Italian Music: More Than Dean Martin

Italian band Ex-Otago
Photo credit: Elena Curotto

The first thing that pops into mind when hearing the term “Italian music” might be the stereotypical light guitar accompanied by accordion, like something you’d hear in Dean Martin’s “That’s Amore.” But there’s more to Italian music than just singing about wine and having a fun time. After all, some of the most famous pieces of music were Italian- like the classical composers of the Baroque Era or the Italian operas. Even many musical terms are Italian, such as “crescendo,” and “piano.” Of course, music has evolved since that era; it is no longer the 17^th century, and Italian music these days is much different. Nowadays, the focus is on pop, rock, indie, and rap, and there is an infinite amount of Italian musicians these days--some more well known than others. 

For example, one internationally-known singer and song-writer is Tiziano Ferro. He first jumped into his career with the single “Xdono,” also known as “Perdono,” which became an instant hit, especially in Europe and Latin America. He has released a few albums since then, and plays worldwide. Click here for his website.

To shed a different light on modern Italian music, are the lesser-known bands--the more forgotten indie music, so to speak. Although not as famous as somebody like Tiziano Ferro, it could be argued that their music is just as good. As another example, the band known as Ex-Otago is somewhat known in Italy. They formed in Genoa, at first only with three members, just as acoustics, but then soon added another member as a drummer. They have a Tumblr and Myspace in which they keep in contact with fans and can update about concerts.

One last musician, Marco Mengoni, is another pop musician, similar to Tiziano Ferro. He became very popular in 2009, after winning a season of the Italian X Factor, a singing competition. He has then released a few albums, won several awards, and has done a few tours. His official website can be found here.

Although only three artists can’t cover it all, it’s obvious to see just from their music that even though they are all from Italy, their style in music is much different from each other. Sure, they have influences from their culture, but each artist branches out in their own way and makes their own unique sound, which people love and will continue to love.

For more links on modern musicians in Italy, here are few sites to take a look at:

Indie Italy blog

Italian Pop Music blog

by Stephanie Brundige, Katrina Compagna, and Casey Mello