Jovanotti

Jovanotti's career is most certainly one of evolution and growth. He started his music career working as a DJ at various clubs, eventually gaining a slot at Rome's Radio DeeJay, a prominent national radio station. Developing an infatuation with American rap, Jovanotti created his first album, "Jovanotti For President" (1988), a collection of unimaginative dance-based tracks interspersed with Jovanotti's rap quotes that was dismissed by critics. However, the album became a huge success, with Jovanotti singlehandedly bringing rap music to the Italian mainstream music scene. The singles "Gimme Five" and "E Qui La Festa" reached the top of the Italian charts, with the success bolstered by his 1989 album "La Mia Moto," catapulting Jovanotti to national stardom. Despite being considered a fad rather than a serious hip-hop artist, Jovanotti hosted his own television show, bringing legends of the rap game, such as Public Enemy and Run-D.M.C, to appear on his show.

After his third album flopped, Jovanotti was deemed a spent force. However, he was able to reestablish himself as a serious artist through his next releases, which featured a sociopolitical consciousness and intelligent pop-rap tunes that moved away from dance influences and finding some heavier grooves. 1991's "Una Tribu Che Balla" returned him to the charts, establishing his new found identity as an artist.

From here on, Jovanotti began to release album after album of hits, such as "Serenate Rap," (1994) which became one of the year's most played songs on MTV Latin America and MTV Europe, gaining international exposure for the artist. He embarked on several prestigious tours, alongside artists such as Luca Carboni,cementing his fan base and becoming a huge star.

His 1997 album, "Lorenzo 1997: L'Albero" reflected the time he had spent travelling in the two years prior, incorporating world music influences from Cuba, South America, Africa and India into his music, being one of the first artists to bring these eclectic sounds to the Italian pop charts. His song, "Bella" was a huge singalong track, becoming one of the star's biggest hits.

Jovanotti became heavily involved with humanitarian work, as well as continuing his interests in writing and painting. His musical output began to lessen after 2002, however his popularity remained and new releases in 2008, "Safari" were received with huge fanfare. This album became one of his biggest sellers, chosen as the best Italian album of the 2000's, featuring collaborations with artists as diverse as Ben Harper, Sly & Robbie and Sergio Mendes.

In recent years, Jovanotti has attempted to establish himself in the international market, with the US-only live album, "Oyeah" and his 2011 electronica-influenced "Ora" hoping to find new markets having accomplished so much in Italy. In 2011, he performed at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Tennessee, US, gaining new fans in America.

After his mother suggested that he channel his teenage passion for poetry into songwriting, Jack Savoretti spent the rest of his teenage years almost obsessively writing songs, describing his process as the way that he conversed with the world at large. The backlog that he created, and the sheer experience that it gave him, meant that he was in a recording studio writing his first album by the time he was 21. His very first single, 2006’s “Without” was almost immediately play listed by Radio 2 and got him noticed by Corinne Bailey Rae, who he toured with over Europe for the rest of the year. At just 22 years old, Savoretti released his debut album “Between The Minds” in March 2007, which was critically acclaimed but a slow seller, at least at first.

Ever since then, he’s continued to record and release acclaimed albums, particularly his 2012 third album “Before The Storm”, an album written after a particularly tumultuous period of his career where he nearly gave up music for good. “Before The Storm” reinvigorated interest in Savoretti and in 2014, he signed to Sony BMG for his follow up record, 2015’s “Written In Scars”. Savoretti is a songwriter par excellence, and with the folk-rock world at his feet, he comes highly recommended.