Who is Tiziano Ferro?
Tiziano Ferro (February 21, 1980) is one of the most successful Italian artists of the 21st century. His music ranges from Pop to R&B to hip hop, although he has dabbled in a few other genres. His versatile baritone voice is his most distinct quality, as it’s much heavier, deeper and bombastic than those of other male contemporary pop singers, especially on his later albums. He writes (almost) all of his own songs, and they usually deal with the human condition in some way, whether it be love, abandonment, depression, or hope. Musically most of his work is relatively traditional, using real instruments rather than electronic ones and intricate, timeless melodies as opposed to quick catchy tunes.
His music has often been a reflection of his personal state of mind, which for most of his career was dark, tortured and fearful. He has long struggled with eating disorders (as a teen he was severely overweight), and he also had a lot of difficulty coming to terms with his sexuality. His escapist nature caused him to isolate himself from his family and friends, living in Mexico for three years and then England for another five. For years he was very lonely, focused only on his work and nothing else. The ensuing depression nearly killed him. To save himself, he risked his career in 2010 by coming out of the closet, something very difficult to do in Italy, one of the most conservative and homophobic countries in Europe. Fortunately, the people’s love for him has proved strong enough, and he is now more successful and happier than ever.
HIS MUSIC
So you want to try and get into his music. “What songs should I listen to first?” is a very difficult question for any Tiziano fan. As he has been so successful with each album, he has many “signature” songs. Almost all of his singles were big hits, and he has released 24 of them (and a few more with other artists). Unfortunately, YouTube blocks his music videos in many countries (the US in particular), but you can watch them here. His music is also available on streaming services like Spotify and Deezer.
I would say the essential singles, in chronological order, are: “Perdono”, “Sere Nere”, “Non Me Lo So Spiegare”, “Ti Voglio Bene”, “Ed Ero Contentissimo”, “E Fuori È Buio”, “Alla Mia Età”, “Il Regalo Più Grande”, “Indietro” and “La Differenza Tra Me E Te”, but I’m sure there are fans who disagree.
If you prefer to dive into a whole album, it’s probably useful if I describe them in a few words.
- Rosso Relativo (2001): debut, standard pop/r&b, catchy
- Centoundici (2003): critical breakthrough, depth, variety, but still very pop
- Nessuno È Solo (2006): heavier voice, melancholic sound, more ballads, more melodies
- Alla Mia Età (2008): very heavy, dark, beautiful, inspirational, grown up
- L’amore È Una Cosa Semplice (2011): wide array of styles, career celebration, liberation
HIS DIARIES
When Tiziano came out of the closet, he did so by releasing the book Trent’anni e una chiacchierata con papà (Thirty years and a chat with dad), a collection of diaries that he kept since he was fifteen years old. It’s a truly brilliant read that allows you to get to know Tiziano better than other celebrities, probably even better than most of your friends and family. It is that revealing and in-depth, and helps you understand so much about his life and the person behind the celebrity.
His second book L’amore è una cosa semplice continues where the first left off, and provides more insight, and more importantly, some closure. It is however much shorter, and probably not as interesting to people who aren’t fans. Tiziano himself has called this one a “playful appendix”. He has no plans to release another one.
In the blog I regularly post translated excerpts from the books, both of which are only available in Italian.
ABOUT THE BLOG
I am a 28-year-old guy from the Netherlands and have been a fan of Tiziano for about six years. I feel like his music is the most beautiful in the world, and he is such a sweet, kind, caring, intelligent and all-around great person. That is why I want more people to know about him.
There’s not a lot of info about Tiziano in English, so while I first started the blog as an outlet for my “obsession”, I have since become a little more serious about it and my main goal now is to provide other international fans with insight into his life, and to keep them up to date. Tiziano himself, his music and his story are truly remarkable and inspirational, and the more love there is for him, the better.
A tiny disclaimer: none of the translations I post are perfect; I am not at all fluent in Italian, and one reason I do the translations is to help me learn the language. I do have help from Italian friends, and I’m always very, very careful not to post anything that’s misleading or plain wrong. But if you do notice a mistake, rather than yell at me, please just help me correct it.
