Jovanotti

Lorenzo Cherubini ({{#invoke:IPA|main}}; born 27 September 1966), known professionally as Jovanotti ({{#invoke:IPA|main}}), is an Italian singer-songwriter, rapper, and disc jockey.

The name Jovanotti derives from giovanotti, the plural form of the Italian word giovanotto ("young man"). Cherubini initially chose "Joe Vanotti" as his stage name, but a promotional poster for a night club incorrectly billed him as "Jovanotti" and the name stuck. The spelling Jovanotti is anglicized; the letter J is rarely used in Italian. Jovanotti is commonly known to his fans by the diminutive form "Jova", and often refers to himself that way in promotional items and on his Web TV channel Jova.TV, which launched 2 October 2014.

Jovanotti gradually departed from his early mix of hip hop, rap and disco, taking in funk, world music and even classical arrangements and ska influences. As his musical influences changed, so did his lyrics too, which over time began to increasingly address philosophical, religious and political issues, which are more typical of the Italian cantautore tradition. His social and political commitment increased as well. Some of his earlier work is also closer to keyboard-heavy 1980s pop.

Most of his songs are sung in Italian; he also released a Spanish-language greatest hits album. His live album includes a short version of the Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight". Jovanotti appears on several international compilations, most notably Red Hot + Rhapsody, a 1998 tribute to George Gershwin, on which he performed "I Got Rhythm". Jovanotti also appeared in one of Luciano Pavarotti's charity concerts in 1996.

Biography

Early life

Cherubini was born on 27 September 1966 in Rome to Tuscan parents, Mario and Viola Cardinali, but he spent part of his childhood in his parents' hometown, Cortona, in the province of Arezzo (Tuscany).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

After completing his high-school studies, he started working as a disc jockey in several discothèques and radio stations in the province of Rome.<ref name=Wuz>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 1985 he moved to Milan.<ref name=Wuz/> Two years later, during the summer of 1987, while he was playing a DJ set in Palinuro, he met the record producer and talent scout Claudio Cecchetto, who proposed they begin working together.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> That same year Jovanotti released his first single, "Walking," and started working as a DJ for one of the most prominent national radio stations, Radio DeeJay,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> which was founded by Cecchetto five years earlier.

Career

File:1993 Jovanotti 03 (cropped).jpg

Jovanotti in 1993.

His first studio album, Jovanotti for President, was released in 1988 and became the symbol of the Italian youth of the eighties, without any interest in ideologies and politics.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Despite receiving strongly negative criticism,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> the album became a big commercial success, reaching the third position on the Italian Musica e dischi Albums Chart<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and selling over 400,000 copies in Italy.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Moreover, the album spawned five singles, including the number-one hits, "Gimme Five" (also the name of his British TV show for Janet Street Porter's DEF II youth TV block on BBC Two<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>) and "Gimme Five (Rasta Five)" and the songs "Go Jovanotti Go" and "Mix, Remix & The singers," which entered the Italian top 5.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 1998, Jovanotti played a brief role in the movie I Giardini dell'Eden, directed by Alessandro D'Alatri.

The song "Piove" was released for the second season of The Sopranos as an ending credits track.

His 2005 CD, Buon Sangue, was influenced by both rock and old school hip hop. It is one of his most innovative works to date. Edoardo Bennato collaborated on one track, while bass player Saturnino co-wrote two of the songs.

File:Jovanotti "L2016orenzo nei Palasport" - 24046936530 (cropped).jpg

Jovanotti in 2016.

In 2007 he was featured at the end of Negramaro's song, "Cade la Pioggia," of their CD, La Finestra, and in 2008 he released the new album Safari.

In 2008 he performed as guest artist on the track "Lugar Comum" from the album Encanto. At the end of 2009, he collaborated with Claudio Baglioni and Fabrizio Bosso, along with 70 other artists, in the song "Con tutto il mio cuore (with All My Heart)." On 1 January 2010 the group released "Baciami Ancora (Kiss Me Again)" for the soundtrack of a film by Gabriele Muccino.

