Rosa Luini (born 20 July 1989), best known as Rose Villain, is an Italian singer-songwriter. Villain achieved popularity first in 2016, thanks to the certified platinum single "Don Medellín" together with Italian

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

Salmo ''Salmo'' is a genus of ray-finned fish from the family Salmonidae. The single ''Salmo'' species naturally found in the Atlantic North America is the Atlantic salmon, whereas the salmon and trout of the Pacific basin belong to another genus, '' ...

and then in 2020 with the certified quadruple platinum single "Chico", together the Italian rapper

Guè Pequeno Cosimo Fini (born 25 December 1980), better known by the stage name Guè () previously as Guè Pequeno, is an Italian rapper and record producer. He was also earlier a member of various formations, notably the hip hop duo Club Dogo with rapper ...

. In 2021 she collaborated once again with Guè Pequeno first on the song Elvis and then on the certified platinum single "Piango sulla Lambo". In 2022 her single "Michelle Pfeiffer" together Italian rapper Tony Effe is certified platinum. Furthermore, Rose Villain signed a deal with the Italian hip hop label Machete Empire Records and also signed a record deal with Republic Records. On January 20, 2023 she released her first studio album, '' Radio Gotham'' cerfidied gold by FIMI, the album contains the certified gold singles "Lamette" and the platinum song "Fantasmi". In 2023, she also worked with Achille Lauro, they released the certified double platinum single "Fragole".

Early life

Rosa is the daughter of Milanese entrepreneur Franco Luini, founder of the fashion brand Tucano, and Fernanda Melloni. Born and raised in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

, she discovered her predisposition for singing in elementary schools. She spent her life in Milan together with her family and her younger brother Alessandro; at age 18, she moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

, where she studied contemporary music at the

Musicians Institute Musicians Institute (MI) is a private for-profit music school in Los Angeles, California. MI students can earn Certificates and – with transfer of coursework taken at Los Angeles City College – Associate of Arts Degrees, as well as Bachelor ...

of Hollywood, majoring in rock music. Rose studied musical instruments and was encouraged by her teachers to write lyrics. While living in Los Angeles, she sung for a punk rock

cover band A cover band (or covers band) is a band that plays songs recorded by someone else, sometimes mimicking the original as accurately as possible, and sometimes re-interpreting or changing the original. These remade songs are known as cover songs. ...

called The Villains, from which her stage name, Rose Villain, was inspired. She later moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, where she completed her studies in

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

. After completing her studies, she met her first managers: Mark Gartenberg, a former A&R for

Sony Music Entertainment Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainmen ...

, and Eric Beall, ex-vice president creative of Sony ATV. She then signed with their company named ''Adesso'', but reportedly decided to leave it in 2020. As she met her executive producer, the Italian multiplatinum producer SIXPM, the two became engaged. The two married on May 28, 2022, in New York.

Career

2016–2017: Debut singles

In 2016, she signed with the famous Italian hip hop independent label Machete Empire Records, becoming the first female artist of the roster. On 19 July of the same year, she released her debut single, "Get the Fuck Out of My Pool", which mixed electronic music and hip hop; the music video of the song was shot between

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

and

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

. A couple of months later, she released her second single, "Geisha", which earned her the title "Artist of the Month" on the Italian MTV New Generation. On 11 November 2016, the Italian rapper Salmo released the single "Don Medellín", featuring Rose Villain, for the re-release of his album ''Hellvisback''; it peaked at number 13 on FIMI's singles chart and was certified platinum, in addition to being viewed over 16 million views on YouTube. In 2017, Villain signed a distribution deal with

Universal Music Germany Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

; through the label, she released the a remix of "Geisha", who was remixed by Swanky Tunes. In the same year, she released the singles "Kitty Kitty" and "Don't Call The Po-Po", shooting and directing the latter's music video in New York. In 2020, "Don't Call The Po-Po" was included in the soundtrack of the second season of '' L.A.'s Finest''. The first singles immediately caught the attention of Eddie O'Loughlin of Republic Records, who decided to meet Rose Villain and offer her a record deal. 2017 is also a very difficult year for Villain, due to the untimely death of her mother.

