Eros Ramazzotti

Eros Ramazzotti (born October 28, 1963, Rome, Italy) is an Italian popular singer-songwriter whose vibrant tenor voice and passionate love songs enchanted audiences in Italy and throughout the world from the late 1980s.

Born in an impoverished suburb of Rome, Ramazzotti was named after the Greek god of love as a symbol of luck. Encouraged by his father, an aspiring singer and musician, Ramazzotti began to play the guitar at the age of seven. Because of a lack of musical background, however, he was refused entry into the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, the preeminent music conservatory in Rome. In 1981 he made his singing debut at the New Voices of Castrocaro talent competition, where he signed a recording contract. “Ad un amico” (“To A Friend”), his first single, was released the following year. Ramazzotti enrolled in the Sanremo Festival of Italian Song, a highly regarded pop-music competition in Italy, in 1984 and won with the song “Terra promessa” (“Promised Land”); it was featured on his album Cuori agitati (1985; “Restless Hearts”). His second album, Nuovi eroi (1986; “New Heroes”), which proved to be an even bigger success, was followed by In certi momenti (“Some Moments”) in 1987. With the release of each album, his popularity soared, and he soon became an international star. In ogni senso (1990; “In Every Sense”), which sold millions of copies worldwide within a few years of its release, was the first major success for Ramazzotti in the United States.

In 1991 Ramazzotti made his first world tour, which included a performance at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. After the performance, however, he expressed disappointment that his audience had consisted largely of Italian Americans. To give his sound a more international flavour, he employed the talents of musicians and vocalists who had performed with such well-known artists as Sting, Pink Floyd, Céline Dion, and Stevie Wonder, and he collaborated with other internationally popular artists, including Tina Turner, on his Eros (1997) album and concert tour. In 1999 he received a German Echo Award for best international music artist. Many of Ramazzotti’s subsequent albums, such as 9 (2003), Calma Apparente (2005; “Apparent Calm”), and E2 (2007) topped the international charts; he remained most popular, however, among Italian- and Spanish-speaking audiences. Later notable recordings included Noi (2012; “We”), Perfetto (2015; “Perfect”), and Vita ce n’è (2018; also released in Spanish as Hay vida; “There Is Life”).

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