Eros Ramazzotti

An international superstar whose appeal spans not only Western Europe but also Latin America, Eros Ramazzotti is a best-selling Italian singer/songwriter with a distinctive voice and a wide-ranging pop/rock style that encompasses everything from adult contemporary to classical crossover. With his sometimes gritty, reedy tenor and an earnest approach, he initially established himself as a chart-topping twentysomething pop star in the mid-'80s with songs like "Una Storia Importante" and "Adesso Tu." During the following decade, he grew more sophisticated as a singer/songwriter, remaining remarkably successful from both a critical and commercial standpoint in the process. In the mid- to late '90s, Ramazzotti racked up no less than seven Top Ten singles on the Latin charts, and following 1994's Tutte Storie, he placed a dozen albums in the Top Ten on Latin and Heatseeker charts as well as scoring on the streaming lists with dozens of singles. His 13th studio album, 2018's Vita Ce N'è, became his 11th Italian number one, not counting compilations. He went gold a year later with the single "Per le Strade una Conzone" featuring Luis Fonsi.

Born on October 28, 1963, in Rome, Italy, Ramazzotti began his recording career in the early '80s in association with the DDD label. While he made his commercial debut in 1982 with the one-off single "Ad un Amico," his big break came in 1984 when he won Newcomer of the Year at the Sanremo Music Festival with his song "Terra Promessa." Released as a single that same year, "Terra Promessa" became a breakout hit and led to his release of his full-length album debut, Cuori Agitati (1985), which spawned another significant early hit single, "Una Storia Importante." The first of Ramazzotti's international hits, "Una Storia Importante" was not only a chart-topping smash hit in Italy, where Ramazzotti showcased it at the 1985 Sanremo Music Festival, it was also a smash hit in neighboring France, where it spent three weeks at number two on the singles chart, and in Switzerland, where it reached the Top Ten. "Adesso Tu," performed at the 1986 Sanremo Music Festival, was another significant hit with international appeal.

In addition to these early hit singles, Ramazzotti proved popular as an album artist, with Nuovi Eroi (1986), In Certi Momenti (1987), and In Ogni Senso (1990) all reaching number one on the Italian albums chart and the Top Ten elsewhere in Europe. Ramazzotti took his career to the next level in 1993 with Tutte Storie, the first of his albums to be released in Spanish (as Todo Historias) as well as Italian. The album was a hit throughout Western Europe, as was the single "Cose della Vita" (his first bilingual hit), and Ramazzotti took his supporting tour to Latin America for the first time, performing in over a dozen countries there. Moreover, Ramazzotti negotiated a worldwide distribution deal with BMG, another pivotal step in building his international fan base. His next album, Dove C'è Musica (1996), capitalized on the enormity of his fast-growing fan base, topping the charts throughout much of Western Europe and spawning the international smash hit "Più Bella Cosa."

At the height of his success, Ramazzotti took a four-year break from album-making, releasing only the greatest-hits compilation Eros (1997), for which he re-recorded early hits such as "Terra Promessa" and "Una Storia Importante." After the turn of the century Ramazzotti returned with Stilelibero (2000), 9 (2003), and Calma Apparente (2005), a trilogy of chart-topping albums with a more sophisticated, adult-oriented style. Then came E2 (2007), another greatest-hits compilation for which he recorded new versions of past hits, this time collaboratively, and included a few new songs, most notably "Non Siamo Soli," a chart-topping smash hit collaboration with Ricky Martin. Ramazzotti's next album, Ali e Radici (2009), was another commercial blockbuster, topping the Italian charts for six weeks straight and spawning the international hit "Parla con Me."

2010 saw the release of the live album 21.00: Eros Live World Tour 2009/2010, recorded on Ramazzotti’s world tour in support of Ali e Radici, the album featured two discs of greatest hits from Ramazzotti’s back catalog. Two years later, Mis Mejores Canciones de Amor (2012) was released, collecting 14 of Ramazzotti’s most popular Spanish-language love songs. It preceded Noi, his long-playing debut for Universal released in November. Led by its single "Un Angelo Disteso al Sole," the album attained gold certification in seven European countries while charting in the Top 40 in 18 -- including the Latin Pop and Top Latin Albums lists in the U.S. Its large cast of personnel included guest spots by former Pussycat Dolls' vocalist Nicole Scherzinger, Italian operatic pop trio Il Volo, Belgian band Hooverphonic, and Italian rap group Club Dogo.

Ramazzotti busied himself by touring incessantly over the next two years, even as his former label issued more than five compilations as well as a double-disc 30th anniversary edition of Eros. The singer and songwriter didn't release another album of current studio material until 2015's Perfetto. Co-produced with Claudio Guidetti, Ramazzotti co-wrote each song. The set topped the Italian pop charts and was certified platinum; it achieved gold status in Belgium, Switzerland, and Austria while charting inside the Top 20 in no less than ten European countries. After another mammoth tour, Ramazzotti issued Vita Ce N'è, his 13th studio album (it was released as Hay Vida in Spain) in late 2018. It included three duets: "Vale Per Sempre" with Alessia Cara, "Per Le Strade Una Canzone" with Luis Fonsi, and "Per Il Resto Tutto Bene" with Helene Fischer. While the album entered the Italian pop charts at number one, it simultaneously placed within the Top 20 in Belgium, Germany, and Holland, and was followed by a world tour early in the next year. A 35th anniversary edition of Nuovi Eroi (aka Héroes de Hoy) saw release in 2021 on Sony Music Latin. ~ Jason Birchmeier, Rovi