2018–2019: Signing with Republic Records

In early 2018, she announced the signing with Republic Records, becoming the first Italian artist to sign a record deal with the label. The first single with Republic Records, "Funeral Party", was released on 20 July 2018 and was a mix between pop and dancehall, the music video of the song was directed by the same Villain and was shot in Kingston, Jamaica. Later that sae year, she signed with Next Model Management. On 26 July 2019, she released her second single with Republic Records called "Swoop!", produced by Sidney Swift and Sixpm; it contained a sample of ''

Whoomp! (There It Is) "Whoomp! (There It Is)" is the debut single by 1990s rap duo Tag Team, written by members Cecil "DC the Brain Supreme" Glenn and Steve "Rolln" Gibson. The song reached No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot R&B chart and No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot ...

'' by

Tag Team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establish ...

. She also released "Kanye Loves Kanye" via Island Records UK, with MDNT and SIXPM. At the end of 2019, due to different artistic visions with her A&R Rose Villain ended her contract with Republic Records, refusing even to renew the deal, she decided to be an independent artist for a while; in fall 2019, she released two singles, "Sneakers" and "It's Snowing Motherfucker", releasing a music video for the former in December 2018.

2020–2022: Italian projects

In 2020, Rose Villain she joined MeNext Agency signed a new record deal with Arista, Sony Music Italy and she released her first single in Italian, named "Bundy". A couple months later, she released the official single in Italian titled "Il Diavolo Piange"; its music video was shot in New York and was directed by Joe Mischo, also known as Brume. In the summer of 2020, she was featured on "Chico" by the Italian rapper

; the single was part of his studio album ''Mr. Fini'' and also featured Luchè. "Chico" became a huge success in Italy; it peaked at number 5 on FIMI's singles charts, was certified 4× platinum, and was named as one of the ten top-selling songs in 2020 in Italy. After the huge success of "Chico", Rose Villain released her third single in Italian, titled "Goodbye". She appeared on "Stone Cold Digital", part of ''A Pale Blue Dot'' by Dreamshade, a Swiss

melodic death metal Melodic death metal (also referred to as melodeath) is a subgenre of death metal that employs highly melodic guitar riffs, often borrowing from traditional heavy metal (including New Wave of British Heavy Metal). The genre features the heavine ...

band; the album was released in March 2021. She also appeared on ''Corona Love Story'' by Mondo Marcio, released in February 2021. On 13 April 2021, she announced her collaboration with Paco Rabanne, having been chosen as testimonial for the launch of the fragrance ''Lady Million Fabolous''. On 4 May 2021, she released ''Soli'' with Giaime. On 2 July 2021, she released via Coulumbia Records Italy and Arista Records Italy the single ''Elvis'' featuring

and SIXPM who produced also the record, she recorded the record few months back in

Santo Domingo , total_type = Total , population_density_km2 = auto , timezone = AST (UTC −4) , area_code_type = Area codes , area_code = 809, 829, 849 , postal_code_type = Postal codes , postal_code = 10100–10699 ( Distrito Nacional) , webs ...

, the single contains a sample of

Heartbreak Hotel "Heartbreak Hotel" is a song recorded by American singer Elvis Presley. It was released as a single on January 27, 1956, Presley's first on his new record label RCA Victor. It was written by Mae Boren Axton and Tommy Durden, with credit being ...

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

. The video of the single directed by The Astronauts was released on 6 August 2021. The single to date has surpassed over 3 million plays on Spotify. On 9 July 2021, Italian DJ and producer Don Joe released his album entitled ''Milano Soprano'', the album contains the single ''Kandinsky'' which seen Rose Villain and Italian rapper

Ernia Matteo Professione (born 29 November 1993 in Milan), better known as Ernia, is an Italian rapper. Together with fellow hip hop artist Ghali, he founded the crew Troupe D'Elite, also including Maite and producer Fawzi. The group released the epony ...

as featured artists. On 23 July 2021, Italian rapper

Emis Killa Emiliano Rudolf Giambelli, best known as Emis Killa (born 14 November 1989), is an Italian rapper. Biography and career Emis Killa was born in Vimercate to a Sicilian mother from Palermo who worked as a metalworker and a Lombard father who a ...

released the mixtape ''Keta Music Vol 3'', the mixtape includes the song ''Psycho'' which seen Rose Villain as featured artist. On 1 September 2021, Rose Villain was chosen by

