Tonino Carotone

Born in Burgos in 1970 and raised between Pamplona and Barañáin, Tonino Carotone established himself at the end of the 1990s with a writing that blends Latin chanson, rumba, rock, folk and acknowledged references to Italian songs. Before his solo career, Antonio de la Cuesta played in the Navarrese punk scene, first as a drummer with Cagando Duro and then within Kojón Prieto y los Huajolotes, a formation where his taste for mixing popular styles and a satirical vein already appeared. His pseudonym, inspired by Renato Carosone and Fred Buscaglione, embodies this dialogue between Spanish culture and an imagined Italian musical world, which became central in his career. Tonino Carotone drew broad attention with the track Me cago en el amor, included on the 2000 album Mondo Difficile, and then continued with Senza ritorno in 2003, Ciao mortali in 2008, Whisky facile in 2021, a homage to Buscaglione, and Etiliko Romantiko in 2023. Settled in a register of mixed chanson, between irony, melancholy and the spirit of popular cabaret, Tonino Carotone developed a career strongly linked to Italy while continuing to move between Spain and other Mediterranean scenes. Among his collaborations are Manu Chao, Roy Paci, Bandabardò, Gogol Bordello, Africa Unite and Giulio Wilson, with whom he published Mondo DiVino in 2025.