Blanco (singer)
Riccardo Fabbriconi (born 10 February 2003), known professionally as Blanco, is an Italian singer, rapper and songwriter.[1] He rose to prominence in 2021 with the hits “La canzone nostra” and “Mi fai impazzire” which reached the top of the Italian Top Singles. He later released his first album “Blu celeste” , driven by the singles “Notti in bianco” , “Paraocchi” and the song of the same name. In 2022 he won, paired with Mahmood , the 72nd Sanremo Festival with “Brividi” , a song that entered the charts of various countries and with which he represented Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest Turin 2022, finishing in 6th place.
Early life
Riccardo Fabbriconi was born in Brescia[2] on 10 February 2003, to a father from Rome and a mother from Lombardy, and raised in Calvagese della Riviera, a small town on Lake Garda. He spent most of his childhood between his hometown, Brescia and Desenzano del Garda, where he attended school.[3] During childhood, his father introduced him to artists such as Lucio Battisti, Lucio Dalla and Pino Daniele, and he also enjoyed most pop radio; growing up, he was involved in the Italian hip hop scene.[4]
Career
2020–2021: "Mi fai impazzire" and Blu celeste
In June 2020, he released on SoundCloud his EP Quarantine Paranoid, thanks to which he was noticed and signed by Universal and Island Records.[5] He subsequently released his debut single "Belladonna (Adieu)",[6] followed by his second single "Notti in bianco",[7] which became a sleeper hit in the summer of 2021, peaking at number two on FIMI's singles chart.[8] On 8 January 2021, Blanco, Mace and Salmo released the collaborative single "La canzone nostra".[9] It became Blanco's first single to peak at number one on FIMI's singles chart[10] and was certified quintuple platinum, having sold 350,000 copies.[11]
On 26 February 2021, Blanco released his single "Paraocchi",[12] which also reached the top ten of FIMI's singles chart.[13] On 18 June 2021, he released the hit single "Mi fai impazzire" in collaboration with Sfera Ebbasta;[14] it peaked at number one on FIMI's singles chart for eight consecutive weeks[15] and was certified sextuple platinum, having sold 420,000 copies.[11]
On 10 September 2021, Blanco released his debut studio album Blu celeste, containing nine original tracks produced by Michelangelo, as well as the previously published singles "Notti in bianco", "Ladro di fiori" and "Paraocchi".[16] The album, which debuted atop FIMI's album chart, was certified as a gold record a week after its release, having sold 250,000 album-equivalent units, and as a platinum record the following week.[11] Simultaneously, the lead single of the same name debuted at number one on FIMI's singles chart and Blanco's songs occupied the entire top ten; furthermore, all twelve tracks included in the album appeared concomitantly on the chart.[17] In November 2021, the track "Finché non mi seppelliscono" was selected as a radio single.[18]
2022–present: Sanremo and Eurovision Song Contest
In December 2021, RAI announced that Mahmood and Blanco would be participating together in the Sanremo Music Festival 2022 with the song "Brividi".[19] They won the competition with over fifty percent of the vote and subsequently confirmed their participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 as Italy's representatives.[20] Critics commented how for the first time in the history of the festival a performance put on the same level homosexual and heterosexual love.[21] "Brividi" recorded over 3.3 million streams in 24 hours, becoming the most-streamed song in a single day on Spotify in Italy.[22] It debuted at number one on FIMI's singles chart[23] and peaked at number fifteen on the Billboard Global 200.[24]
Blanco was chosen by the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI) to introduce Pope Francis's meeting at Piazza San Pietro on 18 April. He performed "Blu celeste" accompanied by Michelangelo.[25] The choice was criticized by the bishop of Ventimiglia, Monsignor Antonio Suetta, who thought the message expressed through Blanco's performance was "not suitable to a catholic context"; however, a representative of the CEI, Don Michele Falabretti, replied to the concerns and restated the decision to invite Blanco to the event.[26]
Artistry
