Domenica Rita Adriana Bertè (; 20 September 1947 – 12 May 1995), known professionally as Mia Martini (), was an Italian singer, songwriter and musician.
[James Christopher Monger]
Mia Martini
allmusic.com
raiuno.rai.it. April 2000 She is considered, by many experts, one of the most important and expressive female voices of
Italian music
In Italy, music has traditionally been one of the cultural markers of Italian national cultures and ethnic identity and holds an important position in society and in Italian politics, politics. Italian music innovationin scale (music), musi ...
, characterised by her interpretative intensity and her soulful performance.
Her debut album, ''Oltre la collina'' with the song "Padre davvero" is regarded as one of the best Italian albums made by a female artist.
["I miti musica" n. 18, "Mia Martini", Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, 1999] Hit songs like "
Piccolo uomo
"Piccolo uomo" () is a 1972 Italian song composed by Dario Baldan Bembo (music), Bruno Lauzi, and Michelangelo La Bionda (lyrics) and performed by Mia Martini. It was the singer's first significant commercial success.
Background
When Dario B ...
", "
Donna sola", "
Minuetto", "Inno", "Al mondo", "Che vuoi che sia se t'ho aspettato tanto", "Per amarti" and "La costruzione di un amore" made her one of the most popular artists of Italian music in the 1970s, both nationally and internationally. She is the only female artist to have won two
Festivalbar
The Festivalbar () was an Italian singing competition that took place in the most important Italian squares during summer, such as the Piazza del Duomo, Catania or Piazza Bra, Verona. The first edition took place in 1964 and was broadcast by ...
consecutively, respectively in 1972 and in 1973.
[Mia Martini: storia di una voce](_blank)
- Puntata de "La storia siamo noi" - Rai Educational In 1977, two important encounters occurred in Martini's life: the first with
Charles Aznavour
Charles Aznavour ( ; ; ; born Shahnur Vaghinak Aznavourian; 22 May 1924 – 1 October 2018) was a Armenians in France, French singer and songwriter of Armenian descent. Aznavour was known for his distinctive vibrato tenor voice: clear and ringi ...
, with whom she began a musical collaboration, and the second with singer-songwriter
Ivano Fossati
Ivano Alberto Fossati (born 21 September 1951) is an Italian pop singer from Genoa. He was a member of the progressive rock group Delirium and has worked with Fabrizio De André, Riccardo Tesi, Anna Oxa, Mia Martini, Ornella Vanoni, Shirley ...
, with whom she started an artistic and sentimental partnership.
In 1982, she sang "E non finisce mica il cielo", written by Fossati, at the
Sanremo Music Festival
The Sanremo Music Festival ( ), officially the Italian Song Festival (), is the most popular Italian song contest and awards ceremony, held annually in the city of Sanremo, Liguria, organized and broadcast by (RAI). It is the longest-running ...
, where she received the Critics Award, which was created specifically for her interpretation and which was named after her as
"Mia Martini" Critics Awards from 1996, the year after her death. In 1983, she was forced to leave the music industry and quit her career, as the music sector and colleagues considered her a person bringing bad luck and barred her from participating in any music and TV events, radio shows and concerts. This kept her away from the music scene for seven years. Only in
1989
1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...
was she able to reprise her career, when she returned to perform at the Sanremo Music Festival, singing "
Almeno tu nell'universo
"" (; ) is a song written by Bruno Lauzi and Maurizio Fabrizio and recorded by Italian singer Mia Martini, who released it as a single in 1989 and included the track in her self-titled album ''Martini Mia''.
Martini performed the song for the firs ...
", which brought her a new success.
Martini's later hits included "Gli uomini non cambiano", "La nevicata del '56" and "Cu' mme", the latter with
Roberto Murolo.
She
represented Italy at the
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest (), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international Music competition, song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) among its members since 1956. Each participating broadcaster ...
twice, in
1977
Events January
* January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
* January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...
with the song "
Libera
Libera may refer to:
* Libera (mythology), a Roman goddess of fertility
* Libera (choir), a boy vocal group from London
* ''Libera'' (film), a 1993 comedy film
* "Libera" (song), a song by Italian artist Mia Martini
* ''Libera'' (gastropod), a ...
" and in
1992
1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General.
* January 6
** The Republ ...
with "
Rapsodia". She died of
drug overdose
A drug overdose (overdose or OD) is the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities much greater than are recommended. Retrieved on September 20, 2014. on 12 May 1995.
Biography
Early life
Domenica Rita Adriana Bertè was born in
Bagnara Calabra
Bagnara Calabra (or simply Bagnara) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Reggio Calabria in Calabria, southern Italy. It is located in the hills facing the Tyrrhenian Sea on the southern tip of the region, about southwest of Catanza ...
,
Reggio Calabria
Reggio di Calabria (; ), commonly and officially referred to as Reggio Calabria, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, is the List of cities in Italy, largest city in Calabria as well as the seat of the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria. As ...
, in
southern Italy
Southern Italy (, , or , ; ; ), also known as () or (; ; ; ), is a macroregion of Italy consisting of its southern Regions of Italy, regions.
The term "" today mostly refers to the regions that are associated with the people, lands or cultu ...
, on 20 September 1947, the second of four daughters: the oldest, Leda (born 1946),
Loredana (born 1950) and the youngest Olivia (born 1958).
[Evan C. Gutierrez]
Loredana Bertè
allmusic.com Her father, Giuseppe Radames Bertè (1921–2017), was a teacher of Latin and Greek; born in
Villa San Giovanni
Villa San Giovanni () is a port city and a municipality in the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria of Calabria, Italy. In 2010 its population was 13,747 with a decrease of 2.5% until 2016 and in 2020 an increase of 3.7%. It is an important term ...
, he moved to
Marche
Marche ( ; ), in English sometimes referred to as the Marches ( ) from the Italian name of the region (Le Marche), is one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. The region is located in the Central Italy, central area of the country, ...
with his family, first working as a professor and later becoming high school headmaster in
Ancona
Ancona (, also ; ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region of central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona, homonymous province and of the region. The city is located northeast of Ro ...
. Her mother, Maria Salvina Dato (1925–2003), born in Bagnara Calabra, was an elementary school teacher.
Bertè, nicknamed "Mimì", spent her childhood in
Porto Recanati
Porto Recanati () is a town in the province of Macerata in the Marche region of Central Italy. It was made an independent town on 15 January 1893, due to a decree issued by King Umberto I causing the coastal hamlets of the town to be separated fr ...
, Marche, where she showed early an interest in music. She began to perform at parties and dance halls, and entered some song contests for new voices. In 1962, she convinced her mother to take her to
Milan
Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
for an audition, with the hope to get a record deal.
The beginnings as Mimì Bertè
The only one willing to put her to the test was the author and music producer
Carlo Alberto Rossi, who decided to launch her as a
yé-yé
''Yé-yé'' () or ''yeyé'' () was a style of pop music that emerged in Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe in the early 1960s. The French term ''yé-yé'' was derived from the English "yeah! yeah!", popularized by British beat music ban ...
girl, following the musical fashion of the moment. With the song "Ombrello blu", she participated at the Pesaro Festival.
In 1963, the 16-year-old Mimì Bertè recorded her first song.
In May 1964, she won the Bellaria Festival, with the song "Come puoi farlo tu", but it was with the song "Il magone" that she reached some media exposure and also with the song "Ed ora che abbiamo litigato", performed in 1965 at the variety show Teatro 10.
The numerous auditions made by Mimì Bertè in that period, in anticipation of an album, however, remained unreleased for almost thirty years: Carlo Alberto Rossi, hoping for her musical growth, pushed her to sign with a bigger record label,
Durium
Durium is a highly durable synthetic resin developed in 1929. It was used in phonograph records, as well as in the casting process for metallic type and in the aeronautics industry.
Origin
It is a resorcinol-formaldehyde resin, the result o ...
, which in 1966 published her record ''Non sarà tardi / Quattro settimane'', without, however, any success.
After her parents split, she moved to Rome with her mother and sisters, where she tried to emerge again by forming a trio together with her sister Loredana and her friend Renato Fiacchini (known as
Renato Zero
Renato Fiacchini (born 30 September 1950), known by the stage name Renato Zero (), is an Italian singer-songwriter, producer, dancer and actor whose career spans from the 1960s to the 2020s. Zero is the only artist to have reached the top of t ...
), also earning a living with a modest job at the union of singers and songwriters.
In 1969, she served four months in prison in Tempio Pausania for having been discovered in possession of a marijuana cigarette during an evening in a well-known nightclub in Sardinia, a crime that at the time did not make any distinction from the possession of soft drugs vs hard drugs, and therefore strictly prosecutable. The singer was acquitted after a stint in prison, during which she attempted suicide. Consequently, the publication of her record ''Coriandoli spenti / L'argomento dell'amore'' was blocked, and the album, recorded a few months earlier for Esse Records, remained unreleased for over thirty years (today it is one of the rarest records in Italy).
In 1970, she participates as a chorister, with her sister Loredana and alongside the musical group ″Cantori Moderni di Alessandroni″, to the album ''Per un pugno di samba'', recorded during his stay in Rome by
Chico Buarque de Hollanda, whom the singer will always be a great admirer. In the same year, the pianist Toto Torquati convinced Mimì to perform live, playing for her in a repertoire more appropriate to her voice.
1970s
Success as Mia Martini
A meeting with lawyer and music producer Alberigo Crocetta proved decisive. Crocetta was the founder of the famous Piper Club, where many famous artists used to perform. He decided to launch Mimì Bertè, thinking also about the international music market and therefore creating her stage name "Mia Martini": ''Mia'' like
Mia Farrow
Maria de Lourdes Villiers "Mia" Farrow ( ; born February 9, 1945) is an American actress. She first gained notice for her role as Allison MacKenzie in the television soap opera ''Peyton Place (TV series), Peyton Place'' and gained further recogn ...
