Michael Righeira

Michael Righeira
Born
Stefano Rota

(1961-10-01) 1 October 1961 (age 63)
Turin, Piedmont, Italy
Other namesItalo Monitor[1]
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • musician
  • actor
Spouse
Loredana Cazzola
​
(m. 1990)​
Musical career
Genres
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • keyboards
  • harmonica
Labels
Formerly ofRigheira

Stefano Rota (born 1 October 1961), known professionally as Michael Righeira, is an Italian singer, songwriter, musician and actor. He is best known for his work in the musical duo Righeira.

Early life

Michael Righeira was born Stefano Rota on 1 October 1961 in Turin.[2]

Rota attended Albert Einstein Scientific High School in Turin, where he first met schoolmate Stefano Righi.[3]

Career

At the age of 22 in 1983, Rota formed a musical duo together with Righi. They adopted the name Righeira, which was made up by Righi during a football game a few years earlier.[4] The two billed themselves as Michael and Johnson Righeira, as well as "musical brothers".[5] Their music resulted in attention from the La Bionda brothers, who became key figures in their subsequent success. They signed a recording contract in 1982.[6][7] The duo had their first hit, "Vamos a la playa", in 1983. The success established their reputation as a modern dance duo.[8][nb 1]

After Righeira disbanded for the second time in 2016, Rota moved to Thiene to pursue other career paths.[10]

Following the first break-up of Righeira in 1992, Rota took an eight-year break from his music career to study law and literature at the University of Padua.[11]

Acting career

In 1984, Rota starred in the television show Sotto le stelle, where he made his acting debut.[12] The following year, he and comedian Enrico Beruschi co-starred in a sketch for the variety show Drive In.[13] Rota appeared on the La TV delle ragazze show in 1988 together with actress Maria Amelia Monti.[14] Between February 2011 and June 2013, Rota studied at Michael E. Rodgers acting school in Milan.[15]

Personal life

Relationships

Loredana Cazzola

In 1990, Rota married Loredana Cazzola, a businesswoman from Schio.[16] The couple first met in 1988.[17]

Johnson Righeira

Though Rota had a close relationship with Righi, the two grew apart following their second break-up in 2016.[18]

Filmography

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2013 Nord Sud Ovest Est - Tormentoni on the Road Himself Music programme, 1 episode

Notes

  1. ^ In 1983, Righeira released their debut studio album: Righeira.[9]

References

  1. ^ "Johnson Righeira, futurista". Vice (in Italian). 4 April 2017. Archived from the original on 6 October 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  2. ^ "Chi sono i Righeira: età, storia, vita privata dello storico duo". ViaggiNews (in Italian). 4 July 2019. Archived from the original on 12 January 2023. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  3. ^ Marino, Patrizio (25 September 2021). "Johnson Righeira, quando fu arrestato per droga: 'Mi crollò il mondo addosso'" (in Italian). Movieplayer.it. Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  4. ^ Paolucci, Verdiana (21 June 2022). "Righeira, chi sono Stefano Righi e Stefano Rota?/ Da Vamos a la playa a L'estate sta finendo". Il Sussidiario (in Italian). Archived from the original on 22 December 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  5. ^ "Righeira" (in Italian). Samigo. Archived from the original on 22 December 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  6. ^ Stanzani, Antonio. "Righeira". Ciancio DJ. Archived from the original on 6 October 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  7. ^ "Stefano Righi: 'L'estate sta finendo e sono diventato grande'". Quotidiano Nazionale (in Italian). 6 September 2020. Archived from the original on 6 October 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  8. ^ Roberts 2006, p. 463.
  9. ^ Arena 2017, p. 113–114.
  10. ^ Scalambra, Ruben (5 September 2022). "Johnson Righeira, che fine ha fatto Michael Righeira? / 'Un nuovo tormentone...'". Il Sussidiario (in Italian). Archived from the original on 4 October 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  11. ^ "¿Qué pasó con el Righeira?". Conpilar (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 6 January 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  12. ^ "Stefano Rota (Michael Righeira)" (in Italian). Trimarchi International Events. Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  13. ^ "Michael Righeira". Gentletude. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  14. ^ Trimarchi, Laura. "Stefano Rota" (PDF) (in Italian). Trimarchi International Events. p. 2. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 November 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  15. ^ "Stefano Rota a Story Corner" (in Italian). RadioBue. 24 July 2015. Archived from the original on 2 October 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  16. ^ "I fiori d'arancio per Michael Righeira" (in Italian). dikdik58.altervista.org. Archived from the original on 2 October 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  17. ^ "33 anni dal nostro primo incontro e 31 di matrimonio" (in Italian). Facebook. 25 February 2021. Archived from the original on 5 December 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  18. ^ "I Righeira non torneranno mai più insieme" (in Italian). R101. 20 August 2020. Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2023.

Sources