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 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 ...

, Mario Lavezzi,

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 ...

and Enrico Ruggeri, among others; her sister

Mia Martini Domenica Rita Adriana Bertè (; 20 September 1947 – 12 May 1995), known professionally as Mia Martini (), was an Italian singer, songwriter and musician.James Christopher MongerMia Martini allmusic.com rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

, from

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

to pop. Bertè is known for the eccentric clothing she wears onstage for her performances.

Early life

Bertè was born in Bagnara Calabra,

Province of Reggio Calabria The province of Reggio Calabria () was a province in the Calabria region of Italy. It was the southernmost province in mainland Italy and is separated from the island of Sicily by the Strait of Messina. The capital was the city of Reggio. It w ...

, in Southern Italy,Evan C. Gutierrez
Loredana Bertè
allmusic.com the third of four daughters, three years after her sister Domenica. Her parents, Giuseppe Radames Bertè and Maria Salvina Dato, were both school teachers. Loredana spent her childhood in Porto Recanati and then 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 ...

. After her parents separated, Bertè moved with her mother to

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

where she attended the local Art Institute.

Career

In the early 1970s she performed as a go-go dancer in television and radio shows such as "Bandiera gialla" and "Stasera Rita!". She later joined the dance troupe of the Piper Club in Rome, where she met Renato Zero. In 1969 both Bertè, Zero and Teo Teocoli starred in the Italian edition of the musical "

Hair Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and ...

". In 1970 Loredana and her sister Domenica, who had by then changed her name to Mia Martini, performed as backing vocalists for

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 ...

de Holanda. While Martini would consequently start a successful music career, recording songs like " Piccolo uomo" and " Minuetto", Loredana continued to pursue theatre. In 1972 she performed in "Ciao Rudy" and "Orfeo 9". In 1974, producers Alfredo Cerruti and Enrico Riccardi persuaded Loredana to record her first album, ''Streaking''. Bertè's second album, "Normale o Super" included "Sei Bellissima", Bertè's first domestic hit. In 1978, Bertè started a relationship with

. Fossati produced the single "E la luna bussò", which is considered one of the early minstream reggae songs in Italy. In the early 1980s Bertè spent a year in New York to work on her next album. Elio Fiorucci introduced her to

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (;''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''"Warhol" born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director and producer. A leading figure in the pop art movement, Warhol ...

at the Factory. Warhol and Bertè collaborated on the music video for her song "Movie". In 1982 she won

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 ...

with "Non sono una signora". In 1985 she recorded the album ''Carioca'' in collaboration with

Djavan Djavan Caetano Viana (; born 27 January 1949) is a Brazilian singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest singers in Brazilian history. Early life and career Djavan was born in Maceió, Brazil to a whit ...

. In 1986 she participated to 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 "Re". In 1988 she met and married

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 marriage would end in 1992. In 1993 Bertè and Mia Martini, collaborated on the song "Stiamo come stiamo". On May 12, 1995, Martini was found unresponsive in her apartment in Cardano al Campo (varese). Martini's death proved to be a devastating moment in Bertè's life. In the early 2000s Loredana returned to theatre, performing with Carla Fracci in "Gerusalemme" at the

Baths of Caracalla The Baths of Caracalla () in Rome, Italy, were the city's second largest Ancient Rome, Roman public baths, or ''thermae'', after the Baths of Diocletian. The baths were likely built between AD 212 (or 211) and 216/217, during the reigns of empero ...

in Rome. She entrusts the direction of the three video clips that are part of the mini-CD "Dimmi che mi ami" of 2002. Two years later she took part in "Music Farm", the first reality show on Italian TV involving famous singers. Thanks to the show's proceeds, she produced the new album "Babybertè" (2005) by herself. In April 2010 she suffered a bad fall, and the related surgery forced her to a lengthy hospitalization. She returned to the Sanremo Music Festival the following year, finishing fourth with the Gigi D'Alessio song "Respirare". Her following tour, "Bandabertè", ended up in Russia, where she participated in the international White Nights Festival in St. Petersburg. In 2015 she played the judge's role in the talent "Friends of Maria De Filippi". In 2017 she recorded the songs "Allegria" with J-Ax and

Fedez Federico Leonardo Lucia (born 15 October 1989), better known by the stage name 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 pr ...

and "Occhi di Gatto" with Cristina D'Avena. In 2016 Bertè staged a big show at the

Verona Arena The Verona Arena is a Roman amphitheatre located in the historic center of Verona, an iconic symbol of the Venetian city alongside the figures of Romeo and Juliet. It stands as one of the grand structures that defined Roman architecture and ...

called "Amiche in Arena", performing a series of duets with other Italian female artists, including Fiorella Mannoia,

Gianna Nannini Gianna Nannini (; born 14 June 1954) is an Italian singer and songwriter. Her most notable songs include "America" (1979), "Fotoromanza" (1984), "I maschi" (1987), "Meravigliosa creatura" (1995), "Sei nell'anima" (2006) and "Bello e impossibile ...

