Gianna Nannini
Gianna Nannini (Italian pronunciation: [ˈdʒanna nanˈniːni]; born 14 June 1954) is an Italian singer and songwriter. Her most notable songs include "America" (1979), "Fotoromanza" (1984), "I maschi" (1987), "Meravigliosa creatura" (1995), "Sei nell'anima" (2006) and "Bello e impossibile" (1986). The latter became a hit across Europe, especially in Austria, Germany, Italy and Switzerland.
Gianna Nannini

Andreas Schwarzkopf · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Born
- 1954 · Siena.
- Nationality
- Italy
- Occupation
- singer-songwriter · musician · singer · songwriter · composer · guitarist
- Fields
- music composing
- Education
- University of Siena
- Honours
- Vota la voce · Mangia d'Oro
- Languages
- Italian · English · German
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
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Documentary summary
Gianna Nannini (Italian pronunciation: [ˈdʒanna nanˈniːni]; born 14 June 1954) is an Italian singer and songwriter. Her most notable songs include "America" (1979), "Fotoromanza" (1984), "I maschi" (1987), "Meravigliosa creatura" (1995), "Sei nell'anima" (2006) and "Bello e impossibile" (1986). The latter became a hit across Europe, especially in Austria, Germany, Italy and Switzerland.
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technical hold · checked 25 September 2026
- Identity
- resolved
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Authority files
gnd · 109991583X · wikidata · Q232468 · wikipedia · Gianna Nannini
In this article
Early life
Early life
Gianna Nannini studied at University of Siena. The recorded working language is Italian, English and German. The field of work recorded is music composing. Subjects and genres recorded for the work are rock music. Residence is recorded at Piacenza and London. Distinctions recorded are Vota la voce and Mangia d'Oro.
Nannini was born in Siena on 14 June 1954. She studied piano and composition in Milan in the late 1970s.
Career
Career
Nannini scored her first domestic hit in 1979 with the single "America" and the album California, which became a success in several European countries. Her international breakthrough happened in 1984 with the release of her sixth album, the Conny Plank-produced Puzzle, which peaked in the top 10 in the Italian, German, Austrian and Swiss charts. The first single from the album, "Fotoromanza", was supported by a music video directed by Michelangelo Antonioni, and went on to win many musical awards. Nannini embarked on a long European tour to support the album, culminating in a headlining gig at the Montreux Jazz Festival. In 1986, her song "Bello e impossibile" was a European hit in Italy, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Her 1987 compilation album Maschi e altri sold over a million copies. In 2004, she released the greatest hits album Perle, where a number of her most renowned songs were rearranged with the support of musicians such as Christian Lohr on piano (who also had a co-producer credit), and a string quartet composed of Vincenzo di Donna (first violin), Luigi de Maio (second violin), Gerardo Morrone (viola) and Antonio di Franca (violoncello). With this orchestra Nannini went on a European tour from 2004 to 2005. The album Grazie was released in February 2006, and peaked at number one of the Italian hit-parade with the single "Sei nell'anima". In April 2007, Nannini released Pia come la canto io, a collection of songs produced by Wil Malone and originally intended for a rock opera based on the medieval Tuscan character Pia de' Tolomei (briefly mentioned in Dante Alighieri's Purgatorio) that would eventually be performed in 2008 after eleven months of gestation. An acoustic version of her song "Meravigliosa creatura" (from Perle) has been used in a 2008 advertisement commercial for the Fiat Bravo directed by Matthias Zentner. Fiat would later include another Gianna Nannini song, "Aria", in a subsequent Fiat Bravo ad.
Duets and collaborations
Duets and collaborations
In 1987, she performed with Sting, Jack Bruce and Eberhard Schoener the "Three Penny Opera" by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill at the Schauspielhaus in Hamburg. In 1990, she and Edoardo Bennato sang "Un'estate italiana", the official song of the 1990 FIFA World Cup composed by Giorgio Moroder. In September 2006, she recorded the single "Because We Believe (Ama credi e vai)" with Andrea Bocelli. Nannini was also featured on Einstürzende Neubauten member Alexander Hacke's solo album Sanctuary, on the track "Per Sempre Butterfly". In 2008, she duetted with the Italian rapper Fabri Fibra in his song "In Italia". She also sang the song "Aria" with the Macedonian vocalist Toše Proeski.