Apple Music Apple Music is a music, audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users select music to stream to their device on-demand, or they can listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the Internet radio stations Apple M ...

as the ''Up Next Italia'' artist, the Apple Music initiative aimed at identifying and promoting emerging talents. On 15 September 2021, on the occasion of 100 Years of Fashion of L'Officiel Italia, she has been selected by Italian singer

Elisa The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (, ) is a commonly used analytical biochemistry assay, first described by Eva Engvall and Peter Perlmann in 1971. The assay uses a solid-phase type of enzyme immunoassay (EIA) to detect the presen ...

as one of the most relevant female presences in Italian music. On 8 October 2021, the single ''Eva+Eva'' by Italian singer Annalisa was released, the song is contained in the album Nuda, for the occasion, the singer decided to revisit the song and launch it as a single in collaboration with another female artist of the Italian scene, so she chooses Rose Villain. The music video of Eva + Eva was released on 12 October 2021, on the YouTube channel of Warner Music Italy. On 12 November 2021, Villain released the single ''Gangsta Love'' featuring the Italian rapper Rosa Chemical via Columbia and Arista records Italy. On 10 December 2021, her third collaboration with

was released for the song ''Piango sulla Lambo'' included in the seventh album of the rapper titled Guesus In the summer 2022 ''Piango Sulla Lambo'' is certified platinum . On the same day, Rose Villain she also the songwriter of the song ''Luna piena'' of

Orietta Berti Orietta Berti (born Orietta Galimberti on 1 June 1943) is an Italian pop-folk singer and television personality. Biography Born in Cavriago, Berti began her career in 1962 and had her first success in 1965 with the song "Tu sei quello" (You ...

. On 18 March 2022, Italian rapper

Fabri Fibra Fabrizio Tarducci (born 17 October 1976), better known as Fabri Fibra, is an Italian rapper. In his career he has sold more than 2.3 millions of certified copies. Biography Tarducci was born in Senigallia, Marche. He became interested in mus ...

released his tenth studio album titled Caos, Rose Villain is featured on the song ''GoodFellas''. On 22 April 2022, Italian rapper

Fred De Palma Federico Palana better known by the stage name Fred De Palma (born in Turin, 3 November 1989) is an Italian rapper and singer. Biography Royal Rhymes Fred De Palma began his musical career in 2007 in Turin, with freestyling skills. Many free ...

released the EP ''PLC Tape 1'', Villain is featured on the song ''Au Revoir'' together Guè. On 13 May 2022, Rose Villain released her single ''Michelle Pfeifer'' featuring Italian rapper Tony Effe. In October 2022 ''Michelle Pfeifer'' is certified gold by FIMI while in February 2023 is official platinum. On 20 May 2022, the official soundtrack for the Italian TV series created and produced by Italian rapper

was released, Rose Villain is one of the artists chosen by the rapper for the soundtrack, she's featured alongside Italian rapper Jake La Furia on the song ''M.S.O.M''. On 28 June 2022, Rose Villain was chosen by the Italian rapper

Fedez Federico Leonardo Lucia (born 15 October 1989), known professionally as Fedez (), is an Italian rapper, singer, songwriter, social media personality and businessman. In 2011, he released the albums ''Penisola che non c'è'' and ''Il mio primo di ...

as one of the performing artists for the benefit concert Love Mi. On 22 July 2022, the collective Italian rap group SLF released the mixtape ''We The Squad Vol. 1 (Summer Edition)'', Rose Villain is featured on the remix single ''Travesuras'' together MV Killa, Yung Snapp, Vale Lambo and Fred De Palma. On 7 October 2022 Villain released her single ''Rari''. The official music video of "Rari", diri directed by Amedeo Zancanella, set in New York and inspired by the movie

Kill Bill ''Kill Bill: Volume 1'' is a 2003 American martial arts film Martial arts films are a subgenre of action films that feature numerous martial arts combat between characters. These combats are usually the films' primary appeal and entertainment ...

was released on VEVO on 13 October 2022. On 4 November 2022, Italian rapper

Rondodasosa Mattia Barbieri (born 29 April 2002), known professionally as Rondodasosa, is an Italian rapper. Born in San Siro, Milan, he began his musical career in 2020. He released his debut EP, ''Giovane Rondo'', the same year. Early life Mattia grew up ...