(her favourite actress), and ''Martini'', chosen among three of the most famous Italian words abroad (spaghetti, pizza and
Martini
Martini may refer to:
* Martini (cocktail), a drink made with gin and vermouth, garnished with an olive or a lemon twist
* Martini (vermouth), a brand of vermouth
* Martini (surname), an Italian surname
* Martini (automobile company), a Swiss auto ...
). Her look became more eclectic, characterised by numerous rings and a peculiar bowler hat.
In 1971, the record company
RCA Italiana
RCA Italiana was an Italian record company founded in 1949 and active until 1987, the date on which, together with the parent company RCA Records, it was bought by BMG Entertainment.
History
Founded in Rome in 1949 under the Vatican's protec ...
released "Padre davvero", the first song released as Mia Martini and recorded with the band La Macchina. The lyrics by Antonello De Sanctis deal with a generational conflict between a father and a daughter, and were immediately judged "irreverent" by radio and television censorship. Neverless, she won at the ''Festival di Musica d'Avanguardia e Nuove Tendenze'' in Viareggio. Another song of the album is "Amore.. amore.. un corno", a track written by a young
Claudio Baglioni
Claudio Baglioni (; born 16 May 1951) is an Italian Pop music, pop singer-songwriter and musician. His career has been going on for over 50 years.
Considered one of the most successful pop rock singer-songwriters in the history of Italian mu ...
and
Antonio Coggio
Antonio Coggio (16 May 1939 – 19 October 2021) was an Italian composer, arranger, pianist, and record producer.
After his studies at the Conservatorio Niccolò Paganini in Genoa, between 1964 and 1966 Coggio was pianist for Gino Paoli, accomp ...
. Baglioni wrote also "Gesù è mio fratello" and "Lacrime di marzo" for Martini's LP record ''Oltre la collina''.
"The important thing is to put memories behind you. I did it with a record, titled ''Oltre la collina'' in which I practically put all of myself, all my past. In the song "Padre davvero" there is also my father, who left home one day, twenty years ago, and whom we have not seen since then. I accidentally learned that he lives in Milan and teaches in a high school. There is also my experience with the hippies in Ibiza, Spain and Kathmandu, Nepal, in the East. An adventurous, unpredictable, especially painful life."
The album (the singer's first), released in November 1971, is considered one of the best works ever made by an Italian female artist, as well as one of her best works.
[Menico Caroli, Mia Martini. Il mio canto universale, Tarab, 1999] ''Oltre la collina'' is also one of the first Italian
concept album
A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...
s, addressing young despair and loneliness, religion, illness and suicide.
Martini also caught the attention of
Lucio Battisti
Lucio Battisti (5 March 1943 – 9 September 1998) was an 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 from 1969 ...
, who expressed his admiration for her unusual vocalism and asks her to be in his TV special ''Tutti insieme'', in which she sang "Padre davvero" in its censored version.
In 1971, Martini was expected to perform at the TV show ''
Canzonissima
(; ) was an Italian musical variety show broadcast by Rai 1 from 1958 to 1975, aired on Saturday evenings except for the last two editions, which were aired on Sunday afternoon. The program has been referred to as "the synthesis and paradigm of ...
'' with the song "Cosa c'è di strano", but the song was released only in the summer of 1973 in a compilation by
RCA Italiana
RCA Italiana was an Italian record company founded in 1949 and active until 1987, the date on which, together with the parent company RCA Records, it was bought by BMG Entertainment.
History
Founded in Rome in 1949 under the Vatican's protec ...
. However, the compilation immediately withdrawn from the market to prevent the
Ricordi
Ricordi may refer to:
People
* Giovanni Ricordi (1785–1853), Italian violinist and publishing company founder
*Giulio Ricordi (1840–1912), Italian publisher and musician
Music
*Casa Ricordi, an Italian music publishing company established i ...
(new record company of the singer since February 1972) reported the label for breach of contract.
In 1972, the label company RCA tried to get Martini to perform at
Sanremo Music Festival
The Sanremo Music Festival ( ), officially the Italian Song Festival (), is the most popular Italian song contest and awards ceremony, held annually in the city of Sanremo, Liguria, organized and broadcast by (RAI). It is the longest-running ...
with the song "Credo", but she was not selected. Her album was released anyway, but in very few copies.
Hits: "Piccolo uomo" and "Minuetto" (1972–1973)
When her producer Alberigo Crocetta left the label company RCA to join the record company
Ricordi
Ricordi may refer to:
People
* Giovanni Ricordi (1785–1853), Italian violinist and publishing company founder
*Giulio Ricordi (1840–1912), Italian publisher and musician
Music
*Casa Ricordi, an Italian music publishing company established i ...
in Milan, Martini followed him and recorded "Piccolo uomo". The track was written by
Bruno Lauzi
Bruno Lauzi (; 8 August 1937 – 24 October 2006) was an Italian singer-songwriter, poet and writer.
Biography
Bruno Lauzi was born in Asmara, then part of the Italian East Africa, to a Catholic father, Francesco Lauzi and a Jewish mother, ...
and
Michelangelo La Bionda, with music by
Dario Baldan Bembo Dario Baldan Bembo (born 15 May 1948) is an Italian composer, singer-songwriter, music arranger and musician, best known for the songs "Aria (song), Aria" and "Amico è".
Background
Born in Milan, Baldan Bembo started his music career as a keyb ...
, who was initially opposed to entrusting the track to a relatively new artist.
Destined, in fact, to the band
I Camaleonti
I Camaleonti ("The Chameleons") are an Italian pop group from Milan, mostly successful between the late 1960s and the early 1970s.
Background
I Camaleonti were formed in 1963 in Milan. The original line-up included Livio Macchia (guitar), A ...
, the song was instead presented by Martini at the festival ''Pop, Beat, Western Express'' in London on 26 May 1972 and was played numerous times on the Italian radio show ''Alto gradimento''. "Piccolo uomo" was proposed for the event ''
Un disco per l'estate
Un disco per l'estate (translation "A Record for the Summer") was an Italian Summer festival held from 1964 to 2003. It was organized and sponsored by the Italian record industry association, AFI, and by RAI, except for the editions between 1995 ...
'' but was not selected. The single was proposed also to the summer song contests ''
Cantagiro
Cantagiro was an Italian summer song contest held from 1962 to 1972 and 1990 to 1993. It featured three categories, A for famous artists, B for newcomers and C for groups. The creator of the competition was Ezio Radaelli. The name of the festival ...
'' and ''
Festivalbar
The Festivalbar () was an Italian singing competition that took place in the most important Italian squares during summer, such as the Piazza del Duomo, Catania or Piazza Bra, Verona. The first edition took place in 1964 and was broadcast by ...
'', where Martini earned her first victory.
Martini's success was immediate. She appeared on several television broadcasts, and the single reached the top positions of the hit-parade and earned Martini her first Gold Record in sales.
In September Martini also participated for the first time in the ''Mostra Internazionale di Musica Leggera'' in Venice with "
Donna sola", a song with strong soul influences. The track was the most successful single of the event, with approximately 270,000 copies sold. The following year, Martini won the prestigious Gondola D'Oro. "Donna sola" reached the 2º place in the hit-parade of the best-selling singles during the month of November.
In October Martini released her second album, ''Nel mondo, una cosa'' which contained songs such as "Valsinha" by
Vinícius de Moraes
Marcus Vinícius da Cruz e Mello Moraes (19 October 1913 – 9 July 1980), better known as Vinícius de Moraes () and nicknamed "O Poetinha" ("The Little Poet"), was a Brazilian poet, diplomat, lyricist, essayist, musician, singer, and playwrig ...
and
Chico Buarque
Francisco Buarque de Hollanda (born 19 June 1944), popularly known simply as Chico Buarque (), is a Brazilian singer-songwriter, guitarist, composer, playwright, writer, and poet. He is best known for his music, which often includes social, econom ...
, "Amanti" by
Maurizio Fabrizio
Maurizio Fabrizio (born 16 March 1952) is an Italian composer, conductor, arranger, producer, musician and singer-songwriter.
Life and career
Born in Milan, after studying at the conservatory in 1969 Fabrizio became a member of the La Scala or ...
, and the poignant covers "Madre" and "Io straniera", two pieces respectively by
John Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...
and
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...
. The album reached the top of the charts with around 300,000 copies sold and received the Record Critics Award as the best LP of 1972.
At the beginning of 1973, Martini's hits "Piccolo uomo" and "Donna sola" were released in Germany. She appeared on television shows in European countries including France and Spain, and she was called by critics "the queen of youth music in Italy". The record label
Ricordi
Ricordi may refer to:
People
* Giovanni Ricordi (1785–1853), Italian violinist and publishing company founder
*Giulio Ricordi (1840–1912), Italian publisher and musician
Music
*Casa Ricordi, an Italian music publishing company established i ...
proposed to Martini to perform at
Sanremo Music Festival
The Sanremo Music Festival ( ), officially the Italian Song Festival (), is the most popular Italian song contest and awards ceremony, held annually in the city of Sanremo, Liguria, organized and broadcast by (RAI). It is the longest-running ...
with the track "Vado via". She at first accepted, and then renounced in extremis, decreeing the fortune of
Drupi, who had sung the audition of the song and he is invited to compete at Sanremo festival.
On 2 April Mia Martini records "
Minuetto", composed by
Dario Baldan Bembo Dario Baldan Bembo (born 15 May 1948) is an Italian composer, singer-songwriter, music arranger and musician, best known for the songs "Aria (song), Aria" and "Amico è".
Background
Born in Milan, Baldan Bembo started his music career as a keyb ...
, with lyrics by
Franco Califano
Franco Califano (14 September 1938 – 30 March 2013) was an Italian lyricist, composer, singer-songwriter, author and actor. His songs sold about 20 million records during his career.