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 Irene Grandi. Bertè's song "J'adore Venise" was included in

Luca Guadagnino Luca Guadagnino (; born 10 August 1971) is an Italian film director and producer. His films are characterized by their emotional complexity, eroticism, and lavish visuals. Guadagnino has received numerous accolades, including a Silver Lion, alon ...

's Oscar-winning film's soundtrack, '' Call Me By Your Name'' (2017). In 2018 she topped the Italian charts again with "Non ti dico no", a song made in collaboration with the reggae dancehall band Boomdabash. She also duetted with Fabio Rovazzi and

J-Ax Alessandro Aleotti (; born 5 August 1972), known professionally as J-Ax (), is an Italian rapper and singer-songwriter, part of the rap group Articolo 31 with his DJ Vito Luca Perrini (DJ Jad). He is the brother of Grido (formerly part of Ge ...

in " Senza pensieri". She competed in the Sanremo Music Festival 2024 with the song " Pazza", finishing in seventh place but being awarded the Critics' prize, named after her sister Mia Martini. Shortly after, she was selected to compete in the final of '' Una voce per San Marino 2024'', the Sammarinese national selection for the

Eurovision Song Contest 2024 The Eurovision Song Contest 2024 was the 68th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Malmö, Sweden, following the country's victory at the with the song "Tattoo (Loreen song), Tattoo" by Loreen. Organised by the European Br ...

, with the same song in which she placed second.

Personal life

From 1988 to 1992, Bertè was married to the tennis star

Discography

Albums

* ''Streaking'' (1974) * ''Normale o super'' (1976) Italy: Gold * ''TIR'' (1977) Italy: Gold * ''BandaBertè'' (1979) Italy: Platinm * ''Loredana Bertè'' (1980) Italy: Platinum * ''Made in Italy'' (1981) Italy: Platinum * ''Traslocando'' (1982) Italy: 5× Platinum * ''Jazz'' (1983) Italy: Platinum * ''Lorinedita'' (1983) * ''Savoir faire'' (1984) Italy: Platinum * ''Carioca'' (1985) Italy: Platinum * ''Fotografando'' (1986) Italy: Platinum * ''Io'' (1988) Italy: Gold * ''Best'' (1991) * ''Ufficialmente dispersi'' (1993) * ''Bertex, ingresso libero'' (1994) * ''Ufficialmente ritrovati'' (1995) * ''Un pettirosso da combattimento'' (1997) Italy: Gold * ''Decisamente Loredana'' (1998) * ''BabyBertè'' (2005) Italy: Platinum * ''BabyBertè – special edition Buch+cd+dvd'' (2006) * ''BabyBertè live 2007'' (2007) * ''Bertilation'' (2008) * ''Lola & Angiolina project'' (2009) * '' LiBerté'' (2018) Italy: Gold

Singles

* "Volevi un amore grande" (1974) * " Sei bellissima" (1975) Italy: Diamond * "Meglio libera" (1976) Italy: Platinum * "Fiabe" (1977) Italy: Platinum * "Grida" (1997) Italy: Platinum * "Decisamente Loredana" (1977) * " Dedicato" (1978) Italy: Diamond * " E la luna bussò" (1979) Italy: Diamond * "In alto mare" (1980) Italy: Diamond * "Movie" (1981) Italy: Platinum * " Non sono una signora" (1982) Italy: Diamond * "Per i tuoi occhi" (1982) Italy: Platinum * "Acqua" (1985) Italy: Platinum * "Re" (1986) Italy: Platinum * "Io" (1988) Italy: Gold * "In questa città" (1991) * "Stiamo come stiamo" (1993) * "Amici non ne ho" (1994) * "Portami con te" (1998) * "Dimmi che mi ami" (2002) Italy: Gold * "Sarà perché ti amo (chi se ne frega!!)" (2004) * "Strade di fuoco" (2006) Italy: Gold * "Musica e parole" (2008) Italy: Gold * "Cattiva" (

Loredana Errore Loredana Errore (born 27 October 1984) is a Romanian-born Italian singer-songwriter. After participating in various singing competitions, she officially debuted in 2009 at the ninth edition of the Italian talent show ''Amici di Maria De Filippi' ...

feat. Loredana Bertè) (2011) * "Respirare" (with Gigi D'Alessio) (2012) Italy: Gold * "Ma quale musica leggera" (2012) * "Non ti dico no" (with Boomdabash) (2018) Italy: 2× Platinum * " Cosa ti aspetti da me" (2019) Italy: Platinum * "Tequila e San Miguel" (2019) * " Senza pensieri" (2019) Italy: Platinum * "Figlia di..." (2021) Italy: Gold * "Tuttapposto" (with Giordana Angi) (2021) * "Che sogno incredibile" (with Emma) (2021) Italy: Gold * " Pazza" (2024) * "Una stupida scusa" (with Boomdabash) (2025)

Filmography

Films

Television

Stage

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Berte, Loredana 1950 births Living people People from Bagnara Calabra People from the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria Italian women singers