Blanco was originally described as a rapper and trapper,[27] although he always rejected any labels, saying that "music should always and exclusively be listened without giving too many definitions".[28] After the release of his debut album, critics found pop, punk, rock and funk influences in Blanco's music.[29][30] Rolling Stone Italia defined him as "genreless".[27] Claudio Cabona of Rockol commented on how Blanco is capable of mixing rap with a "nihilistic punk attitude".[31] La Repubblica described him as "the new face of the post-trap".[32] While talking about his way of delivering his lyrics, heavily inspired by his personal experiences,[33][27] Blanco said: "I don't sing, I shout with the heart".[27] Among his inspirations, Blanco named several Italian singer-songwriters including Adriano Celentano, Domenico Modugno, Luigi Tenco, Franco Battiato and Gino Paoli.[27][34]
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ITA [35] | SWI [36] | |||
| Blu celeste |
| 1 | 11 | |
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ITA [38] | LTU [39] | LUX [40] | SPA [41] | SWI [42] | ||||
| "Belladonna (Adieu)" | 2020 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Non-album single |
| "Notti in bianco" | 2 | — | — | — | — |
| Blu celeste | |
| "Ladro di fiori" | 16 | — | — | — | — |
| ||
| "La canzone nostra" (with Mace and Salmo) | 2021 | 1 | — | — | — | — |
| Obe |
| "Paraocchi" | 3 | — | — | — | — |
| Blu celeste | |
| "Mi fai impazzire" (with Sfera Ebbasta) | 1 | — | — | — | 56 |
| Non-album single | |
| "Blu celeste" | 1 | — | — | — | — |
| Blu celeste | |
| "Finché non mi seppelliscono" | 3 | — | — | — | — |
| ||
| "Brividi" (with Mahmood) | 2022 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 95 | 1 |
| TBA |
| "Nostalgia" | 2 [43] | — | — | — | — |
| ||
| "L'isola delle rose" | 2023 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "—" denotes a single that did not chart or was not released. | ||||||||
Guest appearances
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ITA [38] | ||||
| "Tutti muoiono" (Madame featuring Blanco) | 2021 | 28 | Madame | |
| "Dio perdonami" (Blanco & Drast) | 48 | Red Bull 64 Bars: The Album | ||
| "Nemesi" (Marracash featuring Blanco) | 4 |
| Noi, loro, gli altri |
Other charted songs
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ITA [38] | ||||
| "Sai cosa c'è" | 2021 | 4 |
| Blu celeste |
| "Lucciole" | 5 |
| ||
| "Mezz'ora di sole" | 6 |
| ||
| "Figli di puttana" | 8 |
| ||
| "Pornografia (Bianco paradiso)" | 10 |
| ||
| "Afrodite" | 15 |
| ||
| "David" | 19 |
|
Videography
| Year | Title | Director | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | "Notti in bianco" | Simone Peluso | [44] |
| "Ladro di fiori" | |||
| 2021 | "La canzone nostra" (with Mace and Salmo) | YouNuts! | [45] |
| "Paraocchi" | Simone Peluso | [44] | |
| "Mi fai impazzire" (with Sfera Ebbasta) | Andrea Folino | [46] | |
| "Afrodite" | Simone Peluso | [44] | |
| "David" | |||
| "Pornografia (Bianco Paradiso)" | |||
| "Finché non mi seppelliscono" | |||
| "Lucciole" | |||
| "Sai cosa c'è" | |||
| "Blu celeste" | |||
| "Figli di puttana" | |||
| "Mezz'ora di sole" | |||
| 2022 | "Brividi" (with Mahmood) | Attilio Cusani | [47] |
| "Nostalgia" | Simone Peluso | [citation needed] |
Tours
- Blu celeste Tour (2022)
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award ceremony | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | SEAT Music Awards | Single Award | "Notti in bianco" | Won | [48] |
| "La canzone nostra" | Won | ||||
| "Mi fai impazzire" | Won | ||||
| 2022 | Sanremo Music Festival | Big Artists | "Brividi" | 1st Place | [20] |
| Eurovision Song Contest | — | 6th Place | [20] |
References
- ^ Biazzetti, Claudio (19 May 2021). "Chi è Blanco: la vita del cantante de La Canzone Nostra". Red Bull. from the original on 5 February 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
- ^ Tomelli, Mauro (19 September 2021). "Blanco, il primo album è Blu celeste: "Niente etichette, io sto bene così"". Vanity Fair (in Italian). from the original on 4 February 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
- ^ "Chi è Blanco: la vita del cantante de La Canzone Nostra". Red Bull (in Italian). from the original on 5 February 2022. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