Early life
Born in an airplane above Tripoli, Libya, Ca ...
.
The lyrics of "Minuetto" were written after attempts made by Maurizio Piccoli and
Bruno Lauzi
Bruno Lauzi (; 8 August 1937 – 24 October 2006) was an Italian singer-songwriter, poet and writer.
Biography
Bruno Lauzi was born in Asmara, then part of the Italian East Africa, to a Catholic father, Francesco Lauzi and a Jewish mother, ...
, who had tried in vain to make a convincing draft, and ultimately contacted
Franco Califano
Franco Califano (14 September 1938 – 30 March 2013) was an Italian lyricist, composer, singer-songwriter, author and actor. His songs sold about 20 million records during his career.
Early life
Born in an airplane above Tripoli, Libya, Ca ...
. Baldan Bembo wrote the score, in which different musical atmospheres can be identified: from the classical citations of Bach to pop ballads from overseas. In the recording room for the choir, there are
Bruno Lauzi
Bruno Lauzi (; 8 August 1937 – 24 October 2006) was an Italian singer-songwriter, poet and writer.
Biography
Bruno Lauzi was born in Asmara, then part of the Italian East Africa, to a Catholic father, Francesco Lauzi and a Jewish mother, ...
,
Maurizio Fabrizio
Maurizio Fabrizio (born 16 March 1952) is an Italian composer, conductor, arranger, producer, musician and singer-songwriter.
Life and career
Born in Milan, after studying at the conservatory in 1969 Fabrizio became a member of the La Scala or ...
, the band
La Bionda
La Bionda were an Italian disco duo consisting of siblings Carmelo (1949–2022) and Michelangelo La Bionda (born 1952). They are considered among the pioneers of the Italo disco music genre.
The siblings were born in Ramacca, Sicily and move ...
,
Loredana Bertè
Loredana Bertè (; born 20 September 1950) is an Italian singer, songwriter and actress. She has worked with prominent Italian songwriters such as Pino Daniele, Ivano Fossati, Mario Lavezzi, Mango and Enrico Ruggeri, among others; her sister M ...
and
Adriano Panatta
Adriano Panatta (born 9 July 1950) is an Italian former professional tennis player. He won the French Open in 1976 French Open – Men's singles, 1976, becoming the first Italian man in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam (tennis)#Tournaments, major ...
(at the time in relationship).

With "Minuetto", her best-selling song, Martini earned another Gold Record and a platinum record, as well as the victory at
Festivalbar
The Festivalbar () was an Italian singing competition that took place in the most important Italian squares during summer, such as the Piazza del Duomo, Catania or Piazza Bra, Verona. The first edition took place in 1964 and was broadcast by ...
, her second victory in a row at the competition. The record remained in the top ten of the best-selling singles for 22 straight weeks, reaching the first position, and making it one of the most successful singles of 1973.
In September, Martini again participated in the ''Mostra Internazionale di Musica Leggera'' in Venice, performing "Bolero" and "Il guerriero", two songs initially intended for her sister Loredana, who, however, sees fading the possibility of signing a recording deal with the label Ricordi, at first interested in the young starlet and "Mia Martini's sister". The release of this record with the tracks "Bolero" and "Il guerriero" was scheduled by October, but the record would never be released, probably due to a change of rules implemented by
Gianni Ravera: in Venice it is no longer possible to compete with a single, but only with the entire LP. The singer therefore presented her new album, entitled ''Il giorno dopo'',
and will collect the Gondola d'Oro, won the year before with "Donna sola". In addition to the two songs presented in Venice, the new LP contains, among others the track "Ma quale amore", written by
Antonello Venditti
Antonio "Antonello" Venditti (born 8 March 1949) is an Italian singer-songwriter and pianist who became popular in the 1970s for the social themes addressed in his songs.
Biography
Antonello Venditti was born in Rome, the son of Vincenzino Ita ...
and
Franca Evangelisti
Franca Evangelisti (born 6 April 1935) is an Italian lyricist and singer.
Life and career
Born in Rome, Evangelisti studied singing with composer . In the second half of the 1950s, she started her professional career as a singer with the st ...
, "La malattia", on the then-unusual and much censored subject of drug addiction, and "Dove il cielo va a finire", written by
Maurizio Fabrizio
Maurizio Fabrizio (born 16 March 1952) is an Italian composer, conductor, arranger, producer, musician and singer-songwriter.
Life and career
Born in Milan, after studying at the conservatory in 1969 Fabrizio became a member of the La Scala or ...
.
At the end of 1973, she became the female singer to have sold the most records throughout the year, along with
Ornella Vanoni
Ornella Vanoni (; born 22 September 1934) is an Italian singer. She is one of the longest-standing Italian artists, having started performing in 1956. She has released about 112 works between LP, EPs and greatest hits albums, and is considered ...
and Patty Pravo. During this time, an appearance on the TV show
Canzonissima
(; ) was an Italian musical variety show broadcast by Rai 1 from 1958 to 1975, aired on Saturday evenings except for the last two editions, which were aired on Sunday afternoon. The program has been referred to as "the synthesis and paradigm of ...
with the song "Adesso vai" was scheduled, but this track was recorded by
Dori Ghezzi
Dori Ghezzi (born 30 March 1946) is an Italian singer who was active as a recording artist between 1966 and 1989. In the 1970s, Ghezzi worked mainly in a duo with American singer Wess, and the couple represented Italy in the 1975 Eurovision Song ...
the following year.
Her European success (1974-1975)
In 1974, Martini was considered by European critics the singer of the year.
["Mia Martini: storia di una voce", La storia siamo noi, RAI, 2005]
Her records were released in various countries of the world: she recorded her successes in French, German and Spanish.
On 29 April she finished recording her album ''È proprio come vivere'', which includes the song "Agapimu" ("My love"), whose lyrics are in Greek, written by herself, Gianni Conte and
Dario Baldan Bembo Dario Baldan Bembo (born 15 May 1948) is an Italian composer, singer-songwriter, music arranger and musician, best known for the songs "Aria (song), Aria" and "Amico è".
Background
Born in Milan, Baldan Bembo started his music career as a keyb ...
.
The two songs chosen to promote the album, "Inno" (Maurizio Piccoli-
Baldan Bembo) and "...E stelle stan piovendo" (Piccoli), became two of the major record hits of the summer of 1974. They were both released as A-sides of the same single, given that the two songs in the charts swapped positions week after week, despite the complex score of "Inno".
Also that year, Martini participated in the
Festivalbar
The Festivalbar () was an Italian singing competition that took place in the most important Italian squares during summer, such as the Piazza del Duomo, Catania or Piazza Bra, Verona. The first edition took place in 1964 and was broadcast by ...
but as a guest: Vittorio Salvetti, patron of the popular event, asked her not to participate in the competition in order to avoid "burning the race", given her previous two consecutive victories. In September she participated for the third time at ''Mostra Internazionale di Musica Leggera'' in Venice, where she performed for the first time "Inno" and "Agapimu".
''È proprio come vivere'' became one of the most successful albums of 1974, reaching around 300,000 copies sold. In October, the singer received the Gold Record from the label Ricordi for her first million records sold with her last three albums.
At the end of the year she recorded her first television special, entitled ''Mia'', in which
Lino Capolicchio and
Gabriella Ferri take part. The program aired on 6 February 1975, at the same time as the launch of her new single "Al mondo".
In December she presented, with
Aldo Giuffrè
Aldo Giuffrè (10 April 1924 – 26 June 2010) was an Italian film actor and comedian who appeared in over 90 films between 1948 and 2001. He was the brother of actor Carlo Giuffrè.
He is known for his roles in '' The Four Days of Naples'', ...
and
Peppino Gagliardi
Peppino Gagliardi (25 May 1940 – 9 August 2023) was an Italian singer who was best known for his musical hits titled “Che Vuole Questa Musica Stasera” and “Come le Viole” which have been featured in many films and have remained popula ...
, the radio show ''Ciao domenica'', aired between 1974 and 1975.
Martini received the European Critics Award in Palma de Mallorca for the song "Nevicate", track in the LP ''Sensi e controsensi'' (1975), which also contains the track "Volesse il cielo" by
Vinícius de Moraes
Marcus Vinícius da Cruz e Mello Moraes (19 October 1913 – 9 July 1980), better known as Vinícius de Moraes () and nicknamed "O Poetinha" ("The Little Poet"), was a Brazilian poet, diplomat, lyricist, essayist, musician, singer, and playwrig ...
, recorded live with an orchestra of sixty elements.
In the summer of 1975, she released a cover by Nicole Croisille titled "Donna con te" ("Une femme avec toi"), a summer success. She also participates at the Festivalbar.

Martini was proclaimed best female singer of the year through the referendum "Vota la voce", announced by the popular weekly ''
TV Sorrisi e Canzoni
''TV Sorrisi e Canzoni'' () is an Italian weekly listings magazine published in Segrate, Italy.
History and profile
The magazine was established in 1952 in Foligno by Casa Editrice Campi, with the name ''Sorrisi e Canzoni'' and Agostino Campi ...
'', while in autumn she was one of the protagonists of ''La compagnia stabile della canzone'', variety show with
Gino Paoli
Gino Paoli (; born 23 September 1934) is an Italian singer-songwriter. He is a seminal figure who has written a number of songs widely regarded as classics in Italian popular music, including: "Il cielo in una stanza (song), Il cielo in una st ...
,
Gigliola Cinquetti
Gigliola Cinquetti (; born Giliola Cinquetti on 20 December 1947) is an Italian singer, songwriter and television presenter.
Life and career
Gigliola Cinquetti was born into a wealthy family in Verona, Italy.
At the age of 16, she debuted at ...
,
Riccardo Cocciante
Riccardo Cocciante (; born 20 February 1946), also known in French-speaking countries and the United States as Richard Cocciante (), is an Italian and French singer and songwriter.