In December 2010 he achieved a number one hit on the Italian Top 20 charts with "Tutto l'amore che ho." On 25 January 2011, he released his eighteenth album Ora. Later in 2011 he played at the Bonnaroo Music Festival.

Commitment

Along with the evolution of his sound, his social and political commitment for mainstream causes has increased since the 1990s. As a convinced pacifist, he frequently worked with organizations such as Make Poverty History, Amnesty International, and he has contributed to events dedicated to debt relief (Global Call to Action Against Poverty).

Jovanotti has a friendship with Bono due to their mutual quest for the cancellation of foreign debt in poor African countries. He also collaborated with Michael Franti of Spearhead on his Capo Horn and Ora albums. Both Michael Franti and U2 misspelled his name as Giovanotti in the liner note credits.

Television

Even though Jovanotti has never had a UK chart hit under his own name, he was briefly known in the United Kingdom as the presenter of the DEF II programme Gimme 5. The show, which featured a brief introduction each week by Jovanotti, showcased youth television programmes from around the world.Template:Citation needed Starting in 1990, he also hosted the similarly formatted Earth to MTV for U.S. cable television; this music-video showcase competed with similar programming on VH1 (New Visions: Worldbeat), Bravo (Big World Cafe), and Spanish-language Telemundo (MTV Internacional) and Univision (Tu Musica).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2020 he released exclusively for RaiPlay the documentary in sixteen episodes "Non voglio cambiare Pianeta" (I don't want to change Planet) which he filmed whilst travelling from Chile to Argentina on his bicycle, between January and February 2020.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 2025, he was announced as a special guest of Sanremo Music Festival.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He has performed during the first night.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Gino Latino

Jovanotti was behind one of two rival Gino Latino italo house tracks in the early 1990s. His Gino Latino single, "Welcome", reached number 17 on the UK Singles Chart.

Personal life

On 6 September 2008, Jovanotti married Francesca Valiani at Cortona, in the Church of Santa Maria Nuova. Their daughter Teresa was born in 1998. He dedicated the lullaby "Per te" to Teresa, one of the hits of the album Capo Horn (1999), and the song "Libera" from the album Lorenzo 2015 cc.<ref>Jovanotti insieme alla figlia Teresa, 'tali e quali', cinguetta mamma Francesca Valiani (Italian)</ref>

Jovanotti believes in a God but he does not follow any religion.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Discography

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} Studio albums

• Jovanotti for President (1988)
• La mia moto (1989)
• Giovani Jovanotti (1990)
• Una tribù che balla (1991)
• Lorenzo 1992 (1992)
• Lorenzo 1994 (1994)
• Lorenzo 1997 - L'albero (1997)
• Lorenzo 1999 - Capo Horn (1999)
• Lorenzo 2002 - Il quinto mondo (2002)
• Buon sangue (2005)
• Safari (2008)
• Ora (2011)
• Lorenzo 2015 CC. (2015)
• Oh, Vita! (2017)
• Jova Beach Party (2019)
• Lorenzo sulla luna (2019)
• Il disco del Sole (2022)
• Il corpo umano – vol. 1 (2025)

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1992	Parenti serpenti	Himself	Uncredited cameo
1998	The Garden of Eden	David
1998	Jolly Blu	Record label's president
2007	The Simpsons	Milo (voice)	Episode: "Husbands and Knives"

