Eros Ramazzotti '9' album

Born on October 28, 1963 in the popular neighbourhood of Cinecitta in Rome, "where it is easier to dream than to look reality straight in the eyes", Eros spends his youth acting occasionally as an extra in movies and dreaming of a brilliant career as a singer, encouraged by his father Rodolfo who was a housepainter and who had recorded a few songs in his youth.

Having completed high school, Ramazzotti seeks to get into the Conservatory; when his application is refused, he enrolls in accountancy school. But that experience is short lived: his heart is set on music and drops out of college in his sophomore year.

In 1981 he participates at the "Voci Nuove di Castrocaro" contest (New voices of Castrocaro); he classifies for the finals with "Rock 80", a song he wrote and which brought him his first label signing with the newly founded DDD label. Eros moves to Milano, and literally lives in the recording studios; his mother and brother, Raffaella and Marco, move to Milano as well.1982 sees the release of his first single entitled "Ad un amico" (To a friend), yet his talent is still unripe, so he seeks the collaboration of a talented musician: Renato Brioschi.

After only one year success comes knocking on his door: Eros triumphs in the youth category of the 1984 Sanremo Festival with the song "Terra promessa" (Promised land) written in cooperation with Reato Brioschi and Alberto Salerno (lyricist).

"Terra promessa" is released throughout Europe as his record company treats Eros as a true international artist from the very beginning: all his albums are adapted into Spanish. Nothing is left to chance: even the signature "Eros Ramazzotti" is represented by the same logo on all his records. Meanwhile, the team around him changes: Piero Cassano (from Matia Bazar) for the music, Adelio Cogliati (his lyricist to this day) and Celso Valli (also by his side to date) for the arrangements.
In 1985 Eros participates at the Sanremo Festival again and classifies sixth with the song "Una storia importante" (An important story), included in his debut album "Cuori agitati" (Agitated hearts). The track "Una storia importante" sells one million copies in France alone and is a European hit.

1986: Ramazzotti's second album titled "Nuovi eroi" (New heroes) is released, yet most importantly he conquers first place at the Sanremo Festival (third consecutive participation) with the song "Adesso tu" (Now you).

Third album in three years: in 1987 "In certi momenti" (In certain moments) is released; the album includes a duet with Patsy Kensit "La luce buona delle stelle" (The good light of the stars). Eros stars in a nine month tour in front of boundless crowds totalling over one million spectators. The album achieves incredible results: over 3 million copies sold worldwide. His fan-base grows further with the succeeding mini-album "Musica e" (Music is) in 1988, an album characterized by the title-track: a lyrical ambient masterly interpreted by Ramazzotti, proving the achievement of artistic maturity.
The consacration of Eros Ramazzotti as an international artist arrives in April of 1990 when 200 journalists from every corner of the Earth participate at the press conference held in Venice for the presentation of his fifth album: "In ogni senso" (in every sense), released in 15 countries. The American label guru Clive Davis, conquered by Eros' talent, suggests he holds a concert at Radio City Hall in NYC: Ramazzotti is then the first Italian artist to perform on the prestigious stage, with an alluring sold out concert.

There follows another long tour that has its epilogue the following year in the double live album "Eros in concert" released in 1991; the album is presented on December 4th in Barcelona in a concert for 20.000 spectators, broadcasted worldwide and supported by both the Italian and Spanish governments. The receipts are given to charity, equally parted among The Milan and The Barcelona Institutes for Cancer.

1993 ad 1994 represent great years full of professional satisfactions for Eros: the album "Tutte storie" (All stories) (1993) sells 6 million copies and conquers the highest chart positions all over Europe. The video for the first single "Cose della vita" (Things of life) is directed by cult New York movie director Spike Lee who never before had worked on a video-clip for a Caucasian artist. The European tour for "Tutte storie" is among the most important that season: after touring the Old Continent, Eros plays in 15 Latin American countries.

Returning to Italy, Ramazzotti gives life to an idea and the "trio" experience with Pino Daniele and Jovanotti is the Italian event of the season. In November of that year, Eros performs live at the MTV Music Awards in Berlin singing "Cose della vita". 1994 is the golden year for Ramazzotti, signing a worldwide contract with BMG International as the year comes to a close.

The summer of 1995 he participates at the European Summer Festival with Rod Stewart, Elton John and Joe Cocker. The following year, on May 13 1996, "Dove c'e musica" (Where there is music) is released, this being the first album fully produced by Eros. Recorded in Italy and California with the collaboration of internationally reknown musicians, it achieves enthusiastic results: 7 million copies sold worldwide. The professional gratification is soon followed by an overwhelming personal joy: shortly after the end of the European tour his daughter Aurora Sophie sees the light (In Sorego, Switzerland, on December 5th 1996), born from Michelle Hunziker. Eros proves to be an affectionate, caring and scrupulous father: the following months he dedicates himself exclusively to his child. The only grant he gives to music is the song "That's all I need to know" written for Joe Cocker.

In October of 1997 a greatest hits titled "Eros" is released: a collection linking the spontaneity of his first songs with the international pop-rock flavour contained in the album "Dove c'e musica". The release is enriched by two previously unreleased tracks ("Quanto amore sei" - You are so much love - and "Ancora un minuto di sole" - One more minute of sun - ) and boosted by the duets with Andrea Bocelli on "Musica e" and Tina Turner on "Cose della vita - Can't stop thinking of you".

In February of 1998 he sets on a tour taking him to South America, the United States and Europe. May sees his participation at "Pavarotti and Friends (directed by Spike Lee, as in the video "Cose della vita"), singing "Se bastasse una canzone" (If a song were enough) (taken from the 1990 album "In ogni senso") with Luciano Pavarotti. That same year the live album "Eros Live" is released containing the duets recorded during the world tour: "Cose della vita - Can't stop thinking of you" with Tina Turner (surprise guest star at the concert held in a fully packed San Siro stadium in Milano) and "That's all I need to know - Difender?" with Joe Cocker (sung at the Monaco di Baviera performance). Less than a year later, in March 1999, he receives the Echo Award in Hamburg (the German Oscar for Music) as "Best International Music Artist".

With the Radiorama structure, Ramazzotti ventures into the world of productions: in early 2000 he works on Gianni Morandi's album "Come fa bene l'amore". In October of that same year, Eros releases "Stilelibero" (Freestyle) (eighth studio album) confirming his international artist status: the album boasts international collaborations with prestigious producers as Celso Valli, Claudio Guidetti, Trevor Horn and Rick Nowels. Among the songs there is a touching duet with Cher in "Pi? che puoi" (More than you can).

During the world tour, Ramazzotti performs in Eastern countries as well; memorable are the three sold out concerts held at the Kremlin Palace in Moscow from November 2nd to the 4th. The last tour date, on November 30th at the FilaForum in Milano, some friends join him on stage to sing with him some of the duets that marked his career: Raf for "Anche tu", Patsy Kensit for "La luce buona delle stelle" and Antonella Bucci for "Amarti e l'immenso per me".

The "Stilelibero" album, as his previous works, enters charts all over the world. In his 20 years career, Eros Ramazzotti sold well over 30 million albums.

In June 2003 "9" has been released: it is the ninth studio album, produced with Claudio Guidetti and with the customary collaboration from Celo Valli. As in all previous records, Eros transposes onto music his personal experiences, which in the last two years have seldom given him joy, yet have strengthened his personality. But this is a story yet to be told.

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Eros Ramazzotti - 9