Early and personal life
Cocciante was born on 20 February 19 ...
and
Gianni Nazzaro
Giovanni "Gianni" Nazzaro (; 27 October 1948 – 27 July 2021) was an Italian singer and actor.
Early life and career
Nazzaro was born in Naples, the second of four children (two males and two females) born to vaudeville actor and gossip colum ...
.
Problems with her record label (1975-1976)
Martini's success, however, caused her record label Ricordi to put pressure on her, forcing her to record songs of their choice. Martini saw this demand as a limitation to her artistic freedom, but being bound by a contract, the singer could not back down. When the label Ricordi expressly asked her for a new LP to be promoted in conjunction with her participation at the TV show ''Compagnia stabile della canzone'', she complied reluctantly with the label's requests. Despite her conflict with Ricordi, the album she released, ''Un altro giorno con me'', was among the best-selling of her career.
In 1976, the singer was once again convinced to participate at Sanremo Festival with the song "L'amore è il mio orizzonte", but changed her mind again in extremis. In the month of March, the song was released without full promotion. It was her last official track with Ricordi, almost simultaneously released with the music compilation album ''Mia''.
Later, the record company
RCA
RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded in 1919 as the Radio Corporation of America. It was initially a patent pool, patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Westinghou ...
, the Roman label that had launched her career five years earlier, proposed a contract to Martini that gave more freedom to choose her repertoire. Martini, whose tensions with her label had worsened and who had been considering a change of label for some time, withdrew early from her contract with Ricordi.
The move to RCA saw Mia Martini as the leading artist of the satellite label ''Come Il Vento''. The new album ''Che vuoi che sia... se t'ho aspettato tanto'' included the track "Se mi sfiori", written by the newcomer
Mango
A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree '' Mangifera indica''. It originated from the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South and Southeast As ...
, the title-track "Io donna, io persona" and the song "Preghiera", written by
Stefano Rosso
Stefano Rosso (born Stefano Rossi; 7 December 1948 – 15 September 2008) was an Italian singer-songwriter and guitarist.
Background
Born in Rome, Rosso debuted in 1969 with his brother in the duo "Romolo e Remo", with the song "Io vagabondo". ...
, whose arrangements are composed by
Luis Bacalov
Luis Enríquez Bacalov (30 August 1933 – 15 November 2017) was an Argentine (naturalized Italian) film composer and musical director. He learned music from Enrique Barenboim, father of Daniel Barenboim - conductor of the Berlin and Chicago or ...
.
For the launch of the album, the national TV Rai produced a special in color with the same name directed by Ruggero Miti, and broadcast an exclusive concert on the radio. In the summer Martini performed on Italian and international stages including Viareggio's Bussola and Sporting Club in Montecarlo.
Furthermore, with "Che vuoi che sia... se t'ho aspettato tanto", she performed again at
Festivalbar
The Festivalbar () was an Italian singing competition that took place in the most important Italian squares during summer, such as the Piazza del Duomo, Catania or Piazza Bra, Verona. The first edition took place in 1964 and was broadcast by ...
and at the Mostra Internazionale di Musica Leggera in Venezia, presenting herself with an elaborate look: silver hairspray, royal makeup, and a sophisticated long red dress with a gold pattern. The year ended with the live recording of a special for the French television in November and with her collaboration with
Sergio Endrigo
Sergio Endrigo (; 15 June 1933 – 7 September 2005) was an Italian singer-songwriter.
Born in Pola, Istria in Italy (now Pula, Croatia), he has been often compared—for style and nature—to authors of the so-called "Genoa school" like Gino ...
.
In the meantime, however, Martini was sued in court by the record label Ricordi for breach of contract. The record company requests and obtains not only the withdrawal from the market of her new LP (which was temporary), but also and above all the seizure of all the artist's assets and earnings, as well as the payment of a high penalty, for the amount of almost 90 million lire of the time.
Success at the Olympia with Aznavour and encounter with Fossati (1977-1979)
In a TV concert broadcast in France, Martini captured the attention of
Charles Aznavour
Charles Aznavour ( ; ; ; born Shahnur Vaghinak Aznavourian; 22 May 1924 – 1 October 2018) was a Armenians in France, French singer and songwriter of Armenian descent. Aznavour was known for his distinctive vibrato tenor voice: clear and ringi ...
, who was struck by the intensity of her interpretative style. The French singer-songwriter asked her to join him for a duo show to perform in different theatres in Europe, starting at
Teatro Sistina in Rome.
In 1977, Martini was chosen to represent Italy at the
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest (), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international Music competition, song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) among its members since 1956. Each participating broadcaster ...
with "
Libera
Libera may refer to:
* Libera (mythology), a Roman goddess of fertility
* Libera (choir), a boy vocal group from London
* ''Libera'' (film), a 1993 comedy film
* "Libera" (song), a song by Italian artist Mia Martini
* ''Libera'' (gastropod), a ...
", a track recorded in different languages, finishing 13th out of 18. The original song was a ballad but was later revamped before the contest to give it a more disco-influenced feel. Martini stated in later interviews that she didn't like the new version of the track and wanted to sing the original version of the song.
In the same year, she recorded one of her best-known interpretations, "Per amarti", written by
Bruno Lauzi
Bruno Lauzi (; 8 August 1937 – 24 October 2006) was an Italian singer-songwriter, poet and writer.
Biography
Bruno Lauzi was born in Asmara, then part of the Italian East Africa, to a Catholic father, Francesco Lauzi and a Jewish mother, ...
and
Maurizio Fabrizio
Maurizio Fabrizio (born 16 March 1952) is an Italian composer, conductor, arranger, producer, musician and singer-songwriter.
Life and career
Born in Milan, after studying at the conservatory in 1969 Fabrizio became a member of the La Scala or ...
. She released the album with the same title ''Per amarti'', in which she worked for the first time with songwriter
Ivano Fossati
Ivano Alberto Fossati (born 21 September 1951) is an Italian pop singer from Genoa. He was a member of the progressive rock group Delirium and has worked with Fabrizio De André, Riccardo Tesi, Anna Oxa, Mia Martini, Ornella Vanoni, Shirley ...
, (who participates for the choirs of the song "Un uomo per me", cover of "
Somebody to Love" by Queen and writes the lyrics of "Se finisse qui", cover of "
Give a little bit
"Give a Little Bit" is the opening song on Supertramp's 1977 album '' Even in the Quietest Moments...'' The song was released as a single that same year and became an international hit for the band, peaking at number 15 on the ''Billboard'' P ...
" by
Supertramp
Supertramp were a British rock band formed in London in 1970. Marked by the individual songwriting of founders Roger Hodgson (vocals, keyboards and guitars) and Rick Davies (vocals and keyboards), the group were distinguished for blending p ...
), beginning an artistic partnership and a sentimental relationship.
The album ''Per amarti'' also included the track "Ritratto di donna", with which Martini participated at the
World Popular Song Festival
The , also known as Yamaha Music Festival and unofficially as the "Oriental Eurovision", was an international song contest held from 1970 until 1989. It was organised by the Yamaha Music Foundation in Tokyo, Japan. The first edition of the World P ...
in Tokyo in 1977, placing second and winning the Most Outstanding Performance Award (MOPA).
On 10 January 1978, together with Aznavour, she debuted successfully at the
Olympia in Paris. However, after the month of reruns, Martini renounced the renewal of the contract to bring the recital to England, at the
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272.
Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...
in London, to stay with her new lover Fossati. For this reason, her plans to record an entire album with Aznavour faded.
Her relationship with Fossati led Martini to choose only projects that interested her, regardless of potential prestige:
"Over the years I ended up being identified with the type of a sophisticated singer for selected people, who sang at Olympia and who seemed to snub the audience that had given her success, to seek who knows what higher goals .. This is not true at all..."
Meanwhile, Martini clashed with RCA, following strong quarrels due to the significant changes made to the text and arrangement of "Libera". The singer also said RCA was not committed to making the new LP that was destined for the British market, which was never completed. The following year, Martini publicly accused the label of having boycotted her work, limiting their distribution, and hindering her by creating a hostile environment.
Martini thus moved to
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Records Inc. (known as Warner Bros. Records Inc. until 2019) is an American record label. A subsidiary of Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division ...
, the only record company willing to pay the artist's entire debt with RCA, following the anticipated breach of contract. In record time, the first single "Vola" (by Ivano Fossati) was recorded and released in July. "Vola" was the prelude to a second and much more important collaboration with
Fossati, which will be developed with the album ''Danza'',
entirely written and produced for her by Fossati.
From this album, tracks like "La costruzione di un amore" and "Danza" remained in the artist's repertoire for a long time. But her relationship with Fossati soon becomes complicated, and a long-awaited collaboration with
Pino Daniele
Giuseppe "Pino" Daniele (19 March 1955 – 4 January 2015) was an Italian singer-songwriter and musician. His influences covered a wide number of genres, including pop, blues, jazz, and Italian and Middle Eastern music.
Biography
Daniele wa ...
that included the realisation of her next album faded. Martini recalled this period of her life in an interview:
"In the meantime, my relationship with Ivano Fossati had begun on a bloody and catastrophic basis. And I had my trouble to walk through this minefield. I had a deal with another record company, and I had to break it because of him. Because he was jealous, of executives, of musicians, of everyone. But most of all he was jealous of me as a singer. He said he wanted me as a woman, but it wasn't true because in fact he didn't even want a child with me, and the proof of love was to completely abandon even the very idea of singing and completely destroy Mia Martini. I was torn, I couldn't do it. The fact that there were all those debts to pay was my excuse for not quitting. But when he violently opposed to my upcoming collaboration with Pino Daniele, which I really cared about, for an album that I had to do, this fight between me as a woman and Mia Martini became a fierce thing. And in fact when I went to the recording room to record the album, without Pino Daniele, my voice went away. I found myself with my vocal cords imprisoned in a thick membrane made up of nodules. It seems to be a very rare thing. I underwent two surgeries. I was mute for a year. And I didn't know if I could return to sing. I started again, with difficulty..."
