Maria Mazzotta, born in 1982 in Lecce, Italy, is an Italian world music singer. She completed her classical music education as a pianist and harpist at the Conservatory of Lecce before focusing on vocals and traditional music. From 2000 to 2014, she was a member of the Salento traditional music group Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino, recording six albums with the ensemble. She collaborated with artists including Bobby McFerrin and Ibrahim Maalouf, and formed the duo Hasa-Mazzotta with Albanian cellist Redi Hasa, releasing the albums Ura (2014) and Novilunio (2017). In 2020, she released her debut solo album, Amoreamaro, which reached number 3 on the World Music Charts Europe. The album featured Bruno Galeone on accordion and included her renditions of "Tu non mi piaci più", "Lu pisci spada", and "Rosa canta e cunta". Her subsequent releases include the collaborative album Grifone (2021) with the Ensemble Pulcinella. In 2021, she received the International Jury Prize at the World Music Premio Andrea Parodi.
