An international superstar whose appeal spans not only Western Europe but also Latin America, Eros Ramazzotti is an Italian singer/songwriter with a distinctive voice and a wide-ranging pop/rock style that encompasses everything from adult contemporary to classical crossover. He initially established himself as a chart-topping twentysomething pop star in the mid-'80s before growing ever more sophisticated as a singer/songwriter over time, remaining remarkably successful from both a critical and commercial standpoint in the process.
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 for Ramazzotti and led to the 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 it was showcased by Ramazzotti 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' 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 Pi 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. ~ Jason Birchmeier, Rovi
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