Eros Ramazzotti

Born in the Rome suburb of Cinecittá, to a father who was a construction worker and a mother who was a housewife, Ramazzotti had something of a troubled childhood. He had a strained relationship with his father in particular, and only really started bonding with him when he developed a passion for music that his father shared with him. He started playing guitar at the age of seven and by the time he reached his teenage years he was writing songs with his father, who accompanied him on the piano. Soon, music was all that concerned him, and after failing an entry exam for a musical conservatory, he began turning his dreams of being a pop star into reality.

He began by entering a musical contest called Voci Nuove di Castrocaro in 1981. He performed a song of his own composition called “Rock 80” in front of a judging panel made up of representatives from most major Italian record labels. While he didn’t win the contest he did reach the final and won the respect of several judges including one Baron Lando Lanni, who represented a label called Drogueria di Drugolo, or DDD. He was so impressed with Ramazzotti’s performance that he offered him a record deal as soon as the contest was over, and along with his brother and his mother, Ramazotti moved to Milan, Italy to begin work on his debut album.

Ramazzotti’s career began in earnest in 1984 with the release of his debut album “Cuori agitate”, which right off the bat was a hit, with a number two single on the Italian charts in the form of “Terra Promessa". The album itself hit the top ten of the Italian album charts, but Ramazzotti didn’t hit the big time until his song "Una storia importante" was released as a single. It was a huge hit all over Europe, especially in France where it sold over a million copies. His second album mirrored this success, and was certified Platinum in Sweden and Gold in Germany, but his third album was what broke him worldwide, selling three million copies in total.

Ever since then, Ramazzotti’s had the kind of career that would make any musician envious. He continues to release hit album after hit album and regularly performs to arena and stadium sized crowds from Australia to Chile. Clearly, someone with that range of appeal has to be doing something right whatever language you speak, and for that reason, Eros Ramazzotti comes highly recommended.