1980s
"I was too willing for the job, I always had people around who praised me not for who I am, but for what I could give them. The music industry is a terrifying environment and I decided to stay out of it, to stay behind the scenes for three years. I became disenchanted. I know what type of corruption is behind the facade of an artist and I don't want to be involved anymore. I will continue to sing, but just step by step. In the entertainment world, everyone tries to crush you, to tarnish your dignity. And, in the end, we are the one who are responsible in front of the public, personally. ..Dishonest music businessmen forced me to sing with cheap sound systems to save money; they forced me to perform under the threat of a penalty. And so I ended up under the knife twice. After the surgery, for three months I could not even speak. I underwent surgery and the doctors kept my mouth opened with a steel device that hurt my entire palate. It was a very painful time."
From singer to songwriter
In 1981, after a year of silence following two difficult surgeries at her vocal cords (which changed the sound of her voice in a more hoarse and less extended timbre), Martini decided to present herself as a songwriter and took on a more discreet and androgynous look, far from the eccentric one of the seventies.
She released, with the label DDD, the album ''Mimì'': ten songs written by her and recorded in London and the US with arrangements by
Dick Halligan
Richard Bernard Halligan (August 29, 1943 – January 18, 2022) was an American musician and composer, best known as a founding member of the jazz-rock band Blood, Sweat & Tears.
Career
Halligan was born in Troy, New York. He was BS&T's trom ...
. Among the tracks were the song "Del mio amore" and the two singles "E ancora canto" and "Ti regalo un sorriso", with which she competes at the
Festivalbar
The Festivalbar () was an Italian singing competition that took place in the most important Italian squares during summer, such as the Piazza del Duomo, Catania or Piazza Bra, Verona. The first edition took place in 1964 and was broadcast by ...
in 1981. The album received favourable reception, despite difficulties and ostracism during radio and television promotion. Martini addressed this in various interviews:
"After the release of my album, I had to perform at Saint Vincent, but Gianni Ravera didn't want me there. I had to make a television special that RAI
(), commercially styled as since 2000 and known until 1954 as (RAI), is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many terrestrial and subscription television channels a ...
had assigned to me, but the official responsible for the program in the end denied it to me. A radio and television programmer, who is working on the realisation of a summer show for the network, has clearly told my record company that it is much better that I stay away from his crew, because I bring bad luck. Many thanks for this contribution to intelligence. But does this seem fair to you? At this point, I have also stopped hating them and stifling my anger and despairing."
In 1982, Martini competed for the first time at
Sanremo Music Festival
The Sanremo Music Festival ( ), officially the Italian Song Festival (), is the most popular Italian song contest and awards ceremony, held annually in the city of Sanremo, Liguria, organized and broadcast by (RAI). It is the longest-running ...
, where she sang a song written by Ivano Fossati, entitled "E non finisce mica il cielo". Despite not reaching the podium, she won the critics' prize, which was established specifically for her interpretation. After her death, the Critics award would be named in her memory
"Mia Martini" Critics award.
The same year, she wrote ''Quante volte'', a soft-funk track with music and arrangement by
Shel Shapiro
The Rokes were a pop rock band formed in 1963 in Italy by English expatriates. Their most successful songs included "Piangi con me", the original version of " Let's Live for Today", a US hit when covered by The Grass Roots; and "Che colpa abb ...
, producer of her new LP album ''Quante volte... ho contato le stelle''. It exceeded 70,000 copies sold.
Initially the single "Quante volte" was distributed in a few thousand copies, but after it became a hit, her record label DDD was quick to reissue it with a different cover. "Quante volte" also enters the German charts, and a German version was recorded, thought it remains unpublished.
The album ''Quante volte'' contains other tracks written by Martini, like "Stelle" and "Bambolina" (released the year after as a single).
Withdrawal from the music scene
In 1983, Martini left the music scene. A growing smear campaign, started ten years earlier, linked her presence to negative events and identifies her as a person bringing bad luck. In the music industry, even her name was forbidden to be uttered.
Martini said, years later, of this period of her life:
"My life became impossible. Whatever I did was destined to have no response and I had all the doors shut in my face. There were people who were afraid of me, who, for example, refused to participate at shows and events in which I should have taken part too. I remember that a manager begged me not to participate in a festival, because no record company would have sent their artists if I was there. This had gone to an absurd level, so I decided to withdraw.".
She said in an interview with the weekly magazine ''
Epoca'':
"I had the most bitter disappointment by Gianni Boncompagni
Giandomenico "Gianni" Boncompagni (13 May 1932 – 16 April 2017) was a television and radio presenter, director, writer and lyricist.
Life and career
Born in Arezzo, at 18 years old Boncompagni moved to Sweden, where he lived for ten years do ...
, a friend precisely. Once I was a guest at Discoring
''Discoring'' was a music show broadcast by Rai 1 from 1977 to 1989, created by Gianni Boncompagni, aired mainly on Sunday. The program could be considered analogous to the English show ''Top of the Pops''.
History
The first episode was broa ...
, he was the director. As soon as I entered the studio I heard Boncompagni saying to the crew: guys, beware, from now on anything can happen, the microphones will blow, there will be a black out."
She also explained how the infamous story, which profoundly marked her artistic career and her personal life, began:
"It all started in 1970. Then I was beginning to have my first successes. Fausto Paddeu, a producer nicknamed 'Ciccio Piper' because he was often at the Piper Club (a famous disco club), offered me an exclusive contract for life. He was a totally unreliable type and I refused it. And after a few days, returning from a concert in Sicily, the van in which I was traveling with my band was involved in an accident. Two guys lost their lives. 'Ciccio Piper' immediately took the opportunity to stick the label of 'jinx' on me."
In 1982 Martini told journalist Gianfranco Moriondo:
"Among the first ones to say that I jinx, there were Patty Pravo
Nicoletta Strambelli (born 9 April 1948), known professionally as Patty Pravo, is an Italian singer. She debuted in 1966 and remained most successful commercially for the rest of the 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Having suffered a decline in p ...
and Fred Bongusto
Alfredo Antonio Carlo Buongusto (6 April 1935 – 8 November 2019), known by his stage name Fred Bongusto, was an Italian light music singer, songwriter and composer who was very popular in the 1960s and 1970s.
Career history
Bongusto was bor ...
. Then it was the turn of RAI
(), commercially styled as since 2000 and known until 1954 as (RAI), is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many terrestrial and subscription television channels a ...
which began to stop airing my songs. Then the record companies, who rejected my songs.".
Martini organised a farewell concert at the theatre Ciak in Milan, in which she records the album ''Miei compagni di viaggio'': She recalled the most important stages of her musical growth through the reinterpretations of authors dear to her, including
John Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...
,
Kate Bush
Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, and dancer. Bush began writing songs at age 11. She was signed to EMI Records after David Gilmour of Pink Floyd helped produce a demo tape. In 1978, at the ...
,
Randy Newman
Randall Stuart Newman (born November 28, 1943) is an American singer, songwriter, arranger, pianist, composer, conductor and orchestrator. He is known for his non-rhotic Southern American English, Southern-accented singing style, early America ...
,
Vinícius de Moraes
Marcus Vinícius da Cruz e Mello Moraes (19 October 1913 – 9 July 1980), better known as Vinícius de Moraes () and nicknamed "O Poetinha" ("The Little Poet"), was a Brazilian poet, diplomat, lyricist, essayist, musician, singer, and playwrig ...
,
Fabrizio De André
Fabrizio Cristiano De André (; 18 February 1940 – 11 January 1999) was an Italian singer-songwriter and the most-prominent '' cantautore'' of his time. He is also known as Faber, a nickname given by the friend Paolo Villaggio, as a referen ...
,
Francesco De Gregori
Francesco De Gregori Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, OMRI (born 4 April 1951) is an Italian singer-songwriter. In Italy, he is popularly known as "Il Principe dei cantautori" ("The Prince of the singer-songwriters"), a nickname referrin ...
and
Luigi Tenco
Luigi Tenco (21 March 1938 – 27 January 1967) was an Italian singer-songwriter.
He died on the night of 27 January 1967 after a performance at the Sanremo Music Festival. His death was ruled to be the result of suicide, but even decades later, ...
. To the choirs of "Big Yellow Taxi" by
Joni Mitchell
Roberta Joan Mitchell (née Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and painter. As one of the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitch ...
, there are her sister
Loredana Bertè
Loredana Bertè (; born 20 September 1950) is an Italian singer, songwriter and actress. She has worked with prominent Italian songwriters such as Pino Daniele, Ivano Fossati, Mario Lavezzi, Mango and Enrico Ruggeri, among others; her sister M ...
, her vocalist and friend Aida Cooper,
Cristiano De André
Cristiano De André (; born 29 December 1962) is an Italian singer-songwriter and musician. During his career, he competed four times in the Sanremo Music Festival, receiving three Critics' Awards.
Biography
The son of Fabrizio De André and his ...
and
Ivano Fossati
Ivano Alberto Fossati (born 21 September 1951) is an Italian pop singer from Genoa. He was a member of the progressive rock group Delirium and has worked with Fabrizio De André, Riccardo Tesi, Anna Oxa, Mia Martini, Ornella Vanoni, Shirley ...
. The concert ended with the song "Ed ora dico sul serio (...Non vorrei cantare più)" by
Chico Buarque
Francisco Buarque de Hollanda (born 19 June 1944), popularly known simply as Chico Buarque (), is a Brazilian singer-songwriter, guitarist, composer, playwright, writer, and poet. He is best known for his music, which often includes social, econom ...
.