released his debut album titled ''Trenches baby'', Villain is featured together Italian rapper Ghali on the song "Cell". On 18 November 2022 Italian rapper

released his fourth studio album ''Io non ho paura''; Rose Villain is one of the writers of the single "Bella fregatura". On 25 November 2022

Irama ''Irama'' is the term used for tempo in Indonesian gamelan in Java and Bali. It can be used with elaborating instruments. It is a concept used in Javanese gamelan music, describing melodic tempo and relationships in density between the balungan ...

released the deluxe edition of his album ''Il giorno in cui ho smesso di pensare'' with three new songs, one of them is "Canzoni tristi" where Rose Villain is the featured artist.

2023–present: ''Radio Gotham''

On 19 December 2022, Rose Villain announced the release of her debut album titled '' Radio Gotham'', released on 20 January 2023. The album is anticipated by the singles "Elvis", "Michelle Pfeiffer" and "Rari" released between 2021 and 2022. On January 10, 2023, she released the single "Lamette" featuring Italian rapper

. The video of "Lamette" was directed by Amedeo Zancanella for a production of Maestro & Think Cattleya was released on January 18, 2023 a day after Rose Villain appeared on the cover of

Rolling Stone Italia ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its cove ...

. On 13 January 2023, Italian rapper Guè released his 8th studio album ''Madreperla''. Rose Villain again worked with Guè, this time as songwriter for the song "Chiudi gli occhi". ''Radio Gotham'' was released officially on January 20, 2023. The album includes 14 songs featuring such as

Tedua Mario Molinari (born 21 February 1994), known professionally as Tedua, is an Italian rapper and actor. Initially also known as Duate, Tedua is known as one of the members of the collective Wild Bandana, along with Izi, Vaz Té, Sangue and Ill R ...

, Geolier,

Carl Brave Carlo Luigi Coraggio (born 23 September 1989), better known as Carl Brave, is an Italian singer, rapper and record producer. He rose to fame in 2017, as part of the duo Carl Brave x Franco126, with the album ''Polaroid''. As a solo artist he re ...

, Tony Effe and Guè. The album is fully produced by her husband, Italian producer Sixpm, with few other producer collaborations like with, Zef, Young Miles, Stevie Aiello and HNDRC. ''Radio Gotham'' is an ode to New York; the lyrics are written by same Villain who was inspired but some personal situations. The album peaked at number 5 of FIMI Album, while two songs from the album: "Due facce" and "Fantasmi" debuted at 47 and 56 of Top Singoli. On February 10, 2023, she took part in duet show of Sanremo Music Festival 2023, together Rosa Chemical, the two covered America by

Gianna Nannini Gianna Nannini (; born 14 June 1954Who Is Who
''Bello e possibile'' ...

and they ranked position 8 in the contest. On April 14, 2023, the song "Cartoni animati" was chosen as single off Villain's album. In April 2023, the song "Fantasmi" is certified gold in Italy by FIMI On May 1, 2023, Rose Villain is one of the performers of the annual concert of Primo Maggio in Rome organized by CGIL, CISL and UIL for labour day. On May 12, 2013, she was featured on the single "Fragole" by Achille Lauro. In the same month her debut album, ''Radio Gotham'' is certified Gold by FIMI. In June 2023, in conjunction with the announcement of her participation as a judge for the

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...

show ''Nuova Scena - Rhythm + Flow Italia'' together

and Geolier, her single Lamette with Salmo was certified gold by FIMI. On June 9, 2023,

released his new album ''Migrazioni'', for the project the artist chose to work with Rose for the track "Rimpianti". On June 27, 2023, she announced her moving and signing to Warner Music Italy, and she announced the two date shows: ''A Villain Story: The Beginning'' in Rome and Milan. In July 2023, "Fragole" with Achille Lauro reached the Top 10 of the FIMI official singles chart and is certified gold, while in August the single is certified platinum and in September it's certified double platinum. Always in July 2023, the song "Fantasmi" from her album ''Radio Gotham'' is certified platinum by FIMI. On September 17, 2023 she received the TIM Music Awards for the certified gold album for ''Radio Gotham''. On October 7, 2023 she released the first single for Warner Music Italy, titled "Io, me e altri guai". which contain a sample of

Tainted Love "Tainted Love" is a song composed by Ed Cobb, formerly of American group the Four Preps, which was originally recorded by Gloria Jones in 1964. It attained worldwide fame after being covered and reworked by British synthpop duo Soft Cell in 1 ...

