiqua (2006)
  • Manifesto abusivo (2009)
  • Nuvola numero nove (2013)
  • La fortuna che abbiamo – Live (2016)
  • Cinema Samuele (2020)

References

  1. ^ "Il podio di Sanremo". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). 26 February 2000. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  2. ^ Matteo Cruccu (19 February 2012). "Emma trionfa al Festival delle donne. Fischiato Celentano. Share al 50%". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  3. ^ "Italian single certifications – Samuele Bersani" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 3 July 2017. Select "2017" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "Samuele Bersani" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
  4. ^ Antonio Ranalli (24 September 2002). "Storie d'autore: Samuele Bersani" (in Italian). Musicalnews.com. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  5. ^ Andrea Conti (8 November 2006). "Io canto e voglio la normalità". TGCOM (in Italian). Mediaset. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  6. ^ "Bersani, un singolo per il film di Aldo, Giovanni e Giacomo" (in Italian). Rockol.it. 9 November 2000. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  7. ^ "A Samuele Bersani il Premio Amnesty 2007" (in Italian). Rockit.it. 5 April 2007. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  8. ^ "Targhe Tenco 2021, premi a Madame e Samuele Bersani: i vincitori" (in Italian). Rockol.it. 13 July 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  9. ^ "Samuele Bersani". Radio Italia Solo Musica Italiana. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
  10. ^ Chiara Geraci (20 October 2009). "Samuele Bersani e il suo Manifesto Abusivo: Voglio far sentire la mia musica alla gente". Chronica.it. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
  11. ^ a b c d e Laura Putti (9 March 1993). "Le storie di Samuele". la Repubblica (in Italian).
  12. ^ a b Francesco Giordani. "Samuele Bersani, il pescatore di asterischi" (in Italian). Ondarock.it. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
  13. ^ "Par condicio: Mani legate ai dischi, radio nel caos" (in Italian). Adnkronos. 28 March 1995. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
  14. ^ "Musica: Elio e le Storie tese inviati a Sanremo". Adnkronos. 21 February 1995. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
  15. ^ Flavio Brighenti (28 March 1995). "Par condicio anche in radio. La prima vittima è Bersani". la Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 21 September 2013.
  16. ^ "Par condicio: Arriva anche quella musicale, stop a Bersani" (in Italian). Adnkronos. 27 March 1995. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  17. ^ "Italia 1: Festivalbar 1995" (in Italian). Adnkronos. 19 June 1995. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013.
  18. ^ "Italia 1: Festivalbar 95" (in Italian). Adnkronos. 14 July 1995.
  19. ^ "Musica: Samuele Bersani, per un video su torre Garisenda" (in Italian). Adnkronos. 12 January 1996. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
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