The following year, the record company DDD again attempted to revive Martini's career by trying to get her to participate at the
Sanremo Music Festival
The Sanremo Music Festival ( ), officially the Italian Song Festival (), is the most popular Italian song contest and awards ceremony, held annually in the city of Sanremo, Liguria, organized and broadcast by (RAI). It is the longest-running ...
with "Spaccami il cuore", track written by
Paolo Conte
Paolo Conte (; born 6 January 1937) is an Italian singer, pianist, songwriter and lawyer, known for his distinctly grainy, resonant voice. His compositions fuse Italian and Mediterranean sounds with jazz, boogie and elements of the French and ...
. The song, however, is discarded by the selection jury to enter the festival. Regarding this exclusion from Sanremo Music Festival, in an interview on
Radio Kiss Kiss in 1995, Martini said:
"I was rejected by the jury of the Festival and I was personally rejected by Red Ronnie, who decided that I was someone bringing bad luck, I was an outdated singer and that my song was very bad.".
Martini's contract with DDD was dissolved a few months later with the publication of the single, destined for Sanremo Festival and released in a few thousand copies. The B-side of the single was a track Martini wrote called "Lucy", which in the refrain uses an ancient rhyme from Bagnara Calabra (her native hometown): a prayer not to hate one another and not to move away. The track "''Spaccami il cuore''", rejected at Sanremo Festival in 1985, was later sung by
Miriam Makeba
Zenzile Miriam Makeba ( , ; 4 March 1932 – 9 November 2008), nicknamed Mama Africa, was a South African singer, songwriter, actress, and civil rights activist. Associated with musical genres including African popular music, Afropop, ja ...
, with the title "Don't Break My Heart".
Marginalised by the music sector and visibly tested also by the end of her relationship with Fossati, Martini retreated to the Umbrian countryside, renting a flat in the small village of Calvi dell'Umbria. To make up for the considerable economic problems caused by her debts from the disputes with her previous record labels, she continued to perform in small gigs in provincial towns.
Return to Sanremo
In 1989, the music producer Gianni Sanjust, who in the 1970s had previously taken care of Martini's artistic career at the label Ricordi, brought her back to the music stage. The relaunch was planned at
Fonit Cetra
Fonit Cetra was an Italian record label, active between 1957 and 2000.
History
Fonit Cetra was founded in 1957 from merging two already existing labels: Cetra (acronym from Compagnia per edizioni, teatro, registrazioni ed affini), owned by RAI ...
, the only record label willing to offer Martini a contract. The project was entrusted to Lucio Salvini, one of Martini's producers in the 1970s.
Sanjust retrieved an old song, written for her by
Bruno Lauzi
Bruno Lauzi (; 8 August 1937 – 24 October 2006) was an Italian singer-songwriter, poet and writer.
Biography
Bruno Lauzi was born in Asmara, then part of the Italian East Africa, to a Catholic father, Francesco Lauzi and a Jewish mother, ...
and
Maurizio Fabrizio
Maurizio Fabrizio (born 16 March 1952) is an Italian composer, conductor, arranger, producer, musician and singer-songwriter.
Life and career
Born in Milan, after studying at the conservatory in 1969 Fabrizio became a member of the La Scala or ...
in 1972: "
Almeno tu nell'universo
"" (; ) is a song written by Bruno Lauzi and Maurizio Fabrizio and recorded by Italian singer Mia Martini, who released it as a single in 1989 and included the track in her self-titled album ''Martini Mia''.
Martini performed the song for the firs ...
". The song was initially rejected to the contest, but due to the involvement of Alba Calia and Sandra Carraro (wife of then Italian ministry of Tourism and Entertainment,
Franco Carraro
Franco Carraro (born 6 December 1939) is an Italian sport manager and politician.
Career
Carraro was born on 6 December 1939 in Padua, at the time Kingdom of Italy. He worked in many high-profile roles in the public and private sectors. He ...
), the song was admitted to compete at the
39th Sanremo Festival. Martini's performance brought her newfound success with the public and critics, winning the Critics Award for a second time.
"For seven years I could no longer do my job, so I lived moments of great depression. And in that moment (at Sanremo), I felt "physically" this total embrace of the whole audience, I felt it right on the skin. And it was an unforgettable moment."
After her success at Sanremo Music Festival, Martini soon went on tour and recorded a new LP album, called ''Martini Mia...''. The album includes songs such as "Notturno", which over time became a classic, and "Donna", the last one written two years earlier by the Neapolitan singer-songwriter
Enzo Gragnaniello. After having witnessed a live performance by Martini in the darkest period of her career, Gragnaniello paid homage to her by writing a song that became one of the most famous Italian songs explicitly focused on the theme of physical and psychological violence against women. This started a collaboration with her that would last for a few years.
In the summer 1989, Martini sang "Donna" at
Festivalbar
The Festivalbar () was an Italian singing competition that took place in the most important Italian squares during summer, such as the Piazza del Duomo, Catania or Piazza Bra, Verona. The first edition took place in 1964 and was broadcast by ...
, where she was awarded the Gold Disc for the 100,000 copies her album sold. In the autumn, she won the ''
Targa Tenco
The Targa Tenco ("Tenco Plaque") is a prize awarded annually by the Club Tenco. Founded in 1984, it has a large jury of 200 journalists and critics awarding the best works of the year.Cantore, Lalla (1990). "Club Tenco". Castaldo, Gino (edited by) ...
'' as the best female interpreter of the year.
1990s
New successes at Sanremo, Neapolitan song hit and Eurovision
In 1990, Mia Martini competed again at
Sanremo Music Festival
The Sanremo Music Festival ( ), officially the Italian Song Festival (), is the most popular Italian song contest and awards ceremony, held annually in the city of Sanremo, Liguria, organized and broadcast by (RAI). It is the longest-running ...
with the track "La nevicata del '56", winning the Critics Award for the third time.
The song "La nevicata del '56" was included in the album ''La mia razza'', a work in which Martini ranges from melodic sound ("Un altro Atlantico", "Stringi di più", "Cercando il sole"), to ethnic rhythms ("Danza pagana", "Va' a Marechiaro") and Latin sound (''Chica chica bum'' by
Carmen Miranda
Maria do Carmo Miranda da Cunha (9 February 1909 – 5 August 1955), known professionally as Carmen Miranda (), was a Portuguese-born Brazilian singer, dancer, and actress. Nicknamed "The Brazilian Bombshell", she was known for her signature ...
).
In the same year, she sang the duet "Stelle di stelle" with
Claudio Baglioni
Claudio Baglioni (; born 16 May 1951) is an Italian Pop music, pop singer-songwriter and musician. His career has been going on for over 50 years.
Considered one of the most successful pop rock singer-songwriters in the history of Italian mu ...
, two decades after their first collaboration.
In 1991, Martini published "Mi basta solo che sia un amore", a compilation album of her best-known love songs, plus the unreleased track "Scrupoli", which became the theme song of the homonymous television program. In the same year, she held twelve concerts in which she re-proposed pieces from her own repertoire and from other songwriters in a jazz version ("Vola", "Pensieri e parole" by
Battisti, "Gente distratta" by
Pino Daniele
Giuseppe "Pino" Daniele (19 March 1955 – 4 January 2015) was an Italian singer-songwriter and musician. His influences covered a wide number of genres, including pop, blues, jazz, and Italian and Middle Eastern music.
Biography
Daniele wa ...
and other classic songs).
At the end of 1991, Martini collaborated with
Roberto Murolo in the duet "Cu' mme", written by
Enzo Gragnaniello, which became a hit.
In 1992, she competed for the fourth time at the
Sanremo Music Festival
The Sanremo Music Festival ( ), officially the Italian Song Festival (), is the most popular Italian song contest and awards ceremony, held annually in the city of Sanremo, Liguria, organized and broadcast by (RAI). It is the longest-running ...
with the song "Gli uomini non cambiano". Despite being the favourite for the win by the press, she was awarded second place, behind
Luca Barbarossa
Luca Barbarossa (born 15 April 1961) is an Italian singer-songwriter who has released 12 albums since 1981, and is known for his participation in the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest.
Early career
In 1980, Barbarossa won the Castrocaro Music Fest ...
with the song "Portami a ballare". Her new album ''Lacrime'', released after the competition, achieved a gold record, also entering the German charts. For the album, Martini collaborated with a young
Biagio Antonacci
Biagio Antonacci (; born 9 November 1963) is an Italian singer-songwriter from Milan.
Biography
Early life
Biagio Antonacci was born in Milan and was raised in one of its suburbs (Rozzano). Despite learning how to play the drums at a young a ...
on the song "Il fiume dei profumi", with
Mimmo Cavallo
Cosimo Cavallo (born 1 January 1951), best known as Mimmo Cavallo, is an Italian singer-songwriter and composer.
Life and career
Born in Lizzano, Apulia, Cavallo spent his childhood in Turin, where his family had moved.- Ernesto Bassignano. "C ...
for the songs "Dio c'è" and "Il mio Oriente", with Enzo Gragnaniello for the song "Scenne l'argento" and with other songwriters.
Her second-place finish at Sanremo Festival allowed her to represent Italy again at the
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest (), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international Music competition, song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) among its members since 1956. Each participating broadcaster ...
, held in Sweden. She presented a song titled "
Rapsodia", which was included in the homonymous compilation ''Rapsodia - Il meglio di Mia Martini'', with her best-known songs in a remastered version, together with two live tracks recorded during the tour ''Per aspera ad Astra''. Also planned was the release of a home video of her tour, which would be published posthumously by her new record label
Polygram.
In April 1992, Martini reconnected with her estranged sister
Loredana Bertè
Loredana Bertè (; born 20 September 1950) is an Italian singer, songwriter and actress. She has worked with prominent Italian songwriters such as Pino Daniele, Ivano Fossati, Mario Lavezzi, Mango and Enrico Ruggeri, among others; her sister M ...
after almost ten years of silence; the two women had not spoken to each other since 1983.