Soft Cell Soft Cell are an English synthpop duo who came to prominence in the early 1980s. The duo consists of vocalist Marc Almond and instrumentalist David Ball. The band are primarily known for their 1981 hit version of "Tainted Love" and their pla ...

Musical influences

Rose Villain is very inspired by film director such as

Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, dark humor, non-linear storylines, cameos, ensembl ...

, David Fincher, Stanley Kubrick and Alfred Hitchcock, other than be very passionate of criminology, passion that also led her to attend courses in the United States. Those interests brought Villain to create her dark sound, which mix rock and hip hop, she also inspired by artists such as

Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...

, Guns N' Roses,

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...

, Johnny Cash,

The Notorious B.I.G. Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop and particularly gangsta ...

2Pac Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the b ...

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

Ty Dolla $ign Tyrone William Griffin Jr. (born April 13, 1982), known professionally as Ty Dolla Sign (stylized as Ty Dolla $ign or Ty$), is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He first gained major recognition in 2010 for his feature on Ameri ...

and Kid Cudi. Villain also said that she's inspired by Italian songwriter

Lucio Battisti Lucio Battisti (5 March 1943 – 9 September 1998) was an influential Italian singer-songwriter and composer. He is widely recognized for songs that defined the late 1960s and 1970s era of Italian songwriting. Battisti released 18 studio albums ...

Discography

Studio albums

* '' Radio Gotham'' (2023)

Singles

;As a solo artist * "Get the Fuck Out of My Pool" (2016) * "Geisha" (2016) * "Kitty Kitty" (2017) * "Don't Call the Po-Po" (2017) * "Funeral Party" (2018) * "Swoop!" (2019) * "Sneakers" (2019) * "It's Snowing, Motherfucker" (2019) * "Bundy" (2020) * "Il diavolo piange" (2020) * "Goodbye" (2020) * "Elvis" with

and Sixpm (2021) * "Gangsta Love" featuring Rosa Chemical (2021) * "Michelle Pfeifer" featuring Tony Effe (2022) * "Rari" (2022) * "Lamette" featuring

(2023) * "Cartoni animati" (2023) * "Io, me ed altri guai" (2023) ;As a featured artist * "Don Medellín" –

feat. Rose Villain (2016) * "Chico" – Gué Pequeno feat. Rose Villain and Luchè (2020) * "Soli" – Giaime feat. Rose Villain (2021) * "Kandisky" – Don Joe feat.

and Rose Villain (2021) * "Eva + Eva" – Annalisa feat. Rose Villain (2021) * "Piango sulla lambo" – Gué Pequeno feat. Rose Villain (2021) * "Fragole" - Achille Lauro feat. Rose Villain (2023)

Other appearances

* "Kanye Loves Kanye" with MDNT & SixPM (2019) * "Stone Cold Digital" – Dreamshade feat. Rose Villain (2021) * "Corona Love Story" – Mondo Marcio feat. Rose Villain (2021) * "Psycho" –

feat. Rose Villain (2021) * "GoodFellas" –

feat. Rose Villain (2022) * "Au Revoir" – Fred De Palma feat. Gué and Rose Villain (2022) * "M.S.O.M" – Salmo feat. Jake La Furia and Rose Villain (2022) * "Travesuras" – SLF feat. Rose Villain, MV Killa, Yung Snapp, Vale Lambo & Fred De Palma) (2022) * "Cell" –

feat. Rose Villain and Ghali (2022) * "Canzoni tristi" –

feat. Rose Villain (2022) * "Rimpianti" -

feat. Rose Villain, Nayt (2023)

Filmography

Television

Tours

* 2022 - Rose Villain - Club Tours * 2023 - Radio Gotham Tour * 2023 - A VILLAIN STORY: the beginning

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Villain, Rose 1989 births English-language singers from Italy Living people Musicians from Milan Women pop singers Italian rock singers Italian rappers Italian pop singers Italian women singer-songwriters Italian singer-songwriters 21st-century Italian singers 21st-century Italian women singers