- ^ Benedetta Borioni (22 June 2020). "15 domande a Blanco sul suo singolo d'esordio "Belladonna (Adieu)"". i-D. from the original on 10 September 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
- ^ "BLANCO e Sfera Ebbasta fuori con "Mi fai impazzire"". from the original on 10 September 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
- ^ Cristina Breuza (24 June 2020). "Blanco pubblica Belladonna (Adieu)". from the original on 10 September 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
- ^ Simone Zani (31 July 2020). "Blanco Notti In Bianco: un racconto trasgressivo e romantico". All Music Italia. from the original on 10 September 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
- ^ "Classifica settimanale WK 37 (dal 10.09.2021 al 16.09.2021)". FIMI. from the original on 5 February 2019. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
- ^ Benedetta Borioni (8 January 2021). "In viaggio con MACE, Salmo e Blanco". i-D. from the original on 10 September 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
- ^ "Classifica settimanale WK 3 (dal 15.01.2021 al 21.01.2021)". FIMI. from the original on 5 February 2019. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
- ^ a b c "Certificazioni". FIMI. from the original on 4 February 2019. Retrieved 6 February 2022. Type "Tutti gli anni" in the section "Anno" and "Blanco" in the section "Filtra".
- ^ "BLANCO non si ferma: dopo il platino arriva il nuovo brano "Paraocchi"". Billboard Italia. 22 February 2021. from the original on 6 May 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
- ^ "Classifica settimanale WK 36 (dal 03.09.2021 al 09.09.2021)". FIMI. from the original on 5 February 2019. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
- ^ "Blanco e Sfera Ebbasta, il testo di Mi fai impazzire il nuovo singolo". Sky TG24. from the original on 5 February 2022. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
- ^ Andrea Picariello (26 July 2021). "Classifiche: "Mi fai impazzire" è il singolo più venduto in Italia". 4Quarti Magazine. from the original on 6 February 2022. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
- ^ Claudio Todesco (10 September 2021). "Ma sei normale, Blanco?". Rolling Stone. from the original on 5 February 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
- ^ "Blanco occupa tutta la top 10 della classifica dei singoli". Rolling Stone Italia. 18 September 2021. from the original on 17 October 2021. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
- ^ Paola Corradini (10 November 2021). "Blanco - Finchè Non Mi Seppelliscono (Radio Date:2-11-2021)". EarOne. from the original on 10 November 2021. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
- ^ Santos, Pedro (4 December 2021). "Italy: Artists for Sanremo 2022 revealed". Eurovisionworld. from the original on 27 February 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
- ^ a b c "Mahmood and Blanco win the Sanremo Festival and agree to represent Italy in Eurovision 2022". Spain's News. 6 February 2022. from the original on 6 February 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
- ^ "Se gli amori (gay o etero) hanno pari dignità, a Sanremo". Corriere della Sera. 2 February 2022. from the original on 3 February 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
- ^ "Mahmood e Blanco conquistano Spotify, "Brividi" nella top 5 globale". Il Messaggero. 3 February 2022. from the original on 6 February 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
- ^ "Classifica settimanale WK 5 (dal 28.01.2022 al 03.02.2022)". FIMI. from the original on 5 February 2019. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
- ^ "Billboard Global 200 – Week of February 19, 2022". Billboard. 15 February 2022. from the original on 15 February 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
- ^ "Blanco ha cantato "Blu Celeste" in Vaticano davanti a 57mila adolescenti". Sky TG24. 19 April 2022. from the original on 19 April 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
- ^ Paolo Rodari (17 April 2022). "I brividi di Blanco per la piazza del Papa: "Abbiamo scelto lui per la capacità di attirare i giovani"". la Repubblica. from the original on 19 April 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
