Biography

Marco Masini was born in Florence, Italy on the 18th of September 1964, under the sign of Virgo. When he was only 6 years-old he received, as a present, his first piano. As soon as he put his hands on it, he played by ear the melody of "White Christmas." His Uncle Enrico, listening to him, suggested to Marco's parents that they let the child study music because he had an extraordinary talent. So Marco took piano lessons for five years. The music soon became the center of his life. His mother thought that little Marco had a possible future as a classical music concert pianist. She didn't imagine that her son's concerts would be a bit different...

His debut occurred when he was only 11 years-old, at the Romola Plaza, in the province of Florence during a fair of the town's patron saint. The orchestra didn't have a pianist and they were searching for someone. The little Marco presented himself and engaged, playing the piano with the orchestra in the presence of all the townspeople. Astonished, his parents, said to each other, "We have created a sensation."

Later, Marco joined a musical group called "Errata Corrige" and he started touring dance-halls in the suburbs. It was a tiring life, and a hard living -- sound checks, song writing and assembly and disassembly of the musical equipment. It was a life of wandering. In the morning, Masini would be at school but, in the afternoon and in the evening he would be out playing with "Errata Corrige."

Marco had to forsake playing soccer, his other big passion, when he was 15 years-old. The Florentine soccer team, "The Fiorentina," called him to tryout as a Goalkeeper, but he had to decline because of his music. He decided to also forsake school, and decided to dedicate himself to his music.

At that time, many disagreements and disputes started with his father, who wanted his son to be an accountant. His father wanted to make him finish school saying, "The way of music is uncertain. it's better and more secure to be an accountant". To calm his father, Marco worked as a salesman for one year.

Then, in 1980, his parents set up a bar. Marco, together with his sister Susanna, helped out in the bar in the mourning. At night he continued to play. But the disputes with his father were getting worse.

Suddenly, his parents sold everything. Marco's mother had a tumor. After four struggling years, she died on the 22th of August 1984. Sustained by a great faith, her last words to Marco were, "I die. I go to God." Marco felt lost. He weighed the pros and cons of a life lived as a vagabond -- between school that he couldn't stand and the music that he didn't see would get him anywhere. Finally, he decided to move to Modena, because Florence didn't seem to him to be a city where someone with talent could make it. He stayed in Modena for six months and worked as an arranger of disco music and as a DJ.

Going back to Florence, he started to play in the pianobars. His boss, Bob Rosati, one day encouraged him to sing.

"Marco," he insisted, "I can't take it any longer. Either you learn to sing or we'll have to give everything up. You are a complete orchestra by now because you know how to play every instrument. The only thing left for you is to sing. A talented person like you won't have problems."

So Marco, at age 21, started to sing seriously, relieving Bob during the evening. Suddenly, Marco was seized by the strong desire to sing, to write songs and vent his feelings accumulated frustrations.

At that time he met Beppe Dati. Together, they made a few pieces of music based on a deep lyrical language, that touched the heart of common teen problems. These years were full of disappointments and rejections. Nobody would give Marco credit. The record companies said to him, "With this physique, with this ugly look, where do you want to go? And don't you hear what other people's songs are about? They sing about the sun, the sea, and beautiful girls. Who cares about how you feel about your daddy?"

Then he met Giancarlo Bigazzi, one of the most important Italian songwriters. Bigazzi heard Marco sing and liked him. So, he introduced Marco to Umberto Tozzi, a popular Italian singer. Soon Marco went on tour as a pianist for Tozzi's concerts.

In the meantime, Marco reconciled his differences with his father.

Finally the record companies granted Marco a bit of credit and he decided to participate in the Festival of Sanremo - the biggest Italian singer competition. That year he didn't win and another singer took first place.

But, Marco didn't give up. In 1990 his turn to win finally would come. Marco wrote the music for "Disperato" and then worked on the lyrics with Bigazzi and Dati. It was an emotional song laden with deeply felt desperation. Marco performed in the Festival of Sanremo, in the section of promising young singers. He beat everyone. "I knew it, daddy!" he exclaimed to his father by telephone. His father didn't believe in Marco, especially that he would ever be successful in music. Years of struggles and sacrifices and the success had finally arrived! Marco Masini became the biggest musical success of the year. He made his first album, "Marco Masini," composing, with Bigazzi, eight pieces of great beauty and poetry.

The next year he went back to the Festival at Sanremo. But this time he was in the big Popular Singer's section. Marco decided to turn his attention to the drug problem in a more direct way, with "Perchè lo fai." He placed third, but his new album "Malinconoia" was a hit. Marco went on his first tour. Then he tried his luck in Spain and made a Spanish version of nine of his songs. The album was entitled simply "Marco Masini," like his first Italian album. In Spain, the album was a big success.

Back in Italy he started to undergo many criticisms. Some critics said that he was a symbol of misfortune -- a loser, a pessimist, a corrupter of teenagers, a singer that sang about a life too black, a singer that led his listeners into depression and even to suicide!! Many guys started to think he was only a moaner. His critics didn't notice that every day Marco Masini received dozens of letters from teenagers telling him how much his songs were a relief in moments of discouragement. Besides many drug-addicts, teenagers told him in their letters that his songs helped themselves realize where they were and that they wanted to crawl out of the pit of drugs.

After two years of silence Marco couldn't can't keep his temper any longer. Although his collaborators warned him that he might ruin his image, Marco vented his rage in a song called "Vaffanculo" (in English "fuck off"). He included the song in his new album, "T'innamorerai," upsetting the critics. He also made the Spanish version of the album, "T'enamoraras."

In 1993 he went on tour in Italy and this time, toured the rest of Europe.

In 1995 he published his album "Il cielo della Vergine" together with the Spanish "El cielo de Virgo." In Italy the critics slammed him for "Bella Stronza," because of its vulgarity. Another song, "Principessa," was a moving story against incest, but was also criticized for its vulgarity.

The 1995 Marco Masini went on his third world tour.

The 14th of November of 1996 the compilation "L'amore sia con te" came out in Italy. It contains some of the most important Masini songs, and lets Marco fans take stock of the last six years, in which he had big successes. Marco also published the Spanish version of this compilation.

A new tour and album are both expected in 1997.