Mina

Born in Busto Arsizio in Lombardy in 1940 and associated with Cremona, Mina, whose full name is Mina Anna Mazzini, established herself in Italy in the late 1950s with a repertoire initially marked by rock’n’roll and pop, before expanding into Italian chanson, jazz, soul and more sophisticated orchestrations. Mina’s trajectory went early through Italian television, where her appearances on the major variety shows of the 1960s accompanied the development of a style capable of moving from upbeat numbers to ballads with broader phrasing. She recorded continuously for several decades, producing a very extensive discography released notably on PDU, the label created around her activity in the late 1960s. Her path crossed those of songwriters, arrangers and composers such as Bruno Canfora, Ennio Morricone and Pino Presti, and later Adriano Celentano on the albums Mina Celentano (1998) and Le migliori (2016). Withdrawn from the stage since 1978, Mina nevertheless continued her studio work and has maintained a distinctive presence in Italian popular music, between a carefully constructed vocal interpretation, a taste for standards, covers and contemporary repertoires.