In May 1992, Martini competed at Eurovision with "Rapsodia", placing 4th. At first, she appeared in Swedish media press primarily for being "the sister-in-law of
Björn Borg
Björn Rune Borg (; born 6 June 1956) is a Swedish former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for 109 weeks. Borg won 66 singles titles during his caree ...
", the former Swedish tennis player that Loredana Bertè had married. But after the competition she received the praise of the Swedish public, appearing far from the temperament of her sister Loredana.
Loredana had in the meantime severed her relationship with
Björn Borg
Björn Rune Borg (; born 6 June 1956) is a Swedish former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for 109 weeks. Borg won 66 singles titles during his caree ...
, who she married in 1989, and prepared to return as a singer-songwriter. Martini agreed to duet with her with the song "Stiamo come stiamo", at
Sanremo Music Festival in 1993. But the event did not convince the juries, in part due to the tensions between the two sisters during the days of the music festival.
Disagreement with her record company and last album
Later her record company
Polygram forced her to participate in the selection process for the
Sanremo Music Festival of 1994. The track was rejected, and Martini was not convinced with the song.
The news aroused an uproar, and singer
Claudia Mori
Claudia Moroni (born 12 February 1944), known as Claudia Mori, is an Italian producer, retired actress and singer.
Biography
1960s
She began her career in show business as an actress playing in musicals, then in major films such as ''Rocco an ...
offered Martini to replace her in the competition. Martini declined the offer, which was not allowed under the regulations of Sanremo Festival.
In 1994, Martini moved to a new record company, RTI Music, with which she completed recording her new album started with the previous label, where the singer had some disagreements. The album, her last one, was titled ''La musica che mi gira intorno'', in which she reinterpreted songs by her favorite authors, who wrote those tracks "in a moment of great love, or great frailty": among them "Hotel Supramonte" and "Fiume Sand Creek" by
Fabrizio De André
Fabrizio Cristiano De André (; 18 February 1940 – 11 January 1999) was an Italian singer-songwriter and the most-prominent '' cantautore'' of his time. He is also known as Faber, a nickname given by the friend Paolo Villaggio, as a referen ...
, "Mimì sarà" by
Francesco De Gregori
Francesco De Gregori Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, OMRI (born 4 April 1951) is an Italian singer-songwriter. In Italy, he is popularly known as "Il Principe dei cantautori" ("The Prince of the singer-songwriters"), a nickname referrin ...
, "Dillo alla luna" by
Vasco Rossi
Vasco Rossi (born 7 February 1952), also known mononymously as Vasco or with the nickname Il Blasco, is an Italian singer-songwriter and poet. He has published 30 albums (not including unofficial releases) and written over 250 songs, as well as ...
, "Tutto sbagliato baby" by
Eugenio
Eugenio is an Italian and Spanish masculine given name deriving from the Greek language, Greek 'wiktionary:Eugene, Eugene'. The name is Eugénio in Portuguese and Eugênio in Brazilian Portuguese.
The name's translated literal meaning is well born ...
and
Edoardo Bennato
Edoardo Bennato (born 23 July 1946) is an Italian singer-songwriter. He is the brother of the singer-songwriter Eugenio Bennato.
He is considered one of the greatest artists in Italian rock, a genre that he has often combined with Blues rock, ...
, "La musica che gira intorno" by
Ivano Fossati
Ivano Alberto Fossati (born 21 September 1951) is an Italian pop singer from Genoa. He was a member of the progressive rock group Delirium and has worked with Fabrizio De André, Riccardo Tesi, Anna Oxa, Mia Martini, Ornella Vanoni, Shirley ...
and the unreleased song "Viva l'amore" by
Mimmo Cavallo
Cosimo Cavallo (born 1 January 1951), best known as Mimmo Cavallo, is an Italian singer-songwriter and composer.
Life and career
Born in Lizzano, Apulia, Cavallo spent his childhood in Turin, where his family had moved.- Ernesto Bassignano. "C ...
.
The album was the first of a series of projects based on the reinterpretation of various authors and musical genres, which the artist did not have time to work on: from the Neapolitan classics to the more modern ones by
Pino Daniele
Giuseppe "Pino" Daniele (19 March 1955 – 4 January 2015) was an Italian singer-songwriter and musician. His influences covered a wide number of genres, including pop, blues, jazz, and Italian and Middle Eastern music.
Biography
Daniele wa ...
and tributes to
Tom Waits
Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on society's underworld and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He began in the American folk music, fo ...
and
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday made significant contributions to jazz music and pop ...
.
In March 1995, two months before her death, Martini announced to her fan club ''Chez Mimì'' plans for a new album entirely dedicated to the moon and in 1996, it was planned a duet with the singer
Mina. Mina, a few months after Martini's death, was the first singer to dedicate a recording tribute to her in her album ''
Pappa di latte'', which included a personal cover of the song ''
Almeno tu nell'universo
"" (; ) is a song written by Bruno Lauzi and Maurizio Fabrizio and recorded by Italian singer Mia Martini, who released it as a single in 1989 and included the track in her self-titled album ''Martini Mia''.
Martini performed the song for the firs ...
''.
Death
Martini suffered for some years from painful
fibroids, for which she did not want to undergo surgery, fearing a possible change to her vocal timbre. For this reason, she took prescription medication, which was considered excessive by family, friends and colleagues.
A few days before her death, busy with the first concerts of her new tour, the singer was rushed to hospital twice both in Acireale and in Bari, due to pain in the stomach and left arm. These symptoms, however, were ignored by her entourage.
At the end of a concert, Martini decided to rest and traveled to
Cardano al Campo
Cardano al Campo is a town and ''comune'' (municipality) located in the province of Varese, in the Lombardy region of northern Italy.
Cardano al Campo is situated 2 km from Milan-Malpensa Airport and 35 km from Milan, being an affluent subur ...
,
Varese
Varese ( , ; or ; ; ; archaic ) is a city and ''comune'' in north-western Lombardy, northern Italy, north-west of Milan. The population of Varese in 2018 was 80,559.
It is the capital of the Province of Varese. The hinterland or exurban part ...
, where she had rented a small apartment near her father's house as their relationship had improved over the years. She died there on 12 May 1995.
On 14 May 1995, after a few days of being unreachable, Martini's manager requested police intervention, and firefighters broke into her apartment. The singer's body was found lying on the bed, in pyjamas, with the headphones of a portable cassette player on her ears and with her arm stretched out towards a nearby telephone, with an address book open on the floor.
The Public Prosecutor's Office opened an investigation and ordered the autopsy. According to the coroner's report, her death was by
cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest (also known as sudden cardiac arrest CA is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. When the heart stops beating, blood cannot properly Circulatory system, circulate around the body and the blood flow to the ...
due to
drug overdose
A drug overdose (overdose or OD) is the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities much greater than are recommended. Retrieved on September 20, 2014. , traces of cocaine were found in her body.
Interviewed for the television special ''La Storia siamo noi'', aired ten years after the artist's death, Martini's sister Olivia said she was the last one to hear her sister on the phone, a few days before she was found: Martini had told her that she felt very tired from the last concerts, also telling her not to worry if she did not answer the phone, because she was busy with the preparation of the song to be performed at the TV show ''Viva Napoli''.
Martini's funeral took place on 16 May in the church of San Giuseppe in
Busto Arsizio
Busto Arsizio (; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the south-easternmost part of the province of Varese, in the Italy, Italian region of Lombardy, north of Milan. The economy of Busto Arsizio is mainly based on industry and commerce. It is the ...
, attended by about four thousand people. Her coffin was covered with a flag of Napoli, the football team she supported. After the funeral her body was cremated, complying with the will of her father, and her ashes were buried in the cemetery of Cavaria con Premezzo.
In May 2009
Loredana Bertè
Loredana Bertè (; born 20 September 1950) is an Italian singer, songwriter and actress. She has worked with prominent Italian songwriters such as Pino Daniele, Ivano Fossati, Mario Lavezzi, Mango and Enrico Ruggeri, among others; her sister M ...
, in an interview to the magazine ''Musica leggera'', returned to talk about her sister's death, casting a shadow on the role of the father in the affair. A year later, during the TV show ''Top Secret'' on 10 June 2010, Loredana Bertè again accused her father of having used violence against his first wife and daughters during childhood; accusations confirmed by her sister Leda, but above all by denouncing that she saw her sister's body covered with bruises and that her body was cremated too soon after death.
Tributes
Biopic
In 2019, a biopic of Martini titled ''
Io sono Mia'' was released. The film was directed by Riccardo Donna and stars
Serena Rossi as Mia Martini. The film narrates Martini's life, including her artistic career, her tumultuous relationships with her family, her sister
Loredana and the discrimination she endured by the music system and her colleagues.
[http://esctoday.com/162514/italy-serena-rossi-to-portray-the-legendary-mia-martini-in-tv-movie/ ]
The film begins in 1989 in
Sanremo
Sanremo, also spelled San Remo in English and formerly in Italian, is a (municipality) on the Mediterranean coast of Liguria, in northwestern Italy. Founded in Roman times, it has a population of 55,000, and is known as a tourist destination ...
, with flashbacks that narrate some events in Martini's life, told during an interview granted to a journalist by Martini herself, a few hours before her participation at Sanremo Music Festival in 1989.
The movie details her early start in the music industry, her success in the 1970s and her withdrawal from the music sector: a dramatic period of slander launched in the late 1970s by a producer with whom the singer refused to work with and who accuses Mia of bringing bad luck. Ostracised by the music industry, Martini "goes away from everybody", moving to the countryside and struggling to make a living. The movie also tells the story of the troubled love relationship with the Milanese photographer Andrea (inspired by songwriter
Ivano Fossati
Ivano Alberto Fossati (born 21 September 1951) is an Italian pop singer from Genoa. He was a member of the progressive rock group Delirium and has worked with Fabrizio De André, Riccardo Tesi, Anna Oxa, Mia Martini, Ornella Vanoni, Shirley ...