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Nomination	Work	Result
1996	MTV Video Music Awards	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	"L'ombelico del mondo"	Template:Nom
1998	Premio Italiano della Musica	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Lorenzo 1997 - L'albero	Template:Nom
		Italian Song of the Year<ref name="Premio Italiano della Musica 1998"/>	"Bella"	Template:Nom
		Italian Tour of the Year<ref name="Premio Italiano della Musica 1998"/>	Lorenzo Tour 1997	Template:Nom
		Special Award – Radio DeeJay<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Himself	Template:Won
1999	MTV Europe Music Awards	Best Italian Act<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Himself	Template:Nom
2000	Premio Italiano della Musica	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	"Il mio nome è mai più" Template:Small	Template:Won
		Music Video of the Year<ref name="Premio Italiano della Musica 2000"/>	"Il mio nome è mai più" Template:Small	Template:Won
	Lunezia Award	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Lorenzo 1999 - Capo Horn	Template:Nom
2001	Italian Music Awards	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Lorenzo Tour 1999	Template:Nom
		Best Music Video<ref name="Italian Music Awards 2001"/>	"File Not Found"	Template:Nom
2002	Premio Videoclip Italiano	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	"Salvami"	Template:Won
2005	Premio Videoclip Italian	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	"(Tanto)³"	Template:Won
2006	Premio Amnesty Italia	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	"Mani in alto"	Template:Nom
	MTV Europe Music Awards	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Himself	Template:Nom
	Premio Videoclip Italiano	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	"Falla girare"	Template:Won
2008	Mogol Award	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	"Fango"	Template:Won
	World Music Awards	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Himself	Template:Won
	Premio Videoclip Italiano	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Himself	Template:Won
	Musica e Dischi Critics' Prize	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Safari	Template:Won
2009	Mogol Award	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	"A te"	Template:Nom
2010	David di Donatello	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	"Baciami ancora" Template:Small	Template:Won
	Nastro d'Argento	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	"Baciami ancora" Template:Small	Template:Nom
2011	TRL Awards	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Himself	Template:Nom
	Mogol Award	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	"Le tasche piene di sassi"	Template:Won
	MTV Europe Music Awards	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Himself	Template:Nom
	Musica e Dischi Critics' Prize	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Ora	Template:Won
		Best Concert Tour	Lorenzo Live – Ora in Tour 2011–2012<ref name="Musica e Dischi Critics Prize 2011"/>	Template:Won
	Rockol Awards	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Ora	Template:Won
		Best Italian Single<ref name="Rockol Awards 2011"/>	"Il più grande spettacolo dopo il Big Bang"	Template:Nom
		Best Italian Tour<ref name="Rockol Awards 2011"/>	Lorenzo Live – Ora in Tour 2011–2012	Template:Nom
2012	TRL Awards	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Himself	Template:Nom
		Best Video<ref name="TRL Awards 2012"/>	"Il più grande spettacolo dopo il Big Bang"	Template:Nom
2013	MTV Italian Music Awards	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Himself	Template:Nom
	Medimex Awards	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Himself	Template:Won
2015	MTV Italian Music Awards	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Himself	Template:Nom
	Medimex Awards	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Lorenzo 2015 CC.	Template:Won
		Best Music Video<ref name="Medimex 2015"/>	"Sabato"	Template:Won
		Best Concert Tour<ref name="Medimex 2015"/>	Lorenzo negli stadi 2015	Template:Won
2016	Assomusica Award	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Lorenzo negli stadi 2015	Template:Won
	Onstage Awards	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Lorenzo nei Palasport	Template:Won
		citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Himself	Template:Nom
		Best Tour<ref name=Onstage2016/>	Himself	Template:Nom
		Live Anthem<ref name=Onstage2016/>	"Gli immortali"	Template:Nom
		Best Look<ref name=Onstage2016/>	Himself	Template:Nom
2017	David di Donatello	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	"L'estate addosso"	Template:Nom

Bibliography

• Yo, brothers and sisters: siamo o non siamo un bel movimento? preface by Roberto D'Agostino, Milano, Vallardi, 1988. Template:ICCU
• Cherubini, S.l., Soleluna, 1993. Template:ICCU
• Il grande boh!, Milano, Feltrinelli, 1998. ISBN 88-07-70102-2
• Quarantology, 1966-2006, Milano, Rizzoli, 2006. ISBN 88-17-01165-7
• La parrucca di Mozart, Torino, Einaudi, 2009. ISBN 978-88-06-20054-1
• Per te, Roma, Gallucci, 2009. ISBN 978-88-6145-086-8
• Viva tutto!, Add Editore, 2010. ISBN 978-88-96873-18-2
• Gratitude, Torino, Einaudi, 2013. ISBN 978-88-06-21834-8
• Sbam!, Milano, Mondadori, 2017. ISBN 978-88-04-68543-2

External links

• Template:In lang Template:Official website
• Interview and music videos of Jovanotti in performance in San Francisco on PBS "Sound Tracks presents Quick Hits"
• Aliases