Band current lineup
Band current lineup
Gianna Nannini – vocals, guitar, violin, piano Milton Mcdonald – guitar, backing vocals Davide Ferrario – keyboards, backing vocals Davide Tagliapietra – guitar, backing vocals Mylious Johnson – drums Alex Klier – bass Will Malone – producer, musical director
Personal life
Personal life
Nannini's younger brother Alessandro Nannini (born 1959) and her first cousin once removed Matteo Nannini (born 2003) are both racing drivers, with Matteo still racing in Indy NXT. Nannini obtained a degree in philosophy from the University of Siena in 1994, when in her late 30s. In 1995 she took part in a protest organized by Greenpeace at the French embassy in Rome against the decision of the French government to pursue nuclear experiments at Mururoa. The test occurred on 27 December 1995. In August 2010, at the age of 56, Nannini announced that she was pregnant (the name of the father was not revealed). Nannini's pregnancy was prominently featured on the cover of Vanity Fair, where she was portrayed wearing a T-shirt with the inscription "God is a Woman". On 26 November 2010 Nannini's daughter Penelope Jane Charlotte was born in Milan. In 2017, Nannini decided to move to London with her partner, Carla. In her 2017 autobiography, entitled Cazzi miei, she revealed she was ready for a civil union with Carla, explaining she felt Italian laws could not give her any guarantee about Penelope's future in the case of Nannini's death. The Netflix biopic Beautiful Rebel (Sei nell'anima), released in 2024 and starring Letizia Toni, documented Nannini'a rise as a singer, punctuated by rebellions against her family, record companies and producers, and social conventions in Italy.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Piacenza and London
Residences
Siena.
Birth place
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q232468: Gianna Nannini
Reputable secondary · Wikimedia Foundation
- “Gianna Nannini”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority file
- Gemeinsame Normdatei 109991583X, History (Zusammenstellung, Gianna Nannini).
Unverified · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.HITALY certificate of incorporation
- 2.'Il sesso non basta, voglio l'anima'. Gianna crede nell'Amore gigante. 26 October 2017.
- 3.Affaritaliani.it. Gianna Nannini mamma a 54 anni!. 2 August 2010.
- 4.È nata Penelope, la figlia di Gianna Nannini.
- 5.Mediaset. Gianna Nannini: A Londra sposo Carla, stepchild adoption per mia figlia. TGCOM. 6 July 2017.
- 6.Giulio Pasqui. Gianna Nannini sposa la compagna: Ho scelto Londra con mia figlia e Carla. L'Italia non mi tutela nei miei diritti di mamma. Il Fatto Quotidiano. 6 July 2017.
- 7.Sei nell'anima. IMDb.
- 8.History. Musica e Dischi.
- 9.Gianna Nannini in der Österreichischen Hitparade. Austrian Charts.
- 10.Discographie von Gianna Nannini. Offizielle Deutsche Charts.
- 11.Gianna Nannini - Charts. Swiss Hitparade.
- 12.Germany. Gianna Nannini.
- 13.Edelmetall Suche (Gianna Nannini). Swiss Hitparade.
- 14.Certificazioni. Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
authority file
Gemeinsame Normdatei 109991583X, History (Zusammenstellung, Gianna Nannini).Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Partially resolvedreference work
Wikidata, structured authority record Q232468: Gianna NanniniWikimedia Foundation
Partially resolvedreference work
Partially resolved
People, houses and institutions
Knowledge graph
People, houses and institutions
Teachers, collaborators, publishers and institutions recorded against this person, each on a stated basis.
Studied at
1- University of SienaOrganisation
Established from a fact already recorded on a verified source.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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