- ^ a b c d e Claudio Todesco (10 September 2021). "Ma sei normale, Blanco?". Rolling Stone Italia (in Italian). from the original on 5 February 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
- ^ Mauro Tomelli (19 September 2021). "Blanco: "Niente etichette, io sto bene così"". Vanity Fair (in Italian). from the original on 4 February 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
- ^ Fabio Fume (10 February 2022). "Blanco – Blu celeste: il merito di farsi recensire mesi dopo l'uscita del disco..." All Music Italia (in Italian). from the original on 10 February 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
- ^ "Blanco, ospite di Radio Zeta, ci parla del suo nuovo album "Blu celeste"". Radio Zeta (in Italian). 20 September 2021. from the original on 21 September 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
- ^ Claudio Cabona (4 November 2020). "Blanco: indole punk, parti rappate e mutande bianche". Rockol (in Italian). from the original on 5 December 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
- ^ Gino Castaldo (10 September 2021). "Blanco, il volto della post-trap che ci mette il cuore: "Ho canalizzato la rabbia in qualcosa di positivo: la musica"". La Repubblica (in Italian). from the original on 21 September 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
- ^ "Blanco, Blu Celeste: il testo della nuova canzone". Sky Tg24 (in Italian). 13 September 2021. from the original on 10 February 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
- ^ Claudio Cabona (10 September 2021). "Blanco: un primo disco con zero feat e tanta voglia di fare casino. L'intervista". Rockol (in Italian). from the original on 25 November 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
- ^ "Italian Charts - Blanco - Albums". Italiancharts.com. Hung Medien. from the original on 29 September 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
- ^ "Discographie Blanco". swisscharts.com. from the original on 26 July 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
- ^ "Certificazioni - FIMI". www.fimi.it (in Italian). from the original on 4 February 2019. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
- ^ a b c * "Italian Charts – Blanco – Singles". Italiancharts.com. Hung Medien. from the original on 29 September 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
- "Top Singoli – Classifica settimanale WK 5" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. from the original on 5 February 2019. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
- ^ "2022 6-os savaitės klausomiausi (TOP 100)". AGATA. from the original on 11 February 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- ^ "Luxembourg Songs". Billboard. from the original on 15 February 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- ^ "Brividi". EPDM. from the original on 15 February 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- ^ "Blanco Charts". swisscharts.com. from the original on 29 September 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
- ^ "Top Singoli – Classifica settimanale WK 23" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
- ^ a b c Andrea Conti (10 September 2021). "Blanco a FqMagazine: "Il sesso? È passionale e carnale. Mi sono allontanato da una relazione tossica andando per la mia strada. Tra dieci anni spero di essere felice e vivo"". Il Fatto Quotidiano (in Italian). from the original on 2 May 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
- ^ "Mace Salmo Blanco fuori il trasgressivo e folle video de "La canzone nostra" diretto da YouNuts!". All Music Italia (in Italian). 11 January 2021. from the original on 9 February 2022. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
- ^ "Blanco e Sfera Ebbasta, è uscito il video di 'Mi fai impazzire'". Rolling Stone. 7 July 2021. from the original on 29 September 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
- ^ Musillo, Alessia (2 February 2022). "Il video di Brividi di Mahmood e Blanco è una pedalata su una bici di cristallo nella periferia di Amsterdam". Elle Decor (in Italian). from the original on 4 February 2022. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
- ^ "Blanco: tre premi ai Seat Music Awards e la sua dedica per le persone che non ci sono più sulle noti di "Blu celeste"". All Music Italia (in Italian). 10 September 2021. from the original on 13 September 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2022.