“Why always sing in English? You see, Europe itself is fragile in this language respect. It’s very difficult to hit the emotion just right in a language that’s not your own. In Italian we come more from the roots of the folk tradition. That’s another reason why I got to this point of only singing in italiano. The song is much better in Italian because we use more vowels in our language.”
(Gianna Nannini, taz, February 28, 2018)

Gianna Nannini is an Italian singer-songwriter who has been a recording artist since 1976. AllMusic calls her “Italy’s foremost female rock singer.” Blending classic Italian pop with rock, Nannini is seen as a creative rebel who defied conventions, which not only helped shape Italian music but also pave the way for women in rock.

Apart from music, Nannini is known for her political activism in support of environmental causes, women’s rights and immigration issues. As one of the first openly gay singer-songwriters who have become widely popular in Italy, she’s also an icon for the Italian LGBT movement. In 1994 when she was in her late 30s, Nannini earned a degree in philosophy from the University of Sienna in 1994.

Early Life:

Gianna Nannini was born in the Tuscan city of Siena on June 14, 1954 as the second of three children of Giovanna Cellesi and Danilo Nannini. Danilo was an Italian industrialist and entrepreneur primarily known for his work in the confectionary business. Gianna’s younger brother Alessandro Nannini is a former Formula One race driver. She also has an older brother, Guido Nannini.

Growing up in a wealthy family enabled her access to arts to culture, and she put it to good use. A biography on VMP notes Nannini was passionate about music from a young age. She started taking piano lessons as a seven-year-old. Five years later, Nannini began formal training as a pianist at the Lucca Conservatory. She started writing songs in her teenage years.

Musical Beginnings:

In 1975 at the age of 19, Nannini decided to drop out of the Lucca Conservatory after seven years and move to Milan to start an independent music career. She performed in local bars and small venues. The following year, Nannini came to the attention of Dischi Ricordi and signed her first recording deal with the now-defunct label. Her eponymous debut album came out the same year.

After two mostly singer-songwriter style albums reflecting her key influences Lucio Dalla and Lucio Battisti, Nannini transitioned to rock on her third, California, which became her breakthrough. The first single America reached the top of the charts in Germany and Northern Europe in 1980. California went Platinum in Italy and Gold in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. A trilogy of albums, including Latin Lover (1982), Puzzle (1984) and Profumo (1986), all produced by Conny Plank known for his work with Eurhythmics, Devo, Kraftwerk and Ultravox, further established Nannini’s commercial success in Italy and many other parts of Europe.

 

Discography:  

Studio Albums
    • Gianna Nannini (1976)
    • Una radura (1977)
    • California (1979)
    • G.N. (1981)
    • Latin Lover (1982)
    • Puzzle (1984)
    • Profumo (1986)
    • Malafemmina (1988)
    • Scandalo (1990)
    • X forza e X amore (1993)
    • Dispetto (1995)
    • Cuore (1998)
    • Aria (2002)
    • Perle (2004)
    • Grazie (2006)
    • Pia come la canto io (2007)
    • Giannadream - Solo i sogni sono veri (2009)
    • Io e te (2011)
    • Inno (2013)
    • Hitalia (2015)
    • Amore gigante (2017)
    • La differenza (2019)
    • Sei nel l’anima (2024)

Nannini’s discography also includes three live albums, four compilations and numerous singles.

Filmography:

Nannini has composed music for films including Michelangelo Antonioni’s 1982 Italian-French drama Identificazione di una donna (Identification of a Woman). She has also acted in various film and TV productions:
•  A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1983)
•  Segretaria (2001)
•  Meraviglie: La penisola dei tesori – TV mini-series (2020)

One thing to share:

From Wikipedia: In August 2010, at the age of 56, Nannini announced that she was pregnant (the name of the father was not revealed). Nannini’s pregnancy was prominently featured on the cover of Vanity Fair, where she was portrayed wearing a T-shirt with the inscription “God is a Woman”. On 26 November 2010 Nannini’s daughter Penelope Jane Charlotte was born in Milan. In 2017, Nannini decided to move to London with her partner, Carla. In her 2017 autobiography, entitled Cazzi miei, she revealed she was ready for a civil union with Carla, explaining she felt Italian laws could not give her any guarantee about Penelope’s future in the case of Nannini’s death.

Official website: https://www.giannanannini.com/en/

I want to take a moment to thank Christian Pflaumer, whose blog, Christian’s Music Musings, is all about the music. Christian draws from his own extensive musical listening history, but he also scours the musical realm to find old, new, and exciting offerings to share. Christian is an enthusiastic member of the musical blogging community at WordPress. My favorite weekly features of his are Sunday’s, “The Sunday Six” and his new feature on Friday, “Friday Musings.” I really hope you check out his blog if you haven’t already.

Thank you, Christian, for your wonderful write-up on the fabulous Gianna!