Gigi D'Alessio

Born in Naples in 1967, Gigi D'Alessio first belongs to the tradition of Neapolitan song before expanding it into a melodic Italian pop centered on piano, sentimental ballads and straightforward songwriting. Trained at the conservatory, he worked in the 1980s and 1990s as a musician, arranger and composer, notably with Mario Merola, and then developed a solo career that gained traction in southern Italy before reaching a national audience. His appearances at the Sanremo Festival in the early 2000s accompanied this shift toward wider exposure, in a register between variety, canzone and the Neapolitan popular repertoire. D'Alessio's songs mix Italian and Neapolitan, featuring very accessible melodies, choruses sung in an emotional vein and a production that remains rooted in the tradition of Italian entertainment song. Over the years he has alternated records, television shows, collaborations within Italian variety and tours in Italy as well as performances for Italian communities abroad.