Fiorella Mannoia

The daughter of film stuntman Luigi Mannoia, Italian popstar and actress Fiorella Mannoia (born in Rome on April 4, 1954), was propelled into the world of showbiz at the age of 13, appearing as a teenage stuntwoman in the 1968 spaghetti western comedy Non Cantare, Spara! ("Don't Sing, Shoot!"). The following year, Mannoia entered the music sphere, releasing her first 45-RPM single, "Ho Saputo Che Partivi" ("I Found Out You Were Leaving"). Her debut album, Mannoia, Foresi & Co, arrived on RCA in 1972 and she released a string of well-received singles and albums in the 1980s, including a career-changing duet with Pierangelo Bertoli called "Fisherman" and a 1981 appearance at the popular Sanremo Music Festival that put her on the map in Italy. She scooped the festival's Critic's Prize in 1987 and 1988. The 1990s yielded another series of albums including 1992's album I Treni A Vapore and notable collaborations. Throughout her career, Mannoia has sung in various languages, including Spanish, French and Portuguese. In 1994, she teamed up with renowned Brazilian singer-songwriter, Caetano Veloso, for "Il Culo del Mondo". As a testament to her enduring popularity, Mannoia's 2014 album Fiorella, released on the occasion of her 60th birthday, debuted at Number 1 in Italy, while 2019 saw the release of studio album Personale and in 2020, Padroni Di Niente. Mannoia is the only performer to have won Italy's prestigious Targa Tenco (Tenco Prize) more than once, with five awards to her name.