Franco De Vita (album)

Franco Atilio De Vita De Vito (born January 23, 1954, in Caracas, Venezuela) is a Venezuelan Latin Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter. His first album as a solo artist garnered three Spanish-language hits in Venezuela. He signed with the CBS Records label in 1989, and in 1990, his album ''Extranjero'' had a song that reached No. 1 on the United States Latin charts and won an MTV Video Music Award. His 2004 album ''Stop'' reached the Top 10 throughout Latin America and on the United States Latin charts. In the United States alone, he has scored more than two dozen hits on the ''Billboard'' charts.Cordova, Randy.
Franco de Vita talks inspiration, influences, 5/10
" ''The Arizona Republic''. May 5, 2015.

Career

1980s

One of four children born in Venezuela to Italian immigrants, De Vita's family returned to Rome, Italy when he was 3. The family moved back to Venezuela when De Vita was 13. Due to his upbringing in Rome, Italy, De Vita learned Italian as his first language and did not learn Spanish until he returned to Venezuela at age 13. He later studied piano at the university level. In 1982, De Vita formed the group Icaro, which released one self-titled album in his homeland. Two years later, he released his first disc as a solo artist, simply titled '' Franco De Vita'' (1984). The album spun off three Spanish-language hits: "Somos Tres", "No Hay Cielo", and "Un Buen Perdedor". His 1986 in album '' Fantasía'' produced several more hits, including the title song and "Aquí Estás Otra Vez". "Sólo Importas Tú", taken from the album, was used as the theme song to the Spanish-language soap opera ''La Dama De Rosa''. He appeared in the end credits of every episode, performing the song at the piano.

Seeking wider international exposure, De Vita moved to the CBS Records label for the 1988 album ''Al Norte del Sur''. The album showed his socially conscious, adult-oriented pop, particularly through the tunes "Te Amo" and "Louis". The latter song, about a daydreaming cabbie who idolizes The Beatles, was promoted with a music video considered quite advanced for its time. De Vita's 1990 album ''Extranjero'' featured the song "No Basta", which spent four weeks at No. 1 on the United States Latin charts and won an MTV Video Music Award.

1990s

Subsequent albums have included the live release ''En Vivo Marzo 16'' (1992); ''Voces a mi Alrededor'' in 1993; the acoustic-flavored ''Fuera de Este Mundo'' (1996); and 1999's world-beat inspired ''Nada Es Igual''. He left Sony for the 2002 album ''Segundas partes también son buenas'', but returned to the label the following year.

2000s

His 2004 album ''Stop'' reached the Top 10 throughout Latin America and on the United States Latin charts, spurred by the hits "Tú De Qué Vas" and "Si La Ves," the latter a collaboration with pop group Sin Bandera. That same year, he toured arenas in the United States on a co-headlining tour with Ricardo Montaner, a fellow Argentine-Venezuelan songwriter. He also has recorded in Italian and Portuguese. As a songwriter, he has written songs for Ricky Martin and Chayanne.

In 2005, an expanded edition of ''Stop'' was released, titled ''Stop + Algo Más'', that included remixes and live recordings, as well as ''No Sé Lo Que Me Das'', De Vita's first recording in English. The following year saw the release of '' Mil y Una Historias En Vivo,'' a two-disc live album that also featured four studio tracks, including collaborations with Alejandro Fernández and Diego El Cigala. A DVD version was released simultaneously.

In 2007, De Vita collaborated on a single with reggaeton duo Wisin & Yandel called "Oye Donde Esta El Amor", which borrowed the chorus from his composition "Donde Esta El Amor." They released an updated version of "Un Buen Perdedor" that peaked at No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Latin Songs chart. In 2008, he re-recorded "Que No Muera La Esperanza" (originally featured on ''Voces A Mi Alrededor'') with Wisin & Yandel, as well as releasing a new studio album, Simplemente La Verdad. He was also presented with the ASCAP Latin Heritage Award.

2010s

In 2012, De Vita appeared on Tony Bennett's album ''Viva Duets''. He was named Pop Artist of the Year at the 2012 Pepsi Venezuela Music Awards. In 2014, De Vita was inducted into the ''Billboard'' Latin Music of Fame.

On January 30, 2014, the "Tour Mexico 2014" began in San Luis Potosí, which toured eight cities in Mexico and is part of his new musical tour entitled "Vuelve en Primera fila Tour".

Personal life

De Vita has lived in Madrid since the '90s. In addition to Spanish and Italian, he also speaks English.

Spanish-language discography

*'' Franco De Vita'' (1984)
*'' Fantasía'' (1986)
*''Al Norte Del Sur'' (1988)
*''Extranjero'' (1990)
*''En Vivo Marzo 16'' (1992)
*''Voces a mi Alrededor'' (1993)
*''Fuera de Este Mundo'' (1996)
*''Nada Es Igual'' (1999)
*''Segundas partes también son buenas'' (2002)
*''Stop'' (2004)
*''Stop + Algo Más'' (2005)
*'' Mil y Una Historias En Vivo'' (2006)
*''Simplemente La Verdad'' (2008)
*''En Primera Fila'' (2011)
*''Vuelve en Primera Fila'' (2013)
*''Libre'' (2016)
(excludes compilations)

Non-Spanish discography

*1993 ''Straniero'' (Italian)
*1993 ''Isto é America'' (Portuguese)

References

External links

Official Franco De Vita Web Site

{{DEFAULTSORT:De Vita, Franco
1954 births
Living people
Singers from Caracas
Pop pianists
Venezuelan songwriters
Male songwriters
Venezuelan pop singers
Venezuelan people of Italian descent
Latin Grammy Award winners
Sony Music Latin artists
Italian-language singers
Portuguese-language singers
Spanish-language singers
Universal Music Latino artists
Latin music songwriters

21st-century male pianists
21st-century Venezuelan male singers
20th-century male pianists
20th-century Venezuelan male singers