, who did not want to be mentioned in the film), with whom she falls in love. The film also evokes in the character of Anthony the singer
Renato Zero
Renato Fiacchini (born 30 September 1950), known by the stage name Renato Zero (), is an Italian singer-songwriter, producer, dancer and actor whose career spans from the 1960s to the 2020s. Zero is the only artist to have reached the top of t ...
, who also did not want to be mentioned in the movie.
Awards
* 1964: Winner of "Festival di Bellaria" with ''Il magone''
* 1971: Winner "Festival di Musica d'Avanguardia e Nuove Tendenze"
Viareggio
Viareggio () is a city and ''comune'' in northern Tuscany, Italy, on the coast of the Ligurian Sea. With a population of over 62,000, it is the second largest city in the province of Lucca, after Lucca.
It is known as a seaside resort as well a ...
with ''Padre davvero''
* 1972: Discography award "Premio della critica discografica" for album ''Nel mondo, una cosa''
* 1972: Winner
Festivalbar
The Festivalbar () was an Italian singing competition that took place in the most important Italian squares during summer, such as the Piazza del Duomo, Catania or Piazza Bra, Verona. The first edition took place in 1964 and was broadcast by ...
1972 with ''Piccolo uomo''
* 1972: Gold Record ''Piccolo uomo''
* 1972: Winner Mostra Internazionale di Musica Leggera in
Venezia
Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...
with ''Donna sola''
* 1973: Winner
Festivalbar
The Festivalbar () was an Italian singing competition that took place in the most important Italian squares during summer, such as the Piazza del Duomo, Catania or Piazza Bra, Verona. The first edition took place in 1964 and was broadcast by ...
1973 with ''Minuetto''
* 1973: Gold Record for ''Minuetto''
* 1974: Gold record for over 1 million sales
* 1975: Critics Award "Premio della Critica di Palma de Mallorca" with ''Nevicate''
* 1975: "Premio de Il canzoniere dell'estate" as best singer of the year
* 1975:
Telegatto
Telegatto (a composition of ''television'' and ''gatto'', meaning "cat", after the trophy, which is a small statue representing a cat), was an Italian television award first conceived in 1971 following the contest ''Gran Premio internazionale de ...
as best female singer of the year
* 1977: Winner of the Most Outstanding Performance Award at the "World Song Popular Festival Yamaha in
Tokyo
Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
" with ''Ritratto di donna''
* 1982: Critics Award at
Sanremo Music Festival
The Sanremo Music Festival ( ), officially the Italian Song Festival (), is the most popular Italian song contest and awards ceremony, held annually in the city of Sanremo, Liguria, organized and broadcast by (RAI). It is the longest-running ...
with ''E non finisce mica il cielo''
* 1989: Targa Tenco as best performing artist
* 1989: Critics Award at
Sanremo Music Festival
The Sanremo Music Festival ( ), officially the Italian Song Festival (), is the most popular Italian song contest and awards ceremony, held annually in the city of Sanremo, Liguria, organized and broadcast by (RAI). It is the longest-running ...
with ''
Almeno tu nell'universo
"" (; ) is a song written by Bruno Lauzi and Maurizio Fabrizio and recorded by Italian singer Mia Martini, who released it as a single in 1989 and included the track in her self-titled album ''Martini Mia''.
Martini performed the song for the firs ...
''
* 1989:
Telegatto
Telegatto (a composition of ''television'' and ''gatto'', meaning "cat", after the trophy, which is a small statue representing a cat), was an Italian television award first conceived in 1971 following the contest ''Gran Premio internazionale de ...
as best female singer of the year
* 1989: Gold Record for ''Martini Mia...''
* 1990: Critics Award at
Sanremo Music Festival
The Sanremo Music Festival ( ), officially the Italian Song Festival (), is the most popular Italian song contest and awards ceremony, held annually in the city of Sanremo, Liguria, organized and broadcast by (RAI). It is the longest-running ...
with ''La nevicata del '56''
* 1992: Second Place at
Sanremo Music Festival
The Sanremo Music Festival ( ), officially the Italian Song Festival (), is the most popular Italian song contest and awards ceremony, held annually in the city of Sanremo, Liguria, organized and broadcast by (RAI). It is the longest-running ...
* 1992: Gold Record for ''Lacrime''
Discography
As Mimì Bertè
Singles
*"I miei baci non puoi scordare" / "Lontani dal resto del mondo" (1963)
*"Insieme" / "Let me tell you" (1963)
*"Il magone" / "Se mi gira l'elica" (1964)
[
*"Ed ora che abbiamo litigato" / "Non pentirti dopo" (1964)
*"Non sarà tardi" / "Quattro settimane" (1966)
*"Coriandoli spenti" / "L'argomento dell'amore" (1969; Withdrawn single, released in 2000 as part of compilation ''Mia... Mimì'')
]
As Mia Martini
Singles
*"Padre davvero..." / "Amore... amore... un corno!" (1971)
*"Gesù è mio fratello" / "Lacrime di marzo" (1971)
*"Credo" / "Ossessioni" (1972)
*"Piccolo uomo" / "Madre" (1972)
*"Donna sola" / "Questo amore vero" (1972)
*"Minuetto" / "Tu sei così" (1973)
*"Il guerriero" / "Bolero" (1973, release cancelled)
*"Inno" / "...E stelle stan piovendo" (1974)
*"Al mondo" / "Principessa di turno" (1975)
*"Donna con te" / "Tutti uguali" (1975)
*"L'amore è il mio orizzonte" / "Sabato" (1976)
*"Che vuoi che sia... se t'ho aspettato tanto" / "Io donna, io persona" (1976)
*"Libera" / "Sognare è vita" (1977)
*"Per amarti" / "Se finisse qui" (1977)
*"Vola" / "Dimmi" (1978)
*"Danza" / "Canto alla luna" (1979)
*"Ti regalo un sorriso" / "Ancora grande" (1981)
*"E ancora canto" / "Stai con me" (1981)
*"E non finisce mica il cielo" / "Voglio te" (1982)
*"Quante volte" / "Solo noi" (1982, two editions)
*"Bambolina" / "Guarirò guarirò" (1982)
*"Spaccami il cuore" / "Lucy" (1985)
*"Almeno tu nell'universo" / "Spegni la testa" (1989)
*"La nevicata del '56" / "Danza pagana" (1990)
*"Chica chica bum (remix)" / "Chica chica bum (instrumental)" (1990, release cancelled)
*"Stiamo come stiamo" (with Loredana Bertè) / "Dormitorio pubblico" (L. Bertè) (1993)
Albums
*''Oltre la collina'' (1971)
*''Nel mondo, una cosa'' (1972)
*'' Il giorno dopo'' (1973)
*'' È proprio come vivere'' (1974)
*''Sensi e controsensi'' (1975)
*''Un altro giorno con me'' (1975)
*''Che vuoi che sia... se t'ho aspettato tanto'' (1976)
*''Per amarti'' (1977)
*''Danza'' (1978)
*''Mimì'' (1981)
*''Quante volte... ho contato le stelle'' (1982)
*''Miei compagni di viaggio'' (1983)
*''Martini Mia'' (1989)
*''La mia razza'' (1990)
*''Mi basta solo che sia un amore'' (1991)
*''Mia Martini in concerto (da un'idea di Maurizio Giammarco)'' (1991)
*''Lacrime'' (1992)
*''Rapsodia Il meglio di Mia Martini'' (1992)
*''La musica che mi gira intorno'' (1994)
Compilations
*''Mia'' (1976)
*''Il meglio di Mia Martini'' (1984)
*''Ti regalo un sorriso'' (1985)
*''Mia Martini 1996'' (1996)
*''Mia Martini – Le origini'' (1996)
*''Mimì Bertè'' (1996, including previously unreleased tracks)
*''Indimenticabile Mia'' (1996, including previously unreleased tracks)
*''Mi canto español'' (1997, including previously unreleased tracks)
*''Gli anni '70'' (1998)
*''Semplicemente Mimì'' (1998, including previously unreleased tracks)
*''Sorelle'' (1999, including previously unreleased tracks)
*''I Miti Musica – Mia Martini'' (1999)
*''Mia... Mimì'' (2000, including previously unreleased tracks)
*''Mimì Sarà'' (2000, including previously unreleased tracks)
*''Dolce amare'' (2000)
*''Canzoni segrete'' (2003, including previously unreleased tracks and alternate versions)
*''Per sempre'' (2003)
*''E parlo ancora di te'' (2004, including previously unreleased tracks and alternate versions)
*''La neve, il cielo, l'immenso'' (3-CD box set, 2005; including previously unreleased tracks, alternative versions and songs previously unavailable on CD)
*''Liberamente Mia'' (2007)
*''Altro che cielo'' (2010)
*''Mia Martini'' (2011)
*''Sorelle'' (2012)
*''La vita é cosí'' (2017)
DVD
*''In Concerto'' (in concert 1982, recorded for Italian language Swiss television; also released on VHS
VHS (Video Home System) is a discontinued standard for consumer-level analog video recording on tape cassettes, introduced in 1976 by JVC. It was the dominant home video format throughout the tape media period of the 1980s and 1990s.
Ma ...
)
*''E ancora canto''
*''Per aspera ad astra'' (also released on VHS
VHS (Video Home System) is a discontinued standard for consumer-level analog video recording on tape cassettes, introduced in 1976 by JVC. It was the dominant home video format throughout the tape media period of the 1980s and 1990s.
Ma ...
)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martini, Mia
1947 births
1995 deaths
People from Bagnara Calabra
Italian pop singers
Winners of Yamaha Music Festival
Eurovision Song Contest entrants
20th-century Italian women singers